11-Oct-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.
Heero looked from one child to the other. In sleep, they all looked so small and vulnerable. Did I ever look like that? he thought, absently. Remembering Duo's words, he agreed that some of the hardest part was yet to come. Sighing a little, he knew that it would not necessarily manifest in anything they could predict.
Assuring himself once again that the children were all settled and sleeping safely, Duo floated over towards Heero, a small box tucked under his arm. He paused beside his lover, resting his fingers upon Heero's cheek for a moment. "Y'okay?"
Heero closed his eyes and turned his face into Duo's touch. "Yeah," he replied. "For the time being."
Turning his hand over, Duo brushed his knuckles against Heero's cheek gently before leaning down for a brief kiss. "We can do it," he said with quiet confidence. "We've done more with less before." His lips turned up in the smile that Duo reserved for Heero alone before he held out the medical kit. "I'm gonna go check on 'Fei. 'K?"
"I could take his clothes off for you?" Heero offered, with a grin of his own.
"You, Mister Yuy, are an incurable hentai," the braided pilot replied with an unrepentant leer as he grabbed Heero's hand and towed him along. "Just remember that they may be tired, but the kids are lighter sleepers than most combat soldiers."
"Hai," Heero replied. "We'll think of something," he added, with a wink.
Wufei was sitting close to where Wufan was curled up asleep, but his eyes moved over all the children restlessly. He was trying not to think too far ahead but as usual, his nimble mind refused to obey his attempts to curb it.
"Hey," Duo said quietly as he and Heero approached. He displayed the med kit meaningfully and quirked up a single brow at the Chinese pilot, pursing his lips with mock-disapproval. "They're settled and napping. Your turn."
"We've come to fix you, Wufei," Heero said, standing to one side of the Chinese pilot.
Wufei glanced up and snorted softly. "Sit down, Heero," he said. Then he scowled slightly, but pulled off the dark blue t-shirt, pulling the material away with a small jerk where it was stuck to the skin. It was a clean bullet wound, through the upper shoulder, missing bone. Five inches lower and he'd have been dead instantly.
Duo winced as the shirt pulled away, shaking his head and he popped open the case and started rummaging around for supplies. "What is it about masochistic Asian guys?" he sighed as he started carefully cleaning the wound out.
Heero peered at the wound, then nodded. "Clean, probably more annoying than anything," he said, touching Wufei's bared shoulder carefully. "It'll be a little stiff. Use some of that 549 on it. It'll help the wound heal cleaner and faster, Duo."
"You fuss like women," Wufei growled, sitting still and doing his best to ignore Duo's ministrations and Heero's scrutiny.
"Is it killing you?" Duo asked in an exasperated sigh.
"There *are* other methods I can use to distract you," Heero said, looking into Wufei's eyes.
"Hn," Wufei replied, looking away from Heero as a touch of color rose in his face.
"Just get on with it," he added, glancing at Duo with a flash of embarrassment.
"Taciturn, *grumpy*, masochistic Asian guys," Duo muttered as he applied a generous amount of antibiotic and started carefully wrapping Wufei's shoulder. "If we fuss like one, you grump like one."
Wufei flashed a look at Duo but decided not to answer that.
Heero smiled at the exchange. "Ok, not too much wrap or you'll have him dressed like a mummy. He is going to need to use that arm," he said, reaching up and brushing Wufei's cheek with his fingertips.
"Yes, mother. Whatever you say, mother," Duo replied with a wry grin as he tucked the tail end of the bandage skillfully into the wrap. "Bet I was bandaging myself up just as young as you were. I'm just not nuts enough to set my own thigh and splint it with a wrench."
Heero placed his hand on Duo's shoulder and squeezed it. "Don't hang yourself for it, Duo. You'll come around some day. The trick is to get the angle of the break set just right. I'll teach you how to do it, if you want?"
"Nooo...." Duo replied warily as he stashed the leftover supplies and closed up the case. "The trick is to not break it in the first place by using your parachute when you take a header off the 51st floor. You gonna put that thing back on, 'Fei, or you want me to try and rustle you up a clean shirt?" he asked, bouncing his comments between the two like a tennis pro.
"No need," Wufei said, flexing his arm carefully. He pulled the torn shirt back over his head. "Xie xie, Duo," he added quietly.
The braided youth seemed to still for a moment, glancing at Wufei from the corner of his eyes as he turned to set the med kit aside. A slow smile spread over Duo's features and he nodded once, and then the impression of barely contained energy was back as he pulled his legs up under him and let himself drift before them both.
"So. How'd you get there so quick?" Duo asked casually, not bothering to right himself as he slowly began to rotate to one side.
"Treize and I had prepared a stealth-shielded shuttle for... another use," Wufei answered. "I'll get it later - it's a bit smaller than this one. I wish it had been... quicker," he said, glancing back at the kids.
Duo followed his gaze, his own violet eyes turning pensive as he replied, "Yeah." A quiet sigh escaped him as he absently caught up his braid and started fiddling with the tie on the end. "If wishes were fishes, we'd walk on the sea... Or something like that."
Heero looked over the kids again as well, then said, "We need to ask them what happened. Wufan mentioned something about waking up and Kenny was taken off. He, Mei and Wufan have bruises."
Wufei bowed his head slightly, trying to control the anger and guilt he felt over the children's experiences. "Yes. I want to know what happened."
