Life... Really Part 6
Sitting in the school's library, Heero's fingers typed fluidly over the keypad of the computer station where he sat. Just a couple more paragraphs and the assignment would be complete. Fortunately, the school's library stayed open late for any student wishing to use the facilities. Aside from the librarians who worked there, he was the only visitor at the time.
After this, all of Heero's projects would be complete and he could focus on his winter break. For two weeks during that break, he would be leaving to meet his mother on Colony D10 to research for another upcoming trial. He needed to devote his time to that, not school lessons that seemed elementary to him.
Like any year of school, Heero's junior year was running smoothly. Performing at the top of his courses, he was already predicted to be his class's Valedictorian for their graduation the following year.
Heero had declined the honor, not wishing to have to make a speech before all present for the event. He did not need to give a speech to be satisfied in knowing that he was at the head of his class. That knowledge alone was satisfying enough.
The last two years had moved quickly. And as the old saying went, time certainly did change many things. Since his mother's victory in Senator Mark Johnson's murder trial, the Yuy law firm received an unprecedented number of clients, all very wealthy at that. The win also made the firm on of the most publicized and redeemed among any other.
With so many new cases coming in, even more of Heero's time was devoted to assisting his mother, along with her many other lawyers, in their work. Since he was predestined to follow in his father's shoes, the teenager was grateful to have as much experience as he could get.
"Heero Yuy, you're still here?" a woman's voice broke through his thought process, bringing his fingers to pause on the keyboard.
When he turned, he found his History teacher, Catherine Bloom. The red-haired teacher was Trowa's half-sister, a friend to Heero and the others for as long as he could remember. She fell easily into her teaching position, a fresh college graduate.
Standing beside Catherine was another young woman who Heero did not recognize. She was also dressed professionally attired and her blonde hair nearly touched the ground. Her piercing blue eyes watched him intently.
Catherine shook her head as she smirked, "I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised to see you here. You and the others always were ambitious when it came to your schoolwork."
Extending her hand to the blonde woman beside her, the redhead introduced, "Heero, this is my friend, Dorothy Catalonia. She just became the new director of law for Wayne University."
At the mention of the name, Heero's cobalt eyes widened. Quickly, he rose from his seat and extended his hand to the young woman who he would be working with personally during his four years of college.
Dorothy chuckled warmly, accepting his hand in a polite shake as she nodded, "Pleased to meet you, Heero. Catherine has spoken very highly of you. She tells me you're brilliant."
Fighting the urge to blush at that, Heero replied sincerely, "Nice to meet you as well, Miss Catalonia. I jut like getting my work done the best that I can. There is little brilliance about that."
With a good-natured laugh, the blonde woman shook her head and told him, "Modest, too, I like that. Considering how the Yuy Law Firm is now one of the highest ranked firms throughout space, that speaks well of your nature.
"Over the last couple years, I have followed the progress of your family's firm closely as a basis of my own studies. I must say that I am very impressed with how your mother managed to win the Johnson case. She had her work cut out for her. You will be able to learn a lot from her."
The college professor tilted her head and winked, "And any friend of Catherine is a friend of mine. As long as there are no other students around, feel free to refer to be as simply Dorothy. From what I have heard of you, I understand that we will be spending a great deal of time together during your stay at Wayne University."
Catherine turned to her friend and smiled, "I am certain that the two of you will get along well, Dorothy. Heero loves learning new things." She laughed, "He could easily teach my class for me if he wanted to."
Raising an eyebrow, the taller professor grinned, "An inquisitive one, then. That is excellent. You will need that for the line of work you will be going into. I do expect all of my students to have that drive to learn anything and everything they can."
"Yea ma-Dorothy," Heero corrected himself as he gave a small smile. There was a lot about this young woman that he liked. He was certainly looking forward to working with her. While she was an air of professionalism, she also seemed to be very approachable.
As he gestured to the computer station where he had just been sitting, Heero addressed the red-headed teacher, "I was just about to print off the semester's final paper you had assigned us."
Her eyes widening, Catherine gaped and sputtered, "W-what? Heero... I just gave that assignment last Friday. You have three weeks before it's due."
With a shrug, Heero replied, "I just feel better knowing that it's done now." He turned to the computer and moved the mouse to click the 'Print' button. As the printer beside the machine came to life, the dark-haired youth turned back to the stunned young woman.
Using the stapler at the work station, Heero handed the assignment to Catherine. She came out of her stupor as she paged through the thick report.
At finding that not only was the assignment complete, but the boy went beyond what she asked for, she shook her head and smirked, "As I said, you could easily teach one of my classes if you waned to."
Dorothy chuckled deeply, "Modest, inquisitive and ambitions." She turned to her friend and nodded, "You're right. We will get along splendidly."
