29-Aug-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: 1+2+5, 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.
Duan stood looking out over the vast area of blue. His toes wriggled in the unfamiliar sand as he adjusted the swim trunks thoughtfully provided by Pargan and his staff. He pulled the beach towel around his shoulders and looked up at Kenny. "That's a lot of water," he said.
Kenny scuffed at the sand with one foot, still clad in his high-tops, spandex and tank top. He had simply looked at the trunks offered and then looked away. Duan said he was already appropriately dressed and unless he was told to change, he wasn't gonna volunteer to do it. He considered removing his shoes with a suspicious frown.
"Hn," he said affirmatively, glancing at the waves that were moving rhythmically against the shore. The water looked... opaque. And it kept moving all the time.
"When does it stop?" he asked in a low voice, intended to carry only as far as Duo or Heero.
"Never," Heero replied.
"He's right," Tryan said, "It never stops moving, even at night."
Carter looked at Tryan wide-eyed. "You've seen it before?"
Tryan nodded. "When I was with the carnivale. We even went on a boat. It's like this big thing that rides in the water. The Captain, that's the guy who runs it, says that it doesn't sink unless it's got a hole in it. It feels kinda weird when you're on it too.... like riding an elephant," he informed.
"Hn," Wufan said, taking all of the information in. What bothered him the most was the fact that they were all nearly nude. He wrapped his towel around himself, tighter. "You ever go in it?"
"Just on the edge... not too much," Tryan said.
Kenny reached out and absently snagged Duan's braid. Coming forward a few steps, he studied the waves again.
"What's the power source?" he asked.
"Wind," Mei answered, "And the moon, too. The moon makes the tides. That's when the water gets higher or lower, because the moon is pulling all the water to one side of the world, sorta."
"That and gravity," Heero said, pulling off his tank top and jeans.
Kenny looked at Duan and then nodded at the shore. "Let's check it out."
"Right," Duan answered, with a nod.
"You might want to take off the boots, Kenny. The water will soak them through and weigh you down," Heero said, glancing over at Duo.
"Hn," Kenny said. He reached down and pulled the laces, and then toed off the high-tops, and tucked his socks into them. The sand felt weird.
Wufan looked up as Heero spoke. He saw that the older boy had his dark trunks on and nothing else. Looking back at Mariemeia to see if she was embarrassed or not, he then let his own towel drop onto the sand. What he could not help, however, was the slight color that crept into his cheeks. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and tried to calm his heart with long breaths.
With Duan at his side, Kenny walked out to where the water was washing up onto the wet, packed sand. He noticed little shells and rocks and other less identifiable things embedded in it. Boldly, he walked forward until the next wave washed over his feet and ankles.
As the wave pulled back, he felt the sand shift under his feet as if being sucked away. "Weird," he commented, looking to see what Duan's reaction was.
Duan stood out as far as Kenny in the water. He too felt the shifting sand and nodded. "Very...weird," he said. "Hey, does this stuff like suck you down into the sand and bury you?!" he called out.
"The water doesn't," Duo replied, striding up to join them on the strand, leaving a trail of towel, shirt, and shoes behind him as he approached. "But *I* might," he continued with a grin and a cheerful wink. He continued into the water until it lapped at the back of his knees, and turned to face them, grinning as he dug his toes into the sand below.
Kenny smiled suddenly, pulled off his tank top and balled it up, throwing it above the water line. Then he jumped in a bit further. Some spray hit his face and he licked his lips. It tasted pretty nasty. Grinning, he turned and splashed a little water towards Duan.
"Hey!" Duan called out, rubbing his face and eyes, before retaliating by splashing water on Kenny. It was nice to see his pal smile.
Tryan took Carter's hand and pulled him to the water. "Come on," he said, excitedly, moving towards the others.
Carter watched everything and everyone with huge eyes. He took a deep breath and reached out with his senses towards the water. After a moment he blinked, and then smiled. When Tryan pulled him along, he went easily, suddenly scampering towards the water. He ran a little too fast and got drenched by an incoming wave, and giggled, sputtering, his blond hair dripping around his face.
"Too bad I can't swim," he said, wiping his nose excitedly.
"You wanna learn?" Duo asked, smiling at the shift in Carter's behavior before he kicked a well-aimed splash towards Kenny and Duan.
"Sure," Carter answered, and then smiled. "But I don't think I'm big enough to swim that far."
Kenny meanwhile was giving signals to Duan to split up and flank Duo.
Duan nodded and scooted around in the water for a better position.
Wufan looked down at Mei. He then took his glasses off and placed them on the towel. "You've done this before, right?" he asked.
She nodded excitedly, neatly folding the T-shirt she'd worn over her swimsuit and laying it on top of her own towel beside Wufan's. "Sure. It's a lot of fun. I can show you, if you want," she offered, glancing out towards where the others were already playing in the water. "Umm... Should we help Duo? It looks like he's about to get ambushed."