Duo reached out, resting a hand upon Wufei's uninjured shoulder and giving it a brief squeeze. As he locked eyes with the Chinese pilot, Wufei could see a mirror of his own emotions in violet depths. Duo's lips curled up slightly in an understanding smile as he offered the tip of his braid to Wufei with a small shrug. "It's... soothing. Like Maxwell Meditation," he offered.
Wufei looked up and then his face relaxed a little. He accepted the soft tassel in his hand, and stroked it with gentle fingers before handing it back. He sighed, and leaned back against the couch, rubbing his eyes.
"The hardest part," Heero said, thinking, "... what we have to remember, is that these are their experiences. Maybe we have to just listen and be there for them and keep our own emotions in check. We've all been through this, but this one's theirs." He looked back at Duo and Wufei, with a small smile.
Duo's eyes wandered over the children thoughtfully again, flicking from one to another over and over as if he was still trying to convince himself of their reality. It had been too close. Just when he'd finally almost convinced himself that the curse was gone for good... It had been too close. He unfolded his legs and kicked off the ceiling, righting himself as he slowly drifted down to settle on the floor between Heero and Wufei's knees. The contact... felt nice. "Yeah," Duo agreed.
There was a small silence between them, then Heero asked. "So what was that about Ripper and Jack spending the night?"
Duo sighed, plucking at the fastening of Heero's boot. "Guess that would depend on where we're headed," he replied. "I mean, they were guests of Relena. Then again... we *are* staying in their house, too."
"Hn," Heero replied, closing his eyes a moment. Then he frowned slightly. "That's correct," he said.
"They stay upstairs in the attic, when they're there," Duo continued casually. "Speaking of which... If they stick around, 'Fei... I'm not sure how much longer it'll be before Heero's not the only one Rip flirts with. Just fair warning."
Wufei looked at Duo. "Warning received," he said. "What do you mean about the attic?" He lifted one eyebrow calmly.
"I mean that room at the very top of the house that you can only get to by climbing Kenny and Duan's tree, if you don't have magical musical instruments or god-like powers," Duo explained patiently.
"You mean they've been living in the house all this time, and ... you knew about this," Heero said, leaning forward.
"I wouldn't know about 'all this time', but..." Duo shrugged, "They've been there before." He sighed, hunching in on himself a little as he quit distracting himself with Heero's footwear and deposited his hands in his lap. "Found it that day we all ended up playing hide and seek. That's it, though. That's all I have, now," he said, finally coming clean.
Heero opened his mouth to speak and then stopped. His mind raced to answer why Duo would feel it necessary to conceal information from him, which he found to be more disturbing than the fact Jack and Ripper were involved. A moment later, he leaned back against the couch, finding his answer in the question. He didn't trust you, he thought. "Don't worry about it," Heero said, "I wasn't exactly thinking straight then, I guess. But next time, our guests don't sleep in the attic. They can sleep in the house with the rest of us."
Duo sighed, remaining still with his attention focused on his hands. "I'm glad It's gone now," he said quietly. "No more secrets. I didn't... like it. I'm sorry, koibito," he murmured before darting a look up at Heero. "I'll let you do the invite/demand, then."
Wufei watched the two through lowered eyelids, resting against the couch.
Leaning back down, Heero slid his arms around Duo's neck. He pulled the braided pilot as close against him as possible, closing his eyes. "I agree with you," he said softly, inhaling Duo's scent. "I'm sorry too. But, don't worry about it. We have new plans to make."
Duo's eyes slipped closed as he leaned into Heero's arms. Closing his fist over his lover's hand, he gave a gentle squeeze and then sighed, forcing himself to relax again. "I was afraid It was gonna try and talk to you again back there," he admitted. "The gun helped, so I figured yours would too..."
Heero kissed Duo's cheek. "Then you're a lot smarter than me. I didn't think about that at all. I guess if it was a matter of choice, though, I made mine back on L2. My family," he said.
"Family," Duo murmured thoughtfully, tipping his head back to lean on Heero's thigh. "Why do I feel like I ducked outta the 'Kobayashi Maru' like Kirk did? Squeaked by without actually facing it..."
Duo smirked suddenly, shaking his head once. "Sorry. More stupid 20th century media trivia," he observed with a chuckle.
"Hn," Heero replied. "Well, we're not all bowing down to the great God of Death, right now, so I suspect you made some kind of choice. What about you, Wufei? Did you hear the siren's song?"
Wufei blinked and looked up. "Hn? What? Song...?"
Heero reached over and rubbed Wufei's thigh a little. "Later," he said. "Rest."
Wufei scowled, glancing from Heero to Duo. "Just because you are speaking some arcane dialect known only to bakas does not mean I am asleep or stupid."
Duo couldn't stop the smile that spread over his features as he popped open one eye to peer up at Wufei. "I think he was asking before if It tried to tempt you," he explained.
Wufei's eyes widened slightly and he turned his head and looked out the nearest shuttle window quickly. Reaching over to rub his shoulder absently, he glanced back, his eyes passing over Duo and Heero and resting on the sleeping form of Mariemeia beyond them.
"Yes," he said evenly. "A year ago."
Heero followed Wufei's gaze and nodded to himself. "This was a much better outcome," he said.
Wufei looked down. "I didn't know what it was, until today. When I saw It. I thought they were my own thoughts, then. I didn't even realize that Barton had It, until recently, until I saw Dorothy's notes on Treize's list."