The blonde professor lifted her purse to fish out a business card. Handing the card to Heero, she smiled, "Since we will be seeing a great deal of each other in the future, feel free to contact me if you have any questions. There is no such thing as too much preparation when it comes to attending college. It's a far different world from high school."
Heero accepted the card, smiling graciously, "I will be sure to do that. Thank you." He placed the card safely in the front pouch of his backpack.
With a glance up to the clock above the library's front doors, he said, "I should be heading home. Dinner will be ready pretty soon." The two young women smiled and they exchanged their farewells.
When Heero left, Catherine sighed deeply, a sad frown on her face as she put the project neatly in her briefcase. Seeing what Heero's mother put that boy through just opened old wounds for her. Catherine always had a desire to teach.
The day Catherine announced to her parents that she did not want to live the life they had planed for her in space research and science, she was disowned. To this day, she knew that Trowa's parents ordered him not to let anyone else know that he had a sibling.
Trowa was good enough to still visit Catherine whenever he could. Even as she taught her brother and his friends, they had to act as though they did not know each other. His friends knew better, of course, but understandably, they were too frightened to let on to anyone else.
Despite all of the heartache that her decision brought her, Catherine still would never have gone back on it. She was doing what she wanted, not what was planned out for her by someone else. All that she could do was hope for the best for her brother and his friends.
* * * * * *
"Welcome home, Heero," the recorded voice greeted as the front door opened. Stepping into the house, the teenager sighed as he lowered his backpack filled with books. Kicking off his shoes, he balanced himself with ease.
The familiar jingling sound of metal brought a smile on Heero's face. He turned in time to see his much larger cat running up to him. "Hey, Duo," he greeted quietly. The cat purred loudly as he rubbed his head against the hand extended to him.
Over the last two years, Duo had grown considerable. When on his four legs, the top of his head almost reached Heero's knee. He had gone through several sizes of collars in a short period of time. It was not just that he was much taller, but he also grew a bit longer.
While it was a bit of a shock to Heero that a cat could get so big, there was no one around who ever so much as saw a full grown cat that could say it was anything but normal. Now that Duo had outgrown being able to use his owner's shoulders as a perch, he usually curled in his lap instead.
Still, his violet eyes never lost their brilliance. That haunting gaze never changed even when those eyes grew. As they looked up at Heero, the boy chuckled deeply, "Why do you look like you're up to something?" A meow was his only answer.
Patting the top of his pet's head again, Heero smiled and walked deeper into the house. Duo following closely behind, the boy opened the sliding doors that led to the dining room. His eyes widened at the chorus of voices shouting, "Surprise!"
There were a few flashes from cameras as the Japanese teenager assessed the room. Standing around the table were Noin, Zechs, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei and Relena. On the table was a pile of wrapped gifts and a large cake with two gold candles shaped to make the number '17'. Heero broke out into a wide smile as he laughed.
Noin was the first to greet him as she smiled, "Happy birthday, Heero." She kisses his cheek as he hugged her. As he quickly took in the faces of those present, he quickly understood why they were able to pull this off. His mother was away on another business trip.
Heero went around the room, hugging and thanking everyone for the surprise. He couldn't remember the last time his birthday was celebrated with his friends being invited. Noin and Zechs really went out of their way to make this day special for him.
After all of the greetings were finished, everyone sat at the table as dinner was served. The moment Heero sat, Duo leapt into his lap, rolling himself into a ball to fit easily on his legs. Chuckling deeply, the boy ran his hand over the cat's brown fur.
When he finished filling his plate, Wufei smirked, "We figured that you would be spending your time working on the last history assignment we had, even if it was your birthday."
Shrugging, Heero replied, "Yea, but now I don't have to worry about any more assignments for any of our classes before the break. I can just sit back through the next three weeks of school."
Trowa snickered, "That'll be the same for the rest of us in a day or two. It'll be pretty hard not falling asleep in our classes."
Relena shook her head and sighed, "You boys really should learn to pace yourselves. You do realize that when a teacher gives you an assignment that you can wait until closer to the deadline, don't you?"
Turning his head to face his now girlfriend, Quatre snorted, "You met our parents." As if that was all he needed to say, the blonde-haired girl winced with an 'Oh.'
Since the Freshman dance, Quatre and Relena became quick friends. Luckily for the Arab, Relena was the daughter of a widely known Foreign Minister. Knowing that, they never objected to their son's spending time with her. Over time, their friendship bloomed and they began dating as an 'exclusive' couple, much to the disappointment of many of the girls they went to school with.
Even with Trowa and Wufei teasing Quatre in a friendly manner that he had a girlfriend, he took it all in stride. The teasing soon ended as the relationship was soon proven to have sincere feelings behind it.
