Jewel Hunters Part 1
A braided boy rushed down the steps of his house frantically. He grabbed his cap from its stand, and shouted into the kitchen. "Mom! I'm going out!" Then he burst out of the door.
His mother rushed to the door, and yelled out to her son. "Duo! Be careful!" All she heard was a muffled 'yes' from the energetic youth as he continued to dash away. She looked on at her son's disappearing figure, then she sighed. She knew from the start that he would always be so careless and forgetful even when he was already fifteen years old. But to forget his date with his boyfriend? God, that's new. Duo always made sure that he was early for his dates. As her mind wandered to Duo's boyfriend, she briefly pondered as to why the two weren't getting married anytime soon. It was so strange. They, the Trines, usually got married at this age! And there Duo was, with a boyfriend, yet declining to marry. What was with him?
Sighing, she went back into the house. She would never understand how the minds of teens function. Kids these days.
*****
Duo dodged across the street. He looked at his watch. 10.45am. Damn, he was already forty-five minutes late. If he were lucky, his boyfriend would threaten to skewer him the next time he arrived late. Or if worse comes to worse, he could be mutilated and nobody would ever find all his body parts. Duo grimaced wryly. Looking back at the road, he noted with dread that there was someone coming in the opposite direction.
CRASH!
"Argh..." Duo groaned, one hand clutching his head in pain. Vaguely, he heard the voice of another man, telling him to give him his hand. Mind muddled, he held up a hand without hesitation. Then Duo felt a pull on his arm that brought him back to his feet. Looking up at the man who helped him up, he almost gagged. What a handsome man! Then he noticed that the man was staring at him intently. Squirming uncomfortably under the weight of his gaze, Duo shifted. "I'm sorry for crashing into you." He wanted to say something more, but he couldn't bring himself to. Instead, he blurted in a muffled voice. "Thank you." Then Duo dashed away.
*****
The man stood rooted to the ground, eyes still staring at the boy running away, who's braid was hypnotizing him like a pendulum swinging, beckoning for his attention. Then a voice edged him out of his dazed stupor.
"Well, doesn't that boy just look like the one in your dreams?" A tiny jinni materialized on his shoulder in a puff of smoke, propping himself with his hands. His golden hair shone smoothly in the sunlight.
Heero nodded, his eyes glazed over. "The exact same features... the chestnut hair. And I would never forget those eyes." Before he could comprehend what he was saying, he added. "Beautiful."
The jinni winced. "Now Heero, we both know now's not the time to be attracted to other boys. If we don't get to the coffeehouse in time, both our girlfriends will be boiling!" He warned, shuddering at the thought. They had been late once, and their girlfriends had proceeded to throw them out of the house.
Heero sighed at the mention of his girlfriend. She could be such a devil. Not that she had been much of an angel even in her better days. "C'mon, Thunder. We'd had better be going."
The jinni nodded solemnly, and sat down on his master's shoulder as Heero walked to the coffeehouse nearby.
*****
Duo's mind wandered back to the blue-eyed stranger. His eyes were the coolest shade of blue he had ever seen, just like the deep blue ocean. So deep, so amazingly attractive. Even Duo had to swoon mentally. Then he winced as he felt a slight punch on his head. He didn't even have to look at the attacker. "Hey! What was that for, Shield?"
A silver haired jinni pouted as she sat up in Duo's chestnut hair. "Duo, you already have a boyfriend! And here you are, fantasizing about another man while you are rushing for a date with him!"
The braided boy blushed. "So, you noticed huh?"
Shield huffed, rolling her eyes. She made a mental note to review with him the fact that they had been together for seventeen years now, and that she knew him better than anyone else. Then the young jinni sighed resignedly. "Fine, Duo. I'll forget about this. Now, let's just get to the park. Wufei and Sword are waiting for us."
*****
Duo was relieved to see his boyfriend still waiting for him, but he grimaced inwardly when he saw the familiar frown marring his features. He had a mind dictionary of all of Wufei's facial expressions, since his actions were a lot more expressive than his words, and the current one on his face was definitely filed under the irritated section. Mentally hammering his stupid, malfunctioning alarm clock to bits, he walked up to Wufei tensely.
"Erm, good morning Fei. Sorry I'm late. You see, my alarm clock didn't work this morning, so I..." He explained, with a nervously smile that seemed to have been stuck there with super adhesive glue. It wouldn't have been there otherwise.
The said boy frowned even darker. One thing he hated was to wait. He was about to tick Duo off when someone interrupted. Which was a good thing for Duo, because Wufei's infamous justice rants could take up the better part of a day.
"Good morning, Sunshine!" A melodious voice rang out.
Duo looked at the boy who had just appeared. "Quatre!" He smiled genuinely, running over to his friend, and embraced him tightly like a huge plush teddy bear. "Good to see you again! When did you get back?"
The blonde giggled. "Of course you would be happy to see me! Who else could hold those extravagant parties you so love to attend?" He teased gently.
Duo pouted. "Aww... c'mon Quatre. We both know that you enjoy hosting parties as much as I enjoy attending them!" He countered jokingly, invoking another round of giggles from his friend. Then he smoothed his laughter, and returned to his previous question. "So, when did you get back?"
