28-July-2001
Title: Chasing the Crown, an Extended Family Fic
ExFam Authors:
RavynFyre - ravynfyre@hotmail.com
von - sablexo1@yahoo.com
bonnejeanne - bonnejeanne@yahoo.com
*Special Guest Writer! Nixie the Pixie!*
Nixers - Nixerchan@aol.com
Category: yaoi, AU
Rating: NC-17 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. Kiddie-Angst.
Wufei entered the suite of Heero and Duo's room to see if the kids and the pilots were still there or had moved across the hall.
Seeing no one, he went to the other door across the hall and opened it, going inside and leaving the door open for Zechs to enter.
Slipping the door closed behind the two of them, Zechs looked around quickly, taking a survey of the room.
Wufei found the others settling into Wufan's room.
Five pairs of little eyes looked up at Zechs and Wufei as they entered. Most were dressed in pajamas.
Heero glanced at Wufei and nodded, understanding the sudden appearance of Zechs.
"Zechs is going to hang out here for a while," Wufei explained.
"Hn," Kenny remarked. "Ok."
Duo glanced up, gaze bouncing from Wufei to Zechs and back again, before offering the Chinese pilot a relieved smile. "Too bad it's getting so late," he said, looking around at all the kids, "We could rustle up some sugar snacks and re-enact that slumber party we never got at the Hyatt."
Sallah appeared in the doorway of Wufan's room. "Not tonight," she said in a tone of authority. "I'll have some coffee sent up for Zechs if he wants it. But there is going to be sleeping going on in a very short time here or I am going to have to become inventive and tie children to sofa cushions."
"Yes, mom," Duo replied, only half-feigning chastisement.
Duan walked over and gave Duo a last hug. "I love you," he said. Then, "Um, you might not wanna go there. Sallah's... well, she can be pretty awesome when she gets tough."
Duo knelt and returned the hug tightly. "Love you too, kiddo," he said, continuing on in a whisper, "Good advice. Yer brilliant."
Duan giggled then ran and hugged Heero and Wufei quickly.
"Okay, all older people clear out and all small fry get under some covers and make with the pillows," Sallah instructed.
"Yes, ma'am," Tryan said, politely, waving one last time to Carter.
Wufan bowed to all. Taking one last, long look at Wufei he then turned and headed for bed. "Night Ma, night Mei," he said.
Mariemeia smiled happily and then waved. "Night, Wufan. Night, everyone," she said before heading towards Sallah's room, the large T-shirt swirling around her knees and cuffs rolled above her wrists.
Wufei slipped into the bedroom that he was using and returned to the main room in a few minutes, dressed in black pants and a black sweater. "We should be back in less than four hours," he told Sallah, who nodded and then wished the others good night and went to tuck Mariemeia into bed.
Moving out of the doorframe to let the others pass, Zechs simply said, "Good luck."
Wufei walked over to Zechs and offered his hand.
Without any signs of hesitation, the blond Preventer returned the gesture with a firm grip, blue eyes darting up to look at onyx.
Releasing the tall blond's hand after a moment, Wufei turned to the door, waiting for Heero and Duo.
Duo followed in Wufei's wake, offering Zechs a smile of thanks as he slipped past to the hallway, and then darted into their suite across the hall. He appeared a moment later with his familiar black jacket and a curious glint in his amethyst eyes that Heero and Wufei would probably recognize from the war days.
Heero looked up at Zechs as he went out of the door. "You be careful too," he said. "They won't give you any trouble because they understand that now is not the time."
Zechs nodded slightly, giving serious consideration to the words. "They'll be fine," he said quietly, "On my honor."
"Hai," Heero replied, nodding once to Zechs. He patted the blond man's shoulder as he left the room to join the others.
Trowa made his way back to the party and looked around for Quatre. Spotting the blond pilot in a small group, he silently moved behind him and touched his waist.
Quatre smiled and excused himself from the people he was talking to and moved away, walking with Trowa. He looked up at the green-eyed pilot. "Any luck?" he asked lightly.
"Interesting stuff," Trowa replied, moving towards a deserted ante room. "I followed Sally's husband. He seemed very interested in Heero, Duo and the kids. It could have been his overwhelming love of Wufei, but I doubt it. He's not right. Apparently, Lady Une didn't think so either and read him the Riot Act. He seemed to take it all as expected, but again, I got the feeling he was going through the motions." Looking down at Quatre, he sighed. "So, anything going on here?"
Quatre grinned slightly. "Quite a bit actually. Let's see, Dorothy danced with Heero, then um, Ripper danced with Heero and Dorothy danced with Relena... and now there is some kind of tribal disco group thing going on..."
"Tribal... disco?" Trowa repeated, mulling over what Quatre had told him. "Hm... I don't suppose there's footage of that dance, huh?"
"Um, I don't know, but I haven't actually spotted any cameras... doesn't mean there aren't any," Quatre mentioned. He grinned. "It was pretty amazing."