Determined to be welcome into the group, Relena even laughed at the playful jabs that she received from the others. Before her, no girl had been a part of the tight bond that the four teenage boys had formed over the years. However, she had fallen into the group easily. Should anyone do or say anything to hurt Relena, they would have her three 'brothers' and Quatre to deal with.
Wufei 'dated' several girls, but he never stayed with one person for more than a couple weeks as he would find something annoying about whomever he was seeing at the time. While the flings were short, no one could say that the Chinese teenager was using any of them.
Trowa was much the same, a few dates here-and-there, but nothing much beyond a few kissing sessions for either of them. They both had made comments at different times that they still had plenty of time before finding someone they could see sharing a serious relationship with.
In the last year, Zechs and Noin finally admitted their own feelings and were now dating. When he found out, Heero had laughed at them, saying it was about time. His mother was even pleased with the announcement, having suspected the connection as early as her son had.
As for himself, Heero was content only having his studies and work to focus on. While Trowa and Wufei saw people off-and-on, the thought of having to concern himself with the responsibilities that came with dating just never appealed to the Japanese youth. Still, he was very supportive of Quatre and Relena. They really did make a sweet couple.
When dinner was finished and the table was cleared, Zechs lit the two candles on the cake. As he brought it to sit before Heero, his friends sang 'Happy Birthday.' In his lap, Duo sat up to watch with wide eyes.
Taking a moment to think of what he wanted to wish for, Heero reminded himself how his mother told him it was foolish to believe in such foolish notion. Without a wish, he blew out the candles.
After cake, ice cream and opening presents, it was beginning to grow late. The guests all began filing out, wishing Heero a happy birthday. Duo was playing with a large piece of torn wrapping paper and ribbon as they all left. He only stopped his game when the nice humans all stopped to pat him on their way out.
Heero helped Zechs and Noin finish cleaning the living room as he told them sincerely, "Thank you for this, both of you."
"Our pleasure," Noin smiled warmly. "It's always nice to see your friends."
With a smile, the tall man chuckled deeply, "Besides, we couldn't miss out on an opportunity like this. Your mother will be away until this weekend, so what she doesn't know won't hurt her."
Fully aware of truth in how objectionable his mother was to parties such as this, Heero admitted that this was a rare opportunity. She looked on things such as this as 'just more unnecessary distractions.'
Come to think of his mother, Heero turned to the pair and asked, "Did my mother call for me at all today?" At the hesitation, he got his answer. He shrugged, "She's been really busy these last few days. I didn't really expect her to remember."
Quickly, Noin suggested, "I'm sure that she didn't forget, Heero. It's still a couple hours before your curfew. She probably wanted to wait until she was sure you were home before calling." Zechs nodded his own agreement with her statement.
Bending down to pat the top of Duo's head, Heero said, "Well, I'm going to my room to follow up on some of the contacts she wanted me to make." The cat leaned his face into the touch, purring loudly in content. As Heero walked up the steps, Duo quickly followed.
When they were alone, Noin sighed with an agitated frown, "I'm going to call Danielle to remind her it's his birthday, just like the last couple years."
Zechs snorted bitterly, "Good idea. "You would think that she would think to put something like this in her planner along with her scheduled meetings."
* * * * * *
An hour later, Heero answered the vid phone. The image of his mother appeared on the screen as she smiled brightly, "Happy Birthday, son. I can't believe that you're sixteen already."
Taking a deep breath, the teenager corrected patiently, "Seventeen. I guess Noin called you to remind you to call me, then?" Danielle winced slightly. With a deep sigh, she lowered her head. Heero grinned lopsidedly as he reassured her, "It's all right, mom. I know you're having a rough week."
After the last few years, Heero knew that this was just how his mother functioned. He never was really hurt by her forgetting his birthday. It was just part of the routine anymore. Before long, he would have to remind her when it was Christmas and Thanksgiving, too, or she would work right through them as well.
His mother seemed to regain her steam as she looked up and chuckled, "I knew you would understand. You always were understanding. I promise to be better at remembering next year, Heero."
Duo licked his front right paw as he continued to groom himself at his owner's feet. There certainly were a lot of things to keep him entertained that day. Now, he was content just to sit close to the boy.
"Just three more weeks and I'll be meeting you here," Danielle changed the subject. "I'll finally get to introduce you to the same colleagues that you will be working with when you finish college. Be sure that you pack enough for a long stay. I have a feeling that I may need you here for a couple weeks."
Nodding, Heero answered, "I'll do that. See you in three weeks, then." They said their good byes and with that, he cut off the connection to get ready for bed.
* * * * * *
With school finally out for the remainder of December and most of January, Heero finished backing his bags to leave for Colony D10. It was exciting that he would have the chance to learn more about preparing for cases along with his mother. As Dorothy had told him, there were few better whom he could learn from first-hand.