Duo lifted a hand over his shoulder, resting it atop Wufei's knee and gripping comfortingly, and expression of support and understanding on his face as he looked up at the other pilot. "I'm sorry that you had to face it alone, Wufei."
Wufei looked at the hand on his knee, noticing its graceful shape as well as the familiar calluses. He looked at Duo. "Would you like to hear something funny? That is exactly what I was supposed to do. What I was... bred to do, some would say. It's a duty of my family that goes back before the first colony was built. Longer than that. And I'd have failed. Without you, and the children."
"But we somehow managed to do it again," Heero said. "And again, it took the efforts of all. "
"It's hard to be invincible when you come into life with such a weight already on you," Duo mused philosophically. "Heero's right, though. We did it."
Wufei looked from one of them to the other. "Do you know what I have been thinking? It's simple. The two of you... when you went to that other place, and helped them... you bought our future. Just like that. If you had refused, had not succeeded..." he shook his head. "That is where this began."
Duo lifted his head, turning it so that he could study the children for a long moment, before glancing towards where Quatre and Trowa were sitting together. With an odd little smile, he tipped his head back on Heero's leg again, staring up at them. "Before that, I think."
Heero chuckled. "That's right. Quatre started it all," he said, glancing over at the blond pilot.
Duo didn't reply at first, opting to close his eyes once again, though the smile never faded. "You ever wonder... Why us?" he asked at length. "Why things happened the way they did?"
Heero shook his head. "I'm sorry, koi. I stopped asking those kinds of questions after the first war," he said.
Suddenly, one of the kids yawned and sat up. Duan looked around the shuttle, then rubbed at his eyes. Immediately after, he moved closer to Kenny and put a hand on his arm protectively.
The little boy whose hair was now streaked with white was scowling in his sleep, his shoulders tense. His closed eyelids showed REM, as he was being pulled deeper into a dream that was clearly neither restful nor peaceful.
Duan looked down at Kenny and frowned. Reaching around, he snagged the end of his braid and placed it in Kenny's hand.
Kenny's fingers clutched the silken tassel, and then suddenly he said very distinctly, "Not again," and then sneezed and woke up. He sat up abruptly and looked around, his indigo eyes unfocused and a little wild. "Huh?"
Duan put his hands on Kenny's shoulders. He shook him a little, then said, "We're safe."
Kenny rubbed his nose. "Uh, yeah, ok," he mumbled and looked around mentally locating and checking everyone off. He sighed and glanced at where Heero, Duo and Wufei were sitting.
Movement caught Heero's attention and his arms tensed slightly. Seeing Kenny sit up, he looked down at Duo. "Give me a minute," he said, standing and moving towards Duan and Kenny.
Duo nodded, sliding a little out of the way to let Heero pass.
Duan looked up, still blinking, and saw Heero come over. "You ok?" he asked Kenny.
"Yeah," Kenny said automatically. He saw Heero come over and found himself looking intently at his knees. Something in his chest felt achy and he rubbed it, then made himself stop.
Heero picked Kenny up and sat him in his lap. He reached out and smoothed Duan's bangs back, feeling something settle within him at their touch. "Hi guys," he said. "Sure you wouldn't like to sleep some more?"
Duan shook his head. "Nope," he said, "I'm up."
"Hn," Kenny remarked, sitting still in Heero's lap. He found something intensely fascinating in the seat upholstery. For some reason, his heart was beating loudly in his ears.
Heero nodded, watching Kenny closely. A part of him wanted to tear the universe in half and undo the pain he knew was there. He took a deep breath instead. "So, can you guys tell me what happened?" he asked.
Nearby, Wufan sat up and looked around. He'd heard Heero and found himself moving towards Duan and Kenny. Yawning a little, he floated down next to Duan and looked up at Kenny and Heero. "Hi," he said, quietly.
Heero smiled over at the little one, seeing that a chain reaction was in place. Tryan had Carter by the hand and they were joining the small group as well.
Mei, who'd been sleeping a little restlessly anyway, gave up and sat up, sliding over to settle next to Wufan.
"Well, you left us with the guards," Duan started. "We got some intel from them. But they weren't that good at watching kids."
"They left out of the room and Marcus McCormick lured Mei out. Kenny went to get her and we followed," Wufan said. "He was very brave."
Kenny scowled. "I coulda been quicker," he muttered.
Wufan shrugged. "I coulda been stronger, too," he said.
Heero looked over at Mei. "So what happened after that, Mei?" he asked.
Mariemeia glanced up at Heero quickly before looking back down at her clasped hands. "He headed for a shuttle, I guess. Kenny tackled him once along the way. McCormick kicked him, though," she said with a dark scowl.
Heero's features darkened as Mei spoke. He looked down at Kenny as his arms tightened around the young boy reflexively. "Go on," he said, quietly.
"When he got us all to the shuttle, he got away. Kenny got him with the knife a couple of times, when Duan distracted him... Then he gassed us," Mei continued.
"Yeah, but before that, Kenny got kicked into me," Wufan said. "That happened in the hall. McCormick was shaking Mei. Kenny was trying to protect her and get McCormick. He almost got him in the neck too! He did manage to cut him. I think McCormick was surprised. He ran with Mei and we followed him."
