This Individual Fic Rating: PG; some language
Blue Forest Banshee Part 78
Off to See the Wyverns - The Clan Visit
I stared up at the sky; my jaw somewhere around my knees. There must have been a thousand of them - at least! All sizes, from children to adults; all the colors of the rainbow, and some I'm sure the rainbow never dreamed of.
Looping, diving, soaring, circling in one massive, unbelievable flock!
"Holy shit..." I breathed and Heero squeezed my hand. I looked over at him; it took me a few seconds to manage words. He just waited for me, smirking. "Heero... What...?"
"It's the dawn flight. Every morning and every evening - dawn and dusk - Wyverns patrol the boundaries of what we consider our territory. It goes back to our very beginnings as guardians and protectors. Every Wyvern old enough to change form flies twice a day." He chuckled softly at my undoubtedly pole-axed expression. "Are you telling me you've never realised that I fly at dawn and dusk every day, weather permitting?"
I stared at him. Now that he mentioned it, I had noticed a couple of times when he wasn't there when I awoke. I'd just assumed that he was... jogging... or something. I guess he was, Wyvern-style. How silly of me. My face felt funny; I'm sure I made an interesting color change.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulders for a quick squeeze. "They've seen us; here they come."
No. Shit.
The whole flock was literally falling from the sky toward our location. I think I actually gasped out loud as they lunged for the earth like suicidal pigeons, only to make a sudden swoop-and-stall and land light as a feather, instantly changing form as they touched the ground.
We were surrounded by males and females and children of all sizes, a veritable garden of bright colors; most of them chattering and squealing excitedly, calling out to Heero, or trying to touch him. He replied in kind, not that I understood much of it.
I should have been immune to surprises by then, but my brain apparently had other ideas.
I expected Heero's grandmother to be a tiny, grey-haired Asian doll-lady, most likely wearing a silk kimono and geta and with her hair done up in that Geisha style, with enameled sticks holding it in place.
I was not prepared, when Heero murmured, "Sobo," to discover a tall, rangy, blue-eyed, silver-blonde Amazon, dressed in white cowboy boots, turquoise jeans and a matching t-shirt emblazoned with the legend, "Tag; you're lunch."
She was taller than me; as tall as Heero, and not beautiful, but striking. Her blue eyes were lighter than Heero's; royal to his cobalt. Her hair, worn long, with the sides pulled back in a fancy clip, had a touch of blue in its silver. This was, I realised, the silver-blue Wyvern I had noticed amongst the flock.
She strode through the crowd to wrap Heero in a hard hug, before turning her attention to me.
"Finally!" she laughed. "I've only been after this dragonette for months to bring you! I was beginning to think I would have to go to him to meet you!" She took my hands, drawing me close to kiss my cheek lightly. "Welcome, Duo, to Clan Torii."
She turned to the crowd and raised a hand for silence. It fell instantly. Obviously, Wyverns were better-disciplined than Banshees or Humans.
All eyes turned expectantly.
She laid one arm around my shoulders and spoke in a ringing voice that needed no amplification, translating as she went for my benefit.
"Clan Torii; I bid you welcome the one who has captured the heart of my daughter's son; the Banshee called Duo."
A cheer went up. My face combusted. Heero smirked at me, the light of possession bright in his eyes.
"All will have a chance to make his acquaintance; in the meantime, respect his and Heero's privacy."
She dismissed them with a wave of her hand, and they all went, which kind of shocked me. The whole bunch, a thousand, at least, just flowed away to attend to their daily business.
"Wow...!" I breathed and heard Heero snickering beside me.
"Ah," she smiled when we were alone. "That's much better." She flashed me a wide grin, and I couldn't help thinking "the better to eat you with, my dear.' That was silly; Heero was more likely to take a bite out of me than she was. I think.
Then we were walking across a cobblestone street to a courtyard straight out of the travel books on Japan. In the few brief moments before we reached the house, I saw bonsai and carefully raked sand gardens arranged around several elegant and ancient shrines, an elaborate koi pond with a small stream flowing from it, and tiny, almost decorative bridges spanning it here and there. It seemed like serenity personified.
The house was built in traditional Japanese style with sliding paper walls, woven mats on the floor, high ceilings and a sense of airy openness.
