Operation: Lost Boys Part 9
~Dreaming~
Wufei frowned as he looked around. He knew this field... the field of flowers that Meiran had sacrificed herself to protect.
"It has been a while, Wufei."
Wufei spun to gaze at the speaker. She looked as she always had. "Nataku?"
Meiran laughed. "I am not worthy of the name Nataku. I needed to speak with you. You have been dwelling much on me lately. Why?"
Wufei sighed. "I was never worthy to be your husband."
Meiran shook her head. "You are more worthy than all of our ancestors shall ever be, Wufei. It was I who was not. I tried to go against fate. That is not the reason you dwell on me. It has more to do with a certain violet-eyed siren." She sighed. "Chang Wufei, I am dead. You have mourned for a year... if you would call it that. Mostly you have been feeling sorry for yourself. You are young and alive... and I think you are falling in love with the siren."
Wufei frowned. "Harmony has nothing to do with this."
Meiran scowled. "She has EVERYTHING to do with this! Stop being such a stubborn man and open your eyes! Don't live alone. You deserve more than I could have ever offered you. She can offer you love and understanding. She will not argue with you on things that are not important! She is more patient than I would ever be. We had no say, you and I, in our marriage. For that, we were unhappy. You deserve more than the simple quiet respect a woman will give to her husband. You need a woman who will stir your blood and give you something to protect! I would have been insulted if you had ever dared try to shelter me." She walked up to him. "If you let this chance to meet your soul mate slip away, then you will forever wonder what might have been." Then she smiled. "She is wise as well as strong. She knows when a fight will do no good. She makes you smile. I always made you frown." She looked up. "My time is nearly gone. I will say all I've said in one sentence. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get a life!"
~END DREAM~
Wufei snapped awake and groaned as he looked at the clock beside the bed. 3:00 AM... he'd only gotten about 3 hours sleep. 'There's no way I'll get back to sleep now.' He wrapped his robe around him and headed out the door and downstairs. His plan was to think about what Meiran had said in his dream, and decipher if it was a dream or a vision. Ancient legends stated that the dream world is closely connected to the afterlife. He froze a moment when he looked into the living room. Harmony was sitting near the fire, gazing into the flames. "What are you doing up?"
Harmony turned her eyes to Wufei. "Bad memories replay themselves in my dreams." She turned to gaze back at the fire. "It doesn't happen often, really. When it does..." She curled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on the top of one. "You?"
"I dreamt about my wife... and I don't know if it was a dream, or a vision." He sat across from Harmony and watched the fire make patterns of light and shadow on her face.
"You were married, Wufei?" Harmony was glad to have a topic for conversation... glad to have a reason to look away from the hypnotizing flames that reminded her so much of the ones that destroyed her home.
"In my clan... it was customary to wed someone of the elders' choosing in your 14th year. My chosen parter was Meiran. She was a... very hardheaded woman."
Harmony nodded. "Did you love her?"
Wufei shook his head. "Neither of us thought ourselves worthy of the other. I barely knew her before she died." He quirked a grin at the girl sitting across from him. "She died protecting a field of flowers." He was surprised to see sympathy in Harmony's eyes.
"I'm sorry. Losing anyone close... regardless of how you feel towards them, is hard. I ought to know..." She sighed.
"Would you care to discuss this over a game of chess? I doubt either of us are going to be able to get back to sleep." Wufei stood and held his hand out for Harmony to take. He blinked when she took it and a warmth ran up the length of his arm. When he looked up at Harmony, he could see the confusion in her features. The same expression on her face as the first day when she looked back at him. "You felt it, too?"
Harmony nodded and took her hand out of his. Suddenly, she felt cold. "I wonder what caused it..." She shook her head. She pulled out an old and worn chess set that she had never shown Wufei. "This belonged to my father. It's one of the few things I managed to grab when the first explosions started." She started setting it up. "He taught me how to play the day before..." She stopped there and closed her eyes against the painful memory.
"Don't talk if it hurts you." Wufei suddenly had a strong urge to protect this fey creature from everything... even bad dreams and horrible memories.