"I don't suppose we'll need to worry about being invited back. How's Wufei?" Trowa asked, brushing back a lock of Quatre's hair.
Quatre blushed slightly, and his eyes dropped to the floor. "He's... he seems much better," he said, with a hint of embarrassed humor.
Trowa reached under Quatre's chin and pulled his face up to meet his own. "Is there more to this?" he asked.
Quatre blinked. "Well, I don't know, really... but he felt good enough to, um, kiss Duo a little while ago," he said softly.
Trowa looked down at Quatre a second or so, unsure he'd heard right. "He... what?" he asked, then shook his head. "Well... surprise, surprise. Guess that answers my question."
Quatre shook his head. "It's no one's business but theirs, Trowa," he said. Then he sighed. "But we do need to talk with them when we can manage it. There is definitely *something* going on, and they are in the middle of it, all of them. Even the kids."
"Hn," Trowa remarked. "I agree and you're right, it's their business... still..." he said, leaving the statement open ended.
Quatre poked Trowa lightly in the side. "Still nothing," he said. He rubbed his forehead. "So how long do you want to stay and party?"
"I'm ready to go now, actually. I'd much rather spend the time with you," Trowa said. "We can catch one of the guys tomorrow."
Quatre nodded. "In that case, let's retire," he said, slipping his arm through Trowa's.
"By all means," Trowa responded and headed them towards their suite.
As they moved towards the west wing, Quatre stopped for a moment. Then he pointed. Ahead of them down a wide hallway, they saw three figures dressed in dark clothing go by silently. It took no effort for Quatre and Trowa to recognize the figures of the other three Gundam pilots.
"Isn't that curious," Quatre murmured softly.
He felt an odd sensation and realized that one of the three had been carrying a small blond child on his shoulder.
"Very," Trowa replied, frowning slightly. "Well, that sums it up. Something is going on for sure. Are you ok?"
Quatre nodded as the feeling subsided. "Tomorrow. For sure. We have to talk."
Trowa nodded, then steered them in the direction of their rooms.
Grabbing Dorothy's hand, Relena pulled the blond away from the dance floor and over to some chairs on one side. "Come on," she said, flopping into a chair without paying much attention to her gown or the fact that her shoes had disappeared somewhere. "I'm about to drop!! I need to catch my breath, even if you don't," she said.
"Not exactly the dignified pomp I'm sure a lot of people were expecting," Dorothy observed, looking around the room with an unrepentant smile. "Although, it is nice to see that I can fool you so easily," she continued, dropping into one of the chairs with a tired, but happy, sigh.
Relena tried to look indignant and gave up after a moment. "Well, we did dignified earlier," she pointed out. "And more of the 'dignified' guests have left by this time, so I don't think it really matters." She smiled a happy smile. "I didn't expect to have fun tonight," she sighed.
Dorothy's breath caught in her throat as Relena smiled. With her precise hairstyle somewhat akimble and her face and skin flushed from the exertion of the rather vigorous dancing, the small smile transformed the Vice-Minister from simply beautiful to breathtaking. Even without the impetus of the concession she still owed Mister Bates, Dorothy doubted she would have had the willpower to resist Relena at that moment.
"Please don't be angry," she murmured as she leaned forward suddenly and claimed Relena's lips with her own.
Relena started in momentary surprise, and her hand closed on Dorothy's arm. But she quickly relaxed and suddenly the blond girl found herself the recipient of a very enthusiastic return. Only afterwards did she lean back slightly, her blue eyes wide as she regarded Dorothy.
"My..." she said breathlessly.
Dorothy paused long enough to catch her breath again before glancing up to meet Relena's eyes with a somewhat hesitant air. "I probably shouldn't have done that here," she said slowly, though her voice didn't hold even a hint of contrition, "But I couldn't help myself..."
Relena leaned forward and impulsively hugged the other girl. "You do that any where you want to," she murmured softly before releasing the blond. Meeting her gaze she said, "We can't pretend to be what others want. That wouldn't be honest. I couldn't be an effective Vice Minister if I had to deceive others for something like that. If it's going to be a problem, we might as well find out sooner than later."
"And if it is a problem?" Dorothy asked.
"Then we'll work to make it less of a problem," Relena answered. "The first step to a lasting peace is tolerance. If we fail this test, maybe it's time to start again." She smiled and took Dorothy's hand in her own.
The attaché smiled wanly, tightening her fingers around Relena's. "You make a very beautiful heathen princess," she murmured, her amused expression at their disheveled states making it a joke between the two of them.
"Oh is that what I am," Relena answered cheerfully. "Well, I think this heathen princess is going to be retiring very soon. I'm glad our guests had a good time... oh... where are they?" she said, looking around. She wasn't able to spot the tall redhead or the attractive blond on the dance floor any more.
"Probably skulking about amusing themselves," Dorothy replied. "They are quite extraordinary men. We are lucky to have their support."
"You had a nice long talk with Mr. Bates, I think, didn't you?" Relena mentioned. "What did you talk about?"
