16-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.
WARNINGS: (for parts 4+) Psychotic Taki, Too Many Blonds...
During the fifteen minute intermission, a semblance of order had been restored to the contest environs. In the lobby, the contest staff person who had been knocked down by Taki had been assisted to an empty office to recover, and extra staff were positioned to run interference in an attempt to forestall any further interruptions in the proceedings.
Inside the auditorium seating area, Yuki leaned against a side wall, declining the seat Tohma attempted to offer. When Mr. K did not return, he was tempted to go out to the lobby to see what was happening, but at the same time he knew he was closer to Shuichi from this direction than he would be if he left. He felt uneasy about what was happening and wanted nothing so much as to grab the red mop-top by the wrist and drag him home right now, contest or no. It might seem like an overreaction but Yuki decided that if one more "off" thing happened, that was exactly what he would do. He could weather any or all of the other participants in this nonsense getting angry with him. He had a reputation as an eccentric and difficult - it would come in useful.
A couple of minutes before the break period was over, Quatre emerged from back stage after checking it thoroughly for security, and jumped back down into the audience area.
Seeing him, Tohma rose to his feet. When Quatre saw the other blond, he stopped, and then went over to him. During the walk over he figured out who the standing figure was.
Offering his hand, he introduced himself, "Quatre Winner, with..."
"Circus Records, I know," Tohma said, taking his hand with a light grip. More than a couple of people's heads turned and there were some interesting expressions as the two met. They were remarkably similar, not just in general appearance but voice expression as well.
After exchanging a couple of words, Quatre sat down beside Tohma as the lights went down for the last performance.
Outside in the lobby, Trowa and Mr. K met up again after a brief and fruitless search of the building.
Green eyes met blue ones and both men knew without speaking their perpetrator had eluded them.
"I guess we go back in and enjoy the show," Trowa said.
K nodded. "I still want my gun back," he said in a low voice.
With a dramatic flourish of his hands on the keyboards, Suguru started the song rocking. The lights flashed, capturing the three performers as they reached out to win the audience.
Backstage on the sides, members of Red Angel were watching - minus two. Quatre had arranged it, knowing his kids were better security than an armed squadron.
When Duan and Kenny ducked away from the others, they instantly went into "mission" mode. It would have been hard for even the canny Mr. K to have spotted either of them as they combed the area around the auditorium with speed and precision. Making a silent hand signal, Kenny suggested splitting up and they moved apart in synchronous stealth.
Taki pressed himself back into the shadowed corner, until Mr. K had gone by twice. The narrow stairwell connected the basement shop area to the stage and catwalk levels on the far side of stage left. His hands clutched the cold steel of the gun, its weight anchoring him. The weapon frightened him, yet it seemed to entice him as well. His mind had given up on trying to connect thoughts and impulses together, so he never heard the voice of a conscience buried and overspent. His first intent had been to run far away, but the gun seemed to hold him where he was. Hiding in the dark, he stared at its shiny surface, the depressions and crevices, curling his fingers around it in a grip he'd seen on TV.
He might have stayed there indefinitely. But then the vibrations started, penetrating the walls of the auditorium. Familiar... *that* song... *his* song... he, him, he...
Heart pounding against the rhythm of the music, Taki crawled out of the shadowed stairwell, inching closer to the source of his ultimate torment.
Both Trowa and K heard the music start and turned their attention towards the crowd. Trowa pointed to the left side of the stage and K nodded. He would take the opposite side. Together the two of them were certain to find the miscreant rogue singer.
Shuichi heard the start of the music and shifted his focus away from the backstage events. Looking into the audience, he spotted Yuki and a smile stretched his lips. Without hesitation, he launched into the song, giving it his best and his all.
His eyes searched the audience for Kenny, but the dark-haired young man couldn't be found. It didn't matter. He sang for him just as he had promised.
The music was deafening him, battering Taki's non-existent nerves, while drawing him closer. Moving slowly, almost painfully, Taki crawled up the short ladder and unlatched the trapdoor, creeping into the unused orchestra pit from the basement shop below. Hidden from the audience by the low wall around the pit, his dark clothes blending into the shadow, he could not be seen as he crouched, raising his arms slowly to fix on the bright figure only a few feet away and just above. His eyes fixed on the form of the singer, pupils widening as if to swallow him.
Back stage, Carter stiffened suddenly. "Kenny!" he called urgently, his teal eyes unseeing.
From his perch above the stage floor, Duan felt a sudden flare of urgency, drawing his eyes down to the orchestra pit below.
At the same moment that Aizawa Taki stood up, sights locked on his target, Kenny burst out of the same trap door that Taki had come through.