Duan nodded. "I was behind them and Carter was behind me. That's when the dick led us into the gas chamber. It was some good gas too. Expensive. Didn't give us big headaches later on."
"We thought we had him, Heero," Wufan said, looking down. "I... I hesitated. That was right before he dropped Mei and I slid underneath her."
"Yeah, I threw my knife about three inches from the dick's ear, which distracted him enough so that Kenny could move in. We almost got him," Duan said.
Heero listened carefully. Glancing down at the little one so much like himself, he felt a strange sense of deja vu at the re-telling of the account. Still, they were little kids. It wasn't right.
"After we woke up," Duan continued. "Kenny woke up first and got me and the others up. That's when the dick came back with that other doctor."
"They took Kenny for the machine. The doctor said he'd kill us if Kenny didn't come with him. Kenny was trying to protect us," Wufan said.
"You remember that?" Duan asked, looking up at Kenny.
Kenny looked over at Duan and nodded. "I remember."
Heero looked over at Duo and Wufei. Thoughts raced through his mind as to what they might do to help, but he couldn't think of anything at the moment. "So, that explains how you guys got separated."
Duan nodded again. "That's when we launched Operation Confusion Fusion. Fan had some plastic explosives and detonators on him. We made bombs. Somehow Carter kept in touch with Kenny," he said, tapping his temple. "I remembered the plans to the base and we busted out. All downhill from there."
"Until we got separated again and Mei and I had to take care of Marcus McCormick. Mei shot him. I had a fight with him and I thought he was down, but he got up again. That's when the General showed up and saved us," Wufan said.
Heero looked over at Mei.
"How are you feeling, Mei?" he asked.
Blinking, she looked up at Heero and seemed to think about the question for a second, eyes darting over towards where Treize and Zechs were for a second. "Different... Better... The nap was nice," she replied with a stiff shrug.
Heero nodded again.
"Me and Carter found the computer room. It was weird. Nobody was there. I hacked into the system and we found out where Kenny was. They had put him in the simulator bay and we had to get him out of the helmet cause it was into his brain. He's a little shell-shocked right now, but he'll be okay," Duan explained.
The corner of Kenny's mouth twitched at that remark.
Tryan looked at the other kids and sighed. "Okay, I was going to wait, but now seems as good a time as any. Carter told me to go and get you guys and I didn't make it back in time. I'm sorry," he said, apologizing.
Mei frowned, fingers plucking restlessly at her pants. "No," she said quietly. "Don't apologize. S'not your fault."
Carter added earnestly, "And you *did* bring the guys! All the way to the moon! So there's no reason to apologize!"
Tryan looked miserable. "Yes, there is," he said, quietly. "Cause while you guys were getting gassed and beat up, I was yuckin' it up with the Maganacs. And I got to go in Wing Zero II and a Maganac mobile suit." He looked up at Kenny, in particular. "I'm sorry, Kenny. You shoulda been first."
Kenny blinked and looked up, his expression surprised. Then he shook his head. "No," he said simply. "I'm glad you got to."
Quatre had been listening and got up and came over to the small group. He picked Tryan up and held him. "And you were not yucking it up. You were worried and scared and upset, and very brave."
Large emerald green eyes looked up at Quatre. Tryan then hugged Quatre around the neck tightly, relaxing against the older boy for a minute.
Quatre patted Tryan's back and then set him back down. He smiled at all the kids and sat down close by.
"You get to shoot something?" Duan asked.
Tryan nodded.
"Later, then," Duan replied, making an appointment to hear the details.
"Tell you what, Tryan. I'll see if we can't get everyone up in a suit when we get back. You guys earned a little fun. All of you did a very, very good job. Quatre, do you think we can call this one Mission Complete?" Heero asked.
Quatre blinked at Heero. "Hell yes," he said fervently, with only a slight touch of extra color.
"Ahem," Trowa said, clearing his throat. "There are children present, Master Quatre."
Quatre rolled his eyes at Trowa. "Oh really? Thanks for pointing that out, Trowa," he said with a cheerful nod.
Duo smirked at their banter, tossing Quatre a wink as he added, "Mr. Obvious strikes again."
"Jealousy is an ugly emotion, Duo," Trowa said.
Quatre tried to suppress a giggle.
"Good thing I'm so cute, then, Tro," Duo quipped back, striking a dramatic little pose from his spot on the floor nearby.
"Quite right, Duo," Trowa responded. "Your looks do fill the gaps in your missing abilities."
"Ouch," Quatre mentioned, hiding his eyes.
"No... That's the duck tape and bubblegum," Duo corrected academically, tossing a quick glance at Heero. "The looks are just a front."
"Like hell," Heero replied, looking at Duo intently.
"Heero, there are children present," Quatre admonished with another little giggle.
"Yes, and several of them are over five feet tall," Wufei murmured.
"Pardon me," Trowa said. "Did Wufei Chang speak up over there?"
"I don't know but if I see him I'll ask him for you," Wufei answered deadpan.
"Definitely Wufei Chang," Trowa replied.
Duan's head moved like a spectator at a tennis match. There was an amused grin on his face as he watched the older boys go at it.
Seconds later, a piece of information sank in. Duan nudged Wufan. "That guy's the General? Khushrenada?" he asked.
Wufan looked at Duan and shook his head. "Duh.. Mei's father... yes, I think so," he said.
