15-Jan-2002
See Part 1 for notes!
Title: Orbital Variations
Author: bonnejeanne (bonnejeanne@yahoo.com) and von (sablexo1@yahoo.com)
Category: shounen ai, AU, crossover
Rating: PG -13?
Pairings: um....
WARNINGS: Very probably OOC all over the place. Is this a GW fic? Well if you think of Kenny and Duan as alternate Heero and Duo, I guess...
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and Gravitation characters and universe are the property of the copyright owners. Our stuff is ours. No money being made here.
As with all our fics, while our goal is to stay as in character as possible, any discrepancies are our mistakes.
Feedback: Any and all comments welcome, be they short or long.
The club was two blocks east, according to the front desk. Trotting along the sidewalk, Shuichi crossed an alley and a car suddenly turned off the street and all but ran him down, forcing him into the alley. Fast reflexes were all that saved him from ending up under the older-model car's wheels, nor did it stop right away, and he had to dodge deeper into the dark passage to avoid being hit. At last the driver hit the brakes, and then cut the lights, leaving the singer momentarily blinded as his eyes tried to adjust to the deep darkness of the alley. Car doors opened and several dark figures moved towards him.
Shuichi blinked as he felt his heart begin to pound in his chest. He had no idea what this was about and could only think that this was going to make him late for his date.
"La-li-ho!" he called out in his usual greeting.
The approaching shapes - four of them, emitted a couple of harsh laughs and a snort of derision. "That's sweet," one of the men said.
"You sure this is the kid, and not some street hustler?" another one asked as they moved closer and surrounded him. What he could see in the dark was anything but reassuring and he felt a sudden rush of cold down his spine. Cold and an odd sense of deja vu.
"I'm Shindo... Shuichi Shindo," he said, looking from one to the other of the men. "Must be mistake. No problem. I'm gone." Taking a few steps forward, he hoped that saying his name would let the men know that he was not the one they wanted.
"You sure are," the man on his left said, reaching out to close a hand over his forearm. At the same time, another closed on the right.
"Somebody don't like your singing," the third man said as he moved behind Shuichi. A set of large, cold fingers closed around his neck.
Shuichi felt himself begin to hyperventilate. Something like this had happened before and he had managed to survive it. This time, he was in unfamiliar surroundings and had no cell phone. He swallowed hard, determined not to surrender.
The man to the right grabbed his free arm as the fourth man moved up in front of him, drawing a fist back to punch his stomach. Just before the sickening impact, Shuichi thought he saw another figure, not quite the same size as the others, moving quickly and silently around the car, as if a fifth thug were joining the party. Then he was doubling over in pain even as he was nominally held in place for more.
Breathing hard, Shuichi felt the cool air brush his forehead. Facing the ground, he whispered. "Who...sent you... for this?"
"Somebody who would prefer to remain anonymous," the guy in front said as he drew back for a second hit. There was a solid thunk and a sharp sound of crunching bone - but to Shuichi's surprise no pain. Instead, the man who'd been about to punch him screamed in agony and fell forward, as his knee was smashed by a sharp blow from behind. Hardly more than a shadow of the fifth figure could be seen, moving with uncanny speed. Another kick lashed out at the man holding Shuichi's left arm and he fell back, losing his grip on the singer.
"What the fuck?!" one of the other men exclaimed. The man behind Shuichi jerked him back by the neck so the one to the right could go for the silent menace. He saw a brief flash of ice-cold indigo eyes and an odd streak of silver in a dark swirl of hair as the intruder met the large thug head on, a neat, compact fist at the end of a fully extended arm contacting the man's adam's apple with a disturbing smack.
Shuichi's eyes widened and he choked a little as he was pulled backwards. Tightening his fist, he slumped a little and drove his elbow back sharply. A small smile appeared on his lips as he felt the man behind him bend as he had a moment ago. Taking advantage of the sudden change in position, the slim singer turned and kicked out at his captor.
Cursing, the man grabbed for Shuichi as his companion went down with an unhealthy gurgle. The man with the smashed knee was cursing as well, pulling out something from a pocket - a knife - as he struggled to get at least partially upright.
