Gundam Wing is not mine. :-( Shut up! I can live in my own little world can't I?
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Shi-chan: ^_^ This story seems to being going well!
Duo: Hai...
Shi-chan: And I have another series planned for when I finish this one! Hee hee!
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Star Crossed, Forever Lost
~By Shimegami-chan
Part 8
Shounen ai!
Author's note: This series isn't going to be nearly as long as Death Becomes Him...probably 10 chapters or so. But hey. And yeah, I know, everybody knows Mayumi's identity except Mayumi himself (And Seki and Trece too) but since it's from Seki and Mayumi's POVs I can't say it until they find out for sure.
Must get the story moving. Read on!
Trece arrived at the Tezuka residence later in the day with some information on Duo Maxwell, as promised. Mayumi was back in his disguise, seemingly recovered from the fits of the previous night. Seki was glad; she didn't want her friend to be feeling that kind of pain.
The two of them had talked for endless hours, mostly about Seki and her life, and Mayumi chattering endlessly about everything under the sun. Tingles still shot through Seki's body every time Yumi's musical voice spoke; she still had to stop herself from staring at the lean form under the tight black t-shirt and jeans.
Luckily Trece had called before his arrival, and Yumi had reluctantly put his padding and voice changer back on. He seemed used to their presence, now, but there was still a sadness in his indigo eyes as he slipped into the guest room to get changed. Trece had shown up a few minutes later with some interesting infomation for the two.
"I've begun to suspect," Trece informed them, "that the rumors about Heero Yuy being on L4 were planted."
"What?" Seki gasped. "By who? Why?"
"Vice Foreign Minister Darlian."
"You've got to be kidding me!" the Canadian woman cried. "Why would she do that? Isn't she looking for Heero too?"
"She's looking for Heero and Duo. I sliced into the Minister's computer system, but I couldn't get much information...I think she may have spread the rumors in order to draw Duo to L4."
"You think she might have Duo?"
"I doubt it very highly. But it's possible." Trece folded his arms over his chest and tapped his finger against his arm. "Either way, the intrusion was detected and I was forced out. We may need to look into this."
"Are we going to Earth, then?"
"Uneccessary. My sources say that there's no way she could have been successful."
Seki glanced at Mayumi. "Would the computers there hold more information than we know?"
"I should have seen it all...but it's possible we could get something out of the Vice Foreign Minister herself."
Yumi grinned. "Cool, Earth!"
Trece shook his head. "You and I can't go, Mayumi. The Minister and I have met, and I doubt I would get any information from her. You look too much like Duo, she would instantly be suspicious. On the other hand...Shiseki is a journalist, am I right?"
"Yes..." Seki answered hesitantly.
"You might actually get something. Can you handle it?"
"Of course!" Seki clenched her hand in a fist and grinned.
"Good. I think now all we need is a plan."
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A few hours later Seki was at the shuttleport, waving good-bye to Trece and Mayumi.
Yumi gave her a quick hug. "Good luck!"
"Got it." Seki grabbed her bag and disappeared into the waiting shuttle. "Try not to destroy the apartment...and Mayumi...be careful. Ne?"
"Hai!"
The Canadian was off. Mayumi and Trece walked slowly back to the apartment and set to work researching, Trece on the whereabouts of Duo Maxwell and Yumi on the Gundam pilots themselves. They continued to work until very late into the evening, almost morning.
Yumi finally yawned and stood, unplugging his laptop from the wall. "I'm tired, I'm going to head to bed now."
"I should be getting home." Trece also stood and Mayumi showed him to the door.
Before he left Trece stood in the porch a moment, a sigh escaping his lips.
"What's up?" Mayumi asked, his tenor voice cheerful but sleepy.
"Nothing." Trece leaned in and stared into Yumi's violet eyes. "Just...looking."
Thrills shot through Mayumi and he blushed. "At me?"
"Yes." Trece answered simply.
Yumi, a little taken aback, offered Trece a slight smile. "Oh...I don't mind at all."
"Good," Trece whispered. Then he leaned in and kissed Mayumi lightly before walking out the door.
Yumi stood stock-still, hand resting on the doorknob, mouth hanging open in shock. "Trece." But the taller man was already gone, disappeared into the darkness. Mayumi closed the door and locked it tightly, then went to his room and collapsed on the bed. He tossed his upper-body clothing to the floor and lay on the bed on his stomach, chestnut hair thrown across his exposed back like a blanket.
