14-Feb-2001
Title: Chasing the Crown, an Extended Family Fic
ExFam Authors:
RavynFyre - ravynfyre@hotmail.com
Diane Davis - fenwyck@radiks.net
von - sablexo1@yahoo.com
bonnejeanne - bonnejeanne@yahoo.com
*Guests to be announced*
Archive: GW Addiction - http://www.geocities.com/fenris_wolf0/ and if she chooses, Darkflame - http://nav.to/chibitrowa/
Category: yaoi, AU
Rating: PG-13 for now, that will change
Pairings: 1x2, 3+4
Spoilers: Series, Endless Waltz, Mission: Arcadia
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners.
Kenny, Duan, Wufan, Tryan, Carter, Jack and the Ripper, and everything relating to Rip & Jack's universe are ours. No money being made here.
Feedback: Any and all comments, feedback, critiques welcome, be they short or long.
Please feel free to direct feedback to any or all of the authors!
WARNINGS: AU (Alternate Universe), Original Characters, LEMON in some sections.
NOTES: In the first several installments, Heero's part was written by Kateri Marie. After that, Von will be writing Heero's point of view.
EXTRA NOTES:
This section covers the next set of chronological events, and in order to do so, reprises some scenes in Mini's Trick or Treat, as well as including new material subsequent to it. This is not intended to substitute for reading that fic, rather to refresh some parts of it in the minds of the readers, particularly those parts that contribute to the ongoing story and emotional atmosphere. The full story, Mini's Trick or Treat can be found on GWAddiction. If you have not read this sidestory, and find the reprised sections confusing, we recommend that you read the full version (it's a lot more humorous as well! ^__~).
The extended family celebrated a traditional holiday, which had been forgotten by the adults in the places the children had come from.... They decorated, dressed in costumes, and went Trick or Treating, and even found a mysterious old house to explore, where unexpected things happened, and some familiar faces appeared...
exerpts from "Mini's Trick or Treat")
The hand on Duo's shoulder gave him a slightly familiar squeeze. "It's a little early for you to be on your knees isn't it?" an all too familiar voice drawled from behind.
"Depends on whom you ask," Duo replied flippantly as he turned and grinned up at his favorite knife-toting maniac, "Hiya, Rip. How's tricks?"
"Almost as good as treats," Rip said, looking down with a wide grin. The tall redhead was dressed in the robes of a Mandarin lord, scarlet silk with gold trim.
"Nice," Duo said appraisingly as he eyed Rip's costume.
"Lovely," Ripper returned, surveying the kneeling geisha. He licked his lips, which were painted as red as Duo's.
"Hah. Get that Cheshire cat grin off your face. You may enjoy the danger, but I have a healthy survival instinct," Duo quipped as he climbed to his feet.
Rip chuckled, and the Cheshire grin stayed.
"Heh. It's like telling water not to be wet," Duo muttered, "I take it you're one of the masterminds behind this little... orchestration?"
"Orchestration?" Rip said, blinking innocently. "No, no, that would be Jack. I'm simply trick or treating..."
"I don't think I'll fit into your bag," Duo observed dryly.
"I might fit into yours..." Rip said lazily.
"Hn. Don't 'spose you happened to see a pair of minis running around up here, did you?" Duo asked.
"I believe they are in the attic," Rip answered. "Nice and safe. So no hurry to run..."
"Run? In this thing? Heh," Duo snorted mirthfully, "How 'bout the others?"
"You can take it off," Rip suggested reasonably. "The others... yes, yes... the others as well."
"Persistent, aincha?"
"You have no conception," Rip grinned.
.........
Poised on the attic stairs, Heero heard a second sound similar to the first. Another childish laugh.
Heero smiled slightly at the sounds and moved to the door.
With a nudge of the gun muzzle, he pushed on the door and peered expectantly.
The room beyond took up the length of the attic. It was well lit by candles and a couple of hurricane lamps, and furnished as a children's playroom. A thick rug covered the wooden floor. The five boys were gathered on the rug, with an antique-looking board game, several bowls of popcorn and a set of very modern-looking monitors that showed every room, indeed every nook and cranny of the house.
Jack sat in a large fan-backed chair, playing on the keyboard across his knees, which rendered the full sound of a pipe organ, vibrating the floor and walls slightly.
"Oh there you are," he said, glancing at the door.