"Cool," Duan said, interestedly. "I'm gonna go talk to him."
Mei glanced over at Duan speculatively, swallowing back a sigh as she seemed to nod imperceptibly to herself.
"Is the debrief over?" Duan asked, eagerly.
"Hai," Heero replied. "When we get back, it's party time."
"Works for me," Tryan said, watching as Duan made a beeline towards the two ex-Oz soldiers.
Wufan looked over at Mei. "I should go stop him, right?" he asked.
"Why?" Mei questioned.
Wufan looked over his shoulder at Duan, then back to Mei. "Because your father just came back and Duan might traumatize him," he said.
Mei turned to watch the braided boy for a moment before staring back down at her hands again. "You knew," she said just loud enough to carry to Wufan.
"Knew what?" Wufan said, then caught on. "No, I didn't really know. I guessed that it might be so. There was a mission the other night. Heero and Duo went to talk to someone important."
Carter jumped down and went over to Mei, standing in front of her with his hands clasped in front of him.
"I knew," he said softly. "I got it from Wufei when we had just gotten to Earth. They said the General was dead, and I just... felt he was alive. And Duo and Heero didn't know until sometime after that. We were all keeping Wufei's secret, and he was keeping your father's."
Mei studied her lap for a long moment, thinking hard. "It... wasn't yours to tell... then," she guessed.
Carter nodded, but his expression was very open to her. "I couldn't tell Zechs either, and I wanted to. But when we went out that night? That the guys came and stayed with you and Sallah? Wufei told the General he had to come back. And give up his plan to die to take It with him."
Mei blinked rapidly, her vision wavering slightly as a couple of hot tears splashed onto her folded hands. "Take It with him?" she repeated in a small voice. Before either Carter or Wufan could say anything, she scrubbed the back of her hand over her face and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she said firmly. "I didn't mean to get mad at you guys."
Carter reached out and took her hand and just held it for a moment. "I'm sorry about the secret," he said quietly.
"S'not your fault. You're not the one who started it," she said, shaking her head. "Don't be sorry, please?"
"You either," Carter said, looking into her eyes appealingly.
She didn't try and pretend not to understand what he meant, merely swallowed and looked back down at her hands, murmuring, "I'll think about it."
Wufan witnessed the exchange with some degree of confusion. He tried following along, but felt as though he were missing some piece of information that would make it make sense. He touched Mei's hand. "What's wrong, Mei? he asked.
"Don't feel bad, Wufan," she said. "Please? You... You were strong. Really. And... I didn't think you... you hesitated. It wasn't your fault. Or Tryan's for going when Carter said to. I... I shouldn't have opened the door," she finished almost inaudibly.
Wufan shook his head. "No, Mei. This wasn't your fault. Any one of us would have done the same thing. Just cause Marcus McCormick was not a very good person, didn't make him stupid. It was his plan and he was probably following someone or something's plan. They had a target. It wasn't you. We were all just bait."
Mei's eyes flickered up to Kenny, darting away quickly as she realized he was watching them closely. "Thanks for showing me how to make bombs," she said after a long moment.
"You're welcome," Wufan said, studying her.
Meanwhile, Duan appeared at the space between Treize Khushrenada and Zechs Merquise. "Hi," he said with a big grin.
"Hello," Treize greeted him pleasantly. "Done resting?"
Duan nodded. "Hi Zechs," he said, brightly. "You guys okay over here?"
"Hello Duan," Zechs said, giving a return nod to the question. "It's good to see all of you safe."
"Thank you for coming out here and rescuing us," Duan said, looking at both of the men.
"Thank you all for helping to keep each other safe for us to get here," Treize replied, offering his hand to the young boy.
Duan shrugged, then took the offered hand for a shake. "It's our job," he said. "So, you made Epyon, right?"
Treize nodded, shifting to offer the boy a seat with them, unconsciously darting occasional glances over at Mariemeia, still uncertain of their footing.
Duan sat down, taking the invitation. "Was it expensive to make? Epyon, I mean," he asked.
Treize's lips curled into a slight smile as he regarded the boy. "Yes. Very."
"Oh," Duan responded. "I thought so. And since you had to refine the Gundanium in space, must cost a bundle. Oh well.. we can work that out later. So, I know this may be a question you might not wanna answer, but are both of you feeling... mentally okay?"
"'Mentally okay?'" Treize echoed, the smile widening a fraction. "Better than I have for a very long time. And yourself?" Treize asked, turning the tables on the boy.
Duan looked over his shoulder briefly at Kenny. Looking up at the ginger haired man he sighed a little. "I feel a little mentally wobbly. I'm worried some about Kenny. They had him hooked up to that thing."
The smile faded, and Treize's eyes filled with sadness as he glanced over at the boy on Heero's lap for a moment. "He has very good, caring friends to help him through this. A strong family," Treize offered at length.
Duan nodded a little, seeming to take comfort in Treize's words. He saw the sadness in the older man's eyes and knew it for what it was. He then looked up at Zechs, seeing some of the same sadness around the edges.
Suddenly, he stood up. "Yeah," Duan said, "You're right. Now we all have a family. Both of you are a part of our family too, you know."
Zechs looked up at this, more than a little surprise showing. "This seems a bit sudden," he said.
Duan looked into the ice-blue eyes of Zechs Merquise and shook his head. "Don't think so," he said. "We all fought the IT together. That makes us all brothers and sisters. So, we're a family."