I must have been gaping, because Giniro took my hand, tucking my arm in hers, and drawing me close to her side.
"You have never seen a traditional Japanese home, have you?"
I admitted to that lack in my experience. "But I like this..." I said. "It's not that different from the house I grew up in. In concept, I mean."
I could have tipped over into babble with little effort, I think. My eyes couldn't seem to settle on any one thing, but kept bouncing around the spare, elegant rooms.
Heero's grandmother just chuckled. "We are adaptive creatures. I believe the Humans express it as 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do.'"
She led us to a large room, obviously a bedroom. It had a futon on the floor, a lacquered chest in one corner, decorative kimonos displayed on the walls along with scrolls and screens depicting Humans or perhaps Elves or other Magical Creatures, Wyverns and other Dragons in various combinations.
"Take a few minutes," she said, "to make yourself at home, Duo, and then we'll have tea." She looked me up and down and sighed, her blue eyes sparkling, then left us.
"So," said Heero after a moment of silence. "Do you like her?" He looked... eager.
"I'm trying to decide," I teased and he growled at me and swept me up in his arms. "Yes, I like her!" I laughed. He threw back his head and howled, swinging me around in a circle until I was dizzy.
I forget sometimes how strong he is, until he does something like that. Then I'm reminded of how easily he could just break me into pieces. But he doesn't... Because I matter to him.
Oh, don't let me get started down that path! That way leads to whimpering and bad memories and that ever-present ache in the back of my heart.
I swallowed that damn lump that pops into my throat on occasion, and held on tight even after he set me down.
"Duo?" he murmured against my hair, nuzzling gently.
"I'm okay," I replied. "Mostly."
He laid one of those deadly hands against my cheek, caressing so tenderly. "Your Clan are fools not to see how wonderful you are. My Clan will make up for that," he whispered.
I know what he means, and I appreciate the effort he makes to give me an alternative to my own miserable kin, but still... I just leaned into him for a few minutes, and let his warmth soak in.
Then we dumped our cloaks and the things we had tucked up in our respective otherspaces, and went to have tea with the IchiBan. But not before I spent a few minutes dithering about whether to offer the gifts I'd brought now or later. Heero just snorted when I asked.
"I told you that you needn't come bearing gifts; she can't be bought. If she likes you, she likes you."
"And... she likes me?" I tried hesitantly.
"Yes," he said softly, his deep blue eyes glowing. "She likes you."
I had to swallow that damn lump in my throat again. "Okay... But I brought presents, and by gods, I'm giving them! So you better plan a time for it," I commanded.
He bowed theatrically. "As you wish, my lord."
Sometimes, he is just... weird.
If I was expecting something traditionally Japanese - and I'm not saying I was; I do learn from experience, ya know - I would have been seriously shocked. The low lacquered table was covered with platters; eggs, sausage, ham, pancakes, French toast, rice, oatmeal, grape jelly - Welch's, of all things - three kinds of tea, orange, cranberry and tomato juice, cantaloupe, casabah, strawberries and kiwis. And right in the center was a plate of odd little squares that can best be described as breakfast sushi, just loaded with caviar. And I have a taste for caviar...
Am I babbling again? I really couldn't seem to help myself... I poked and picked, sampling and tasting and gorging myself on things I love as well as things I'd never seen before. I'd somehow managed to skip both breakfast and lunch before we left home; I was starving!
Woven in with me being a bloody pig was the conversation. Mostly, I answered questions about my job and what it was like to work with Heero, but I did manage a couple of my own, the major one being, 'what was Heero like as a child?'
"Very much like he is as an adult!" laughed Giniro. "Serious, solemn and given to killer glares!" Heero ducked his head, but not before I caught a glimpse of darkening blush. "You'll find any number of people to tell you stories about Heero," she smirked.
"Sobo," he began trying hard, I could tell, to keep the smile out of his voice.
Giniro just leaned close and pinched his cheek. "I'm so sorry, my adored one, but you were indeed a child once, and a very bright and clever one, and I intend to exercise every one of my grandmotherly prerogatives. Just deal, Heero." The sudden inclusion of contemporary American slang surprised a snort of laughter from me. Both Wyverns turned to me with identical wide eyes and raised eyebrows, and I... I just lost it. I brayed. Ever bit as well as Wufei had during his unfortunate donkey experience.