Heero nodded briefly, glancing around the room once more and, not seeing Rip, vanished the gun.
His eyes flickered back to the monitors and an eyebrow rose sharply at one of the images there. Heero moved to a better view as he caught his lover in the screen.
Heero saw the lovely geisha rise from a kneeling position while conversing with the Mandarin-robed redhead.
It took Heero a minute to realize his fingernails were digging into his palms, but he forced a breath into his lungs and released it slowly, attempting to calm down. Something about that sight...
He watched for a moment and more and then resolutely turned away - that he would deal with later. Tonight was for the kids.
Jack smiled slightly and said, "Duan, go fetch Duo from the second floor."
"Sure thing," Duan said and darted out the door.
As Duan darted away, Heero moved over to the small group and leaned against the wall, ordering his muscles to unknot. His eyes drifted down to the kids and he focused on them as he summoned control.
Jack watched Heero focus on the kids' game. He smiled slightly and continued to play the keyboard, filling the room and the house with the sound of a full-blown pipe organ.
Kenny glanced up and noticed the expression, or non-expression, on Heero's face. He frowned slightly, glanced at the monitor.
"Hn," he remarked. The older boys were kinda weird sometimes...
Heero met the younger boy's eyes but his expression didn't change. "Hn," he responded succinctly.
Carter looked over his shoulder at Heero, blinking. His teal eyes were wide. He wasn't sure he had ever sensed emotions quite like the ones coming from the Japanese boy before. Instinctively, he opened his mouth, then just as instinctively, closed it and returned his gaze to the game board.
Tryan looked up and over at Heero. He decided that no comment would be appreciated, so he went back to the game. Older boys were weird sometimes.
Duan ran down to the room on the second floor. He knocked on the door to the room where Geisha Duo and Ripper were and yelled, "Hey! Jack says come on!"
Duo spun around and faced the door as he heard the young boy's voice.
"Damn. Well, if nothing else, it's been a successful Halloween in the heart palpitations department," he muttered.
Rip grinned. "After you, Lotus-san," he said with a gesture.
Duo shook his head and gave the redhead a small grin as he reached for the door. Somehow he wasn't surprised when it turned out to be unlocked. Swinging it open, he peered down at Duan with a grin.
"Thanks, short-stuff. Having fun?"
Duan nodded a lot. "Yeah!" he said, enthusiastically. "I think we even got it on tape! Hi Rip!"
Rip laughed. "Boo!" he said, and a knife materialized next to Duan's foot.
Duan's head swiveled in the direction of the knife. Then, he looked up at Rip and yelped, and took off for the upstairs like a shot.
"Heh heh."
Duo blinked after the small braided blur with comic confusion. Opting not to comment for once, he shook his head and followed Duan at a more sedate pace.
Rip retrieved his knife deftly and followed at a leisurely stroll.
.........
Duan stopped just short of the doorway and walked through, breathing hard. He looked up and saw Heero. "You ok?" he asked.
Heero looked over and a 'Hn' almost escaped him. But he caught it at the last second and changed it to a slight nod, softening his features just slightly.
"Ok," Duan said, patting him on the arm. "Duo and Ripper are on the way, Jack. I think that dress is slowin' him down."
Jack nodded. "I believe it is called a kimono, hmm, Heero?"
Heero nodded. "Hai."
"Kee-mo-no," Duan repeated storing the word away for future reference. "Good."
Heero nodded in approval but didn't leave his position on the wall.
"It's a party!" a cheerful voice commented from the doorway. Duo wandered into the room, grinning at the circle of kids on the floor before looking around.
Carter beamed cheerfully and waved enthusiastically at Duo. "We found the treats!"
"Yes!" Wufan chimed in. "This was very, very clever, don't you think, Duo?!"
Duo grinned down at the kids, nodding at their obvious enjoyment.
"Gotta love any holiday that not only encourages ya to act silly, but rewards you with sugar for it too!"
"Oh," Duan said, "So the sugar snacks are what make it Halloween? I thought it was about ghosts or spirits and stuff."
"It's about a lot of different things, kiddo. Ghosts, spirits, honoring the dead... the candy and the fun stuff are just kinda perks," Duo replied cheerfully.
"Ok," Duan said, bringing Duo over a piece of candy. "Here... there's more where that came from."
Heero's 'Hn' was lost in a slight groan as he realized the amount of sugar being consumed. This was not good. Definitely a tactical error.