"Yes!" Wufan said, suddenly very excited. "And yes, I'd like to learn!"
"Great!" she said, grabbing Wufan's hand and taking off towards the edge of the water. "Don't worry if it tastes a little weird... Oceans are really salty. You'll feel it later on your skin. The salt actually helps you float a little bit better."
"Ok," Wufan said, curious about this floating thing. This was going to be fun.
Heero made his way into the water as well. He watched as the kids and Duo splashed around and awaited his own opportunity.
Meanwhile, Trowa smiled as he removed his sunglasses. "Well, that's going quite good," he remarked to Quatre. "This was a good thing."
Quatre smiled, reaching into a pocket of his shorts for a small tube. He began to spread sunblock over his nose. It was late afternoon, but the sun was still going to be over the horizon for a couple of hours yet. He nudged Trowa and nodded towards the small bonfire that had been built a little further down. To one side of it, there were some beach chairs, blankets and a small table, along with several hampers. Pargan had arranged everything flawlessly, of course.
Relena waved to the arriving pilots and kids from her beach chair. "Looks like everyone made it," she said happily to Dorothy, tying a ribbon around her hair to keep it from flying so much in the sea breeze.
"That it does. And just think," Dorothy responded in something of a conspiratorial whisper, "We can watch all we want today and not get in trouble for it."
Relena giggled, and nodded.
"Ladies," Trowa called out by way of greeting. "Lovely as usual."
"Why thank you, Trowa!" Relena said warmly. Then she dimpled. "And the same to yourself and Mister Winner!"
Quatre tried to swallow a chuckle. "This was a very nice idea, ladies," he said politely. "Need any help with the cooking?"
"Thank you, Quatre, but I think we have it under control. I suspect Duo will want to come incinerate something soon. You can help us keep him from setting himself on fire," Dorothy answered with a wry smile. "Although, it was half his idea, so I suppose we could let him indulge himself a little..."
This time Quatre did not stifle the laugh. "We'll just make sure the area of destruction is confined," he offered.
"Good points all around," Trowa said, removing his jeans and shirt. "Would anyone care to join me for a swim?" he asked, folding the clothes and putting them in an empty chair.
Quatre took a moment to admire the revealed figure of the former mercenary. "Ummm... hmm?" he said, coming out of the brief trance. "Oh, uh, yeah, sure... I guess...."
Dorothy hid a smirk by ducking her head, ostensibly to pull her mane around her shoulder to tie off with a couple of ribbons. "I'll join you in just a few minutes, if you don't mind."
"The weenies are starting to cook!" Relena called from the bonfire, examining the metal skewers happily.
"We'll see you then," Trowa said, then turned to walk out to the water.
Wufei made his way over to the bonfire, adjusting his sunglasses. Dressed in a tank top and loose pants, he was comfortable in sandals, but not particularly anxious to disrobe and get into the water.
Mei started giggling as she and Wufan arrived too late to prevent Duo from the dual-front splash perpetrated by Kenny and Duan. She stopped when the water came to her knees, still giggling as Duo grabbed dramatically at his chest and collapsed backwards in a boneless heap, keening a patently fake 'death wail' until he vanished under the shallow water. "He's funny," she commented to Wufan.
Wufan laughed and nodded. "Yes, he is," he said.
Kenny, wary of Duo's "fake death" scampered back several feet towards higher ground. "Watch for the fake-out!" he called to Duan warningly.
"Oh man," Duan exclaimed, turning to move away.
The instant the younger boy's back was turned, Duo erupted from the water behind him, arms wrapping around Duan as he surged to his feet. "Gotcha!" Duo shouted laughingly as he lifted Duan high over his head triumphantly.
Duan squealed in surprise and delight. "Fake!" he called out between bouts of laughter. "Ya faked me!!"
Seconds later, Kenny was grabbed and plucked from the water by Heero. "Missed one!" he called out, holding Kenny up over his head similarly.
"Yow!!" Kenny yelled, squirming acrobatically in Heero's hands. "We're caught! Extraction Team!!"
"Let's go!" Wufan called out to Mei and the others. "Our guys need extraction, now!"
Mei nodded, bravely splashing forward, leaning close to Wufan as she did to say quietly, "Remember, Duo's ticklish on his ribs! He can't protect them and hold Duan hostage at the same time!"
"Good point," Wufan said, grinning. "Carter and Tryan... take Heero!"
Carter meeped and then obediently dashed towards Heero. He had the secret weapon - he was the only person alive who had successfully managed to tickle Heero once before.
Diving in, he reached for the one vulnerable spot, fingers crooked and squirming.
"Whoo hoo!" Kenny cried, cheering him on.
Heero called on all of his training and discipline to repel the attack. It was to no good. He succumbed into a fit of un-Heero like giggles as fell back into the water, nearly unable to breathe.