It took me a couple of minutes to get myself under control, especially as every time I looked at the Wyverns it started me giggling again, but eventually I did manage it.
Giniro smirked at me, her eyes sparkling with delight. "I am so glad you came, Duo," she said; "it's been much too long since we've heard that sort of laughter."
And with that, the subject turned to me again, focusing this time on the biggest event of my life, so far.
"Hmph!" snorted the IchiBan darkly. "The very idea of such silly superstitions in this day and age! Proof once again that we Magical Creatures are not so far above Humans as we would like to believe."
The topic? My Clan's rejection of me and my subsequent banishment, of course. The IchiBan was not being diplomatic in her assessment of my Clan's Matriarch.
"Idiotic Banshee!" she muttered. "Too far from her sensible roots." She paused to glare at Heero, who looked somewhat nonplussed. "Your father's Clan has no such defective notions!" she said tartly, almost as if he had dared to suggest that they had.
Her words seemed to ring in my head. Defect. Defective. Something that doesn't work properly. Yes, that would describe them perfectly...
Just an aside here... I have to mention that it's more than a little funny to see Heero being... well, mothered this way. He's usually so stern and business-like, yet here he was, squirming and looking guilty, like any other male in the presence of a female relative. I had a hard time not falling into giggles again.
Then she started in on me... Where did I go when I left my Clan? What did I do, how did I live, how did I come to be at the Castle? I had assumed - silly me! - that Heero had already told her my life story. Apparently not. And he let me deal with her all on my own, while he sat there smirking innocently.
I didn't lie once, even when she asked if I'd had other lovers before Heero. I lit up like a damn road flare, but still managed to reply that no; I'd had no other 'lovers', just comforting friends.
She took a few minutes to sip her tea and digest what I'd said, and then grinned at me. "I like your style, little Banshee! I have no worries about a mere Wyvern walking all over you!"
Just that abruptly, breakfast was over; I found myself outside with Heero, strolling around the Clanhold.
"Heero," I began hesitantly, afraid that I had somehow botched breakfast. "Was I okay? I didn't screw up, did I?"
He whipped me into his arms so suddenly that my head spun. Before I could even orient myself, he was kissing me as if trying to devour me from the inside out. And I got a close look at the term 'swoon.'
"Baby," he growled when we finally came up for air. "You were outstanding! My Banshee has brass balls!"
I blinked at him. "Heero, you are one weird Wyvern..." Hm... I think I've mentioned that before...
"Only for you, my angel," he murmured while nuzzling my neck, "because I love you. You want the tour or shall we go back to our room?"
Hm... Didn't realize I'd had a choice there. His preference was rather obvious, pressing against my thigh as it was...
"Aw, man," I drawled. "Decisions, decisions..."
"All right," he smirked. "Tour first, sex later."
"That's better, you big perv!" I laughed.
"Wore you out last week, did I?"
"Me? You were the one making excuses!"
"Only when you began walking funny."
"Are you impugning my funny walk?"
"Impugning? Is that what Banshees call it?"
I groaned. We had resumed our walk and were approaching a small body of water. I wouldn't have said it was big enough to call it a lake, but it was bigger than a pond - maybe a hundred meters across - and it had a stream meandering away from it so that's what it was. Around its edges were a number of benches and little garden areas of flowers and artistically arranged stones, both in the shade of the many trees and in the sun and some large flat rocks here and there as well. At about two o'clock from us was a large, brightly decorated chair raised above the ground on a stone dais. A throne? It certainly looked like one.
And then I noticed the other Wyverns. A lot of Wyverns, young Wyverns, with an adult here and there among them.
"What are they doing?" The smaller Wyverns were a motley looking bunch. I spotted everything from uniforms of white shirt and dark pants to kimonos to jeans and t-shirts to generic Magical Creature drag.
"Classes," said Heero veering in the direction of one group. "Morning school." He cut a deliberate path toward a group of small children gathered around an adult female.
"This is school?" I muttered thinking of my own adventures in the Human educational system. He either didn't hear or was ignoring me.
"Faiesa!" he called and the female turned. Her face lit up with surprise and she quickly called her charges to order.