Duo stifled a snicker. His partner's response hadn't been lost on him. He accepted the candy with solemn thanks and a mischievous wink and then glanced up at Heero with a soft smile.
"It's not all that bad, is it?" he asked softly.
"Hn." Heero replied, his voice softening against his will. "Baka."
Duo cocked his head and peered at his lover. The makeup obscured much of his expression, but it seemed faintly puzzled. He opened his mouth to say something, then glanced back down at the kids.
As Duo looked down he saw Duan nod slightly to Wufan, who nodded back.
Duo peered at Wufan, then glanced at Duan, and then glanced back at Wufan.
"Yes?"
"Uh... it is nothing to concern yourself, Duo," Wufan said and then looked back down.
"It's ok, Duo." Duan said, then he sighed. "We were just working out how to take care of the sugar snacks. That's all."
"Ah," Duo said, nodding seriously. "Very important stuff," he finished with a grin as he carefully made his way across the room towards Heero.
Heero watched Duo advance with an eyebrow raised.
"It's ok, guys! We can feed 'em to him a little at a time, like we planned," Duan said, returning to the group.
Duo paused before he reached Heero, turning back to glance at the kids again.
"Feed what to who?" he asked brilliantly.
"Sugar snacks... to you. You like 'em a lot," Duan explained.
Duo grinned in response, "Who doesn't?" He turned back to Heero, unwrapping the piece Duan had just given to him, and offered it to the Japanese youth.
"Bet I could get even you to like this stuff if I try hard enough," he said impishly.
A second eyebrow joined the other and Heero set his lips stubbornly. "Hn."
"So... does anyone know where Sallah is?" Duo asked, sidling up to Heero.
Kenny nodded and pointed at one of the monitors, showing the two figures coming up a dark stairway. Duo also noticed that there were monitors of what was probably every room in the house.
Duo glanced over all the monitors, pausing a moment as he noted Wufei's sudden appearance, before perusing the screens again. As he saw the striking oriental room, he stopped and shot a glance at Heero. A long moment passed as he contemplated the monitors, Heero, and the sullen expression on his partner's face. The proverbial light bulb blinked to life above his head as the epiphany struck him.
"Ah. Cool," he said weakly to the room at large.
.........
A last glance into the attic room revealed no signs that it had ever been inhabited. The two travelers were gone.
Duo sighed and shook his head.
"Those two are positively spooky sometimes, ne, Heero?"
"Hn." Heero responded, making his way to the stairs and starting down them without looking back again.
"I mean, that whole teleportation thing... It's cool. Gotta see if I can convince them to teach it to me someday," Duo continued blithely, trying to egg Heero into responding with a real word.
It had the opposite effect. Heero didn't even give a hn that time.
Duo sighed and gathered up his wooden sandals as they reached the front door. Opting not to put them back on, he simply carried then and followed Heero out onto the street.
"So," Duo said conversationally.
"Hn." Heero replied as he walked at a brisk pace, unzipping the EMT jumper just a bit to feel the touch of the chill air.
"So. You gonna tell me what's eatin' ya, or do I have to start guessing?" Duo asked, trying to keep his tone light as he hurried his pace to keep up with Heero.
"I'm fine." Heero said flatly, not slowing down but moderating his gait just slightly.
"Actually, I'd say you're lying... but that's just me. Wanna try again? Or should I just switch feet? The left one's starting to taste a little soggy."
Heero huffed exasperatedly and lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. "Sure it's not the wood you're tasting?"
"Wood?" Duo replied, cocking his head in curiosity.
"Hn." Heero grunted, shaking his head slightly.
"Heero, will you please slow down and talk to me? Yer killin' me here... This thing isn't meant for speed walking," Duo sighed, indicating the kimono he wore with a wave of his hand.
Heero slowed, reluctantly, and glanced over at Duo with a strange almost pained light in his blue eyes. "Better?" he asked after a moment.
"Speed wise? Yes. Now will you tell me what's going on up there?" Duo replied, pointing to Heero's forehead.
"Nothing." Heero said stubbornly. His hand grabbed at the case he carried just a little tighter, the knuckles turning white.
"You don't trust me," Duo said flatly, his eyes narrowing before he looked away.
Heero started and then stopped completely where he stood. His brows drew together as he looked at his lover. "Nani?"