Kenny executed a somersault in mid air to land on his feet and hands some distance away. "Mission Rescue successful!" he yelled, giving Carter a thumbs up.
Carter grinned and attempted the most difficult part of Mission Rescue - the getaway of the extraction team... he lunged away from Heero towards the beach crying, "Tryan... save meeeeee!!!"
Heero lunged after Carter, his immediate prey, Kenny forgotten for the moment. He managed to snag the little blond boy’s foot but soon found himself engaged in a minor tug-of war as he saw Tryan wrap his arms around Carter's waist and pull him in the opposite direction.
"Heeeeeeeellllpppp!" Carter half-yelled, half giggled, feeling the pull on each side.
Suddenly Heero felt something rather large push against his legs. In a moment, he was knocked off his feet and felt something with smooth soft skin and the shape of a large torpedo brush by him. As he surfaced, something blew warm wet air in his face.
Duo felt something similar brush by his legs and noticed about three cresent-shaped dark gray fins were among them.
Wufan looked in the water, seconds away from tickle attack. His eyes grew round as he suddenly screamed. "Monster fish!"
A blast of warm air blew at Wufan as one of the large gray shapes surfaced beside him. It looked at him with a very pretty blue-grey eye and opened a mouth full of cone shaped teeth as if laughing at him.
"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!" said the "fish".
Wufan's eyes grew round as saucers as he stood looking at the "fish".
Mei had frozen as the shapes appeared, her eyes round and huge as she saw them help 'rescue' Carter. "Not monster fish, Wufan.... Dolphins," she said in a quiet, almost reverent voice as she watched wonderingly, one hand outstretched towards the nearest one.
The dolphin swam close to Mei obligingly, brushing by her. Its expression seemed quite playful and amused.
Carter meanwhile had been pulled towards Tryan as Heero was knocked on his butt in the water. He jumped up, looking at the shapes in the water. "Sugoi!" he cried happily. "You came in!"
Duo spluttered slightly in surprise both at the arrival of the dolphins, and then at Carter's happy remark. "Yo, Aquaman... You called in the cavalry?!" he called to the young blond with an amazed grin.
"I didn't mean to!" Carter exclaimed, reaching out to touch the large dolphin that was circling him with an eye on Heero. He grasped the front edge of the dorsal fin and then went, "Whoa!" as the dolphin pulled him along with it. It didn't head for deeper water, though, just towing the little blond around in the area where they were all playing.
Tryan watched with a big grin on his face. "Yeah..." he said, noting how natural Carter seemed to be with the dolphins. 'Maybe we can put that in an act, one day. Carter, Aquaboy,' he thought.
"He knows these monster fi...dolphins?" Duan asked. "They eat people?"
Wufei had materialized at the edge of the water the moment the commotion started, prepared to dive for children.
He placed his arms over his chest. "No," he called to Duan. "They eat fish. It's ok, Duan."
Duan nodded, then he remembered a book he'd seen. "Like Flipper," he said, then it was ok.
Wufan looked over at Mei and the dolphin. He kept repeating to himself that these were friendly fish and they ate fish. Taking long, deep breaths, he managed to calm himself a bit.
A familiar figure surfaced nearby. "Everyone ok?" Trowa asked.
"Hai, dolphin rescue," Heero said, keeping an eye on the kids.
Kenny scampered over to Duan, looking at the big "fish" with large eyes.
Carter let go of the fin finally and petted the smooth side of the dolphin. "Thank you!" he said warmly. The dolphin looked at him and blew warm air. Then the three animals swam among the humans and finally moved off for deeper water.
Quatre watched from the edge of the water. He pinched his lip thoughtfully, feeling a certain amount of wonder, and a bit of something else.
"Amazing," Trowa said, quietly. "Uh, just in case anybody wondered... Duo, Relena and Dorothy said that you can burn hot dogs anytime now."
"Huh?" Duo said, shaking off the moment of dazed serenity that had descended upon him as he watched the children play with the dolphins. "Oh. Burn hot dogs... OH! " Duo clapped his hands together and rubbed them excitedly. "Burn hot dogs! Anyone hungry yet?!" he called, looking around at everyone.
"Yep," Kenny answered immediately.
"Me too!" Duan called out.
"I could use some fuel," Tryan answered. "And I'll take Carter's if he's not hungry."
"No way!" Carter said, pulling himself away from watching the fins play in the water a little distance away.
"Race ya for it," Mei called to Tryan, tossing a playful grin at Carter as she started wading towards the shore again.
"You're on, pretty lady," Tryan called out, sloshing towards the shore.
Carter squealed and made a beeline for the shore and the bonfire, determined to get a hot dog... whatever it was.
Kenny and Duan actually made it to the bonfire first.
Wufan looked out over the water again, before moving back to the shore. He had a lot to think about.
Heero watched the little boy for a moment, before heading back in himself.