Harmony shook her head. "No... I've been letting this eat at me for far too long." She sighed. "I was four years old when my home was destroyed. My father just barely managed to get my mother and myself out." She closed her eyes. "I can still smell the acrid smoke mixed with the scent of blood. My father died in front of me. The only thing that saved my mother and myself was the shuttle leaving the colony." She paused in her actions. "When we left without Duo... something broke inside my mother, and she pretended that he wasn't left behind. Every year, she'd tell me to ask him what he wanted for Christmas. I kept it simple and wrote two lists. The one with Melody's name always consisted of one small item and I'd always write down that he was just happy to have a mother like her who cared so much. I think she saw through it." She smiled at him. "But there's no need anymore! She's seen Duo with her own eyes, and I think that the broken part of her will be fixed now."
Wufei returned her smile. 'Maybe the broken part of ME will finally be fixed, too.' He moved his pawn.
Two hours later, Sally peeked into the living room. The chess game was still set up, but the players were cuddled together by the dying fire... fast asleep in each other's arms.
*****
Heero was confused when he woke up. He walked over to his old laptop and turned it on. Forgetting the rules, he contacted Dr. J on the IMS.
DR.J: You aren't supposed to contact me, 01.
HY01: Why did you never hold me?
DR.J: WHAT?
HY01: Duo's mother held me. Why did you never hold me?
DR.J: Duo? Pilot 02? I thought he was an orphan from the L2 cluster.
HY01: Incorrect data. He has a mother and a twin sister. Why did you never hold me?
DR.J: You were in training to be the perfect soldier.
HY01: I was a child. Why did you never hold me?
Relena peeked in and saw Heero's frown. 'What the?' She walked around Heero to glance at the screen.
DR.J: 01, you are a soldier! I will not have all my hard work undone!
HY01: All of YOUR hard work? What about ME? There were times that I NEEDED to be held.
DR.J: 01... you are out of line! I will tolerate no insubordination from you! When this operation is over, you are to report to me to re-enforce your training.
HY01: What if I don't WANT to? Aren't I entitled to my own decisions?
DR.J: You are a soldier!
HY01: I am also a 15 year old boy! What good will the perfect soldier be when the war is over?
Relena could see that Heero was getting upset, so she grabbed his wrists and lifted them off the keyboard. "Rules are rules, Heero!" With that, she threw his laptop out of the window.
*****
Quatre and Trowa looked up as the black object soared down and fell into the pond.
Quatre blinked. "A laptop?"
Trowa nodded. "More precisely... HEERO'S laptop."
Wufei was contemplating his dream and the events of earlier that morning in Harmony's roof gazeebo when he heard the splash. He was worried that someone had fallen in the pond again when he looked over the edge at the two figures below. Since they didn't seem worried, he knew that his fears were unfounded. "WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN THERE?"
Trowa looked up. "What's Wufei doing on the roof?"
Quatre shrugged then pointed to Heero's window. "I THINK THE QUESTION SHOULD BE: WHAT'S GOING ON IN THERE? SOMEONE JUST THREW HEERO'S LAPTOP INTO THE POND!"
There was a pause and all three scrambled to see what had happened.
*****
Duo had heard the splash and the comments, and he just had to check on Heero. He shoved his feet into slippers and ran to Heero's door. He peeked in and let his jaw drop.
Relena was standing there with a stern expression on her face, and Heero was frozen... staring at the space that his laptop used to occupy.
Harmony arrived at the same time as the rest of the group.
"I... do NOT believe it!" Duo shook his head in wonder. "Relena just did the impossible! She violated Heero's personal space!"
Harmony looked at her brother. "Wha?"
"Harmie... remember what happened with Quatre? Getting your hands on that laptop when Heero's working is next to impossible. Heck... getting your hands on Heero when he's working on the laptop isn't possible. Relena just did both!" Duo grinned as Relena started tapping Heero's head. "Oi... Heero... let it go, man!"
"She threw... my laptop... into the pond?" Heero turned his eyes to Relena, who nodded. "Relena... run."
Relena knew the look on Heero's face and bolted, knowing that if Heero caught her, she'd be in deep trouble.
Heero stood up and started to chase Relena, but didn't get further than his bedroom door.
Harmony blocked Heero's passage. "What were you doing on that laptop? I specifically stated when this whole thing started that contacting the Doctors and Professors that trained you was against the rules. If you contacted Dr. J, then Relena had just cause to toss your laptop out." Harmony smiled at Heero. "You're doing so well! Don't let J turn you back into a machine."
Heero hung his head like a chastised child a moment. "It's not like I ASKED to be this way." When he looked up, his eyes focused on Duo. "What are you doing out of bed?"
Duo shrugged and gave Heero a lopsided grin. "Honestly? I was worried about ya, pal. Besides... I'm tired of lying in bed all day."