"That's the only thing I can think of. I mean, you've been pissed off about something since Rip and I showed up in the attic, and now you won't tell me what you're thinking about?" Duo said, forcing his tone to stay light with nonchalance it was obvious that he wasn't feeling.
Heero blinked a few times then sighed imperceptibly. He didn't want to do this out here. Blue eyes glanced up the street slightly, seeing the outline of their new house in the night and jerked his head towards it. "Let's take this inside," he said in a low voice.
Duo nodded quickly before starting off once more at as brisk a pace as he could manage in the kimono.
"Sure. Fine."
Heero opened his mouth to say something but the word got stuck in his throat and he ended up exhaling in a slight whoosh. "Hn," he commented to himself. Not the way he'd wanted to end the evening.
.........
Meanwhile, Wufei had managed to escort the small troupe of goblins back to the house, along with the Warrior Princess Xena.
Upon arriving they discovered some enterprising young neighbor had soaped their windows.
Once in the house, Wufei waved his slouch hat in the general direction of the small fry. "Bathe. Bed. Now."
Without hesitation, little legs marched to the bathrooms, obeying the commands in order. All were too tired to think, let alone raise objection.
Almost all. Carter managed once last swoop down the hall in his cape, chasing the Grim Reaper and the cowboy. Even he seemed to realize his body was about to take his brain out of the equation soon. After cleaning and dressing for bed, he pulled the black cape back on and dived into his bed, crying, "I feel the approach of dawn! The sun!!! The sun!!!" and pulled the covers over his head. A few minutes later, soft snoring was heard.
Kenny spent the longest getting cleaned up and then took extra time to make sure all the green stuff was washed out of the tub. He checked on everyone before ducking into the room he shared with Duan and climbing into the top bunk. He covered a sigh with his pillow.
.........
Heero walked slowly into the room, to the room, his passage making no sound on the soft carpet, leaving his case somewhere near the door. He felt the soft breeze behind him as Duo followed him in and he turned. Duo looked beautiful in the light from the hall, even more so than he had earlier. Heero absorbed the sight of his lover like sunlight before gesturing towards the bed. "Sit," he commanded softly, before disappearing into the bathroom.
Duo dropped off the sandals and paper umbrella, unburdening himself and emptying his sleeves before he settled onto the bed, scooting back and tucking his legs up under himself to wait.
A minute later Heero emerged, holding something in his hand. He walked over to the bed and knelt beside his lover reaching up to with one hand to grasp Duo's chin. The white cloth in his other hand caught the light from the hall as he raised it up and started washing the make up off Duo's face in slow smooth strokes.
Duo leaned into Heero's careful ministrations, his eyes half closing thoughtfully as he glanced down at his lover.
"Heero... What's going on?" he asked softly, his heart trip-hammering against his ribs both in confusion, and because of the proximity of his partner.
Heero exhaled softly, just a breath of air, "You saw the monitors." The hand with the cloth paused. "Close your eyes."
Duo obeyed, leaning down just a bit to give Heero better access, and murmuring a quiet agreement. "I didn't know he was in there when I went to pick the lock..."
Heero ran the cloth gently over Duo's eyes, washing away the paint. "I wasn't jealous." He paused again, thinking the statement over again, finding an error. "Correction: I was jealous but it was brief."
"Then what were you thinking about when we got to the attic?"
The paint was gone and familiar skin looked back at him. Heero let the washcloth fall to the floor. "I... " It was hard to explain and he wasn't sure he had enough words for this.
As the cloth fell away, Duo opened his eyes and peered down at his lover. He could see Heero struggling to explain, long familiarity with his terse partner giving him an insight few had. Cocking his head slightly to one side, he reached down and took one of Heero's hands in his own.
"Come up here, please... I feel... strange, looking down on you."
Heero blinked and stood, "The door," he said, by way of explanation, moving to close the door while he gathered his thoughts.
Duo allowed a soft, half-chuckle escape his lips as he nodded in agreement. As Heero turned back, he scooted a little further back on their bed and patted the open space beside him.
Heero took the invitation and sat on the bed, though he didn't speak, just stared gathering his thoughts.
Duo plucked shyly at the hem of one volumous sleeve; his fingers absently sliding over the embroidered silk as he too ordered his thoughts. His gaze slid over to Heero, peering up from under his lashes briefly before he glanced back down at the phoenix spread across his tucked up knees.