"OH MY GOD!" someone in the front row screamed as all hell broke loose.
Gripping the grappler line, Duan dropped to the stage floor from the catwalk, his body impacting Shuichi's as a loud report rang through the auditorium.
Taki screamed as he felt hands like steel grab him, and he struggled like a mad beast. Two more reports went off as people hit the deck. Then the gun was wrenched out of his hands by sheer force, breaking a couple of his fingers in the process. The weapon flew out of the pit, landing at Yuki's feet.
From the wings, Carter, Tryan, Mei and Wufan had rushed onto the stage, covering Hiro and Suguru and pulling them back. There was a crackle and loud pop, and a burning smell from one of the stage lights hit by a stray round.
Shuichi's eyes opened wide as he felt the impact of Duan's body against his. The next thing he knew, he was on the stage floor facing the wrong way. Turning his head, he looked up and over his shoulder. Violet eyes met his and he smiled. "La-li-ho," he said, not quite believing what was going on. He was quite sure one of the loud sounds was a gun shot.
Yuki bent and picked up the gun, crossing the space to the orchestra pit without really knowing it was happening. Jumping over the low wall, he held the weapon pointed down as he took in what was before him.
Taki was down, fingers wrenched, one arm looked like it might be broken, flat on his back looking up with incomprehension at the person straddling him. Kenny leaned forward from his perch on Taki's chest, his hands locked around the frontman's throat and a blank, intense look in eyes that had gone from indigo to midnight. As Taki's face began to turn slowly purple, Yuki realized he didn't need the gun. He heard the pounding of footsteps converging from the audience. Placing the gun on the edge of the stage, he brushed Kenny's shoulder with the briefest of touches.
"Don't," Yuki Eiri said quietly.
The rigid shoulders under his fingertips shuddered slightly and then Kenny turned and looked up. They stared at each other for a moment as midnight faded to indigo.
Leaning back, Kenny released his hold on Taki's throat. He stood up and moved back from the now-unconscious psycho. Back towards the tall blond, simply standing beside him as he looked down at the would-be killer.
Yuki's hand lingered on Kenny's shoulder for a moment and then dropped away as a crowd of people appeared at the edge of the pit.
Shuichi watched the tableau with a slight frown. Ignoring the pain in his stomach, he saw Kenny's rage, felt it like ice and knew it. The look on his face, in his eyes was the same as Yuki. And then the impossible. Shuichi watched as Yuki dropped a hand on Kenny's shoulder, spoke to him quietly and dissipated the rage in his new friend. He smiled. That was the Yuki he knew.
"Are you ok, Shuichi?" Duan asked, visually inspecting the singer.
"Hai," Shuichi answered with a smile. "Thank you," he said.
Duan shrugged. "A part of the job," he said. "You wanna go to the green room? That guy's had it."
Shuichi shook his head. "Down there," he said, pointing towards the pit.
"Umm, I think that might be a... ok," Duan answered, changing his mind. "Let's go," he added, as his eyes searched for Hiro Nakano. Glancing backstage, he saw the tall guitarist in the care of Wufan and Mei.
While Duan was checking out Shuichi, Noin had emerged from back stage. She moved to the edge of the stage, picking up the gun Yuki had placed there and checking it, putting the safety on. Looking up, she found Mr. K in the group at the edge of the pit.
"Lose something?" she asked ironically.
Blue eyes looked up narrowly at Noin at first. Then K smiled. "Found it, though," he called out.
Quatre worked with Trowa, moving most of the audience back away from the stage area. Noin jumped down into the pit, mentally checking off who was gathered there. Contest officials, some of the judges, that was about all Quatre and Trowa had let that close aside from K.
In a quiet but clear voice, Noin said, "This matter was handled by Mr. K and myself. You did not see either a dark haired nor a long haired sixteen year old get involved." To enforced the specific orders, she removed a small wallet from her jacket and displayed it only to those in the immediate area. It was a Class One Preventer Agent badge.
K's eyes widened at the Preventer credentials. He wasn't an easy man to impress and the sharp-witted onna had done it again. He waited patiently until the officials bowed and backed off before moving closer to Noin. "Two dinners for that," he said.
Noin rolled her eyes but a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Pulling out a small cell phone, Noin called local PD.
Shuichi moved towards the two retreating forms of Kenny and Yuki. Before they had a chance to blend into the woodwork again, as he knew they would, he managed to get his arms around both of them. "Hi," he said, cheerfully.
Kenny submitted to the embrace stoically, the only outward sign a slight fraction more lightening of his eyes. "Hi? That's pretty lame," he said. He looked Shuichi over as if giving him an x-ray scan. Then he shrugged, smiled slightly, and pulled away, jumping up onto the stage to join his friends.