"Yes I did," Dorothy agreed, standing and offering a hand to Relena. "Nothing much... Just life, the universe, evil, peace, kissing you. Just a pleasant chat."
Relena blinked. "Oh really? I see. Hmm. Well in that case I suppose you'll have a report for me about it, perhaps," she said with a slight teasing tone. She took Dorothy's hand and stood up. Then she started walking through the room, without unclasping her hand from Dorothy's. "For now... I think you still owe me a bubble bath..."
A slow smile spread over Dorothy's face as she kept pace with Relena. "Hmm... That I do," she murmured, before tossing a wicked smirk at the other girl. "Baaa."
Relena covered her giggle with a hand over her mouth. "You are a very baaad girl," she said, and giggled again. She waved at Pargan as the two left the main room, knowing the rest of the evening would be taken care of flawlessly.
Dorothy indulged in a happy laugh, not caring what anyone would make of it. A back corner of her mind mused that she would have to send Heero and Duo a gift, thanking them for everything they had inadvertently helped to make possible. Perhaps a case of flavored body paints... Then, as she glanced back at Relena, she put the young men firmly out of mind, content.
After the three pilots left, Sallah checked on the children a last time and then answered the door, bringing the coffee tray in to set down on a small table in the main room. She poured a cup for herself and then lifted the pot in inquiry to Zechs.
Picking up his own cup, he nodded. "Thank you," he said quietly.
Sallah smiled and poured the coffee, then sat down in a large arm chair, curling her feet up. "I'll sit with you for a little while, if you don't mind," she said.
Finding his own seat, one that faced the door and took in an easy view of the majority of the main room, "If you like. I won't keep you if you're tired."
"Don't worry, I'll totter off when I get sleepy enough," she said, sipping the hot, black coffee. "The truth is, I don't sleep that much. Four hours a night is plenty. Comes from years of split duty shifts."
"I can sympathize in a way," he replied, half smiling over the lip of his own mug. Looking at Sallah curiously, he commented, "It sounds like it was terrible hours. What field were you in?"
"Um.. field... well, I was the medical officer on a base," she answered, choosing her words. "Originally I was a junior med, but the military doctor was a casualty. I had to take over. So I spent my regular shifts working and my sleep shifts studying to try and catch up."
The resemblance again to Sally gave the blond Preventer another disjointed feeling. Idly he wondered, from some of Sally's stories, if it was in Sallah's line of duty that she met Kenny. Shaking his head fractionally, he took a small sip of the steaming liquid. Still, the suspicion he'd been having about Arcadia was only a little furthered along. "Which side was the base on, if it's not too rude to ask?"
Sallah drank some more coffee and then set the cup down. She looked at Zechs directly. "No side," she said. "Its own side. It wasn't in any of the wars you fought in, Zechs, or any of the armies you served with or fought against. Where I come from, there were wars, but many of them ended because there weren't people left to fight in them. The base I was in was a place where people retreated to, hid from dangers that did not include opposing human armies. We thought we might be the last humans left alive on the earth for a while."
"Something to do with the 'greenies' that the children are afraid of," he mused, her direct words causing him to abandon whatever doubts and rationalities he'd still harbored. "But I can't figure out, how you got *here.*" he said, "Or how they got there for that matter."
Sallah smiled. "To be honest, I can't say I really understand that part of it very well myself. We met Heero and Duo when they came to stop the base from launching an aggression against a peaceful settlement of surviving humans. If they hadn't come, I don't know what would have happened. The settlement was populated by very nice people but they weren't fighters. And many children." her eyes darkened. "It could have been very bad. Our general was insane, in fact I think most of the officers were, we'd been isolated for so long. They wouldn't have stopped. Kenny's... mother... tried to argue with the general, and to get people on the base to oppose his plan. He made an example of her. She was beaten and thrown outside the base to die."
Sallah paused, her face reflecting grief, and also a bit of shame, because she hadn't been able to do anything about it. "Somehow Heero and Duo were brought there to stop what was going to happen. And Kenny led them into the base and helped them infiltrate. Afterwards, we... the women and the children of the base, were taken to this city and welcomed there. That is how I met your friends."
Face darkened and lined while listening, the former Lightning Count looked up for a long moment at the room where he'd seen Kenny disappear into a while ago.
Searching, but unable to find anything, that in the face of what had been said, wouldn't sound trite or upsetting. After a moment of looking at nothing in particular, he said, "They had done something similar for this place as well. What peace there is, you can easily attribute to their efforts, in one fashion or another."
With a slightly wry, slightly fond smile he amended, "Though with your son's studies, you likely already know that."
Sallah nodded. "Actually I've been studying a bit myself. I found the public access library online. I spend about half the night in my room reading. So I know something about the wars you have had, and the interesting history of your space colonies. We never made it that far," she said almost wistfully. "We had visited the moon and had a small orbiting space station for a while but that's as far as we got before we began destroying our own environment and each other. And I've read about you too, Zechs. And Miss Relena... It's amazing to me how much you all were able to do at such young ages." She shook her head slightly in wonder.