Harmony glanced at her brother. He did SOUND better. "I'll ask Sally if you can come into the living room. I know I'D hate being cut off from my friends."
*****
Sally smiled as the group converged around Duo. Each was doing something to make sure that the vivacious boy was comfortable. In almost no time, the group was sitting around Duo who was bundled up and resting in a recliner laughing at some comment Quatre made. 'Just the other day, we were all terrified that we'd never see his smile again.' The doorbell rang, and Sally frowned in puzzlement as she went to answer it. She opened the door. "Yes?"
"Miss Sally Po?"
Sally nodded and blinked at the envelope thrust into her hands. "What is this?"
The intern shrugged. "The guys at the lab said you told them you wanted this back ASAP. We figured the Post Office would take too long, so I volunteered to drive up myself. I hope the results are what you wanted."
Catherine's heart was racing wildly. 'Lab? That can only mean one thing! Those have to be the results!' She approached as Sally closed the door. "Is that...?"
Sally nodded and handed the envelope over to the knife thrower. "Are you sure you really want to know? Will it make all that much difference to you?"
Catherine held the envelope in her trembling hands. The temptation to open the envelope was overwhelming, but the memory of Trowa's heartbroken voice stopped her. 'He has to know that I really don't care. He has to know that I'll love him regardless of the outcome!' She walked into the den, aware that all conversation died away at her entrance. Without pausing, she walked over to the fireplace and turned to Trowa. "Trowa... I don't NEED to know the results. I don't care what they say." She held the envelope close to the fireplace. "Say the word, and I'll toss it in without a second thought."
Trowa stood up. His voice was distant as he stared at the envelope. "For years I've wanted to know who I am... if I had a name at one point." He felt a deep terror in his heart, but shoved it aside. "I want to know. I deserve better than to live a lie." He reached for the envelope and took it from Catherine. His heart was pounding as he opened it.
Catherine felt her heart drop as Trowa looked from her to the paper to her again. She couldn't read his expression, so she took the paper from his unresisting grip and read it.
TEST : POSITIVE
ACCURACY : 100%
RESULT : THE INDIVIDUAL KNOWN AS TROWA BARTON IS CATHERINE
BLOOM'S BROTHER TRITON...
Catherine dropped the paper with a happy sob and pulled her baby brother into her arms. "I knew it! I KNEW it!" She held him closely, afraid that letting him go NOW would cause him to disappear... or that she would wake up and be alone again.
'I have a name...' Confusion was one thing he didn't expect. He was happy to a point, but he was mostly shocked. He didn't expect the results to be positive. He was confused and just a little frightened. 'What now?' A part of him wanted to hug his sister back, but his arms just wouldn't obey. "What's wrong with me?"
Quatre came to his rescue. "Nothing's wrong." He smiled gently. "You just had a shock. Do you wanna lie down somewhere?"
He looked into Quatre's aquamarine eyes and nodded shakily. He felt very lightheaded and closed his eyes against the dizziness.
Catherine caught her brother as he fainted. "Poor guy! This really did hit him harder than I thought." She smiled gently as she and Quatre half carried, half dragged, him to the couch.
Quatre took... 'Well... might as well call him Triton now, since that is his name.' He took Triton's sneakers off and smiled at Catherine. "Thank you for offering to throw the results into the fire without opening the envelope. I can tell it meant a lot to him."
Catherine smiled back. "I didn't want him to think that I loved him only because I thought he was my brother. In my heart, I always knew he was Triton, but I was too afraid to have the proof. I was afraid HE wouldn't love ME." She bit her lip. "Poor Triton. He was just a baby when the explosion killed our parents. I guess we were thrown to opposite sides of the road." She gazed back into the face of her baby brother and felt her heart fill. "I think what did it was how much he looks like my... OUR... father." She watched as a pair of leaf green eyes fluttered open. "Hey." She blinked as he sat up and looked around. "Listen... if you'd rather still go by the name Trowa Barton, that's fine with me. I mean... Duo is staying with HIS name."
Duo shrugged. "Only that's because I don't like my real first name." He craned his neck to glimpse the writing... something else had shocked the tallest member of the team.
Harmony playfully hit Duo's arm. "Melody is a perfectly good name."
Duo glared at his twin sister and made a face at her. "NOT when you're a boy!"
Heero picked the paper up, read it, and blinked before walking over to Duo.