"Heero! How nice to see you! I didn't know you were here." She took his hand and my Wyvern swooped in to give her a quick peck on the cheek. Behind them, the children - they looked about five or six years old - snickered and giggled behind their hands; some of them waggled their fingers shyly at me. I waggled back.
"You didn't notice the presentation?" Heero grinned.
"Was that for you?" She noticed me then and gasped. "Oh! This is Duo! You finally brought him!" She immediately transferred her hand from Heero to me, totally ignoring his attempt to explain or introduce me.
"That would be me," I admitted with a smile. "But Heero never mentioned knowing such a lovely creature as you." I shamelessly kissed her hand.
"And what a charming thing you are! Heero!" she commanded and my Wyvern damn near came to attention. "You will bring Duo for lunch today."
"Faiesa, we're having lunch with Kohaku today..."
She brushed it aside. "Then bring her, as well. 1330. Sharp." Then she turned back to her class, dismissing us.
"She's Giniro's elder sister; a bit of an autocrat, but one of my favorite people," Heero explained as we circled the lake.
"I see where you get it," I smirked.
He shot me a raised-eyebrow look. "I could have gotten it from my father," he countered.
I laughed. "Not bloody likely, Heero! Male Banshees don't have balls that big!"
"You do."
Okay, that probably should have occurred to me as a possible rebuttal, but I don't consider myself particularly bold or aggressive. My situation is pretty abnormal for a male Banshee and I don't see it as being replicated very often, even with Heero's father.
And then I had another startling thought. "Heero, you aren't... you know... seeing your father in me...? Are you?" I stopped walking. Holy shit; why had that little fact never occurred to me before? That would be just... wrong.
Heero snorted and grabbed my hand. "Oh, please! Not in your worst nightmare, Banshee! I'm a Dragon, I was raised by Dragons, but don't just assume that I couldn't have some of my father in me. I've discovered that it's there; you just have to dig deeper to find it."
Whew...
"That's okay, Heero. I really like your Dragon side. Um... Was your mother like that? I mean, positive and firm, no-nonsense?"
"From what I remember, yes." He drew me in close and let his arm slide around my waist. "She was my mother; I remember I loved her very much..."
"Heero! Hey, Heero!"
We both turned; a male was jogging our way, waving. We waited for him to catch up.
"Heero! Great to see you!" He grabbed Heero in a one-armed hug, thumping him on the back a few times. I backed off a few steps, hoping he wasn't about to do the same to me. He was about Heero's height, but considerably broader and more muscular, with bright blue eyes and even brighter blue hair pulled back in a ponytail that bore no resemblance whatsoever to Wufei's tight queue.
"Nice to see you, Rigel," Heero said wryly, extricating himself from the hug.
"Hey, is this the Banshee I've been hearing about? Whoa, you caught a pretty one, Heero!"
In the back of my head, that annoying little voice shook itself awake and muttered ::Whatthefuck...?::
'The' Banshee? 'Caught'? I wasn't sure I liked this guy looking at me like a new pet or something.
Something of what I was feeling seemed to be gathering in Heero's eyes. He glared at the other male.
"Rigel, this is Duo; my Chosen," he pronounced deliberately. "Duo, Rigel."
I nodded silently; Rigel's eyes bugged out and he stared at me. "No way! Oh, shit! Um... I mean... Sorry, Heero; I didn't know. No one mentioned that..." All at once, he looked distinctly nervous. "Wow... So you're Heero's Chosen, huh? Hey, he's a lucky Wyvern..."
I wanted to poke Heero to make him say something; the guy was starting to look a little pale, and I began to feel kinda sorry for him. So he was a little boisterous; big deal. He wasn't actively rude to me.
"Yes," said Heero quite firmly, "I am a very lucky Wyvern."
"Yeah... Damn..." Rigel seemed to be getting his feet back under him now that Heero hadn't actually disemboweled him. He stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Duo. Wow. Heero's Chosen, huh? I was beginning to think he'd never find anyone who could stand him."
I raised one eyebrow.
"Well, you know... He's so picky..."
Picky. Heero was so picky about his boyfriends that his Clan thought it was remarkable that he Chose me? Damn. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
I must have looked confused, because Heero finally joined the conversation.
"I am not 'picky', Rigel; I have standards. Duo meets or exceeds every standard I have."
Go me.
"Well, yeah. I can see that."