Taking another sip from his cup, he set it down, on the table between them, half empty. "I'll admit, hers is a brighter chapter. Maybe, though, it all would have been shorter if we'd had a few more years of wisdom when it all broke out. I'd like to think so."
Sallah shrugged. "Maybe. I wonder, though. You know for years, all my life in fact, I believed that human beings really didn't deserve to survive, because I had to watch what we'd done to ourselves... I fought to stay alive like everyone else, but I felt that there wasn't much future to work for. But I've learned that some of what happened on my world was because of the influence of something that isn't human, something evil. In Arcadia, I heard the story about how that evil was destroyed. If it hadn't been, my son would never have been born, nor Kenny or Duan or Carter, Tryan... well, apparently you have something like that here. So maybe it wasn't *all* your fault."
"I didn't quite say that," he murmured, his thoughts halfway to somewhere else. "Destroyed? By a storm by any chance?"
Sallah smiled. "Partly. The artifact itself was taken out of our world, but it left us poisoned. Human beings had become sterile, and the greenies were coming out of the ocean to kill those of us that were left. The Storm... stopped them. And somehow it cleansed the earth, and us, of the poison. The boys... they were all conceived on the night the Storm first appeared over the base. I'm willing to bet the same is true for Tryan and Carter as well. The Storm gave us back life and hope."
Zechs sat a moment, quietly, both absorbing the words and picking his own. "Carter... gave me a memory, of this Storm, getting rid of.. something, and washing away the rest." Interlacing his fingers, he looked down at his hands, his expression as if they were the puzzle, "If what you say about their date of birth applied to him as well, I have to wonder whose memory he gave me."
"I can tell you that story, actually," Sallah said, leaning over to pour more coffee. "It has to do with how Carter was found. He was in a base, too, a different one. Closer to the ocean. Tryan met him because he was with a group of traveling performers that went through the area. They told the people in Arcadia about the other base and Carter, and Heero and Duo went there to end the threat. They took the boys with them. Wufan told me the story afterwards. Carter was being trained in some way by some scientist on the base. That base had captured a greenie," she said, shuddering with a deep horror and distaste that could only come from someone who had very clear memories of the creatures. "They kept it in some kind of sheltered container, far underground. The Storm couldn't get to it because they kept the base locked up tight and so they kept it alive for... years." She suppressed another shudder. "Wufan says they made Carter try and contact it mentally. I guess we don't even know what all they made him do. But I have no doubt at all that the creature was his private nightmare. As sensitive as he is..."
She took a deep breath and continued. "Heero and Duo and the boys broke into the base and rescued Carter, and... the soldiers were killed. Then the Storm came back, and this time the base was open - the shield or armor or whatever. They got away but not before seeing the Storm put an end to that... creature."
"I'm glad, in a way, for that. I'd rather have them... him, know for a certainty that whatever that thing was is gone." He frowned slightly, blue eyes sweeping across the suite's doors quickly. "None of them have had remotely easy lives, have they?"
Remembering the visit to the underground area during the tour, and Carter's words about a boy and girl escaping, she said softly, "No... nor have you. And although I can't seem to find out anything about the Gundam pilots in the records, I don't need to know the details to know they have somehow been through things as terrible or worse as the children. It's why they love them so, I think. I know that when Duo looks at the boys, he sometimes has a look in his eyes like a dark memory. And Heero is the same. Even Wufei," she said, stopping. "I'm sorry, I think I've had too much coffee, I'm starting to babble."
"It's all right," he said. "Though I imagine you are as much to them as the children are, if they let you see that side of them. You're fortunate."
"I know I am very, very lucky," Sallah said quietly. Then she smiled. "Did I clear anything up for you, Zechs?"
Picking up his coffee cup again, he raised it in a salute to Sallah. "More than I expected actually. Thank you."
"Good. No thanks needed," she answered. "I know that you are in their confidence, if you are here. Wufei asked you to watch over the children. I'm glad, it makes me feel safer too." Standing up, she stretched and yawned. "Coffee notwithstanding, I think I am going to curl up with Mariemeia for a while. Just tap on the door if you need anything. Um... how about a t-shirt, I can steal one of Wufei's..."
Zechs smiled and shook his head. "Now that would be an interesting explosion. No, but my thanks none the less."
Sallah shrugged. "Suit yourself then," she said with a slight twinkle. She walked to the door of the bedroom and then turned back. "He really likes you, you know. I wasn't sure myself for a while, but I think I am starting to get the hang of him finally. Even if it seems like he doesn't approve sometimes... that's just because he's... afraid that if something happens, it will be because he wasn't careful enough. Well, good night, then, and thanks."
"Sleep well, Sallah," he said, only raising his voice loud enough to carry that short distance. As she disappeared from his view he lapsed into a contemplative silence, as one set of questions were answered, and new ones unfolded in their wake.