Glancing up again at his daughter, Treize nodded. "I think she needs that," he murmured before giving Duan a less intensely thoughtful look. "Thank you, Duan. That's very kind of you."
Duan grinned. Then, the smile faded from his face as he looked up at both of the men very seriously. "Have either one of you ever deliberately shot at a kid like me for target practice?" he asked.
Treize blinked, surprised for the second time in under six hours, before covering a slightly horrified expression. "Target practice?" he asked, shaking his head. "No, Duan. I have never deliberately shot at a child like you for any reason. Why do you ask?"
Duan looked up at Zechs, waiting for an answer.
"Nor by accident," Zechs finished, the same off balance expression reflected in the Preventer's face as well.
Duan's shoulders relaxed. "Good," he said, as the smile returned to his face. "Then you're not the worst people I've ever known," he added, then turned to leave.
"Duan?" Treize said, his expression troubled.
Duan turned and looked back at Treize. "Yes?"
The ginger-haired man seemed to think for a moment, before meeting the boy's gaze again. "I'm still working on perfecting this... fatherhood thing," he admitted slowly, "But, if you need to talk?"
"Okay," Duan said, accepting the invitation. He smiled broadly, then turned to go and sit next to Heero and Kenny.
Wufei watched Duan talking to Treize and Zechs with a slight smile, even as he tried to keep an eye one Mei and Wufan, while still not eavesdropping. It was a rather tall order, but his protective instincts were warring with his respect for the little ones' privacy.
As Duan rejoined them, Mei cast an appraising look over her father and then over Duan. Seizing on the change of subject, she turned back to Wufan with a shadow of a smirk. "See? He survived."
Wufan smiled. "Yeah," he said.
"Survived what?" Duan asked.
"You," Kenny muttered with a barely visible curve of his mouth.
Mei shot Kenny an amused look, nodding in agreement.
Duan looked up at Kenny with mock-hurt. "I'm not so tough, am I, Fan?" he said.
Wufan turned his head and gave a Duan a blank look. "Yeah... right," he said. "And I noticed you left out that part where you dropped your pants and probably gave whoever was watching a heart-attack, when you talked to Heero."
Duan shrugged. "I didn't want to upset him," he said.
"Moon on the Moon," Kenny mentioned, a bit stronger this time.
Duo, meanwhile, had choked back a startled laugh, turning his attention to the ceiling as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world at that moment.
Heero looked from Kenny to Duan. Then, he looked at Wufan. "I'm guessing it's not something I'll want on tape as a keepsake, huh?"
Wufan made a face. "No, Heero," he said.
"You'll get other chances, I bet," Kenny murmured, a ghost of a twinkle appearing in his eyes.
Mei offered Duan a curious look before murmuring, "That, I'd like to see." Blinking as she realized she'd spoken aloud, her cheeks turned bright red, and she coughed slightly, studiously examining her hands in her lap again.
"Mei!" Wufan exclaimed, incredulously.
"My butt?! No way! I was trying to protect you from the horror, Mei," Duan said.
Mei tossed him an exasperated frown, looking up again. "Not your butt, silly. It'd just be funny to see you mooning the camera."
Duan's face turned bright red and he looked down with an embarrassed grin on his face. "Oh," he said, not able to meet Mei's eyes.
"Yeah, but you'd be getting his naked butt on camera. Hey Duan," Tryan said. "Didn't you think that there were maybe women watching on the cameras too?"
Kenny muttered, "Enemy women - they deserved what they got," in a deadpan tone, but the curve teased the corner of his mouth.
Heero closed his eyes, unable to help the laugh that burst from his mouth.
"That's a good point, Kenny," Wufan said, thinking about it logically.
"Hey Duan," Tryan said, "Your butt is now a lethal weapon."
"This is news?" Kenny mentioned.
Duan lowered his head further and further down as the mortification set in. He never imagined that his butt would be the subject that would revive Kenny.
"Don't worry, Duan," Heero said, patting the young boy on the shoulder. "I'm sure the effect was just what was needed at the time."
"Yeah, it probably knocked out a whole unit of the enemy at one glance. Good goin', Duan!" Tryan piped up.
Mei sighed, reaching over to pat Duan on the arm. "Don't listen to him. I'm sure it's very nice," she offered with a small smile, her flush deepening a little bit more.
Duan lifted his head. "Thanks, Mei," he said, brightly. "At least someone around here has good taste."
"Welcome," Mei replied in the same tone, unconsciously leaning into Wufan as she looked down at her hands again, a smile teasing her lips.
Wufan looked over at Mei, then looked down as he wondered if she would think his butt was nice too.
Okay, he thought, I have to get stronger. More muscles like Wufei and I have to find out if my butt is a nice one like Duan's.
Mei finally looked up from her lap, turning to see Treize still seated beside Zechs, the ginger-haired man's eyes studying her intently. Turning back, she pressed against Wufan again, laying her head upon his shoulder for a moment.
Wufan sighed and put his arm around Mei. He felt better.
"Okay, Tryan," Heero said. "That means we gotta get shots of your butt now. Need to assess your lethal weapons potential."
Emerald green eyes widened. "No way!" he said.
"Heeee-ro!" Carter exclaimed, wide-eyed, as he backed up against a seat.
