Gundam Wing is not mine. :-( Shut up! I can live in my own little world can't I?
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Shi-chan: I've said it before, I'll say it again...THE PLOT THICKENS!!!!
Duo: Hoo boy...
Shi-chan: A reviewer guessed my plan! But I don't care, I'm going ahead with it! Muahahahahaha!
Duo:.....
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Star Crossed, Forever Lost
~By Shimegami-chan
Part 9
Shounen ai, angst, sap, etc etc etc...
Back on L2, Mayumi was stuck inside the house for the sixth day in a row since Seki had left. Trece was very overprotective, saying that if Relena-sama found out that Duo Maxwell had a living relative he'd surely be targeted. Yumi didn't agree, but Trece was just as stubborn as he was, and Mayumi didn't want to fight with the mysterious emerald-eyed man.
Trece had begun to stay the night at the apartment, sleeping on the couch, just in case anyone tried to come after Yumi. Their search for Duo Maxwell hadn't exactly been a secret, not with Mayumi and Seki looking around; and Trece had discovered the presence of some of the Vice Foreign Minister's spies on L2. So the taller man had moved right in until Seki returned, leaving Mayumi in a world of trouble.
This meant both good and bad things to the American: it meant that he was going to be staying in disguise constantly until the Canadian woman returned, when he had been so releived that Seki thought no differently of him and he could get out of the padded clothing. It meant he had to be extra-careful about locking the bathroom and bedroom doors, and keeping the bedroom door locked even when there was no one inside. Yumi knew Trece would respect his privacy, but something about the mysterious man unnerved Mayumi to a great degree. Underneath that cool, calm exterior something...dangerous...lurked. Yumi didn't know what, or how to react to it.
On the other hand, having Trece in the house was a huge temptation. Sure, Mayumi had been interested in Seki at first, but their friendship had deepened quickly and he was grateful of that. He knew she almost certainly liked him too, but it was in a different way, judging by the wistful way she watched his eyes sometimes. Yumi had figured that someday, Seki would find a partner like him and be happy: but now wasn't the time, and Seki of all people was encouraging his relationship with Trece. Mayumi was incredibly glad to have her for a friend.
Trece. What was the story there? Sometimes Mayumi crept out of his room at night to watch him sleep on the living room couch, but never trod too close, in fear of waking him up. Yumi had also tried to keep away from the emerald-eyed man, without much success; Trece seemed to like to look at him as much as he liked to look at Trece. Yumi assured himself that it was lust on both parts, nothing real, but something stirred deep inside him whenever they touched. That feeling of fear in his stomach faded when he was with Trece, which was even more unsettling. His brain continued to tell him, You don't have to be normal, but don't bring this upon yourself! Mayumi, unfortuately, couldn't help it. Being with Trece felt so right. But it couldn't happen, Yumi knew he couldn't let it happen...
The problem was...Yumi didn't know if he could stop himself...
Trece slammed his laptop shut in disgust and put it away before collapsing on the sofa. "There's nothing left to find."
Mayumi's pale face peeked into the room. "What's up?"
"I--nothing." Trece sat up straighter and stared at the wall.
Yumi came and sat beside him. "Nothing else on Duo-oniichan?"
Trece laughed at the name. "We don't even know if he's your brother yet."
Mayumi shrugged. "Calling him 'Maxwell,' seems so informal."
"I suppose so." Trece offered a half-hearted smile.
There was a few moments of silence and Mayumi began playing with a chestnut curl. "When's Seki coming back?"
"Tonight or tomorrow, depending on whether she got information out of Relena."
"Oh." Mayumi bit his lip, resisting the urge to snuggle closer to Trece. "You think she's okay?"
"I'm sure she's fine." Trece said. As an afterthought he added, "You care so much about people."
"She's my only friend."
"Aren't I your friend?" he breathed.
Yumi blinked. "I...I guess so..." Trece's eyes were so sad, and the expression on his face was that of a hurt puppy dog. He wasn't sure what to think--the mysterious man seemed perfectly sincere.
Trece nodded. "I...want to be."
Mayumi suspected that saying this was hard for Trece, he offered his new friend a slight smile. "All right."