Duo nodded politely at Trowa as he passed him at an oddly sedate walk. "Damn cool," he said quietly as he continued up towards where Wufei still stood.
The Chinese boy nodded to the quiet comment, glancing back out at the water.
A quiet sort of melancholy smile passed briefly over Duo's face as he turned back for a final look. He shook it off before stooping to gather the trail of his stuff as well as everything the children had left behind before wandering towards the bonfire, whistling a cheerful mariner's tune that Howard had once taught him.
Next to the bonfire, there were blankets spread as well as the table, where the hot dog fixings along with paper plates, napkins and all kinds of drinks, cookies, chips, pickles and other accompaniments were packed in open wicker baskets.
Duo carefully deposited his burden in a safe spot before bouncing up towards the fire. "Looks excellent, ladies," he complimented, eyeing the roasting hot dogs with a dangerous gleam in his eye.
Dorothy quirked up a single brow and pointed towards one of the skewers that had been set off to one side, cooking as evenly as the others, but obviously singled out for some reason. "Thank you Duo. Try not to blow us up?" she returned.
With a triumphant crow of laughter, Duo pounced on the skewer and waggled it at Dorothy before thrusting it into the heart of the fire. "Not even I have enough talent to turn processed beef franks into an explosive compound without baked beans, Dorothy," he quipped back. "I'll save the weenie blowing for later."
Dorothy coughed for a moment, recovering with a bland, "How much?"
"Not for sale," Duo answered with a wink.
"What's not for sale?" Heero asked, wandering over to check on the hot dogs.
"The latest release from Maxwell Productions... 'How To Blow Your Weenie.... Up'," the braided pilot said, watching avidly as his hot dog crisped and blackened.
Wufei coughed.
"So how do you know when they're done, Duo?" Kenny asked, coming over to watch the incineration process.
"Depends on how well done ya like em, kiddo," Duo replied, pulling his now flaming frank from the fire to display to the boy. "For me, the first one always has to be just shy of charcoal... but usually, when the weenies plump up, they're ready to be eaten."
Wufei put his hand over his mouth and coughed again.
"Are you all right, Wufei?" Relena asked, concerned. "Here, have a drink of soda..."
Heero took a deep breath and turned to look meaningfully out at the ocean. The affect was lost, however, by the wide grin on his face and the slight shaking of his shoulders.
"Ok, I guess it's done," Kenny said. "What do I do with it now?"
Duo leaned forward and blew out the flames on his hot dog with an exaggerated puff, smiling innocently at Wufei before returning his attention to Kenny. "Now, we get our buns ready."
Wufei glared at Duo and picked up a hot dog bun, "Yes," he said, looking at Duo. "You have to squirt something on the buns, or the hot dog... or both, before sliding the meat in."
Kenny nodded and followed the instructions carefully, unaware of anything odd about the conversation.
"Then, of course, you eat it," Heero managed, attempting to maintain a neutral face.
"But, be very careful," Trowa said, walking up. "The meat is hot and the bun doesn't have enough insulation to absorb all of the energy."
Carter glanced at the older boys and suddenly ran off with his hot dog to sit on a beach chair, trying not to blush or giggle.
Dorothy merely plucked one of the remaining skewers from the fire and offered it towards the Vice-Minister. "Weenie, Miss Relena?" she asked sweetly.
"Would you please place it in my buns, Dorothy?" Relena returned in the same tone, eyes twinkling.
"But of course. Do you need anything else on that... Add a little flavor?" Dorothy asked, carefully doing as Relena had instructed.
"I'm afraid I'm a purist, Dorothy," Relena said, biting into the hot dog happily. "Just weenie and bun for me."
"I never figured you for the type that liked it dry, Relena," Duo remarked as he finished preparing his charcoal masterpiece, complete with everything he could stuff in between the bread, including a couple of crushed chips.
"Well if I'm eating it, I want the flavor to be unadulterated," she returned, blue eyes gleaming. "But I do like watching others enjoy theirs any way they choose."
"Hey, food!" Duan called, seeing Kenny and Carter chowing down. He scampered over and relieved the cooks of two hot dogs, before taking them back over to Kenny.
Kenny was already on number three.
Heero looked down at the overstuffed hot dog that Duo held in his hand. Taking the braided pilot's hand, he raised the hot dog up and took a bite. "It's always better," he said around the bite of hot dog, "...when it's stolen."
Duo mock-scowled, pulling his purloined dinner away again. "Just for that, no more frank for you."
Heero bowed. "Hai," he said. "It will be an honor to starve. A bite of your dog is all I require."
"Yeah? Well, just be careful... With all the stuff I put on it, my dogs bite back," Duo remarked archly before cramming about a third of the remainder of his masterpiece in his mouth.
"Why, Wufei, I didn't know you liked weenies," Relena said curiously. "You have two... in one hot dog bun!"
Glancing at Duo and Heero, Wufei said coolly, "Yes, two in one bun is something new, I've never tried it before. I wonder if I'll like it."