Yuki reached up, burying his fingers in Shuichi's thick mop. "He's right," he said. "Lame." Then he grabbed Shuichi's face in his hands and kissed him deeply. Breaking away after a moment, he leaned on the edge of the stage and looked away. "You're alright."
"I'm fine," Shuichi said, feeling warm after the kiss. "I have a big bruise, but it's ok," he said, moving next to Yuki. Looking up at Kenny on the stage, he smiled again. "Okay, so it was lame. I was gonna kiss you both, but I thought you might hit. You like Kenny?"
Yuki looked down into the wide eyes of his lover. "You simplify things too much. Shut up." Then after a moment he said, "Kiss him if you want. One."
Shuichi's smile widened. He grabbed Yuki from behind and hugged him hard. "Yukiyuki!" he said, in delight.
Yuki looked away, suppressing a disgusted sigh.
Duan surveyed the scene, nodding knowingly as he saw Kenny being hugged by Shuichi. He had to admire the singer. He seemed to know how to work the stoic and deadly crew. Seeing Kenny head back for the stage, Duan adopted a neutral expression.
"You okay, man?" he said, evenly.
"Shut up," Kenny said. Then he added, "Nice tackle. Um, someone looks like they want to talk to you," he said, nodding towards stage left where Wufan and Mei apparently had Hiro wrapped up tight.
"I have great respect and admiration for you Nakano-san, but personally, I would not advise going against Mei. She has been trained in guerilla tactics," Wufan said, softly.
Mei smiled up at the tall guitarist. "Just give it a second or so. We'll get the all clear and you can march down the aisles naked if you wish," she said.
Hiro blinked, his eyebrows meeting his hairline. "Um, right," he said, at a loss as to how to handle the little redheaded chick singer/guerilla??
Duan moved quickly. "All clear," he called out, approaching the small group, as his eyes landed on Hiro.
Mei stepped to one side and threaded her arm through Wufan's. "Our work here is done. Have a nice day, Nakano-san," she said, sweetly.
Wufan bowed a little in respect towards the guitarist, then placed his hand at Mei's waist and led her out towards the green room.
"Thanks guys," Duan called out.
"You'll get our bill," Wufan called back.
Looking up at Hiro, Duan stepped closer. "Sorry about all of that," he said.
Hiro shook his head. "Don't be," he said quietly. "You... guys are, um, amazing." Casting a look towards Shuichi and finding him in the care of Yuki, Hiro shook his head. "How did you do that flying from the sky thing? My god, if you hadn't been there..."
Duan took a deep breath. "I.. uh...it's a real long story, Hiro," he said. "If you're not too weirded out, or busy, I'll tell it to you in its entirety."
"Later," Hiro agreed. He reached out and took Duan's hand, pulling him back into the wings. When they were out of sight of the audience and most of the rest of the area, Hiro leaned down, lifting Duan's chin with one hand. Looking into his wide violet eyes, the guitar player took a deep breath, and a wild chance.
Bending, his pressed his lips to Duan's mouth.
Duan's eyes drifted shut as he felt Hiro's mouth against his. It felt different and yet just what he had imagined. Feeling his whole body relax, he opened his mouth willingly and tasted the warm and wet invading tongue. His temperature rose quickly and his heart sped up, but Duan did not want to move away.
Neither of them were aware of putting their arms around each other, they were just there when they finally broke apart. Taking another deep breath, Hiro looked at the boy in his arms and smiled.
"I need to make an announcement please!" the even more harried young woman with the clip board yelled from the front of the stage. "Excuse me please! Contestants! Judges! Everyone please pay attention!"
With a sigh, Hiro loosened his arms from around Duan and pulled him by the hand back towards the stage.
Police officers had appeared, secured the suspect and taken him away on a stretcher, to have his injuries tended in custody.
The woman cleared her throat again and then took a microphone handed to her by the ever-helpful Tryan.
"That's better," she said, feeling the power of amplification. "Okay, due to the unprecedented events beyond our control, we are going to cancel any further performances today. We will make arrangements with you managers and the judges to reschedule today's final round in the near future, probably about two weeks from now. Apologies for the delay but we really don't think anyone is up to trying to finish this at this time. So thank you for attending, and you will hear from us in the next few days."
Handing the mike back to Tryan, she climbed off the stage, muttering something about a 'good stiff one or three' and went to join the rest of the officials in a private hair-tearing session.
"So you guys are secret agents, aren't you," Suguru said quietly to Carter as Tryan returned to them.
Carter smothered a giggle behind his hand. "Not exactly, " he said. Then leaning forward confidentially he added, "But our dads used to be."