"You're beautiful when you smile, you know that?" Trece whispered.
Mayumi sucked in a breath. "I..."
"Shh." Trece leaned over and kissed Mayumi, encircling his arms around the smaller man's neck.
Yumi didn't protest, even though his logic senses were screaming for him to stop. It felt so good, it felt so right...he leaned into the kiss with everything he had, pushing Trece onto the sofa, pinning him down.
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Seki plugged the power source into her laptop and connected it to her datapad, wondering what she managed to get out of Relena. The information poured between the two computers, bringing it to a more readable text-and-graphic format. When she was sure she'd gotten everything, she began to sift through the mess.
It was all about Duo, unfortuantely, but Seki suspected that they were closer to finding Duo than they were to Heero anyway. She pulled up the first file, which contained the same basic information she'd found on the Maxwell Church. The second file had some more personal notes on Duo, from Relena's point of view:
"Duo Maxwell: Can be considered very dangerous when given the chance. He is skilled in demolitions work and in stealth, and is good at getting into places he doesn't belong. It is suspected that his homosexual tendencies led him to kidnap Heero for unknown purposes. Duo was known as Shinigami during the war, the 'God of Death.' His now-defunct mobile suit was called Deathscythe.
Physical: Duo was five-foot-five when he was last seen, and has one very distinctive trademark; his long brown hair reaches his thighs and he wears it in a braid. He has blue-violet eyes and weighs approximately 60 kilograms. He often is clothed in black and wears a minister's collar in honor of the Maxwell Church, see details."
A picture accompanied this file, and Seki curiously brought it up: Duo Maxwell, in all his fifteen-year-old glory. There was a face shot and a profile that made Seki's eyes widen in shock. Duo Maxwell was most definitely connected to Mayumi in some way, and not the way she had previously thought: they had the same violet eyes, heart-shaped face, knowing smirk on their lips. And the hair was the exact same shade of chestnut-brown, only Yumi's was a little longer and he always wore it down. But Seki had seen Mayumi with his hair pulled back in a ponytail exactly once...and it made him look almost identical to the man in the photo.
That nagging thought that had been at the back of Seki's mind for the past week resurfaced to taunt her. No way...
Mayumi wasn't just related to Duo Maxwell.
He WAS Duo Maxwell!
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Mayumi's brain screamed for him to stop, but it was too far gone. His hands explored Trece's face and neck, and soon Trece was bare-chested and enjoying it as Yumi's lips found a sensitive spot on his neck.
The emerald eyes met violet and stared through them as if seeing a distant memory. Mayumi traced the outline of his pale face with warm fingers, and they kissed again. All the while Yumi begged himself to think rationally, if only for a moment...
What am I doing? The horrified American thought. I can't let him find out my secret!He pulled his shaking hands away and put his head down on Trece's chest, listening to the other man's soft heartbeat, quickened by the happenings of the last few minutes. They both lay there silently for a few minutes as the clock struck midnight
Tears slipped from Yumi's eyes and Trece held him gently with strong arms. What now? he thought. What am I going to do?
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Seki bounded off the shuttle and called a taxi without even stopping to turn off her computer.
Mayumi needed to know about this--and fast.
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"I can't do this," Trece said quietly. "I'm so sorry, Mayumi." He sat up slowly and Yumi bit his lip.
As worried as Mayumi had been, he still couldn't bear to see Trece go. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No. I did." Trece put his shirt back on and got up to place the rest of his possessions in his duffel bag. "Mayumi...I think I've fallen in love with you, and I can't have that."
"You...with me?" Yumi stared at him in shock. "Oh God, Trece, I can't even begin to tell you..."
"I can't fall in love." he snapped. "I made a promise to myself."
"Trece..."
"I'm sorry. I have to leave. Give my regards to Shiseki...and please, keep looking for Duo."
"Can't you even tell me why?"
Trece stepped over to Mayumi, tears welling up in his emerald eyes. "Yumi...I shouldn't ever be feeling this way about a woman. There are reasons for that. And...there's someone else...Mayumi, what would Duo think if I fell in love with his sister?"