Placing the last folded shirt into the suit case, Heero prepared to close the piece of luggage when his cat suddenly jumped atop the packed items. He meowed up to his owner with wide violet eyes as he tail waved excitedly. Laughing, Heero shook his head, "Aw, I wish that I could take you with me, too, Duo."
Carefully, the boy scooped his cat into his arms, cradling him like a baby as he removed him from the inside of his suitcase. After closing the bag, Heero sat on the edge of his bed and tapped a hand on his lap. Duo jumped into his lap with ease, sitting up to nuzzle his face against the human's.
"You be good for Noin and Zechs while I'm gone," Heero told him quietly. "I'll be back in a couple weeks." His answer was a loud purr in his ear as the cat continued to nuzzle him. Running his hand along Duo's back once more, the teenager rose from the bed, his suitcase in hand.
Downstairs, Zechs stood at the door in his long, black coat and cap as he nodded to the boy. Noin kissed Heero on the cheek as she handed him a small bundle wrapped in a piece of cloth. "Some cookies for your trip," she told him.
"Thank you, Noin," Heero smiled as he returned the peck on the cheek. "See you soon." He turned back to watch as Duo walked over to Noin. Planting himself to sit at her feet, the cat watched his owner.
As she bent down to pat his furry head, the young woman chuckled, "We'll take good care of this little one while you're away." She looked back up to grin, "Have a safe trip."
With a nod to her and a wink to his cat, Heero stepped out of the house. Zechs closed the door behind them as he followed.
* * * * * *
Two days later...
"Duo!" Noin cried as she frantically searched the living room. Checking under the chairs and the couches with her wide eyes, she called the cat's name again.
Returning from his errands, Zechs came running into the house after hearing the shouts, concern all over his face, as he asked, "What's going on?"
His girlfriend straightened and turned to him, tears in her eyes as she cried, "Duo's missing! I called for him when I brought out his food, but he didn't come. I've been searching for almost an hour now and I can't find him!"
Containing his own fear, the blonde man put his hands gently on her shoulders as he soothed, "Okay. He has to be here somewhere."
Noin wiped at her eyes as she nodded, "Okay. I already searched every inch on this level, so he isn't here."
With a nod as he wiped the tears that were still on her cheeks, Zechs nodded, "All right. We'll check upstairs then." Leading the way, he quickly walked up the stairs. Once at the top, they spit up to search the rooms.
Finding no sign of the cat after searching two of the first rooms, the tall man decided to check Heero's room right away. The door was cracked open just a bit when he reached it. Peering in, his eyes fell on a soft blue glow that came from under the bed.
Zechs moved to kneel beside the mattress as he pushed back the hanging covers, his face contorted in confusion. With a sharp gasp, his eyes widened as he whispered, "What on Earth...?"
* * * * * *
"It's nice to be back home," Heero sighed in relief as Zechs pulled the stretch car into the garage. "These last two weeks are blur."
There was no response from the chauffer, the back of his head facing Heero as he focused on the road. Zechs had been unusually quiet from the time that he picked him up from the shuttle port. Frowning in concern, the teenager asked, "Zechs? Is everything all right?"
As he put the car in park, Zechs broke from his daze as he looked back and replied, "Oh, of course, Heero." He forced a smile. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking about something."
Blinking in confusion, the youth asked, "Are you sure?" Looking to the house, he inquired, "How's Duo?"
When Zechs hesitated, Heero's cobalt eyes widened in fear. He threw the car door open and ran up to the house. As he ran, he could hear Zechs shout his name. Placing his hand on the front door scanner, he ignored the voice greeting him as he ran inside, yelling, "Duo!?"
Before he could even see what hit him, Heero was lying flat on his back in that same instant. Nearly winded by whatever knocked into him, he stared up at the ceiling, trying to get his bearings. He soon realized that there was something lying atop of him.
Tentatively, Heero reached up, trying to feel whatever it was that had him pinned to the floor. It felt like another person. Whoever it was sat up enough so that they could look down on him, a wide, brilliant smile on their face.
From the long, brown hair that fell around the strange intruder, it was difficult to tell if they were a boy or girl, but they looked to be about Heero's age. Going by the shape of the frame in his arms, Heero soon realized that it was indeed a young man.
When his vision cleared, Heero's cobalt eyes widened as he gasped sharply. Atop the other teenager's head was a pair of cat ears, peeked up in excitement. That alone was not what had startled the Japanese youth... it was the bright, violet eyes that watched him.
Breathlessly, Heero whispered in disbelief, "D-Duo?" At the mention of his name, the confirmed boy purred deeply as he nuzzled the sides of their faces together.
With a nervous smile, Noin entered the room, fiddling with her apron. Heero's shocked eyes fell on her as she cleared her throat and spoke weakly, "Um... surprise."
TBC...
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