Ohayo minna-san!! *waves* Here it is! After much swearing at my computer, part 4a of my x-over. Thank you to Andrea who kept dropping subtle hints about me continuing it while commenting on my other short stories I posted, and to Kitsune who's bene giving me tons of ideas for guest appearances. Also to Becka who offered to proof read the whole thing before it gets sent to Jackie for posting (BTW - thanks Jackie!) - this hasn't been proofread yet so any errors are mine and mine alone. Bon - thanks for the comments - also to Meph, Diane and Zan - I appreciate the kind words on Desert Sun and TLC. (they were fun to write!
Anyway - enough chattering! Sorry this part's a bit shorter then the others - but 4b is nearly done and I've got two days off to get it and 4c out! Yay me!
Title: Heart of Darkness
Parts: 4A
Author: Stormy
Warnings: angst, sap, flashbacks and our first guest appearance!
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, RxR (^_^), 5xJ (?) heh heh....
Archive: At jackies page eventually (addy's in the sig) and to whoever else
wants it. To those I've already said yes to, can you please send me your
URL? Thanks!
Onward!
(THREE DAYS LATER)
Wufei had headed straight for his Gundam when he woke up the next morning. He remembered their little war council and snorted - all that talking with nothing to show for it. He knew Heero would be heading for the Danger Room again - after fixing Wing Zero, he had nothing else to do. Quatre and Trowa were conspicuous by their absense - they had been spending a lot of time with the Grey woman. Wufei snorted again. _Onna's_, he thought wryly. _Love to talk_.
Pausing at the base of Shenlong, Wufei bowed his head and had a moment of silence,as he always did when he greeted his Gundam. He'd renamed it Nataku - in memory of his wife Meiran.
Meiran. His lips curled into a brief smile. Wild, untamed, full of spirit and eager to defend her colony. She'd demanded that everyone refer to her as Nataku - the warrior goddess. Wufei chuckled as the old memories flooded over him - how he, a scholar had been paired with that disguised tigress was a mystery far beyond his comprehension. They had been engaged to each other, against their will, and married at a very young age. Wufei recalled the numerous fights that occured as two proud, stubborn people had to learn to give and take - and slowly, mutual respect had started to form between them.
Until she was killed.
Up until that day, they had never expressed words of love, preferring to try and keep the peace as friends. As she lay dying in his arms, Wufei remembered her softly spoken words. " Wo ai ni," she'd told him [1], a small smile on her face as her eyes closed forever. Then and there, Wufei had vowed to take up the fight in her name - to do all that she could not because of her early death. He would seek justice for all those who would harm the innocent. Wufei let the memories wash over him, bathing him in resolve and he looked up at the giant Gundam with a firm smile - he never ceased to be inspired by Nataku.
" Wow, you look so serious." A voice commented wryly from behind him. Wufei spun around, whipping out his sword and falling into a defensive stance as his eyes sought out the intruder.
His jaw dropped as he saw the small, slender black-haired girl standing there in a yellow raincoat.
" Meiran?" he whispered hoarsely, rubbing his eyes futiley. The girl gave him a wierd look.
" Who? Sorry pal - I think you got me confused with someone else." She snapped her gum and sauntered closer, sticking out her hand. " The name's Jubilee." [2]
Quatre smiled his thanks at Jean as she served him a cup of tea. She then turned to Trowa who nodded, accepting the cup graciously. Quatre was enjoying these little talks they had been having since their arrival. He remembered the first conversation they'd had, when Jean had asked to speak with him after the meeting with the Professor.
(FLASHBACK)
" What did you wish to see me about, Jean?" he asked her politely as she led him and Trowa into the mansion's living room. He seated himself on the large couch, Trowa next to him. Jean sat in a large, high-backed chair and regarded them thoughtfully.
" I wanted to talk to you about a couple of things," she admitted. " One is purely out of curiosity and I apologize if I'm speaking out of line but I wanted to know something about you and Trowa."
Trowa stiffened inperceptibly. Quatre squeezed his hand reassuringly and looked back at the red-head. She nodded at their joined hands.
" I wanted to know if your world is.....tolerant," she said at last. Then she shook her head. " Wait, that came out wrong." She stood and walked over to the window, gazing out at the sunny skies that had settled in over Westchester - probably courtesy of a certain weather witch, she thought. " It looks beautiful out there doesn't it?"
Quatre exchanged another glance with Trowa, confused. " I-I suppose so..."
" Beautiful - but deadly," she mused. " A cover-up for what lies beneath the surface." She sighed, turning back to face them with a faint smile. " One of the said things in life, OUR life, is that the people of this world, both human and mutnat, show very little tolerance for anything different."
" You're referring to our relationship," Quatre said slowly. Jean nodded.
" I was wondering what kind of world you come from - whether prejudice or racial bigotry is a common sympton of any world, regardless of timeline." She gave them a rueful look. " Forgive me for intruding--"
" Not at all," Quatre hastened to reassure her. He looked thoughtfully at her. " I've never really thought about it. The world we come from is at war, yes - but it stems not from difference of races. Only difference in opinions and world views."
" Couldn't that be construed as nearly the same?" Jean asked him sadly. Trowa shook his head and spoke up.
" While not common, our relationship is not...uncommon. Neither are more conventional pairings - or interracial. Who you love, isn't the issue of the war we fight."
" Of course this doesn't mean that everyone approves," Quatre was quick to add. He winced at some old painful memories of thinly veiled insults, and the jeers he'd heard from people quick to harm his relationship with Trowa. " Bigotry seems to be a universal trait."
" I thought as much," Jean said, returning to her chair. " Mutants here are feared because of the power they wield - even if its a simple power like the ability to change one's hair color." At the look they both gave her she smiled. " Yes, that is an existing power."