"It's just another kid!" The guy grabbing for Shuichi yelled in an incensed tone. The kid in question ducked the knife swipe from his first victim and flashed an unpleasantly cold smile at the speaker, before smashing his stiffened hand down on the knife-welder's wrist to the accompanying sound of bone cracking.
Shuichi jumped out of the way of the grabbing hand and then kicked the man in the butt. The top of his sneaker caught the man in his most sensitive parts and he doubled over to the ground. Frowning, Shuichi looked around, spurred on by his small victory.
He was met by the sight of all four men on the alley floor, mostly not moving. Turning around, the boy with the streaked hair dropped the knife that was now broken in two pieces and in turn looked Shuichi over. Without a word, he grabbed Shuichi's wrist and pulled him towards the open end of the alley, pausing for a moment by the car. Taking what looked like a small pocket knife from somewhere, he flipped it open and stabbed the back tire of the car deeply, deflating it. Then he pulled Shuichi out to the sidewalk by the street, where he could survey the other boy in the streetlights.
"You hurt?" Kenny asked quietly.
Shuichi watched with wide eyes. He recognized the guy from the competition and smiled. "Not much," he replied. "You're...wow!"
Ignoring the second remark, Kenny nodded. "Better go back to the hotel," he said, turning in that direction.
"Hai," Shuichi replied. "Better you get out of here. I have to go and find Yuki. Thank you... What's your name?"
"Kenny," the boy answered, scowling at the 'you get out of here'. "I meant *you* should go back to the hotel. Where is this Yuki?"
Shuichi felt a little of the shock wear off and a sudden, sharp pain in his stomach caused him to drop to his knees. "Bar about a block from... next block. He's blonde," Shuichi said, attempting to catch his breath again.
An arm dropped around his waist and Kenny pulled him up. His lips pressed together as he noted the 'description' - blonde. Great - very comprehensive. "Can you walk now?"
Shuichi leaned against Kenny for support, noticing how solidly he seemed to be built. Slowly, he tried to push away but gave up and shook his head. "Gomen, no," he said, looking up at his benefactor.
Kenny scoped the entrance to the club. It wasn't very many steps, closer than the hotel, anyway. He noticed an unfamiliar warmth and scent from the boy he was supporting and frowned slightly. "Take some deep breaths. We get inside, you can sit down and catch it better."
Shuichi nodded his assent and looped his arm around Kenny's shoulders for better support. "Okay," he said softly.
It was easy enough for Kenny to help the singer to the door of the club. They were stopped by the doorman but Kenny leveled a serious glare at the man and growled, "He was just mugged, give us a break." The guy took pity based on the relative clean and reasonable appearance of the two and let Kenny bring Shuichi to a chair just in the entranceway.
Sitting beside him, Kenny pulled a small communicator from his pocket and sent a signal to Duan.
"You some kind of special soldier?" Shuichi said, looking up at Kenny. It felt better to sit down.
Kenny looked sharply at the boy beside him and then his mouth curved in a cynical little smile. "If you like," he said, waiting for Duan to respond.
Shuichi smiled back, then looked around to see if he could spot Yuki.
Duan frowned a little as he grabbed his communicator. "I'm not that late," he murmured as he activated it. A few moments later, he saw Kenny in the screen. "I'm on my way," he said. "Try and I got into sudden death."
Kenny shook his head. "Make a detour. Pick up that guitar player you are so interested in - he's on our floor, room 405. Come down to the club 'Lemon Rage' about two blocks west. Oh and you missed all the fun."
Duan focused and nodded at the instructions. "Oh yeah? You need a clean-up? I can contact Noin," he said.
"Oh please, she's on a date," Kenny growled. "Just get your lazy butt down here."
"Done," Duan said, moving to the door. Looking over his shoulder, he called out. "Kenny's been playin' without us again. Details when I get 'em."
Kenny got up and came back with a glass of water and handed it to Shuichi. "Here."
Shuichi took the glass and sipped at its contents. He tried once again to stand and look around the bar, but it was the same as last time. Yuki was not there. Dejected, he sat down and leaned his head on the table. Maybe Yuki got tired of waiting and left, or maybe this was a trick. Either way, Shuichi felt his spirits sink to the floor and tried very hard not to cry in front of Kenny.