Wufei led the other two out a side exit and on a deserted route to the garage. As busy as it was, vehicles had been parked in special marked off areas on the side of the already large building. Wufei located a small, black car and produced the keys from a pocket. The doors were unlocked and they all got in, with Wufei behind the wheel.
It didn't turn out to be a very long drive. Taking a side road that went into deep woods, Wufei drove them to what appeared to be a deserted section of road and then turned off, nosing the car down a barely visible dirt track into the trees. A little while later he pulled the car up to a small dark building and turned off the motor. "Come on," he murmured.
He led them into the small building, and turned on a single light. The building was just a shell, and inside was a small, black helicopter equipped with stealth baffles. He opened it up for them to take seats. The chopper was clearly a one-time military bird, but the inside was not rough. The seats were well padded and it looked like it might have been refitted as some rich businessman's toy. There was even a small liquor cabinet built into the side of the cabin.
Shutting the door, Wufei settled into the pilot's seat and began flipping switches, engaging the motor and preparing for flight. He pressed another button and the top of the building opened up to the sky, allowing them to lift up into the night.
Once on course, he turned to the other two and said, "This will take about 45 minutes to get to the area. We have to leave the chopper and get in on foot."
"Hai," Heero said, looking down at Carter in his lap. He thought about waking him for a look around, but decided to let him rest.
Carter had fallen asleep during the car ride and clung to Heero instinctively, his face showing some of the exhaustion of the day. In the arms he trusted, the little boy slept, secure in his safety.
Duo merely nodded and settled back in his seat, peering out the window into the darkness of the night beyond. It felt good to be flying again, even if it was for a mundane little commute, and he concentrated on those benign feelings of pleasure. With any luck, he might be able to create a sort of mental buffer for the young boy in his lover's lap, in case the dreams did come.
Settling a little in the pilot's seat, Wufei relaxed. The chopper was equipped with a radar shield and he was flying low. They would not be noticed or intercepted; he had tested the route many times.
This left him time for thoughts to begin collecting and turning in his head.
Heero looked down at the sleeping form of Carter. He was glad that the little boy was there and concerned about the task ahead. Along the way to their destination, he watched the little one in his lap, so trusting and vulnerable, and wondered if he was ever that innocent himself.
Duo glanced at Wufei, noting the thoughtful expression with a twinge of gratification. He cleared his throat softly, as not to awaken Carter and made a show of examining the chopper. "His?" he finally asked, "Or are you the one who's been busy?"
Wufei blinked, and focused on Duo's face, then inexplicably blushed. After a moment he said, "I guess it's both of ours. It's been useful to have around. I only use it the few times I've been on Earth. He uses it sometimes. He spotted it on an online auction and bought it under an assumed identity."
"I figured he had something to do with it," Duo replied with a grin. "You don't seem the type to me to bother with a mini-bar."
Heero smiled and looked outside at the darkness below. "How is he, Wufei?" he asked, quietly.
Wufei snorted softly at Duo's comment. He took a moment before answering Heero. "How? His health is good - excellent in fact. It took him half a year to recover fully but he is fit. Mentally, he is as sharp as ever - sharper." He paused for a moment. "And all he has thought about every day since the end of the war is how he became a pawn of another will and how his ambitions were used to manipulate a war. He wants to end this and die."
Heero frowned at the last statement. "Always end and die," he said, softly. "I've come to think of that as a selfish luxury."
Wufei shrugged. "It's not a luxury for him. A luxury for him would be to die without finishing this. That he refuses to do. But the reason that he has kept his existence a secret is because he does not want people who cared about him to have to mourn him twice."
"I'm assuming you mean his daughter," Heero said, shaking his head. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at Wufei. "It's not a good plan."
"His daughter, Lady Une... Zechs..." Wufei murmured. "And I had plans of my own. But plans... change. I hope we can convince him of this."
Heero nodded, silently.
Duo nodded, fixing a cheerful smile to his face as he looked around at the other three occupants. "If he can hold out against all of us, it's a lost cause," he said brightly before turning his attention back out the window beside him.
Wufei smiled, his eyes dropping to his hands. "Hn," he remarked.
The remainder of the trip passed in silence. When they reached the vicinity of the estate that had belonged to Treize, Wufei brought the black chopper down silently. It was obvious that he had done this without the benefit of lights many times before; the set-down was so smooth it did not even wake Carter.
Shutting the machine down, he jumped out. "West from here. I have a way in but the security is doubled tonight so consider it a high-stealth entry."
Duo nodded, sparing a moment to smile at the irony of it. "He's staying on his own estate? Classic," he whispered, shaking his head with amused admiration.
"Yeah, and we're breaking in to see him," Heero remarked, adjusting Carter on his hip.
Wufei looked at Duo and the corner of his mouth twitched. "He does have a sense of humor. It's just been... warped in the last year or two."
With that he turned and trotted off in the direction of his secret route.
Heero followed closely behind Wufei.
Duo brought up the rear, biting back the multitude of comments that flashed to mind as he did so.