"Ya know... for all that I've made it a habit of studying you... I'm still not very good at reading your mind. I'm sorry. I wish... I wish I could be better at it for you. Then we wouldn't need words..."
Heero looked to Duo for a moment, before shaking his head, "Iie. You're..." he reached up a hand and let the callused palm rustle against Duo's cheek for a moment. "You shouldn't have to read my mind. " His hand fell away from Duo's cheek and he forced his eyes to meet Duo's as he spoke. "I'm sorry, about how I acted."
"Why?" Duo asked, brows drawn together in confusion.
"I wasn't jealous. But I was... cold to you. And I promised myself I wouldn't be that way to you again."
"If it wasn't jealousy... then what was it?"
In his mind, Heero lined up his thoughts like always, a row of tin soldiers that he could examine and present to his lover. "When I saw you... in front of Rip...." Heero paused again, not really sure how to say it so that it would make sense. Mission reports had been so much easier. Everything was so simple in battle. Enemy seen, target acquired, target destroyed. It hadn't prepared him well for ... sharing.
Duo, for once, held his tongue, waiting patiently for Heero to align his train of thought. He knew how hard it was for his lover to verbalize emotional matters. Duo could wait all night if that's what it would take. Heero deserved that much at least for dealing with his own babble-mouthed self on a regular basis.
The silence that followed surprised Heero slightly. He glanced at Duo, seeing the patience sitting unaccustomedly on his face. Duo really was far too good to him. Heero drew in a deep breath. "I knew I loved you... " He licked his lips. "I've known that for a long time. But when I saw you with him... It was your right, you could have, but I knew you hadn't. And then I realized how much I need you." He knew he wasn't making much sense but it was the best he could do.
Duo blinked away the quick flash of moisture that sprang to his eyes at Heero's words, shaking his head slightly before he responded.
"Are... are you... afraid, Heero?" he asked, his voice a bare whisper.
That took Heero a moment to compute. Fear wasn't something he equated very well either. "It... I'm not used to needing anyone. " He splayed out a palm on his lap and could see a few faint scars webbed across the skin. "It's... new."
Duo absorbed this for a moment before his hand crept out tentatively and covered Heero's. He closed his fingers over the slightly scarred skin, and drew Heero's hand up to his lips for a small, tender kiss.
"You're stuck with me, you know..." he murmured into the palm.
Heero 's eyes warmed and he drew in a sharp breath, though whether it was the softly murmured words or the gentle pressure of the kiss that drew it from him he didn't know. His hand crept out of Duo's grip and slid behind to rest at Duo's neck, pulling him in. "Aishiteru, Duo," he breathed into the kiss.
(excerpts end)
Duan listened as Kenny climbed into his bed. His eyes were closed, giving the appearance of sleep, but his mind was busy trying to work some things out. The Trick or Treat outing had been fun and the surprise party was even better. One thing bothered him though, and that was Heero. He understood, knowing Kenny for so long, that sometimes people get a bit bored sitting around and that live action was more exciting sometimes, than make-believe. He sighed deeply and opened his eyes in the darkness.
"Kenny, you awake?" he said, quietly, even though there was no one but them in the room.
"Hn," Kenny answered immediately. It wasn't a sleep 'hn'. It was a wide awake, 'I am laying here staring at the ceiling' hn.
"Good," Duan said, "Something's not right. Heero was mad. Did you notice that?"
There was a little silence, then Duan heard Kenny sit up. "Yeah, I noticed. He wasn't just tense until we found out it was a game. He was like more tense after that."
"Yeah," Duan added, then crawled up to the top bunk and sat next to Kenny. "I don't think he likes Rip and Jack and I don't know why. You got any ideas?"
Kenny made a silent sigh, pulling his knees up and leaning back against the wall next to the bed. "No," he said. "At first... when Heero and Duo first showed up... Heero didn't act like that. He was cautious, but he seemed to like 'em ok. I saw him tonight. When he came upstairs. He looked around... when he saw Jack, he was like, oh, but he looked around for Rip, and he didn't put his gun away until he saw that he wasn't there." Kenny usually tried not to show a lot of expression in his voice but alone with Duan he tended to relax that. His voice was troubled.
Duan's violet eyes widened and he nodded. "Wow, I didn't notice that," he said. "What I did notice was that Heero seemed more upset when I was going to get Duo."