"I thought we didn't know about that one yet."
"Still...I wouldn't be able to face him. If and when we ever found him. I'm sorry, but this is good-bye."
"Oh God, please don't go." Yumi sobbed. "I thought we were friends."
"We are," he whispered. "That's why I have to go." He squeezed his eyes tightly shut around the tears. "Damn."
Mayumi brushed wetness from his own face with his sleeve.
Trece bent his head and pressed his fingers to his eyes, and came away with two small objects in his palm. He then turned and shuffled towards the door.
"Wait!" Mayumi cried in alarm. Trece did not turn around. "What's that?"
"We all have secrets we need to hide, Mayumi." he said softly. "Don't look at me."
Yumi, angry now, ran and stood between him and the door. "Don't."
Trece finally looked up and met her stare. His eyes were now a piercing colbalt-blue, hard and clear, despite the tears running down his face. "You look so much like him, Mayumi. It hurts. I'm so sorry."
Yumi's eyes widened as he was caught in the whirlpool of colbalt. Those eyes...memories were dropped on him like a ton of bricks. He knew those eyes, from somewhere, someone, long ago...he had been searching for them for so long. Suddenly everything clicked--the slicked-back hair, the colored contacts, the wiry body, long, elegant face... "Oh, God."
The world went black.
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Seki pounded up the stairs to the apartment and brushed past Trece. She did a double take. "What are you doing here so late?"
"I'm leaving." he said quietly.
Seki noticed with a gasp that his emerald eyes were now a brilliant blue. "How did you--"
"Take care of Mayumi." he said simply, pushing his hands into his coat pockets. "She's passed out."
"What? And you left her alone?" Seki sprinted up the stairs and threw the door open. Yumi was lying on the floor in a heap.
"Damn." Mustering up energy she didn't know she had left, Seki managed to get Yumi into a sitting position on the couch. "Mayumi! Hey, wake up!"
Yumi came to almost immediately. "Seki-chan? Thank God you're back!"
"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. "What happened?"
"I remembered...a lot..." Mayumi looked like he was going to burst into tears. "Oh God, I remembered! Where is he!?"
"He just left." Seki pointed out the open door. Yumi jumped up. "Wait! I've got to tell you something!"
"What?" Mayumi looked pained.
"You remembered everything?"
"I think so."
"Does that mean I have to call you Duo now?" she questioned.
The American offered her a grin and shrugged. "Whatever you like."
With that, he was gone.
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He couldn't have gotten far, Duo reflected. I wasn't out for very long, was I?
Grimly he poured on more speed. Far ahead a lone figure in a black jacket was walking slowly, head bent, duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Duo's heart leaped.
The tears were coming again, but Duo didn't care. His legs were burning and his face numbed by the cold wind. The figure turned in surprise. With a cry of releif Duo threw himself into Trece's arms, shaking and mumbling and pleading under his breath that he had been right. Trece, eyes flashing in annoyance and happiness at the same time, looked down at the bundle of chestnut he held. "Mayumi. What do you want?" he asked coldly.
"What do I want? I want you." Duo pushed Trece back until they stood under the shadows of a large tree.
"I told you--"
"There's more," he whispered. "I want the truth, Heero Yuy."
The man gasped in surprise. "How did you--"
"Don't recognize me?" Duo purred. "I didn't even recognize myself."
"Mayumi--"
"Shh." Duo pressed a finger to his lips and stripped off his turtleneck and padding-shirt. Heero continued to stare at the ground. Duo brought his fingers under Heero's chin and lifted it to meet his violet stare. "Better now?" His voice was low and husky, the rich baritone hoarse from crying.
Heero stiffened in shock. "D-Duo?"
"One and the same." he threw his arms around Heero again, and this time Heero returned the embrace. "I can't beleive you were looking for me for all that time. I thought Relena had gotten you."
"I've been hiding from everything for the last ten years, it seems--even myself. Duo--this is incredible. What happened!?"