With the ease of skill, the three pilots slipped past the security perimeter and onto the grounds. There were more human guards, and the timing of the electronic devices had been increased. But the building they were going to was not the main house, rather a small cottage once assigned to a groundskeeper. Wufei led the small group of infiltrators in as they gained access through a concealed door going underground. Down the dark passage, to the security lock, where Wufei presented his palm and the door opened. Another passageway and a door, and they emerged into the room Treize used these days as a study.
"I'm here," Wufei said aloud. "With Duo... and Heero Yuy."
From the darkness just beyond the puddle of warm light cast by a small reading lamp, Treize's voice floated out, soft, like a hesitant, wary touch, yet with an edge of haggard strength. "Greetings. You were right, then, Wufei." A moment later, the voice was accompanied by the man himself as Treize stepped up to the chair beside the table that the lamp was on. "I trust you had no problems with the... guests upstairs?"
"No," Wufei answered. He pulled his backless stool out and sat, glancing at Heero and Duo, indicating the other chairs and sofa with a look. "No trouble. You watched the broadcast today?"
The faint ghost of a smile that had been hovering around Treize's lips faded as he glanced back towards the darkness he had emerged from. "There was little else on," he said with an oddly casual shrug. "Good evening Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell. Come, sit. You..." he paused then, suddenly noticing the boy still held tightly to Heero's side. "You brought another guest."
"You could say that," Heero responded, looking at the man closely. "His name is Carter and he's one of our kids. You look remarkably well for a dead man."
Carter stirred on Heero's shoulder, yawned suddenly and opened his eyes, rubbing them with his fists. He looked around and his wide, blue green gaze settled on the man facing them.
The self-recriminating response Treize had been about to make died on his lips as he met that young gaze with something of an electric shock. 'A shade more green than hers,' he mused to himself before nodding at the boy. "Hello, Carter. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"How do you do, sir," Carter said politely. Then he smiled. "You are Mei's father."
Heero glanced up at Duo, then took a seat.
Duo joined Heero, watching the flash of surprise and brief moment of confusion pass over Treize's face.
"Is that what she calls herself now?" the ginger-haired man asked with the faintest hint of wisfulness in his voice. With a soft sigh, Treize took his own seat and looked up at Wufei curiously.
"That is the name Kenny gave her, she likes it," Carter answered. Then he settled against Heero's shoulder with an expression of someone deciding to be quiet for a while.
"Kenny?" Treize asked, looking back at Carter with a curious expression. "I saw you all on the broadcast today, but I'm not sure who is who..."
"Kenny is the one who resembles me," Heero said, quietly.
"Ah. Thank you," Treize answered, the curiosity smoothing from his face as quietly as it arrived. "Well, then. I suppose you'd like to get to the subject at hand."
"It is all the subject at hand, Treize," Wufei said quietly. "But there is a limit to how long we can stay. I no longer feel comfortable leaving the children unguarded."
Treize nodded, a tiny, almost unnoticeable spark of relief flashing in his eyes. "Very well. Ask what you wish so that you may return to them," he said, although the undertone to his voice implied that he was speaking in a broader, more lasting sense.
Duo shot Wufei a quick look before shifting forward on his seat. "Wing Zero. Wufei said that the system helps. How?" he asked intently.
Treize glanced at Wufei again and a slight smile was reflected in his eyes for a moment before they cleared to a serious regard. "The... Artifact... insinuates itself into a person's will through many unconscious routes. Fear, ambition, self-doubt... all those things that make us most human also make a mind most vulnerable to Its control." He paused and looked at Heero. "The control system of Wing Zero was designed to shut those channels down - to eliminate distraction. Not every person can handle this state of mind. But for those who can, the Zero system can strengthen their ability to resist the infiltration of the... object."
Heero listened carefully and nodded. "And now that Wing is gone, there's nothing between me and It," he said.
Treize recalled Wufei's words from the night before, and his gaze darted over to Duo for a moment. "Effectively," he agreed.
"Hn," Heero remarked. He looked up at Treize. "So what's your plan?" he asked.
The ex-aristocrat met Heero's gaze steadily. "Track It down and eliminate It."
"I see," Heero said, looking back. "And how do you plan on eliminating It?"
Treize sighed, though his gaze never wavered. "The sun. I thought, perhaps, to send It into the sun, as you attempted to do with your Gundams a year ago."
It was Heero's turn to sigh. "That was different," he said. "This... object. I know something about It. It's old. You said yourself that It was influential. What's going to stop It from influencing the person taking It to the sun?"
Treize's eyes darkened and he looked away, seeking solace by peering back into the comfort of the shadows again. "Then perhaps I can count on you to ensure that I maintain a steady course," he replied quietly.
"There is a basic flaw in your plan, Treize. It's the same one I tried to get Zechs to see a long time ago. We are human beings and as such we are weak. If we don't acknowledge that first, then we really have no chance at all. This... object is more powerful and more insidious than anything we humans have ever faced. It destroys from within. I believe it's going to take us thinking and acting in new ways in order to defeat It," Heero said.