Cobalt blue eyes locked onto Wufei's dark eyes. "Mission accepted," Heero said, quietly.
Duo, meanwhile, was struggling to not choke as he attempted to chew and laugh at the same time, thankful that the rosy glare of the fire hid most of the faint flush creeping up his cheeks.
"Stuffed," Kenny announced, flopping on a blanket. He looked sated. Yawning, he pulled his tank top over his head and gazed out at the still-moving waves.
Duan dropped down next to Kenny, wiping away a chili stain from his cheek. "Ditto," he said, stretching out on the blanket beside his friend.
"So wha'd ya think, guys?" Duo called, glancing over at the two boys before stuffing the last bite of his hot dog in his mouth.
"Cool," Kenny said. He smiled. It was a slightly sleepy smile.
Duan nodded, then yawned.
"It was great," Tryan called out. "Do you think we can keep a dolphin?"
"I don't think our tub is big enough back home, Tryan," Duo replied when he was done chewing. "'Sides... You wouldn't wanna take em away from all that space, would ya?"
Tryan shook his head. "No," he said. "Still woulda made a good act, though."
Wufan stood and walked over to Duo. He bowed. "Thank you very much, Duo," he said. "The burnt processed meat on a bun was very good."
Duo smiled widely, returning the bow with a small one of his own. "Thank you for trusting me, Wufan. I hope you had fun."
Wufan walked closer to Duo. He placed his arms around Duo's waist and hugged him. "Yes, I had lots of fun. I just hope I didn't embarrass you about the dolphin. It... I was scared... a little," he said.
Duo knelt down and gathered Wufan into his arms, returning the hug tightly. "Kiddo, you are never an embarrassment. There's so much stuff that you've never seen before that I wanna be able to show you all. I'm glad you got a chance to see them so close," he said, before leaning in a little closer and continuing in a conspiratorial tone of voice, "I was scared too. I've never been that close to one before."
Wufan blinked. He suddenly felt himself relax all over. "I understand," he said, "I guess the next time we see them, we won't be so scared."
"Sounds like a plan," Duo replied with a grin, hugging Wufan again. "Hope you saved room for another bonfire tradition," he said, raising his voice to carry to the other children.
"Hn?" Kenny mentioned, sitting up.
"What is that?" Wufan asked.
"S'mores!" the braided pilot called excitedly.
The kids gathered around Duo to see what this new idea was.
Duo released Wufan and bounced back to his feet, tossing Heero a wicked smirk for the imminent sugar buzz as he headed for the supplies and fished out a bag of large marshmallows. "First off, you need the stick your hot dog was cooking on," he explained, retrieving his from where he'd set it. "Then you take a marshmallow, stick it on the end, and toast it on the fire. Be careful, though, because they melt easily, and catch fire quick," he said, demonstrating.
With concentration, Kenny attempted to master this new skill.
Duan followed the instructions, feeling an odd sense of joy as he watched the marshmallow catch fire and burn.
"Do you know how to do this too?" Wufan asked Mei.
"I've heard about it, but I've never gotten a chance to do it," she answered, watching in fascination as her marshmallow slowly browned, then darkened more, and started to sag a little from her skewer.
"Then when you get it done how you like it," Duo said, continuing his explanation, "You stick it on a graham cracker, add a piece of chocolate, cover it all with another cracker, and eat." Watching his melting marshmallow slide dangerously close to the end of the skewer, Duo quickly retrieved the rest of the stuff and brought it back to the fire to hand out to the kids.
Wufan's eyes twinkled as he took a bite of the chocolaty treat. "Mmm," he said, "This is really very good!"
Trowa made two and offered one to Quatre.
"Good," Tryan proclaimed.
"May I make another one?" Wufan asked.
Quatre bit into the oozing desert blissfully.
Carter watched Tryan make one and then asked for help making his.
Heero made one, then walked over to where Wufei sat. Breaking the confection into two halves, he offered the Chinese pilot one of them.
Wufei suppressed a sigh and accepted the gooey mess, licking it off his fingers. "Another good call, Maxwell," he mentioned, watching the kids.
Duo glanced around, making sure that everyone had gotten a chance to make their first one before nodding at Wufan with a pleased grin. He offered the one he'd made to Relena, bowing to her with a ridiculous flourish that made his braid flop comically on the sand as he proffered it. "Can't take all the credit, 'Fei. Relena helped mastermind this here shindig, too."
Relena accepted the S'more, blushing slightly. "I'm just glad you all seem to enjoy it," she said softly.
"Thank you, Relena," Wufei said seriously. He had a feeling this was going to be a needed happy memory as things got more serious in the next few days.
Tryan helped Carter make his S'more then made another one himself. He went over to Dorothy and tapped her arm. "Here, you have one too," he said.
Dorothy smiled gratefully, accepting the treat with a polite nod. "Thank you, Tryan. You're a very helpful young man."