"He saw Duo with Ripper in the monitor," Kenny said quietly. "That's when he kinda froze up. Even Jack saw it. That's why he sent you to get Duo, I bet. And he stayed froze up the rest of the time."
Duan nodded again in agreement. "Did Duo look a little scared or nervous to you? He looked like that to me after he come back upstairs."
Kenny bit his thumb, thinking. "He didn't seem to be having so much fun. Duo always has fun, even when bad stuff is happening, like when we were blowing up the base. But he wasn't having fun when he came upstairs... not after he saw Heero, and the monitor thing."
"Yeah," Duan said, thinking. "You know what I thought? I thought it was the air here at first. Like when we were in the park the first day. I don't think it's that anymore, because we're okay. You think Heero's mad cause Duo had on a kimono and Rip had on one too?"
Kenny looked at Duan. "No, dopey. Rip didn't have on a kimono, he had on Chinese robes. I don't think that's it. But something's buggin' Heero. Something that didn't always bug him so much." Kenny fell silent as he tried to work out what it was. He didn't think it was the air. Instead, he thought about what he would feel like if Duan met some new kid at school and suddenly thought the new kid was cooler than Kenny, and wanted to hang out with him instead. It could happen. He knew he wasn't always fun to be around, and if Duan met someone who was more lively and expressive... it would feel bad.
"Heero's afraid Duo will like Ripper more," he said softly.
Duan sighed deeply. It seemed like the only thing that made sense. "I was kinda thinking something like that. But, that's nuts, isn't it? I mean Heero is the coolest. Rip is cool too, but Jack is his best friend. Why would Duo change?"
Kenny tried to think about it some more, even though the emotions disturbed him. "It's not Duo changing," he said slowly. He shook his head. "I dunno, Duan," he said finally, his voice tense. "I don't know why. But it feels like... it feels like back on the base. Like the way people thought on the base where we grew up. Instead of like it felt in Arcadia. And it was... wrong on the base. It made 'em not trust each other or anyone."
Duan frowned a little. He took Kenny's hand and put the end of his braid in it. "Ok, then," he said, "That makes sense too. I think we should tell the others. Tryan and Carter didn't grow up with us, but I think Carter might understand the feeling. Wufan would though. What do you think?"
Kenny curled his fingers around the end of Duan's braid and smoothed the soft tassel. He was scowling in the dark. He didn't answer for a long time.
Finally he said, in a very soft voice, "I don't want to." He bowed his head, concentrating on looking at the silky bit of the braid. "I don't want to yet. Not yet. Maybe... maybe it will go away..." he whispered, trying to keep his voice from showing how upset he was. "If... if they say something to us, then... but not yet. It might... get better on it's own, couldn't it?"
Duan felt his chest hurt a little. He thought about it and then nodded. "Sure," he said, hoping his voice sounded cheerful enough. "Ok.. we can just wait and see what happens." He then gave Kenny a big hug.
Kenny was a little tense in the hug. "Sorry," he muttered. "Duan... don't let me make it worse. Promise... please?"
Duan frowned deeply in the darkness. "I promise," he said, pledging to look after his friend until the day they both found themselves back to back in a big gun fight and died in a hail of bullets and C-4.
Taking a deep breath, Kenny peered at Duan closely. He suddenly realized that Duan would feel better talking to the others about it, just as he, Kenny, would feel worse. He scowled at himself for being weak and selfish. "Duan," he said. "If... if something else happens, we talk to the other guys. The next thing. Does that... would that help?"
"Yeah," Duan said. "But, I'm ok now too. We just keep an eye on things. It'll be okay."
He then turned to Kenny in the darkness. "I wantcha to know, that this is them.. It's not us. We're gonna be together forever. I just decided that."
Kenny reached out and grasped Duan's hand and squeezed it. Then he let go. "Glad you caught up," he said in an odd little voice, almost smiling. "I decided that a while back. When I first came back to the base with them and you were there."
Duan smiled with delight. "Cool!" he said excitedly. "And since you didn't have to come here by yourself and I got to come along too, that's perfect!"
Kenny socked Duan in the arm gently. "Wouldn't 'a come if they didn't want you too," he growled softly.
Suddenly, Duan's eyes got a little misty. He wiped them on the sleeve of his Action Man pajamas. "Ok," he said in a very little voice. "Cool. Nobody's ever done that for me before. So...ok, we're forever."