"So it wasn't a dream." He sighed and thought for a moment. "Actually... Trowa isn't my name. It's only what I've been calling myself for the record." He smiled slowly. "Triton Bloom..." He nodded. "I like my name better than the borrowed one." He massaged his head. "It will take some getting used to..."
Duo too the piece of paper that offered him and read it. "WHAT?!"
Catherine looked up. "What's wrong?"
Triton grinned at his sister. "If you're confused, then you didn't read the entire thing." He took the sheet of paper from Duo and handed it to Catherine.
RESULT : THE INDIVIDUAL KNOWN AS TROWA BARTON IS CATHERINE
BLOOM'S BROTHER TRITON
OTHER FAMILY : FATHER WAS OLDER BROTHER OF ONE MINUET BLOOM.
MINUET BLOOM'S MARRIED NAME: MINUET LONESTAR.
CHILDREN: HARMONY AND MELODY LONESTAR.
Duo grinned. "Looks like we're cousins, Triton!"
Harmony looked over at where Heero was frowning. She could see a glint of envy in his eyes. She walked over to him. "What's wrong?"
"Duo has you and your mother, Trowa... no Triton now has his sister, Quatre has 28 sisters and knew his father, and Wufei has his clan history." He wasn't aware that everyone was paying attention to him, nor did he care about the moisture that was building up in his eyes.
Harmony understood and placed her hand on Heero's arm. "If you want me to, I can try and find out if you have any family anywhere." Her heart twinged when his eyes met hers. He looked vulnerable... and he longed for something out of reach.
Duo nodded. "Yeah... here we have all these sappy reunions, and Heero is stuck being an observer rather than a participant."
"On the outside looking in." Triton turned to Harmony. "I'll help in any way you need."
Quatre smiled. "We all will!"
Heero couldn't help but feel depressed anyway. "Thanks. I suddenly feel a little tired. I think I'll go lie down." He turned and left. 'What parent would let their child be brought up the way I was? Didn't anyone ever care about me?'
Harmony glanced at her brother and hugged him when she noticed his downcast expression. "Wanna tell me what's on your mind?" When Duo nodded, she took his hand and led him to the studio in the basement.
*****
Duo sat on the sofa as Harmony hopped up onto the stool that would bring her mouth up to the microphones.
"What's the deal, bro? You can talk to me, you know."
Duo sighed and looked down. "It's Heero... I can't stand to see him hurting like this. He's my best friend."
Harmony giggled. "I think he's more than that to you." Her smile widened when Duo blushed. "Duo... love is nothing to be ashamed of. Did you think I would think less of you for loving another boy? I'm not so closed minded as that. Besides... I've suspected it since the first day you guys were here."
Duo sighed. "It's that obvious, huh?" He shook his head. "So what should I do about it?"
Harmony frowned at the question. "I suggest you find out how Heero feels. He's being more and more open since your accident a few days ago." She sighed herself. "I intend to find out what Wufei's deal is. One moment, I think he's on the verge of kissing me... the next, he's pushing me away."
Duo grinned at his sister. "You like him, huh?"
Harmony shrugged. "As the technicians would put it... I've got it BAD!" She smiled at her brother. "I'll go tell them to start searching for Heero's family. Think about what I said. For all you know, he might feel the same way and not realize it. He was pretty upset when you fell through the ice."
Duo nodded and settled into the sofa. He didn't notice when Harmony left the studio. He left about an hour later, deciding he would talk to Heero once he got the chance.
*****
Later that night, Duo snapped awake and sat up. 'What woke me up?' He tilted his head to hear a soft sigh that came from Wufei's room. A sigh too high pitched to be coming from Wufei. He frowned for a moment as the soft voice spoke... and his eyes widened when he recognized the voice as being Harmony's. 'Why the hell is my sister in Wufei's room at THIS time of night?' He got up and walked into the hallway. He had his hand on the knob when he heard Harmony let out a stifled cry of what could only be pain. With a growl, he threw the door open and froze.
Wufei's voice was indignant. "DUO!!!!!"
"Ummm... sorry..." He quickly shut the door, while locking it, and blushed. 'Wow... I didn't realize she liked him THAT much! I hope I didn't spoil the mood. If I did, then she'll kill me!' He paused when he heard Harmony's giggle.
"I think he was just shocked to see ME on top. Ohhhhhh... Wufmmm..."