"Just last night."
"Ohhhh..." Then he gazed around curiously. "Where's Zechs?"
As soon as his name was spoken, Zechs walked up to Quatre from the bench behind them and wrapped his arms around the young blonde's waist. "I was here all along. It's just that your eyes were solely on Quatre. I'm getting jealous, Duo." He quipped, although his face was deadpanned.
Both boys snickered. "Zechs! Don't be silly! Quatre's your boyfriend, and I have mine." At the mention, Wufei wound Duo's braid around his arm possessively. Duo smiled. He knew Wufei loved his hair.
"You're late today." He stated, eyes boring into Duo's. The braided boy cringed a little, then Wufei, who seemed to have noticed this, sighed wearily. He could never stand up to Duo's doe eyes and puppy's expression that just begged for affection. "Just don't do it again." Duo grinned, then glomped his boyfriend cheekily. "Yes Sir!"
Then Quatre interrupted them, pointing to his wristwatch. "Don't worry, Duo. You're not the last one to arrive. We're still waiting for the rest to come. 11am. It's gotta be in the records."
"That will be our honour, dear Quatre."
Everyone spun around to face the source of the voice, although they already knew who it was. Who else could speak with such an air of authority without even trying?
Treize and Dorothy waltzed over to them casually. "Sorry we're late. We got held up by an emergency. Nothing important though." Dorothy clarified as she brushed her lemon tresses behind her.
Then her boyfriend, Treize suggested. "Since we're so late today, then shall we have some tea? Our treat of course."
Duo nearly jumped with barely contained excitement. "Woo-hoo! Let's go! I'm starving!" Wufei shook his head at his boyfriend's antics, although there was a glint of laughter in his eyes. Quatre nodded his approval, and Zechs went with whatever Quatre said.
With a 'poof', all the jinn appeared as well. Wufei's jinni, Sword, floated over to Shield, who met him halfway. "Can we go to the last coffeehouse we went to? Shield loves the ice coffee there." Sword asked, one arm slung around his female counterpart.
Treize's jinni, Mountain, smirked knowingly. "I don't know if Shield likes the ice coffee there, but I know that you loooove the ice mocha they serve." Ocean, Dorothy's jinni nodded vigorously.
Sword glared daggers at Mountain. If looks could kill, Mountain would be nailed to a wall like a wiggling lizard. Wufei patted his jinni's head. "Just admit it."
"Wufei!" Sword cried indignantly.
Duo chuckled at the exchange between his boyfriend and his jinni. They were just so cute sometimes. Shield looked at them amusedly. "I like the ice coffee there." She blurted suddenly, then she blushed. She felt a little dumb, to say that all of a sudden.
Her braided master agreed, nodding vigorously upon seeing Shield blush. "Me too! Me too!"
"Well, what are we waiting for? The coffee beans to be imported from outer space?" Fire wisecracked. Zechs looked at his shoulder where his jinni had appeared and smiled. Quatre's jinni, Ice, appeared as well, and latched onto Fire immediately.
Dorothy gave a small elegant curtsey. "Well then, shall we go?"
*****
Twelve cups of sweet smelling beverage were placed before them, six larger ones and six miniature ones for the jinn. As they sipped their fragrant refreshments, or gulp in Duo's case, they started to talk again. Such was the life of the Trines. Easy, free and just plain simple. They didn't really have to work, especially those born of high social stature. Like them.
Suddenly, a feminine voice cut into their little chat. "Good morning, Mr. Winner."
Quatre looked up to see a girl, supposedly the one who tried to strike up a conversation with him. She had cerulean eyes, framed by long wheat hair. Another boy stood beside her, face impassive. One jinni sat on their shoulder each. Being the ever-polite one, the blonde boy gave her a warm smile. "Good morning, Miss? You are...?"
The girl shook her head with an air of resignation, slightly annoyed at the blonde boy to have forgotten her so quickly. "Relena. Relena Peacecraft." Then she gestured to the boy beside her. "This is Heero Yuy, my boyfriend." The said boy merely gave a grunt to prove that he wasn't a stone statue. Relena pointed to the two jinn, "This is Lightning, and that one over there is Thunder."
Quatre brought a surprised hand over his mouth. "Oh! I'm sorry, but I'm just too busy lately."
"It's ok. Just thought we would say hello." After some more polite exchange between the two and a brief introduction of names around the table, Relena and Heero excused themselves.
Once they had left, Treize leaned over to his blonde friend and asked suspiciously. "What party were you and that girl talking about?"
"That party? Oh, it's just a party I'm holding next week. It just feels so long since I hosted one. It just so happens that my parents invited her too. And I heard they also invited a few others that we don't know." He answered casually. Then he suddenly remembered something. "Don't say that I didn't warn you guys. The party's gonna be grand, so wear something formal, ok? And by the way, it's on next Tuesday night. Come early to help out, would you?"
He received affirmative nods. Then Quatre smiled again. "Well, that's settled then. Shall we go to the newly opened shopping mall? It's just around the block, I think. We can buy some jewelry or anything for the party too."