"You are very welcome, ma'am," Tryan replied.
"Hm," Duan said, polishing off the last of his S’more. "Wonder how that would work with peaches?"
Mei started giggling and then waggled sticky fingers at the braided boy threateningly.
Duan's eyes grew big as he checked out the waggling chocolaty fingers. "You got something in mind?" he asked.
"Hn," Kenny remarked glancing at the redheaded girl. Then he decided he was too relaxed to do anything right now and flopped back on the blanket.
"I think peaches probably go best in pies, kiddo," Duo called to Duan as he squished the S’more he'd just made together and took a big bite of it.
Duan nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving... the fingers.
Mei grinned at Duan's concentration, then advanced on him slowly, keeping her hands moving.
Wufei covered his smile quickly.
Duan balanced his weight on both feet. He knew that he was too full to run effectively, so he prepared himself.
Mei paused just before she reached him, her blue eyes narrowed in a cheerful grin that exuded innocence. Holding her hands up in a gesture of peace, she closed the last step between them. Then she reached out and poked Duan on the nose, leaving behind a chocolate smudge, before hopping back out of tackle range with a laugh.
Duan's eyes crossed slightly as he tried to look at the smudge. Raising his fingers, he wiped it away, then ate the sweet off of his fingers. "Ok, that'll work," he said.
Kenny watched the exchange and then rolled to his feet. He walked over to the table and returned with a can of soda, which he was vigorously and deliberately shaking, as he locked his eyes onto Mei. His mouth curved in a slight smirk.
The redhead eeped loudly and took off, heading at all haste for the other side of the fire before Kenny could take aim.
Duan nodded and gave Kenny a high-five. "That works better," he said.
Kenny grinned. He considered chasing the redhead -- even loaded with food he was pretty sure he could catch her. But her offense had been minimal. He tossed the shaken but still unopened soda to Duan. "Insurance," he said, flopping back on the blanket. "Always make sure you have superior firepower."
Duo snickered into the back of his hand at the exchange before glancing to where Mei was peeking out from behind Wufei's chair.
Seeing that the coast was apparently clear, Mei sat down abruptly and leaned against one of the legs of the chair, her expression cheerful, if just a little tired.
Duan caught the can of soda and watched the redheaded girl as he went and plopped down on the blanket. "Thanks," he said to Kenny.
Relena relaxed back into a beach chair with a glass of soda next to her. "This is nice," she murmured. "I haven't been down here in so long." She looked over at Heero and Duo, and suddenly felt comfortable asking a question. "Are you going to stay for a few days?"
Heero glanced up and nodded. "Yes," he said. "If it's not too much trouble for you, we'd like to stay here." He then looked over at Duo.
"We thought the kids might enjoy spending some time on the Earth, if we wouldn't be underfoot too much," the braided pilot continued as he settled next to the fire near Heero.
Dorothy glanced from Duo to Heero, a secretive smirk playing across her lips as she regarded them. "I'm sure that our Earth here is much different than where they are from." She sipped at her drink before glancing towards the children. "And how have you liked it, compared to the colonies?"
"It's ok," Kenny said, without opening his eyes. However a little smile appeared on his face.
"It's very interesting," Wufan replied. "There are still lots of places to see. It's nice to be outside."
"I like the beds," Tryan said.
"It's very beautiful," Carter said softly, gazing out at the waves with a wondering smile.
"The food is good," Duan said, stretching out next to Kenny and looking up at the darkening sky. He then smiled. "Hey look, it's the moon," he said.
Duo smiled suddenly, darting a quick look at Duan, then Heero, before turning his attention up towards Luna. "Pretty different down here, isn't it?"
Duan nodded, his peaceful smile never fading. "Yes," he said. "From the Colony, it's hard to believe it's really the moon. It looks kinda empty. From here, it reminds me of a couple of times we went outside and saw it. Pretty."
Kenny looked up at the moon. It was pretty impressive, he had to admit. "S'nice," he said.
Tryan looked up at the moon and then back down to Dorothy. "Have you ever been up there?" he asked.
She nodded before looking up, her expression unreadable. "A time or two."
Tryan's eyes widened in appreciation. "So, what's it like up there? We've passed by it and you can see it closer on the Colony, but we've never gone."
"It's very grey," she answered. "It's much prettier from afar. It's much easier to admire it than to enjoy it but... it *is* fun to walk on," she said, offering Tryan a conspiratorial little wink.
Tryan grinned and nodded to himself. "Maybe we can go there sometime," he said.
"I think you'd enjoy it," Dorothy agreed.
"Maybe we'll take a vacation there," Duo said with a grin. "Collect some moonrocks and stuff to take back home with you someday."
"Wow," Wufan exclaimed, thinking about the possibility. In the short space of time that they'd been in this world, he knew that they had gone farther and done more than anyone could have imagined back on the base. He sighed deeply, then went to sit next to Wufei.