Treize frowned, sighing again before looking back. "Then how would you deal with It?"
Heero looked back, steadily. "I would track It down and then get some help from those who've dealt with It before. I think Its strength is in secrecy. There are more involved in this than just us. We need to work together and with a better end result for all of us. Things don't get better just because you take yourself out. Trust me. I've done that once."
Heero glanced at Duo, then reached out and took the braided pilot's hand.
Treize winced at the memory, and then once again, enviously, as he absorbed the tender smile on Duo's face as the Gundam pilot looked at his partner. "I recall. That had not been my... intent when I left that operation in Lady Une's hands," he said apologetically.
Duo turned to face Treize, cocking his head. "How long *did* you have that thing, anyway?"
"Since I retrieved It from the people of L5 in A.C. 194," Treize replied.
Duo nodded, a faint rush of relief flooding through him for a moment. It was as he'd been suspecting and Wufei had voiced; the Crown was probably the key element to the entire war, not the weary man before them. The first part of Treize's reply sank in suddenly, and he shot the Chinese pilot a suspicious glance.
Wufei looked back calmly. "I told you my clan had once been Its keeper. It was recovered for a short time, and given to Treize. The belief was that he was being given a curse. It was deemed his punishment for the attempted destruction of my colony, which Treize had been in charge of. But it was not a righteous act. My clan paid for this when the time came."
He looked down for a moment and then back up. "Now you know another reason that bound us together in this mission. If my clan had done differently..." he shrugged.
Duo frowned, shaking his head in denial. "The Crown influences and hurts everything It touches. It still is. Seems to me that too many people here are looking for too many rationalizations for dying. Seems to me that too many people here are letting It win, even now. So when are we all gonna stand up to It and start looking for the reasons to live?" he asked, turning to pin Treize with an intense stare.
"I understand," Wufei said softly. He looked at Treize as well. "He is right, Treize-sama. It is not enough to give your life fighting evil. Or paying a debt of honor. Those are small prices. The greater one is to live life, to save what is good. If you stop evil, but don't preserve what is good, there is nothing left for the future."
Heero watched and listened as Wufei and Duo spoke. He saw Treize turning the words over in his mind. "And don't worry about apologizing to me," he said, quietly. "All I ask is that you learn from my mistakes."
"You ask me not to apologize. I, the man who set into motion the events which led to you falling under Its influence to begin with. You know not what you ask," Treize said bitterly as he rose from his seat and stalked away to stand just outside the ring of muted light.
Carter jumped off Heero's lap and padded over to the man who stood in the partial darkness. He was still wearing his pajamas that he had changed into after the party, which had little soccer balls all over them. Standing beside the tall man, he reached up and tugged gently on his pants leg.
Treize blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting anything from that quadrant, and having nearly forgotten about the child's presence during the discussion. He looked down owlishly.
"Try to keep fighting It," the blond child said softly. "He is... He is fighting It bravely, even though he has to fight alone. You can do it too. Maybe if you fought together, it would be easier. It was easier for me when I wasn't alone anymore." Carter summoned a hopeful smile and hesitantly touched the tall man's hand with his own.
If someone had crashed into the room and run Treize through with a sword, he still couldn't have looked any more shocked and stricken by Carter's quiet words. The memory of a sweep of platinum blond hair brushing against suit-clad shoulders as Zechs turned away from the portrait flashed through Treize's mind. Zechs' name slipped from his lips in a nearly inaudible whisper before he commanded himself to maintain his composure. Glancing back down, he turned his hand slightly, gathering Carter's small fingers in his own. "You're too young to have touched It," he hazarded speculatively.
Carter's blond brows drew together. "I am not too young," he said with a sudden stubbornness that Duo and Heero had never seen before in the polite boy. "Duo and Heero know. I was trained to fight. I was to be a weapon from a distance. I had to make contact with the greenie's mind. I know how it feels to be controlled to do what you don't want to do. Other people besides you are fighting. It's time to wake up, Khushrenada-sama!" the boy said in a ringing voice, as he gripped Treize's hand firmly.
A small smile played on Heero's lips as he watched. A part of him promised to be a better guardian, but another part of him determined that this was necessary.
Treize jerked as if struck, thoroughly chastised by the blond boy. His jaw hung open slightly as he turned and cast a surprised look at Wufei, before murmuring, "From the mouths of babes..."
Wufei looked back steadily and nodded slightly.
Carter's expression change to something sweet and pleading. "Please... he stays alone every night and takes medicine to try to sleep. And Mei... Mei needs you. She tries hard but she doesn't have an anchor."
A slow, only slightly self-depreciating smile spread over Treize's face as he glanced from Carter back to Wufei. "A talented little trump card you've played, Chang. And a wise young child you are, Carter."