Kenny felt his chest tighten, recognizing the tone in Duan's voice. It made him want to kill everyone who had ever hurt the braided boy or ignored him. Or at least beat them up.
"Hn," he said affirmatively, in his serious, mission voice. "It's a done deal."
"Right!" Duan replied, sealing the pact.
Kenny allowed a small sigh through, feeling stronger now that this had been established. "We gotta look after Wufan, and Carter and Tryan too. You already knew that. You're smarter than me sometimes, Duan."
"You're tougher than me," Duan replied, complimenting his compliment. He felt better.
Secretly, Kenny did not believe that statement to be true, but if it helped Duan to think he was tough, and gave him someone to rely on, he would try. "Hn," he said. He reached down and pulled the blanket over both of their legs, and moved the pillows slightly. "Better sleep," he said. "School tomorrow."
Duan nodded and settled down without protest.
In his room, Wufan sat in the window and looked out at the curving landscape of the Colony. He thought about the Trick or Treat party and the fun that they'd all had, but something was making him sad. He sighed a little as he thought of Heero and how still he looked at the party.
He's unhappy, he thought and remembered the pictures on the monitor.
In a way, he could understand the older boy's feelings. He, himself, had been much of a loner. Even though he had kids to play with, including Duan and Kenny at the base, he still felt slightly apart. Wufan could see that Heero was having a deep conflict. What he concluded was that Heero was afraid Duo would look to Ripper as a best friend and not need him any more. The older boy had always seemed so strong and independent, and he was all of those things, but Wufan understood that sometimes being strong wasn't the only thing that mattered. He was worried that Heero didn't know that he didn't have to be strong all of the time. Silently, he wished that he and Duo could talk things over and get them resolved, but he knew that there were other feelings and things involved. Wufan knew that if things were as simple as sitting down and talking, then there would be no problem that anyone couldn't resolve.
Other things were at work. As he sat alone, he tried to come up with something he could do personally, but found that it hurt his head to do so.
The next thing, Wufan heard his door open. A small figure with pale gleaming hair peered at him from the door. "Hi," Carter said softly.
"Hi," Wufan said. "Come inside. Are you ok?"
Carter came in and padded over to Wufan's bed. He jumped on the edge of it and smiled. "Hi!" he said again. "I'm ok. But I woke up and you were... having a headache."
"Oh," Wufan said, remembering about Carter and his sensitivities. "I'm sorry I bothered you," he said coming back to his bed and sitting on it.
Carter wrinkled his nose. "You didn't bother me," he said. "You thinking?"
Wufan nodded. He pushed his glasses back up on his nose. "I was thinking about Heero," he said, softly.
Carter nodded. "Something's up," he said matter of factly. "They were having a problem, but they're sleeping now. It got a little better." He looked at Wufan. "Big people stuff."
Wufan nodded. "It is better," he repeated. "That's good. That makes me feel better too. Sometimes I try to think of ways to help, but sometimes that is not always the right thing to do."
Carter hugged Wufan. "Helping is always good," he said. "But sometimes you have to pick one thing to help about." He smiled. Taking Wufan's hand, he pulled the other boy along with him.
"Come on," he said. "Tryan's sleeping, we won't wake him up. He's chasing lions in his dreams. You sleep with me."
The hug was a nice surprise. It made Wufan feel that much better. He stood and followed Carter as he thought about what Carter had said. Pick one thing, he thought. It made sense.
As they entered Carter and Tryan's room, Wufan felt even better. He climbed up into the bed with Carter and whispered. "You can see inside his dreams?!"
Carter smiled. He pointed to Tryan's sleeping face, which was slightly frowning, then his eyebrows moved a little and then he looked quite pleased about something. "I can tell from his face," he whispered. "That's his 'chasing lions' face. He told me one morning about his lion dreams."
"Wow," Wufan whispered. "That's wonderful! Sometimes, I have dragon dreams and I fly. Do you fly too?"
Carter tilted his head. "Sometimes I fly... and I'm only half asleep," he confessed. Then he snuggled down in the covers. "Dragons, huh?" he smiled. "Go to sleep, and dream of dragons. I'll be surrounded by dragons and lions - it'll be fun."
Wufan giggled and settled down into the covers as well. Soon, he drifted off to sleep.
TBC
End of Part 3
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ravynfyre@hotmail.com,
fenwyck@radiks.net,
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bonnejeanne@yahoo.com.