Okay, that look I recognized. Good old cousin Rigel was checking me out pretty openly. Apparently, I bolstered Heero's reputation in his eyes.
"Wow," he breathed again. "So, has Heero taken you flying?"
The sudden shift left me blinking. "Um... Yeah... We've been flying a lot." That was a weird thing to ask. Even weirder was Heero's reaction.
His dark eyes sharpened as if Rigel had suggested I strip down and show him the goods.
"Rigel! That is none of your concern!"
"Oh... yeah... Sorry, Heero." He blushed and looked at the ground. "Damn, Heero; he's just gorgeous! Sorry! Wow, it's late; I gotta go! Hey, congratulations Heero! Um... Hope you enjoy your visit, Duo." He backed up a couple of steps and jogged away.
I watched for a few seconds before turning my confusion to my Wyvern.
"You want to clear that up for me, or do I need to buy a program?"
Heero snorted dismissively. "Rigel tends to speak without thinking. He gets away with it because he doesn't mean anything by it." He glanced at me. "He's a good person to have at your back in a fight."
I smirked at him. "Like a rock?"
Heero gave me a look. "Exactly."
"So what's the big deal with flying? What's so important about flying?"
"It's nothing, forget it." He hooked his arm around me and we continued walking. I shrugged and leaned into him.
We covered the territory around the lake that way. Plenty of people smiled and waved as we passed, but no one else approached us. Clearly, the IchiBan's word was law when it came to the privacy thing. Heero introduced me to a few more people, all of whom were coherent and complimentary. Interestingly enough, flying was not mentioned. Guess it was just a quirk of Rigel's.
He pointed out some landmarks, as well as a few sights. The Clanhold had a few shops and some small food stalls, but according to Heero, most of the trade was with the nearby town.
"You guys deal with them a lot?" I still have a hard time with the idea of whole Clans of Magical Creatures mixing so easily with Humans. That Banshee thing again, I guess.
"It's our territory. We've protected that town and its surrounding lands for generations. It's our way of repaying their welcome." He surveyed the horizon. "They could have denied us, but they didn't; so we watch over them and theirs."
His tone of voice was oddly stilted, suggesting that he was reciting something he'd read. "But haven't you always been here? I thought Dragons were native to Asia."
"The Were-Dragons are, but we were created for the West. We were charged with the protection of Human-kind, but times changed. Attitudes changed. And suddenly we were no longer welcome." His voice had dropped to barely above a whisper, still in that bookishly narrative tone. "New ideas were born and gained credence. Human-kind didn't need us, didn't want us. At first, they simply turned away from us to embrace their new ideas. Eventually those new ways demanded an end to us. We had somehow become a symbol of evil, right up there with demons. We were attacked, driven out. We went east and found welcome. We have been here over a thousand years."
"Heero..." The light bulb went on in my head. "Wyverns... In Europe?" He nodded. "You're the gargoyles!" I exclaimed. "You're the models for all those gargoyles on the churches and cathedrals!"
He glared at me. "Foolish Humans! They had their guardians and ran them off, only to later build stone replicas to chase away the 'evil spirits'. Idiots."
"Hey, don't blame me!" I teased. "I'm not human."
He had the grace to blush slightly. "Sorry."
I thought about that new information. "Wow..." Now I sounded like Rigel. "So you take care of this town now..."
"Yes."
"And these people appreciate you..."
"Yes."
"Well, good for them!"
He smirked darkly then and took my hand to pull me across the grass toward a large rock.
I'd noticed the rocks; they looked decorative, like they'd been deliberately placed where they were. They were large, flat things, all about the same size and all oriented in the same direction. Surrounded by wide paths and narrow sand strips, they had the look of giant stone centerpieces. I figured they had to have a purpose, but what that purpose might be escaped me.
And no; I was not going to start thinking 'altar'. Get your mind out of the horror zone.
When we got to the huge thing, though, Heero caught me around the waist and swung me up onto the top of it and vaulted up behind me as soon as I was balanced.
"Whoa! What's this, Yuy? Center stage?"
"No; that would be the IchiBan's chair. This is just for relaxing." He fitted his actions to his words by sitting down on the stone and tugging me down beside him. He brought one knee up to rest his arm on it, looking perfectly relaxed. I copied him.