Carter looked up at the moon while everyone was talking. It was pretty... but somehow as he gazed up at it, he felt something strange. Rubbing his arms, the little blond shivered. He suddenly wished he'd thought to bring a jacket or sweater.
Trowa, who had been listening to the conversation, glanced up at the moon himself. He focused his attention elsewhere after a few moments, as he realized some of his memories of being there were not exactly pleasant. Standing, he walked over to Carter. He sat down beside the little blond and pulled him into his lap. "Cold?" he asked quietly.
Carter nodded. He snuggled into Trowa's arms. Looking up at the large round sky-object, he frowned and rubbed his eyes. It was odd... he'd expected to feel bad things coming from the sea. Instead, when he'd stretched out his senses, he had touched intelligent, wise and friendly souls there. But for some reason the moon was making him feel nervous.
"We'll probably be getting inside soon," Trowa said, holding Carter close.
Quatre watched his lover with the little blond boy. He came and stood a little behind Trowa. He studied Carter. Something was bothering the little boy. Glancing up at the sky, he looked at the moon. For a moment he felt something inside of him open up, in a way it had not done for a long time.
Wincing, he suddenly ducked his head, his hand moving to his chest. It felt... it felt for the briefest of moments like something... something he'd felt before...
Duo watched the two carefully for a moment, a small frown crossing his features before smoothing away into polite interest. "So... Do you mind if we extend our invasion for a few more days, Relena?" he asked, looking over at the young woman.
"Of course I don't mind, Duo!" Relena exclaimed warmly, oblivious to the tensions. "In fact, I'll be honest and say that I'm thrilled. I'd even like to go with you on one or two of your trips, if I can work it into my schedule. Tomorrow I have a dedication to do, at the new wing of the spaceport. And I will probably be tied up in meetings after that," she mentioned with a sigh. "But the day after, if you happen to be taking the kids anywhere that you wouldn't mind me going along, I would love to come with you....?"
"That would be fine," Heero said, "Thanks, Relena."
The Vice-Minister beamed at Heero with real pleasure. "Thank *you*, Heero, and Duo and everyone. You have no idea how much you are doing for people around you just by being here."
Heero looked down, shaking his head a little. Leaning over, he bumped Duo a little.
Duo snorted with amusement, a playful grin on his face as he regarded the two young women. "Maybe we oughta start our own broadcast network... All Gundam pilots, all the time..."
Relena giggled and her cheeks flushed slightly. "Good idea, Duo!"
"Hn," Heero commented, then looked towards the ocean. He noticed Quatre and nudged Duo, before standing. "Hey," he said, coming to stand beside the blond pilot.
Quatre straightened up quickly, rubbing his chest absently. He smiled. "Hi, Heero," he said.
"Hi," Heero said, his eyes catching nuances and his senses setting off silent alarms within him. "What's wrong, Quatre?" he asked, directly.
The blond pilot looked at Heero. His smile remained but his teal eyes became more serious. "I'll tell you when I can, Heero," he said quietly.
Then he walked over to a canvas bag he'd carried to the picnic area and took out a distinctively shaped leather case. Opening it, he took out the violin and bow, and brought them over to sit next to Trowa.
Kenny noticed the instrument and sat up, his attention focused on the Arabian pilot.
Fitting the instrument under his chin, Quatre ran the bow over the strings, and then began to play. It wasn't a classical piece, such as Trowa was used to hearing from him, but rather a spritely tune with the flavor of his middle-eastern roots. As he began to play, he focused feelings of warmth towards Carter.
In Trowa's arms, the little blond looked up wide-eyed as he heard the music begin. His mouth curved in a smile, which grew wider until he was beaming. He began clapping in time with the happy little tune.
Seeing Kenny, Duan sat up as well. He watched and listened at Quatre played and moved a little with the tune.
Wufan smiled, watching Quatre's fingers on the instrument and the expression on his face as he played. He remembered Kenny saying that Quatre had helped him and now he understood a part of how it all happened.
From where she leaned against Wufei's chair, Mei opened her eyes and watched Quatre play for a few moments before glancing at Carter. The blond boy's infectious smile got to her, and she found herself grinning and absently tapping her foot along with the music. Briefly, she wondered if her father had ever played any instruments. She'd have to ask Lady Une in the morning. The Lady would know. Her eyes drifted shut again as she relaxed against the chair once more and, still smiling happily, reached up and closed her small hand around a couple of Wufei's fingers.
Wufei smiled and closed his hand softly around Mei's. He wanted to lean down and tell her that he loved her. But he knew that in a short time, Treize would enter her life. Better not to confuse her too much. Better not to pretend that she might not be hurt by his silence when she realized what had happened. So he simply held her hand silently, vowing that whatever happened, he would always be there if she ever needed him.