"I heard about the rumors and went to look for you on L4...Wu-man's here on the colony too, he set me up with a disguise and an identity. Got a great kick out of dressing me up like an onna. On the way back from L4, though, the shuttle went down and Seki-chan and I were the only ones that made it through. I lost my ID and they couldn't figure out who I was, and I bashed my head during the accident and got amnesia. Seki let me stay with her even after she found out I wasn't really a girl. And...you know the rest of the story."
"I'd been looking for you for so long..." Heero breathed. "I thought I'd never find you, and then I met Seki and thought you might have had a sister that could help us find you...I never realizied that you were Mayumi. I just couldn't stand to stare at her, because she reminded me of you and what I'd lost..."
"Oh God, Heero, has it really been that long? I was good at hiding...but I was afraid I'd never find you. It looks like you're better at hiding than me."
"Well, I was hiding from Relena." Heero laughed bitterly.
Duo shivered and pressed closer to the Japanese man. "I think you can be forgiven for that. Provided you never run off like that again."
"Ah, Duo. With you around, do you really think that's going to be a problem?"
EPILOGUE:
Shiseki Tezuka lost her patience with the door and swiftly kicked it open. "I know you're in there!" she cried. "What kind of a greeting is this? I've been gone three weeks!"
Music blasted from the general direction of the living room, but at the volume it was at it was kind of hard to tell. The phone was ringing faintly in the hallway and Seki hit a button and mouthed the word 'hello.'
Quatre was on the other end of the video feed, wincing at the sound that had just come out of his speakers. "Hello, Shiseki-san."
"Hey, Quatre!" she said loudly. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, thanks." Trowa edged into the picture and gave Seki a solemn wave, which she returned. The Arab continued, "Can you get Duo for me please?"
Taking a minute to read the blonde man's lips, Seki nodded. "If I can find him!" She pressed the hold button and dropped her bag on the porch floor.
The living room was the source of the pounding music, as guessed, and Seki snapped it off with finality. Upstairs, yelling was coming from one of the bedrooms, but it sounded more like a cry of terror and was accompanied by the maniacal laugher of an unfamiliar voice.
The screaming stopped rather abruptly as Seki cautiously climbed the stairs. To her left the bathroom door opened and Heero calmly walked out, nodding in greeting to Seki. He had stopped wearing the colored contacts now, and his messy bangs fell in his eyes. Seki nodded back, and jerked a thumb at the bedroom where the noises were coming from.
Heero smiled slightly and threw the door open, and two pairs of inquisitive eyes looked up to greet the newcomers. Duo was tied to a chair in the middle of the room, yelling something, but the sounds were muffled by the presence of his long braided hair wrapped around his mouth as a makeshift gag. Another man, Chinese by origin, stood with his arms crossed nearby, watching Duo's plight in amusement.
Heero gestured at the stranger. "Seki, this is Chang Wufei, a friend of ours." Seki smiled at the man. Duo looked at her with pleading eyes.
"What'd he do?" Seki questioned, looking at Duo.
"The baka put honey in my shampoo." Wufei said angrily.
Heero smirked.
"This isn't the way to treat guests, Maxwell!" Wufei spat. "Next time, I'm stuffing the braid
down your throat!"
"Just so you know," Seki said dryly, "the phone rang and I answered it while you two were busy killing each other. It's for Duo."
The American smiled in triumph and nodded at Heero, who began to untie him. Wufei glared at the two. "Bah."
Seki grinned. "Looks like I've got a captive audience here. I came by to tell you that I just got back from Earth, the Vice Foreign Minister's been forced to step down from her position."
Duo had managed to remove the braid from impeding his speech. "Relena? Why?"
"Apparantly she's being forced to undergo psychiatric assesment, among other things," Seki laughed. "Either way, it's gonna be in the paper tomorrow. I figured I'd let you guys know."
"Thanks, Seki-chan." Duo grinned maliciously, rubbing his wrists. "Sorry about that, Wu-man."
"Shut up, Maxwell." Wufei said tiredly.
"Oh-ho! Don't wear out your welcome, friend!" Duo bounced out of the room, muttering something about using glue next time. Wufei gave chase, howling, and Heero and Seki followed. When they reached the bottom of the stairs Duo was calmly speaking into the phone while Wufei held his katana at the American's throat. Quatre and Trowa didn't seem the least bit put off by this scene.