Duo shook his head and walked past his door. There was no way he was going to be able to get to sleep in his room. He cautiously opened the door to Heero's room and peeked in, breathing a sigh of relief when he noticed that Heero was fast asleep. Though he would have normally taken the floor, he knew that he'd feel much worse in the morning if he did. So he gathered his courage and slipped into the queen-sized feather bed next to Heero. 'Feathers? How come he gets feathers and I don't?' He hoped he woke up before the Wing pilot. He'd hate to see Heero get pissed off at him. He was just dozing off when a lean arm wrapped around him. Duo's eyes snapped open and he fought a smile. Heero had latched onto him and was now resting his cheek on Duo's chest. After fighting a losing battle, Duo shifted a little so that Heero would be more comfortable. He froze when Heero's eyes opened and looked up at him.
"Duo?"
"Ummm... listen... I can leave if you want me to." Something in Heero's eyes stopped him. His face was the same as always, but there was something akin to longing in his eyes. Duo swallowed and tentatively brushed his fingers across Heero's forehead to smooth his bangs away from his face. He felt the tenseness in his chest vanish as Heero simply closed his eyes and snuggled closer.
"Please don't leave." Heero sighed. "I'm so tired of being alone." He frowned as the sounds from Wufei's room reached him. "Wha...?"
Duo chuckled as he let Heero get comfortable. "Harmony. I hope Wufei doesn't get all mushy on us." He smiled as Heero buried his face in the pillow. "What?"
"If Wufei is as honorable as he claims to be... you and he will be brothers before long."
Duo let out a laugh, which quickly turned into a coughing fit.
"Duo?" Heero rubbed Duo's back as he slowly recovered. "You know you should stay in bed. You're going to make this cold of yours worse!"
Duo wiped his eyes and nodded. "I hate being stuck in bed. Besides... the cold's mostly gone now. The only thing left is the cough, and Sally said the cough stays the longest." He bit his lip as the earlier conversation with Harmony played through his head. "Hey Heero?"
"Yeah?"
Duo sighed. "Are we friends?"
Heero frowned at the question. "I don't understand. I have a feeling that's not what you really want to ask me."
Duo turned to look at Heero. "I mean... what exactly do you feel for me?"
Heero looked at the ceiling. "I... I wish I knew. I don't have the words to tell you."
Duo propped himself up on his elbows. "Try."
Heero frowned again. He still didn't have the puzzle worked out, but maybe Duo would be able to help him put the last pieces in place. "I feel comfortable around you... like I don't have to prove anything. At the same time... I'm more terrified of doing something wrong because your opinion means more to me than Dr. J's ever did. One moment, I want to run as far from you as I can, the next I want you by my side always. After you fell through the ice, and turned to me for comfort, I felt at peace for the first time I can remember."
Duo smiled gently. "You want me around all the time, even though there are some things about me that drive you up a wall. You feel incomplete whenever I'm not around. Am I close to the mark?"
Heero nodded... the urge to cling to Duo was nearly overwhelming, and the feeling frightened him. He closed his eyes and sighed as Duo brushed the back of his hand against Heero's face. "I don't understand this, Duo."
Duo chuckled softly. "What's to understand? I've felt the same way for a while now." He leaned over Heero and smiled at the expression on his face. "Sounds to me like you're in love with me."
"Love?" Heero gazed up into Duo's eyes... letting the final piece of the sparkly puzzle fall into place. He reached up and placed his hand on the side of Duo's face.
Duo was a little more open in his caresses. "Yeah... you know. Although it terrifies me to admit it, I have been in love with you for a while, but I didn't say anything for two reasons. Mostly because I felt like I was cursed, but also because I didn't think you'd ever feel the same." He smiled happily at Heero. "But you do... you love me. Like Quatre is in love with Triton and vice-versa. Same thing with Harmony and Wufei. Love like in sonnets and sappy poetry. Like you would do anything to keep me safe."
Heero nodded. "Like my existence would end if you left in any way. My heart hurt at the thought of you dying." He tilted his head. "This is love?" He felt humbled at the joy in Duo's eyes, and honored that he had put it there. "What can we do about it?"
Duo shook his head with a smile. "For one... stop analyzing it! For another..." He dipped his head and pressed his lips against Heero's.
Heero blinked as he felt his heart slam into his ribcage. His shock wore off slowly. When he felt Duo's tongue on his lips, he opened his mouth and groaned at the surge he felt within him. He was panting for breath as Duo pulled away. "Wow..."
Duo smiled warmly. "Oh... we're just beginning."
TBC...
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