" It sounds interesting," Quatre said.
" I wish all people would think that," Jean closed her eyes for a second and then opened them. Quatre looked at her.
" We don't require it to be happy but...I'm glad you approve," he said to her, knowing she'd understand. Jean's eyes softened.
" Oh Quatre - I didn't mean to pry like this! No one here would ever fault you for loving another - we face too much bigotry every day to mock another for their choices in life," she said, face solemn. " We'd be hypocrites if we did that."
" Thank you Jean," Trowa said simply. He spared a glance at the blond next to him, knowing that her reassurances were deeply appreciated by Quatre, and therefore, appreciated by him. Jean nodded.
" What else did you want to speak to us about?" Quatre asked suddenly, feeling there was more to this then he thought. Jean laughed outright - breaking the tension from before.
" Actaully, I wanted to speak to you of THAT - that little habit you have of sensing what's going on!"
" How did you--oops, uh, I forgot," Quatre grinned sheepishly as he looked at the telepath. " What did you want to know?"
" Do you have mutants in your world?" Jean asked bluntly. " Or are you all just highly sensitive to those around you?"
Quatre shook his head. " I think you're referring to my Space Heart - a Winner family trait." He smiled fondly, if a bit sadly. " I inherited it from my mother."
Trowa blinked at him. " You mean your sisters have it too?" He hadn't known that. Quatre shook his head.
" Oh no - none of my sisters possess the Space Heart - only--" he blushed. "--naturally born Winners."
Jean looked confused, brow creased as she tried to understand. " Your sister is a test-tube baby?"
" Sister's," Quatre clarified. " All twenty-nine of them."
Jean sat back, a stunned look on her face. " I..see." She tried to imagine her and Scott with twenty-nine children - and burst out laughing at the mental image of her husband buried under mountains of baby clothes and diapers. Quatre giggled - he could guess what she was thinking!
" Soo...." Jean wiped her eyes and grinned at them. " What is a Space Heart?"
Quatre sat back and pondered this for a moment. " It's kinda like...an insight. Think of someone who's naturally sensitive to other's feelings, and increase it."
" I thought you might be an empath," Jean admitted. Trowa looked at her.
" Empath?"
" One who senses emotions and feelings - a mild version of telepathy," Jean explained. " I've long suspected Gambit of being and empath." [3]
" He's the man with the red eyes, right?" Quatre wrinkled his nose, trying to remember. " He seemed...very sad."
" This whole business is one bad memory for him," Jean sighed as she rose to replenish her teacup. " More?"
" Thank you." Quatre accepted the beverage refill and sat back, sipping quietly. " Duo's in big trouble, isn't he?"
Jean nodded, sad she had to admit it. " Yes." Her face hardened. " But we will get him back, Quatre, Trowa - I promise you that."
" Why?" Trowa asked suddenly. " Why would you go to all the trouble of helping us - you don't even KNOW us."
" Because I would never be able to live with myself if we let Sinister experiment on a child," Jean answered honestly. " And because it's partly our fault you guys are stuck here - it was OUR equipment that Sinister stole. You guys are innocent bystanders in a game that's been played for years."
Trowa nodded, satisfied with the answer. Quatre couldn't speak, but he bowed his head again. Jean clapped her hands once.
" Tell me more about your Space Heart," she entreated.
(END FLASHBACK)
Since that discussion, he'd come to enjoy Jean's company. He knew Trowa did too - the red-head exuded warmth and friendship - something they'd hardly ever seen before outside of their own little group. They'd exchanged information on both worlds and realized in some ways, they were very similar. They'd also discussed Heero - and his subsequent feelings for his missing partner.
" They're close then, neh?" Jean asked him. Quatre shook himself and focused on Jean.
" I'm sorry - what did you say?" He grinned ruefully. " I must have zoned out for a minute."
" I said Heero and Duo must be close," Jean repeated. Quatre scratched his head.
" Not in the sense that you mean like me and Trowa," he said at last. " At least, not yet."
Jean raised an eyebrow. " Heero has spent nearly every moment in the Danger Room, shooting down numerous targets that resemble the description we gave him of Sinister, since you got here."
Quatre chuckled quietly at that - it was typical Heero.
" Actually, the potential is there - and Heero's finally starting to wake up," he admitted. " Duo's the only one that could get beneath his skin - and live to tell about it. He has a way of waking Heero up from his Perfect Soldier mode, to make him live in the now so to speak." He grinned briefly. " Duo's a very effective counsellor."
" Something tells me I'd like this Duo of yours," Jean said. Quatre's smile disappeared.
" You would," he said quietly. " Everybody does. He has a knack for making people like him." He gestured at Trowa. " He brought all of us together in friendship."
" What kind of life did he have?" she aasked curiously. Quatre hesitated - he wasn't sure how much of it was his to tell.
" He had a...hard life," he admitted. " Part of his desire to make friends with everyone, is to keep from being left alone again."
Jean's eyes softened in sympathy. She could feel Qautre's pain for his friend as keenly as though he'd screamed it out loud. " I'm sorry."
Quatre shrugged. Trowa cleared his throat. " More tea?"
End Part 4A
1. As far as I know, it's " I love you," in chinese. Don't quote me on that - I'm getting much of my Japanese lessons from watching Ranma 1/2 tapes....^_~'
2. Everyone's favorite firecracker!
3. Gambit being an empath is a favorite topic of discussion on the mailing list I'm on - he seems to have the uncanny instinct for feeling other's pain, and he's very sensitive to people's emotions - at least when he's written by Joe Kelly or Claremont. ^_^ I just thought I throw it in - and see where it goes....
C&C pretty please with Gundams on top??
Stormy
Please send comments to: dingostorm@hotmail.com