"Come on, Heero; what's it for?" Okay, so I was thinking 'altar'.
He smirked at me and changed form, lifting his massive wings as if for take-off. I caught my breath as I always do when he does that. He's just so incredibly impressive in that form; my gorgeous big blue dragon.
"It's winter, Duo; these are the suncatchers."
The rock was warm, I realized. Okay. Dragons; reptiles; lizards. Sunning their cold-blooded selves on a warm rock. Except that Wyverns are not cold-blooded. Well, that was just... cheesy.
"Heero..." I have no idea where I was going with that. I didn't get a chance to finish.
Heero suddenly looked up to the sky, his frills and his crest rising automatically and the colors beginning to shift, from midnight blue to silver to electric green. Something was up there that required his attention. I looked around the area. None of the other Wyverns seemed concerned, so it must have been something of interest only to him.
Kohaku? Already? It was only a little after ten; Heero had said she was due around noon.
"Heero?"
He got to his feet, folding his wings smoothly and placing himself automatically between me and whatever was up there. That's one of those things he does that just conflicts the hell out of me. On the one hand, it's exasperating, because I can take care of myself; I don't need that protection. On the other hand, it's just... sweet that he wants to keep me safe. It's what he does, what he's hardwired for, what his kind have done since their creation. Like I said, I can give myself whiplash bouncing back and forth.
"Heero! What is it?"
He seemed hesitant, uncertain, and that was definitely out of character for my Wyvern. "I... don't know... It feels like... But why...?" He was talking to himself. I gave up and just concentrated on trying to see what he felt.
It was maybe another minute before I spotted the tiny speck against the white clouds. Another minute and I could tell that there were two of whatever they were. A third minute and I recognized the Wyvern wings. Clearly, even though it wasn't Kohaku and her Chosen, it was someone Heero knew. Someone he obviously hadn't expected.
Heero made a tiny little noise, almost a squeak, and I got to my feet to take his hand.
"Heero, please," I tried again. "What is it?" This time he answered me.
"It's... it's my mother's other children... My half-siblings..." Shock was the most identifiable emotion in his voice. "They haven't come since... since I went away to school... Why would they come now?"
I wasn't too far from stunned myself. I'd had no idea Heero had siblings. Oh, but I should have realised! Heero had two 'duty children' of his own; why wouldn't his mother have had a duty child? Hadn't he said something about his mother and his grandmother doing their duty to their Clan? It was apparently the Way of the Wyverns. None of which explained why they didn't live in the Clanhold, or why they seldom saw their half-brother. Unless, for some reason, they didn't like Heero...? I almost asked, but there was no time; they were swooping in for the standard suicidal-pigeon landing.
Heero pulled me in close, unfurling his wings to their greatest span, as they touched down on the grass before us. They didn't shift, which surprised me. God, I hoped there wasn't going to be some kind of confrontation. My first few hours had been wonderful; I didn't want anything to go wrong now.
The taller of the two, a spectacular red-gold-bronze colored Wyvern folded its wings and looked up at us, hands on hips and head cocked at an inquisitive angle. The other, a pale green and yellow creature (kind of reminded me of an Easter egg), folded its arms over its chest with the same inquisitive head-tilt. And before you ask, no; I couldn't tell the gender of either one of them. Wyverns don't... well, show, in that form.
Heero spoke first, his voice just a little creaky.
"Kikai... Tulip... I am happy to see you," he said hopefully.
I blinked. Tulip? Tulip?! Good god; what was Heero's mother thinking when she named that one?
"Heero," purred the taller; "It is so good to see you again!"
On the basis of that warm soft voice, I guessed that one was female...
The pastel Wyvern chuckled warmly. "It's not every day the dragonette Chooses, you know. How could we miss this?" Okay, that was definitely a male chuckle...
So, these were Heero's half-brother and half-sister. Wow. And they didn't seem to be too put out by my presence...
Heero tightened his grip on me and leaped down to join them. Damn. They were both taller than Heero in their Dragon forms, which made them both pretty damned impressive close up. Or from far away.
They didn't seem to be the hugging types, only widened their toothy grins. My, what big teeth you have...
"Kikai; Tulip; this is Duo, the Banshee I've Chosen. Duo; my sister Kikai and my brother Tulip."