Though his expression never changed, Duo felt a pang of regret as he watched the almost unnoticeable exchange between the Chinese pilot and the young girl. Wufei deserved better than what he was setting himself up for. Unfortunately, Duo couldn't see an immediate happy solution rising miraculously up out of the future. With a small sigh, he settled a little bit further into the blanket beside the fire, promising to himself to be there for his friend and partner, come what may.
Heero went and sat back down near Duo. He watched Quatre closely and accepted that when the blond pilot was ready to speak, he would. Still, he made note to watch him as well.
"What are you thinking?" he asked Duo, quietly.
"How by coming together, something has to fall apart," he murmured back.
Heero frowned slightly, then looked in the direction Duo was looking. He saw the expression on Wufei's face and his hand joined with Mariemeia. The thought occurred to him that soon the little girl would have to deal with another disruption in her life and that perhaps her reaction would not be a positive one towards Wufei. It was clear to him that Wufei loved the child and gave to her freely what he had trouble giving another human being. Invariably, Heero's eyes moved to Kenny. He understood. "Never assume anything, Duo. That's what I've learned," he said softly. "Even when it seems what would make logical sense is inevitable."
Duo considered that for a moment before nodding. With another small, though more contented, sigh, he leaned his head against Heero's shoulder and closed his eyes. "Ya know what I learned? Humanity's greatest weapon against evil... Hope."
"Hai," Heero said, sliding his arm around Duo's waist.
Wufan looked up and saw Mei with her eyes closed and holding Wufei's hand. The thought occurred to him that she looked pretty and happy. Glancing up at Wufei, he smiled. It was a good thing that they had each other too.
At the end of Quatre's playing, Tryan stood and clapped. "That was very good, Quatre! Do you play in a band?" he asked.
Quatre grinned up at Trowa. "Occasionally I sit in with the Maganac party group..."
"Sounds neat!" Tryan said. "You got a manager? Maybe Trowa can get you into the circus!"
Quatre giggled. "No manager yet, but we were working on a circus position..."
"Don't forget the net," Duo remarked dryly, cracking one eye open to smirk at the two.
"Don't worry, Duo," Trowa said, "I'll catch Quatre."
"I have the utmost confidence in ya, Tro," Duo replied, his tone practically dripping with innocence.
Trowa laughed.
Heero gave Duo a squeeze. "I think maybe it's time we moved inside," he said, nodding in the direction of Kenny, who was curled up on his side, sound asleep.
"Sounds like a good idea," Duo agreed, glancing around at the other pseudo-aware faces around the fire. "What can we do to help clean up, Relena?"
"Oh don't worry about it," Relena said. "Pargan will send some of his staff out to take care of it. Those boys will have things picked up in no time. You guys just have a wonderful night. And have fun tomorrow, while I'm at a stuffy old dedication, ok, Duan?" she said to the little braided boy, smiling as he yawned.
Duan nodded, then stood to his feet a little unsteadily. He walked over to Relena and gave her a hug. "Thank you, Relena. Everything was fun and good."
Relena hugged the little boy warmly. "You are very welcome, Duan. Sleep well, ok?"
"I will," Duan promised, then waved at Dorothy before yawning again. "Thank you, too." he managed.
"It was my pleasure," Dorothy replied sincerely.
Duo wormed out of Heero's arm and popped up to his feet, reaching down to help Heero up as well. "Well, guys, gals, shall we trudge dutifully off to bed?"
"You bet, Duo," Duan said and yawned again.
"We gotta store up some new energy to see what kind of trouble we can get into tomorrow," Duo said to Duan, offering him a hand for a low five.
Duan nodded and slapped Duo's hand.
Heero walked over and scooped Kenny into his arms. For a moment, he looked down at the little one asleep, then moved to the van.
Kenny opened his eyes briefly, but they didn't do any more than register Heero before closing again as he turned into the bigger boy's chest and relaxed with a little huffing sigh.
Tryan ran over and gave Dorothy a deep bow, before giving her a hug. "Thanks, ma'am," he said. "Your seaside party was swell."
Dorothy couldn't stop the bright laugh that burst from her at the hug and Tryan's words. "We're glad you liked it, Tryan. I had fun, too. And you make a very tasty S'more."
Tryan grinned and bowed again. "Then I will remember you liked them and make you ... some more," he said and winked, significantly afterwards.
Dorothy smiled widely. "I look forward to that," she said before waving good night to him and the others.
Wufan stood and touched Wufei's arm. "Time to go, Sifu," he said, quietly, then went to thank the ladies for the party.
Wufei nodded and got up. He pulled Mei up to her feet and dusted sand off of her legs, sending her after Wufan with a pat.
The redhead rubbed her eyes with both fists, blinking up at him owlishly for a moment before following Wufan to offer her thanks as well. She grabbed Wufan’s hand as she caught up with him, unabashedly happy in spite of, or rather perhaps a little because of, the weariness that had almost had her asleep in the sand.
TBC
End of Part 43
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