Suguru simply nodded. It had to be something like that.
"Of course, now they're old and fat, so we have to fill in for them sometime," Tryan said, coming to stand next to Carter.
"I heard that," Quatre said and he and Trowa walked up and stood behind Carter and Tryan. Suguru looked from the older adults to the kids, and simply shook his head.
"I'm not going to say a word to anyone," he volunteered seriously.
"Damn skippy," Kenny said over his shoulder as he walked back to the green room.
"Uncle Quatre, Uncle Trowa! You're here! I feel so much better," Tryan said, whirling around and throwing his arms around the two former Gundam pilots.
Quatre rolled his eyes. "Cotton candy wouldn't melt in his mouth," he said. "I blame you," he added, poking Trowa.
"I didn't make him a Maganac," Trowa replied. "They did this."
Suguru made a mental note to research "Maganac" when he got home to his computer tonight.
Shuichi moved away from Yuki to allow him to restore some of his dignity. He walked into the green room to find Kenny there alone.
The Red Angel guitarist had taken off his t-shirt and was pulling a fresh one out of a small overnight bag. As he lifted it to pull over his head, Shuichi could see a tattoo on the other boy's stomach. It seemed to emerge from the waistband of his pants and curved around his navel. It was the image of a golden hooded cobra.
Shuichi's eyes widened as he closed the distance between them. Reaching out, he placed his fingertips on Kenny's stomach. "Very nice," he said, softly, preventing Kenny from covering it up.
Kenny jumped slightly, for once not having detected the singer's approach. He looked down and then looked away for a minute. "It's just a memento," he muttered. Looking up at Shuichi he shook his head, a smile creeping onto his face. "You really *are* a flirt, you know that?"
Shuichi tilted his head and looked into Kenny's beautiful eyes for a long moment. Then, he sighed deeply. "Not so, usually," he said as his fingers gently smoothed Kenny's stomach.
Kenny jerked, and grabbed Shuichi's hand, his face breaking up. "That... tickles!" he growled, trying not to laugh. "And don't give me that not usually stuff. You're a front man. It goes with the job. I didn't say there was anything wrong with it."
"Good!" Shuichi exclaimed, smiling at the unpredictable discovery of Kenny's tickle spot. "I'm glad you like me."
"Oh please," Kenny said. Holding Shuichi's wrist negligently, he looked into the other boy's wide eyes for a moment. "I like you. So what. We can be friends."
Shuichi nodded. "Of course," he replied. "Always."
A small smile curved Kenny's mouth. "I can live with that," he said softly. "Thanks... for your friendship."
Shuichi leaned his head down, touching his forehead to Kenny's for a moment. Moving forward, he kissed Kenny's mouth as he closed his eyes.
Stilling, Kenny's eyes closed as well. The soft lips pressed to his felt wonderful. There was something about the kiss that felt satisfying, and like a small circle was being closed.
Moving back finally, Kenny touched Shuichi's cheek with the back of his fingers. Not feeling the need to say anything, ask anything or have anything more, Kenny pulled his shirt down the rest of the way and then took Shuichi's hand, leading him back towards the stage area.
Mr. K looked around, spotting his band members as well as the Red Angel crew. Tossing a salute back at Tohma who was standing in the aisle, he announced, "Bad Luck! Red Angel! Big dinner! Sponsored by NG! All you can eat! In one hour at Makimoto's!" Acknowledging Quatre and Trowa, he added, "Circus Records representatives are invited."
Filing out in the direction of various limos and cars, Carter turned and confided in Tryan and Suguru, "Did you see Sakuya?" He sighed. "His eyes really are that blue."
Joining Mr. K while Noin was talking to Quatre, Tohma remarked, "Where is Sakano-san?"
"Stomach flu," K answered. "At the hotel. Not pretty."
Leading Shuichi over to where Yuki stood, looking bored, Kenny gave the singer's hand a squeeze and released it, with an air of delivery.
"All's well that ends in a pig out, I guess," he said philosophically.
Looking over to catch the eye of Duan, who was standing very close to one Hiro Nakano, Kenny's mouth twitched slightly. Pitching his tone to the violet-eyed boy, he murmured, "Dad, Dad and Dad are going to be pissed that they missed everything."
Watching the boy with the silver streak and indigo eyes curiously, Yuki saw him reach a hand out and saw the violet-eyed boy with the long rippling hair slap his palm as precisely as a marksman hitting a target.
"Kids," he muttered, with a glance at his lover.
~Owari~
Please feel free to direct feedback to the authors!
sablexo1@yahoo.com,
bonnejeanne@yahoo.com.