Kenny was silently observing the red-haired boy. He watched the emotions move across his face with complete openness and felt an odd sense of discomfort. Without quite realizing what he was doing, his hand moved over and curled around Shuichi's.
Without raising his head, Shuichi closed his fingers around Kenny's. He was grateful for the concern. "I... don't think he's here," he said, finally.
"He got a phone?" Kenny growled softly. "Call him." He pointed his chin at a payphone near the door.
Shuichi grinned suddenly. "Hai," he said. "Arigato, Kenny."
Concentrating, he stood up again. This time was better. Moving to the phone, he made the appropriate exchanges and then leaned against the wall and waited for Yuki to pick up.
"Eiri."
Shuichi smiled. "La-li-ho," he said, a little softer than usual. "Yuki, hi."
There was a pause. The writer's familiar voice said, "Something's wrong. What?"
"Hi Yuki," Shuichi repeated. "Did you send me a note?" he asked, trying not to worry his lover. That Yuki was safe at home was a comfort to Shuichi.
"No... you said you would be back tomorrow. What is going on?"
"Oh, we made it to the finals! One more day, then we come home," Shuichi said, trying to sound bright and cheery.
Shuichi could almost hear Yuki frowning on the other end of the connection. Then he said, "Fine." There was another pause. "You should be asleep then."
Shuichi nodded. "Hai. I'm going to do that now. Sleep good, Yuki," he said.
"Good night... Shuichi."
"Good nigh, Yuki," he replied and hung up the phone. For a few moments, Shuichi leaned back against the wall, relieved. Yuki was safe and everything else could be taken care of. Glancing back at the table, he saw Kenny and went back.
"You were right. Yuki was home," he said, dropping down into the chair.
Kenny nodded once. "Hn," he remarked. Well at least the wide-eyed redhead wasn't about to cry any more. Kenny felt a little relieved, without admitting it to himself.
Duan knocked on the hotel door. Taking a deep breath, he worked out what he had to say. Obviously, Kenny had taken care of some situation but Duan had no idea what had happened.
Hiro opened the door and his eyebrows went up. "Um, hi..."
"Hi," Duan said, feeling his heart speed up a bit. Business, he thought, then looked up at the tall guitar player. "This might sound strange, but I think you need to come with me. I just got a call from my partner to bring you with me," he added.
Hiro blinked and looked at the braided boy for a moment. Then he frowned. Grabbing a jacket, he simply nodded and stepped out, locking the door behind him.
Relieved that he didn't have to go into too much explanation, Duan headed for the elevators and to then the street.
"Come on, let's head back - we can meet 'em on the way," Kenny said, getting to his feet.
Shuichi nodded and stood up again. At the door, he thanked the doorman profusely, then headed out into the night.
Kenny flanked him instinctively, putting himself between Shuichi and the alley when they went by. The car was still there, and the thugs might be as well. A few steps further they saw Duan and Hiro coming up the street.
Duan looked over Shuichi and Kenny before nodding at Kenny. They were banged up, but not too badly. Clearly Bad Luck's singer got the worst of it.
Kenny returned Duan's nod with a single one of his own.
"Hiro!" Shuichi called out, happy to see his friend.
Hiro felt an uneasy confirmation when he saw Shuichi. "What happened?" he asked, looking over his friend, and casting a slightly suspicious look at the dark boy beside him.
"I got mugged. The note did not come from Yuki. I called him," Shuichi said in a rush. "Kenny saved me!"
Kenny scowled. "Do me a favor, don't make a big deal out of it," he growled softly.
"Okay!" Shuichi said, replying to Kenny's request. He winked conspiratorially, then hugged Kenny tightly.
Hiro looked at the boy with the silver streak and tried to figure out what was going on. Finally he said, "Thanks for helping my friend," quietly and then nodded to acknowledge the request.
Kenny froze at the hug and his expression went blank for a moment. His arms pressed against Shuichi for the briefest of moments and then he looked away, his eyes seeking Duan's for familiarity.