Duo threw a thumbs-up at Seki. "Quatre just told me about the thing with Relena too. Hee hee! Looks like we don't have to worry about her finding us now!"
"She's probably still trying to find out who stayed in the hotel room next to mine on L4," Seki laughed. "Quatre, did she contact your people?"
Quatre nodded in response. "She did, but I took out all the records from that day. She'll never figure it out."
Duo glomped Heero in joy. "Ding-dong, the Peacecraft's gone!"
"You make it sound like she's dead or something."
Duo shrugged. "Feh. he wouldn't have found us anyway, eh, Trece?"
Heero rolled his eyes. "Don't call me that."
"Fine then, Hee-chan!"
Seki had expected resistance from this nickname too, but Heero did not protest. He merely nodded to Quatre and stepped out of the viewfield.
Quatre smiled warmly and said good-bye before cutting the transmission, promising to call back sometime when things were less hectic. Seki wondered idly when he'd find a time like *that.*
Duo looked over in surprise. "What happened to my music?"
Wufei sighed. "Perhaps it melted from you playing it so much."
"Noooo!" Duo let go of Heero and bounded into the living room, where he returned the music to its previous ear-splitting level. Wufei howled and held his ears in pain before yanking out the katana yet again and giving chase.
Heero followed, shaking his head. Another normal day at the Maxwell-Yuy house.
With a knowing smile, Seki shuffled some papers from her bag and lay them on the dining room table. On the side of the article was a picture of Relena Darlian-Peacecraft, mad as hell and screaming at the camera. Seki figured Duo might want to blow it up and use it for dart practice, or something equally creative. She left the story there and stepped over the pile of shoes in the porch, looking for the ones she had just removed.
Some things never change, she had to admit. Duo was just as messy in the new house as he'd been when he was staying with Seki, but she knew he was a lot happier living here with Heero. Those sparkling violet eyes were always so alive, and they lit up at Seki's frequent visits. Of course, Duo spent a good chunk of time at Seki's apartment next door as well, claiming that Seki was a better cook than Heero. Heero usually followed his lively koibito, and Seki had no problem having them over for dinner once or twice--or three or four times--a week. The three of them had gotten to be good friends since Heero and Duo had found each other.
With a smile, Seki called a lighthearted "Good-bye!" upstairs, and Heero was the only one who answered, giving her a satisified nod from the kitchen doorway. Seki caught sight of a flash of chestnut running around the spacious room, Wufei in hot pursuit. Seki waved again and pulled the door shut behind her, cutting off the pounding music and the yelling from inside.
She gathered a bit of snow in her cold hand and shaped it into a ball before unlocking the door to her apartment. She carried the fistful of snow to the kitchen window and observed what was going on next door. Wufei and Duo still seemed to be running around in the kitchen until the Chinese boy finally caught the fkying chestnut braid with his fingertips, bringing both of them to a stop.
Seki opened the window and leaned out, leveling it at her next-door neighbours. A moment later the latter window opened and Duo stuck his braided head out, releasing the music into the streets again.
"Leaving so soon?" he called.
"Aren't you guys coming over tonight?" she shot back.
Duo thought this over for a moment. "Oh yeah. Maybe we could do karaoke, Wu-man'll love that." Ignoring the screams of rage from behind him, Duo waved gaily at his friend. "Bai bai!"
Seki shook her head in disbelief and waved back. "See you tonight, then! Catch you later!"
Duo grinned and closed the window, shutting off the the ruckus once again. Seki rolled her eyes and cast a backward glance at the large house, wondering how Duo was going to talk his way out of this one.
She figured he'd manage somehow. He always did. And Seki wouldn't trade her friends for anything else in the world, even if they were a little odd.
Then again, the young journalist reflected, she really couldn't say much could she?
Seki smiled at the grey sky and the falling snow, and closed the window gently. It was good to be home, she had to admit. Good to see her friends again.
"Catch you later." she whispered. "It's nice to be home."
Some things never changed.
~OWARI!!!!
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Shi-chan: It's ooooover!
Duo: Hey, I was in the story after all!
Shi-chan: .....