Oh, god... The Easter egg was Tulip... I did my best to keep a straight face; haven't a clue how well it came off.
Kikai nodded graciously to me saying, "I am very pleased to meet the one who has taken Heero's heart."
Tulip (!) made a half-bow and said, "Honored, little one. You have reaffirmed my faith in Heero's good taste."
I did my spontaneous combustion trick, which seemed to amuse them no end. "Th-Thank you," I stammered. "It's an honor to meet you." I tried a bow; don't know how well that came off either. I was just a little... okay, a lot unsettled. Heero stepped in to give me time to get myself in hand, whether by design or coincidence.
"I'm glad you came," he said firmly. "But... why now? It's been years..."
The Wyverns exchanged a look and the female spoke. "Well, we weren't sure how much contact you would accept."
"We were never exactly... close... When you were young, I mean," said the male. "You being so much younger and all."
"Yes. We decided to wait and see if you were interested. IchiBan says you are. She mentioned that you wanted to visit the Banshees, so we thought we'd come and see you and meet your little Banshee for ourselves. Mother's Chosen was an absolute darling; he won hearts everywhere he went." She looked me over with a toothy smile. "I was curious to see if it was just Tori, or if all Banshees are like that."
"It's the pheromones," Heero muttered, squeezing me gently. He changed form and a moment later, his siblings followed suit.
Well, damn. Obviously, good looks ran in Heero's blood. His sister was tall and rangy, like the IchiBan, with red and gold streaked hair cut in a neat wedge and brilliant blue eyes. His brother - Tulip - was about Heero's size; maybe a bit broader across the shoulders, with - I shit you not - pink hair and grey eyes. His hair behaved just like Heero's; shaggy and wild and totally unkempt. And fuchsia pink. I had to wonder what his father looked like to produce a pastel Wyvern.
Heero might have been reading my mind - wonder if Q taught him that trick. "Kikai and Tulip are Mother's Dragon children." The three of them shared a grin and a chuckle. "Their fathers are Great Dragons."
Oh. Oh. These Wyverns were half-Dragons; real Dragons. Not Were-Dragons... Legendary, mythological, honest-to-crap real Dragons.
Suddenly, I felt very small and inconsequential. I must have made some stupid noise, because the grins became even wider.
"I love that reaction," laughed Tulip, punching Heero lightly on the arm. "Nobody around here does it."
"We're only unique to strangers," Kikai smirked.
Heero eyed me strangely, like maybe he thought I was about vanish or something. "Duo? It's not that impressive." But he was grinning that puffy, proud grin, like yes, dammit, it is impressive that his siblings were half-Dragons.
"It - " Damn, now I was squeaking. I cleared my throat and tried again. "It is to me... I'm just a country Banshee, remember." Well, it wasn't all that funny, but they laughed like it was. Next thing I knew, Kikai and Tulip had swooped down on me for hugs, and were looking me over like some prize pony.
"- Beautiful hair!"
"- Those eyes!"
"- The boots!"
"- Look at the workmanship!"
"- Heero! He's just beautiful!"
I'm sure I must have done something; made a noise or moved or produced some kind of strange expression - they suddenly moved away from me as if I'd caught fire. Based on what my face felt like, that might not be too absurd.
"Duo; our apologies!" said Kikai firmly. "We do get a little carried away sometimes."
They had backed off to a couple of meters, but Heero was still right against me, so I apparently didn't actually do anything.
"Um... That's okay... I just, you know, embarrass easily..."
"We don't want to make you uncomfortable, Duo," agreed Tulip. "We'll try to be more... restrained in the future." He gave Heero a wink and a smirk. "Wouldn't want to frighten you off; Heero would kill us."
"We'll leave you two alone now," said Kikai. "We must find the IchiBan. We are so glad you're here, Duo." And she stepped close to give me a quick kiss on the cheek.
"I'm very glad to have met you," I managed. "Really, I'm not usually so... so weird," I stammered.
"It's Chang's influence," said Heero. "It apparently is contagious."
They must have understood what he meant, because they laughed like a pair of loons. "But you won him!" exclaimed Tulip. "Congratulations, Heero! Congratulations indeed!"
Thank the goddess they left us then; I was so off-balance, it's a wonder I wasn't upside-down.
TBC...
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