Mei bit her lower lip, feeling her cheeks flush again. Deciding that the conversation was getting weird, she nudged Wufan gently, murmuring, "I'll be back," before pulling away and shifting off the seat.
"Ok," Wufan responded, watching her go.
She glanced back up at Wufan, offering him a small smile, before moving over towards Wufei. "Busy?" she asked simply.
Wufei reached down and lifted Mei into his lap. "Busy trying not to laugh at the boys," he said, with a little smile.
"Lost cause," Duo wheezed from the floor, where he'd obviously already lost that battle.
Mei bit her lower lip again, her eyes twinkling a little as she grinned. "It *was* a good tactic," she replied in their defense. Taking a breath as the grin smoothed away, she turned her head and looked up at Wufei again. "Could we... go somewhere?" she asked hesitantly, gaze darting to the boys and other pilots not too far away.
For an answer, he set her on her feet and got up, moving to the far end of the compartment where there were many empty seats. He took one of them and waited, his expression attentive.
She climbed stiffly up next to him, settling in beside him so that they weren't quite close enough to be in constant contact, but obviously in a comfort seeking zone. Folding her hands carefully in her lap, and unconsciously assuming good posture, she frowned thoughtfully, finally breaking the silence with, "I don't understand."
Wufei watched her, his dark eyes softening with care. "Which of all the strange things lately?"
"A lot," she answered slowly, "But mainly... Mainly, why didn't he come before now, and why did he ask you to keep it a secret?"
Wufei nodded. He looked down for a moment then back at her. "He will tell you himself. I think he does not know how or where to begin right now." He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "It is everything to do with the thing we just saw destroyed, the Serpent Crown. I doubt he'll tell you that. He'd explain it in some way that takes all the blame upon himself, he won't avoid responsibility."
He turned a little more towards her in the seat, gathering his thoughts. "You know the history, you know that we were once on opposite sides when the Gundams came to Earth. I held him responsible for many things... and I suspected that It had passed into his hands. Yet even though we battled, I learned to respect him. I learned that he was not what I had thought. And he made me learn that I was not... what I thought. In the last battle, I sought him out... and it ended with his death, so it seemed."
She tilted her head to one side, looking up at him. "What was it that you thought? About you both?"
"That I was... strong enough to fight. That he was... focused only on his ego." Wufei glanced across the length of the shuttle at the man on the far side. "Just as I learned differently, the duel ended." He shook his head, trying to summarize the story. "I went back after Heero saved the Earth from the Libra. My goal was to find him and bring his body back for the honor he was due. But I could not find him. I searched..." He shrugged. "When I had all but given up, I received a message, with coordinates and no other information. I went there and found... him. His mobile suit was wrecked but his spacesuit had been... patched. So had he - minimal attention to keep him alive. I took him to a place I knew of, and would have summoned Lady Une or someone from the Earth government, but he regained consciousness before I could do so. He asked me not to. I attended his injuries and found him a safe place to live, and recuperate. We talked. I found that he had indeed had the thing, and he found that I knew what It was. We shared information. And we made plans to find it and destroy It."
"Was he really going to... to go with it?" she asked quietly.
Wufei reached out and gently touched the side of her face. "Mei... I've come to know since that... that our thoughts were not free of It's influence even then. Yes... he wanted to make amends for what he had done, as he saw it, the war was his entire responsibility. He felt that only if he assured Its destruction by sharing it, could he be certain It would not somehow return. I..." Wufei looked down. "I could see his resolve in the matter. I didn't argue with him. But I had plans of my own. When we found It, I planned to take that place. I thought if I did that, he might feel free enough, to do what was right..." He looked up. "For you."
Her expression had shifted into one of fear and faint horror at Wufei's confession at first, before smoothing into something less shocked and more pensive. "When... When did you break free?"
Wufei watched her changing expressions carefully. He sighed and his eyes strayed to where Heero and Duo were sitting with the boys. "When I was shown something new." He smiled, looking back at her. "I was taken to Arcadia, because Heero had asked Jack and Ripper to talk to their friends. I met Wufan and the other boys and heard the story about what happened there. And at first, I didn't understand. But I felt. I felt that something new was happening." He took another deep breath, relaxing a little with the story. "In the beginning, I stayed with them for two reasons. Wufan was one. The other was that Jack and Ripper spoke of the Crown. I had to learn what they knew, and what they were asking Heero and Duo to do. I kept a lot of secrets, Mei. But things... changed. I... changed. Duo guessed one of my secrets, and instead of being angry, or hurt, he simply... trusted. I was shown the truth. You... you helped, Mariemeia."
"Me?" she asked in a small voice, blinking with surprise.
He nodded, and tenderly brushed back a lock of her hair. "Yes, Mei. Just by being your beautiful self. And I was finally open enough to understand how precious you are, and how important. All of you. Wufan... Wufan tries so hard to be worthy..." he said, his eyes shining a little. "He, and you, made me want to be worthy as well. Worthy of the love and trust I was given as a great gift."
"But you *are already* worthy!" she blurted out reflexively, "Both of you."
He smiled. "I know, Mei," he said gently. "And you are all that and more. But about myself... I didn't know... until I saw it in your eyes.. in his... until Duo helped me see it. And you all still help me see it. But you know what? It doesn't even matter if I am or not. Not any more. Because I love you."