What does this mean? Mayumi wondered to himself. It hadn't taken much time after the accident before Yumi had noted himself being attracted to members of both sexes, but it was usually easier to control than this. When Trece had...touched him...he had wanted to grab the emerald-eyed man and give it right back to him on the lips. Only that little edge of wary self-control had stopped him--maybe Seki was right, maybe Trece swung both ways, but Mayumi couldn't risk Trece finding out he was really male. Not until Yumi figured out why he was pretending to be anything but. And if Trece was completely straight...Mayumi didn't like leading him on like this, but desire burned within him every time he saw Trece. Trece was so secretive, but his eyes seemed to contain so much...the emerald orbs were almost too perfect to be real, clear and sharp and strong. Mayumi could almost feel that Trece was looking deep into his soul every time he gazed into his eyes. They were unnatural...he was unnatural. And Yumi could not help the instinct he felt, every time Trece entered the room, to run and throw himself into Trece's strong arms. The mental picture of this brought a smile to the American's face. Trece, he figured, probably wouldn't take it quite as well.
Stripping down to his boxers, Mayumi pulled the bedcovers up to his slight shoulders. Maybe tomorrow would bring him one step closer to finding out who he was, and then he could tell the man he so admired the truth.
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Seki had actually gotten a meeting with the Vice Foreign Minister, after telling her guards that she had some information on Duo Maxwell. She sat patiently outside Relena Peacecraft-Darlian's office with her datapad in her hand, working out how she could get some more information on the two missing pilots.
"Miss Darlian will see you now." A blonde woman waved Seki into the room and Seki followed, stuffing the datapad into her pocket. Relena-sama was seated behind a large oak desk, tidying papers, but she quickly put them away as Seki entered.
"Tezuka-san," Relena nodded in greeting.
"Nice to meet you, Vice Foreign Minister."
"Relena will do." The blonde-haired politician smiled.
Seki moved to sit down in front of the desk. "Please, call me Shiseki."
Relena picked up a pencil and held it in two hands. "Shiseki-san, I understand that you may have some information for me concerning Duo Maxwell."
"Hai, I do." Seki took out her datapad. "I'm a journalist for a paper on L2, and I've become very interested in the story of the Gundam pilots. I'm trying to acquire as much information on them as I can. However, with the disappearance of Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell, I'm at a loss. I hired a private detective to help me locate the missing pilots, and we think we may have found something on Maxwell."
Relena nodded for her to continue, and Seki spilled the lie she had meticulously constructed. "I was at L4 about a month ago, following up a rumor that Heero Yuy had been spotted. While there, I saw a person who perfectly fit the description of Duo Maxwell; he was staying in the room next door in the same hotel as me."
"Ah-ha!" Relena crowed. "He did come!"
"Aa, Relena-sama, but I was unable to confirm his identity. I myself have never seen a picture of Maxwell or been told much more than the basics about him, but the detective I hired assured me that it must have been Maxwell I saw there."
"Hmmm." Relena sounded very interested. "So you're going to continue your search?"
"Yes, Relena-sama. I'll be sure to contact you with any more information of course, you've been so kind in seeing me..."
"You may be of great assistance, Shiseki-san. Can you give me the information on your schedule from that day, and your hotel arrangements?"
"Of course," Seki replied smoothly. "I can just transfer the information from my planner." She plugged a wire into her datapad, and the Vice Foreign Minister handed her own across the desk.
"Transfer it to the directory that's open," Relena said. "'Duo Maxwell.' Everything else is protected, so no tricks."
Seki put on a hurt look as she connected the two devices and uploaded her information into Relena's tiny computer. "I suppose your security has to be high, with a job like this."
"Nothing against you personally," Relena assured her.
Seki finished the transfer and immediately yanked all the contents of the 'Duo Maxwell,' directory into her own datapad, hoping that the reverse information flow wouldn't trigger any alarms on the little computer. While she waited for the files to go through she gently picked up hers and tugged slightly at the cord, finally releasing it when she was sure everything was finshed. Seki disconnected the other end and handed Relena back her datapad. "There you go."
"Thank you very much." Relena slid the mini-computer into her desk. "I appreciate your help."
"You're quite welcome." Seki stood and offered Relena a warm smile. "Best of luck finding Heero."
"And the same to you."
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Shi-chan: One chapter, MAYBE two, to go.
Heero, Duo, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei: ONE CHAPTER!?!?
Wufei: I haven't even been in it yet! ....not that I mind...
Heero: Me either!
Duo: Or me!
Quatre: Duo, shut up.
Duo: Nani? What'd I do?