*****
As Treize footed the bill, Duo was left alone in his thoughts.
'Heero? What a nice name. A hero in shining amour to rescue a damsel in distress.' He chuckled softly at the pun. In the corner of his eyes, he saw Shield flirting with Sword. That was a godsend, at least the female jinni wouldn't pay much attention to him.
'His eyes are beautiful. Lapis lazuli... Destiny has given him such a wonderful shade of colour for his eyes.' Then he sighed inwardly. 'How unfortunate that I'm not the one destined to admire those twin pools everyday, and neither am I the damsel in distress.'
"Duo!" A voice pulled him out of his reverie.
The braided boy looked up sharply, wondering who was it. "Wufei?"
Wufei grabbed his hands firmly, and gave them a squeeze. "Are you okay? You looked deep in thoughts. What is it that you were thinking?"
Duo felt scarlet creeping up to his cheeks and cursed himself for his fair complexion. How could he think of someone other than Wufei that way? He wasn't a loose person! "I... nothing. I was just wondering what I should wear for Quatre's party." He lied, hoping that the Chinese boy would not notice the blush on his face.
Thankfully, he didn't, for he assured Duo, "I like that suit you wore that day at the theatre. But I suppose you'll need some jewelry to go with it. We'll find something for you at the mall later."
Duo nodded, gulping. He felt ashamed. Wufei was such a loving boyfriend, and Duo knew that he loved him deeply. With a determined look on his face, he promised himself that he would not fantasize about another man again.
*****
Dorothy felt herself smirking. And it wasn't just a normal smirk. It was the kind cats have after polishing plates of canaries. She knew that if she coughed, feathers would probably fly out of his mouth. Right, it was that kind of smirk.
Relena. She liked the way the name rolled off her tongue so smoothly, so easily. And it sounded like music. Pretty hair too. Long, wheat coloured, and silky. Finally there was someone whose hair could stand a chance against hers or even Duo's. And those eyes! Dorothy could see the silent intelligence shining through. She could bet someone a thousand dollars that Relena had a power station in her, and she herself had tasted the intensity of the electric current and spark that ran in those blue eyes.
Then she recalled Ocean's words, that it was her destiny to be with Treize and no one else. Looking at her boyfriend, she mentally berated herself. But then again, she wondered if there was another force that tore them between their emotions, that went against Destiny.
*****
Relena furrowed her brows as she strolled along the street with her boyfriend. She couldn't help but wonder what was with her previously at the coffeehouse. She knew that Quatre would most probably not remember her, but she went ahead to greet him anyway. And the point was, she did it not only out if courtesy, but because of the fact that she wanted to get to know the blonde girl sitting with him.
Dorothy. She felt a tingle in her nerves when she heard the name, a skip of her heart when their line of vision met, a blush on her face when she smiled. Relena tightened her grasp on Heero's arm, trying to will that feeling away.
God knows she shouldn't be feeling this way.
*****
As they left the coffeehouse, Heero let his thoughts wander back to the violet-eyed fey beauty.
Even though this chanced encounter was short, but he had the boy's every detail etched into his mind. Braided chestnut tresses that seemed so alive, as though every strand had been enchanted with magic; violet twin pools that seemed to reflect everything, as though they knew everything; radiant smiles that seemed genuine, as though they could laugh off everything in the world. Everything about the boy seemed so surreal, as though he was a dream.
But Heero had to admit. The boy did look like the one in his dreams. Same chestnut locks accented slightly by streaks of gold, full pink lips, glistening crystal violet orbs... Heero was sure that they were the same person.
But how? They had never met each other until today. Why did he repeatedly dream about a boy he had never met before? Dreaming of him since young? And also, the intensity of his dreams was driving him crazy. Why did he dream about holding the boy, kissing him, smiling at him when Heero knew that he hated to smile? He seldom smiled at Relena too! So why did he smile at the boy like it was so simple, so natural?
Heero knew that he was destined to be with Relena, but he felt an even stronger pull towards the violet-eyed boy. Duo. A wonderful name, but a little unsuitable. There would never be another one like him. Duo is the one and only in the entire world, Heero was certain. Perhaps the one in his dreams was the second Duo, but they were one and the same. He was just too special, too delicate for God to create another.
Then the sudden tightening of Relena's hold on his hand disturbed Heero's deep rapture. He turned to look at her, only to see the deep frown on her face. Did she notice his line of thoughts? But the blank look in her eyes told him otherwise. She herself was deep in contemplation.
*****
Thunder and Lightning held each other tightly as they floated behind their masters. Both had sensed the couple's thoughts, and they knew it was a bad sign. Sure, Relena and Heero had never been very happy together, and had always had a gap between them that could not close. Their occasional kisses and hugs were just a façade. Deep down, both jinn knew that their masters didn't love each other very much.
But at least they managed to stay together for so long. Now, with the sudden appearance of Dorothy and Duo... it may not be long before their façade would crack even further. And they both knew that relationships were made of glass. Once it was broken, it was never be the same again even if it were patched up.
This wasn't a good thing. After all, no one had ever fought against their destiny and won.
TBC...
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