She reached up and threw her arms around his neck, pulling her legs up onto the seat to reach him better as she hugged him fiercely. "I love you, too, Wufei!" she whispered urgently. "You'll *always* be worthy to me."
Wufei hugged Mei tightly and held her close. "Thank you, Mei," he said softly, and a single drop of liquid left the corner of one eye as he repeated the words silently to the spirit that was always in his heart.
"Welcome," she said, albeit a little muffled as she buried her head against his chest. "Thank you."
Wufei stroked her back gently. "You are welcome, Mariemeia." He continued to give her little soothing caresses. "I have been very blessed," he murmured. "He has not been quite so lucky. It turns us against ourselves. He understands more now, but it's new.. and he is afraid, perhaps, though he is a very courageous man. Afraid he'll never be worthy of your love."
She shifted in his grasp, turning until she settled comfortably on Wufei's lap, her head resting on his shoulder so that she could look across the shuttle at her father. Pulling one of Wufei's hands into her own, she squeezed his fingers. "It's gone now, though. We can fix it. We can help him understand," she said confidently.
Wufei smiled, his dark eyes warming with love and pride. He nodded. "Yes, we can," he agreed. "Carter helped a lot. You will help more."
Mei smiled. "Carter's pretty smart," she observed, shifting her attention from her father to the large hand held in her own. "Wufei? What about the Lady? What will she think?"
"It might be good to ask her," Wufei suggested. "Before Relena was attacked, he'd made himself known to her, and they were looking for you. And there is something else you can see for yourself. Zechs... cares for him a great deal. I think he cares most about you, and Zechs, and Lady Une."
"I was going to ask about that," she admitted, looking back up at the two men sitting so close across the shuttle. "They're... best friends?" she hazarded.
"More than that, I think," he said gently. "They have a long history. The war set them against each other. And It robbed them of trust."
Mei frowned thoughtfully, studying Treize and Zechs for long moments. "It did that, too," she guessed confidently. "But since It's gone, now... and he's back with us... Will Zechs be happy now, too?"
"He has a chance to be," Wufei said quietly. "I hope that he will take it."
Mei nodded, resting her head back upon Wufei's shoulder. "He's been sad for too long," she mentioned. She sighed softly, still trying to fully wrap her mind around some things. "I thought only girls could be closer than best friends with guys," she said, voice lilting up to make it a question.
Wufei's cheeks warmed slightly. "That is a belief some people have," he said, choosing his words carefully. "I don't believe that, though. Because, though men and women are different, each one special in a different way, they are both human... they have much more in common than not. Love... I guess love just happens where and how it will, without caring about rules of what we believe."
Mei absorbed his words intently, turning them over in her head for several long moments. A small smile crossed her face as her father smiled warmly at Zechs before Treize's eyes met hers for a moment. Their smiles widened at the same moment, both mirrors of the same almost shy regard before Mei looked down at Wufei's hand again. "It's a silly belief, then," she replied. "People should just... be happy how they can." She looked up again, gaze wandering all over the shuttle and the other occupants. "Is that like Heero and Duo, too?"
Wufei smiled. He nodded. "Yes, Mei," he said simply.
"Guess that Brody girl is out of luck, then," Mei said with a small grin as she watched Kenny and Duan.
Wufei's eyes widened and he cleared his throat. Rather than answer, he just patted her on the shoulder.
Her grin widened a fraction for a moment, before slowly slipping away as she just let her mind drift. "Will the boys be going back to Arcadia now that It's gone?" she asked at length.
Wufei shook his head. "I don't think so, Mei. Not for a long time, anyway. Heero and Duo would not allow them to be taken away."
"I'm glad. I'd miss them a lot," she said quietly. "They taught me a lot of fun things," she continued, letting her lips curve up again.
Wufei smiled. On balance, he figured that the 'fun things' she learned from the boys would be an improvement on the fun things she learned from her grandfather. "Don't let them teach you too much," he said with a little smile.
"I won't," she replied, yawning widely. Turning her head to rest her cheek upon his chest, she sighed, as close to contentment as she'd sounded since early that morning. "I'm tired," she said suddenly. "I think my brain's finally ready to leave me alone for a little while."
He smoothed her hair back. "Maybe a nap?"
Mei nodded, giving his hand another squeeze before shifting on his lap again to wrap her arms around him for a long, tight hug. "Thank you, Wufei. I love you."
He held her close, feeling something in his chest relax as his fear of loosing her melted away. "Love you, Mei," he murmured.
She smiled happily, finally releasing him probably long after it would have been polite to do so. Hopping down from the seat, she turned and took his hand. "I told 'Fan I'd be back. Coming?"
He nodded, following her back to the small group.
As she neared them, she released his hand, giving him another sweet smile before turning her attention to the braided pilot sitting on the floor near the boys. Slipping over behind him, she hugged him fiercely, depositing a quick kiss upon his cheek. "Thank you for helping Wufei," she whispered in his ear, giving him another tight hug, then disengaging herself to bounce over towards Treize and Zechs.
Duo's hand raised to his cheek, fingers brushing against it briefly as he shot a perplexed, though bemused, look up at Wufei.
Wufei gazed back steadily with a slight smile.
Blinking away his confusion, Duo returned the smile with a grin of his own, shrugging a little as he shifted over to give Wufei room again. Tossing a smirk that held hints of relief towards his lover, Duo settled back happily again.
TBC
End of Part 60
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