Duan saw the expression on Kenny's face and smiled. The bubbly singer had no idea that Kenny had his personal space issues and that his actions were an anomaly. What was really surprising was that Kenny hugged back. Usually that return of affection was reserved for special occasions and certain close family members. Duan shrugged as he made eye contact with Kenny and struggled to comprehend what this was having on his own feelings.
"So where did it happen? Report," Duan said, finally to Kenny.
Kenny jerked his head back towards the alley and then pointedly began walking back to the hotel. "Four, bottom level, and they were hired I think," Kenny answered succinctly.
"That's pretty serious for a rock singer," Duan replied, heading back as well.
"Someone didn't like my singing," Shuichi said.
Hiro steered Shuichi along with the other two boys, wanting to get him back as quickly as possible. He had a nasty suspicion but decided to keep it to himself for the time being. "No body you knew?" he asked Shuichi quietly.
"No," Shuichi said.
As they entered the lobby of the hotel, Hiro was trying to work something out. "Four guys... and just you two?" he questioned.
Kenny didn't say anything, but simply gave the slight, cynical smile Shuichi had seen earlier.
Shuichi touched his friend on the arm. "He is strong and I will explain it to you in the room," he said, quietly.
Duan blinked, looking towards Kenny. Wonder what Kenny told him? he thought.
Heading up in the elevator, Kenny glanced at Shuichi, feeling an odd sense of anticlimax. Just as well, the guy is obviously nuts about this Yuki guy, he thought and then refused to examine the thought more closely. Stepping off the elevator on the fourth floor, he decided the redhead would be safe enough with his friend.
"Later," he muttered, stopping at the door to their hotel room.
Shuichi smiled, then slapped his hand against his forehead. Growling to himself, he walked over to Kenny. "I am so horrible," he said. "Are you alright, Kenny-kun?"
Kenny blinked for a moment at the suffix and then the brief, cynical smile returned for a second. "I'm great," he growled. "It was a decent workout, just a little short. And you did ok. But I bet your stomach hurts. Better go to bed, Shuichi... chan."
Shuichi watched the unusual powerhouse of a kid and then blinked at his remark. His jaw dropped at the suffix Kenny used for him, for a moment. Then, he sighed. "You are angry with me," he said.
Kenny's eyes widened fractionally and he looked away. "No," he said simply. Then he reached up and brushed his fingers across Shuichi's cheek in a brief, odd gesture. Then he felt a slight warmth that seemed to reach his own face and opened the door, ducking inside and leaving it ajar for Duan.
Shuichi shivered slightly at the touch of Kenny's fingers on his skin. He looked after Kenny's retreating form with a mixture of curiosity and wonder. The brief gesture had felt like something only Yuki could have evoked from him.
Duan took a deep breath, finding himself suddenly alone with Bad Luck. "Umm, I was serious about that jam session," he said, glancing up at Hiro.
The auburn-haired guitar player had been watching the tableau with a similar sense of odd fascination. He looked at the violet-eyed boy and had a sudden feeling of almost missing something important. Reaching out, he took Duan's hand in a brief, firm grip.
"Hey, thanks - to both of you," he said softly. "I'm not even sure what happened but I think we owe you. You went out of your way to help." Releasing Duan's hand, he bowed slightly. "I'm in your debt." Then he grinned a small grin. "Maybe we can try the jam tomorrow night."
Duan nodded, not knowing what exactly to think. He could still feel the imprint of Hiro's hand around his own and he wondered what it meant that it seemed to make his heart beat faster. "Sure!" he answered. "Lucy's just waiting on ya to sing.. Umm, that's what I call my strat... Lucy. It's after an ancient song." He shrugged.
Shuichi's head tilted slightly as he found curiosity overtake his better judgment. The door in front of him was open, so he simply walked inside. Somewhere in there was Kenny and he felt a strong urge to see him once again.
Hiro looked around and suddenly realized that Shuichi had disappeared. "Huh?" he frowned.
TBC
Please feel free to direct feedback to the authors!
sablexo1@yahoo.com,
bonnejeanne@yahoo.com.