Wufei got up and went over to pick Carter up, facing Treize. "This is not play," he said, looking into his old friend's eyes intently, hiding nothing of himself. "This is real. We were wrong. She does need you. What good will it do to destroy It, if she is lost along the way? What are we saving the world for?"
"You are correct. This isn't a game, Wufei." Treize said calmly, a spark of his old spirit lighting within his eyes for the first time in at least a year. "Perhaps it is time for me to cease... 'screwing around', as it were." He stuck out his hand to Wufei, his expression earnest, but open and peaceful. "I beg your forgiveness for having become a coward, and offer my thanks for bringing me a guide back to myself."
Wufei took the hand, then moved closer, pulling Treize against him in an embrace, as Carter watched solemnly from his shoulder. Holding him still for a bare moment, Wufei growled softly, "Treize Khushrenada is no coward and has never been, and anyone who says so in my hearing will have to take his words back." Then he moved back and looked into Treize's face searchingly.
"Or what? You'll challenge them to a duel?" Treize asked with a knowing half-smile.
Wufei smiled back, "If need be," he said. Moving back, he took Carter back to Heero, and then resumed his stool. "There is something else I need to tell you. We were approached today by another potential ally. Someone who knows what the enemy can do and has as strong a motivation for stopping it as you do."
Treize moved to resume his seat, leaning forward over his legs as he peered at them all. "Is this who you meant by 'those who've dealt with It before'?" he asked Heero.
"No," Wufei answered. "Although you will need to hear about that as well. The one I mean is Zechs."
Treize cocked his head slightly, a look of faint amazement flitting across his features as for the first time since his 'death', that name did not engender a stab of remorseful pain and longing. "Zechs," he repeated. "Then he can give you Epyon's location."
Wufei nodded. "He agreed to do so. But it seems It is no longer in the suit. We still have work to do."
"No longer in the suit? Then It's abroad again," Treize mused, his jaw firming as he contemplated the challenge. "How did he discover that It was missing? Who are these others of whom you spoke? Forgive me the flurry of questions. I have been only half-heartedly attending the quest for too long."
"Then perhaps you might try and figure out which questions are now relevant," Heero said. "The Crown is not where you left It. If this thing has any intelligence, then why should It remain immobile? You made me think of something I hadn't thought of before. Wherever It is, It's probably where It can work Its influence most effectively." Heero looked up at Treize. "You haven't met the ones I know, yet. You have met Carter. He's a survivor, as are the rest of the kids."
Treize nodded thoughtfully, smiling at the boy. "I can see that, now," he murmured before glancing off into the darkness for a moment. "Much to think about." He turned back after a long, silent moment, meeting each of their gazes squarely. "You are correct. Each of you. I thank you. Is there anything more I may answer for you for now?"
Heero shook his head, giving Carter a little squeeze. "No, do you have any questions?" he asked.
Carter looked up at Heero and then to Treize, his firmness of earlier having melted into a shyer regard. "Do you... do you really like roses so much?" he asked softly.
A kindly smile spread over the older man's lips as he nodded. "Yes. I do. I like the way that even an imperfect rose can look as lovely as the most perfect, if you merely take the time to look. But for all their beauty, they are not a gentle, docile flower."
Carter smiled and tucked his head into Heero's neck.
Heero looked up at Treize, catching his blue eyes. "I think you've just described your daughter very nicely. She likes roses too," he said.
Treize tilted his head as he pondered that. "I... I have much to learn, I think," he said slowly. He took a deep breath then and let it out in a calming sigh. "I'm keeping you here later than you'd anticipated, I imagine. Give me leave to decide which questions are most important, so I know what to ask when next I see you," he requested.
Wufei stood and bowed respectfully. He looked to Heero and Duo to see if they had any concerns that needed to be brought up before they left.
Duo stood as well and offered the older man a welcoming smile. "Nice to see you back," he said, "Any messages you'd like us to pass along for ya?"
Treize glanced at Wufei for a moment. "I... am not sure... what would be best," he said.
Wufei looked at Treize a little helplessly.
Treize shook his head with sudden resolution and held up a staying hand. "No. I have imposed upon you too much, already," he said with a tired, though amused, smile before turning back to the braided pilot. "Thank you, Duo, but no. Some responsibilities are best left to their originators. I will deliver my messages myself."
Duo's smile widened. "Glad to hear it."
Wufei smiled. "Until next time, Treize-sama," he said and bowed again, this time a slightly more perfunctory, "Chang-style" bow. He turned to the door.
"Yet another tired, old argument, Wufei," Treize sighed wearily, "One I *do* plan on winning, someday."
"Something to look forward to, then," Wufei said over his shoulder.
"Glad you're not dead, Treize," Heero said, turning to leave. Leaning down, he kissed Carter's cheek. "You did great, kiddo," he said.
Carter tucked his head further into Heero's neck, but called out softly, "Good bye Mister Treize!"
"Good bye, Carter. Thank you," he said as the three pilots and the boy vanished through the doorway. He smiled softly, surprised to find himself agreeing with Heero's parting words.
TBC
End of Part 35
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