29-July-2000
Title: Mission Arcadia
bonnejean & vonceia *present*Category: yaoi, AU
RavynFyre & Kateri Marie
in The B&V Guest Authors Series!
Duo - words, thoughts, actions - RavynFyre
Heero - words, thoughts actions - Kateri Marie
Rip & Jack, Their World and General Production - bonnejeanne & vonceia
Kenny said nothing since Duan clearly understood the message.
Duo shook his head, sighing mightily as he watched the exchange.
"Note to self... Invest in Extra Body Conditioner. We're gonna need it."
Heero eyed the braid temptingly but refused to give in and looked back to Rip. "We need to contact our friends."
Rip's eyebrow went up. "Um? Want to go home?"
"Well... umm.. Not really. That's kinda why we need to contact them. Unless you've somehow magically erased all memory of us from them already," Duo replied, his tone laughing.
Rip's eyes widened as Duo said 'not really', and he looked at Heero. Then he glanced back, tilting his head. "No... we haven't... do you want...? Oh, you're joking! Ha ha! Good one. Don't want to go back yet... how very nice! So why do you want to contact your friends?"
Duo glanced up at Heero a little nervously, wondering if he might have spoken out of turn. He cocked his head to one side, eyes narrowed in silent query.
Heero moved his head about a quarter inch in a move that was supposed to be a negative. Then he brought the full intensity of his eyes onto Rip, "They deserve that much from us."
Rip blinked. "Um... why? When you do go back... we can have you arrive about five minutes after you left. Before that even, if it matters..."
Heero shook his head a little more emphatically in case Rip couldn't read heero-ese. "But we're here now. And they have to deal with now."
Rip tilted his head. "Define 'now'..."
"How long will you let us stay before you get sick enough of us to kick us out?" Duo asked.
"That's easier," Rip said. "You can stay as long as you wish. You wouldn't be the first. Mayor Shane isn't from this universe. Several other people here are not. They decided to stay. As long as your presence doesn't threaten the children, we don't care." he grinned. Then he tilted his head. "We will be going back to your world. Something to take care of there. If you wish, I could take a message. Or I can bring them here.... of course... some things have prices."
Heero cocked an eyebrow eloquently.
"What kind of prices?" Duo asked, unconsciously shuffling to stand near the children and dropping a hand on their shoulders protectively.
Rip smiled. "It's just a little custom... we are not a bus. Don't want people taking for granted. Next thing you know everyone's asking for a little trip to the next dimension for some shopping... not a good idea. Jack and I get no rest or fun. You understand. Used to be a favor for a favor. You've already done a big one. You have a bit of an account. Just know it doesn't last forever or cover everything. Can't. Not trying to be unfriendly..."
Heero inclined his head in acceptance, as if that were an obvious fact and then stated, "We intended to stay to help."
Rip's expression for a very brief moment dropped the customary manic grin. Very briefly. Big brown eyes blinked and the smile was quite a different one but it only lasted a second. "Extraordinary," he muttered softly. Then he turned around in a circle as if thinking.
"You may find this ridiculous but we have had heroes and do-gooders here from many dimensions... none of them... just wanted... to help."
Then he grinned. "Good thing I'm so nasty, that might have gotten me all choked up. So you want to tell your friends... what?"
Heero turned blue eyes to Duo, knowing that his own phrasing would be too curt to make them understand.
Rip watched and then said. "What if little Quatre came for a little visit... how would that suit you?"
Heero weighed it for a moment, then looked at Duo and nodded just slightly, the hint of a question in his eyes.
Duo nodded back. Quatre would understand. And, provided Rip and Jack let him remember, he could make the others understand too.
"That'd be great. Whad'ya say, Kenny?"
Kenny nodded.
"So... um... I'm prolly just being nosy here... But what do you have to take care of back in our home turf?"
Rip grinned. "You asked once how this world got this way. Told you an artifact, hmmm?"
"Yeah... and you mentioned something once about 'Saving our peace'?" Duo replied, cocking his head again as he leaned on the back of the couch he was standing behind.
"The artifact... like with some people..." Rip said, glancing at the young kids. "Has a counterpart in... most of the places we have visited. Too many to tell you all of them. In each place, it has some influence. Not nice. In some places whole planets and empires fall. In others... it seems to have less power... only nations are ruined. It's... become our hobby, Jack's and mine... to hunt it. We've killed it several times." He looks at Duo. "There's one in your world. I've seen its effects. You've managed to defeat its design but it will not be defeated for long."
"What effects?" Duo asked warily.
Heero's eyes swirled darkly with suspicions and without his notice, his muscles tensed into almost a fighting guard.
"Um.... the... Alliance? And that Oz group? What was that all about? War for peace? Rather ridiculous, really. The actions of those who caused these events... do they seem inexplicable? The artifact exerts an influence on human minds." Rip said.
Duo's eyes grew wide, and a single word escaped him in a hushed whisper.
"Zero."
Heero's fists clenched automatically as he heard his suspicions spoken aloud and his eyes flashed at Rip.
Rip looked at Duo. "Hmmm... perhaps. I favor that other one... the red suit... oooh that one smells of the Serpent to me... and I know the scent."
Duo shook his head, coming back to himself with a rush.
"Not the suit. The system," he murmured, shuddering as he remembered how it had twisted his own thoughts.
"The Zero system." Heero said flatly, feeling his every muscle coil up into tight springs at the memory of it. He'd thought he was done with it... But its ghost was as haunting as Treize's.
"You flew that thing, didn't you? Epyon..." Duo asked his partner, watching his reactions closely.
"Hai." The word was ground out through clenched teeth.
Duan reached up and took Duo's hand, holding it tightly to ward off the frights.
Duo glanced down sharply, his features softening as he met the young boy's eyes. His hand flexed gently against Duan's shoulder, in acknowledgement and thanks. His eyes narrowed, and he glanced very quickly at Heero, and then back to Duan.
"So. You're going back there to take care of it, ne?" Duo asked, glancing back up at Rip.
Rip nodded. "Going hunting." He smiled. It was rather clear that few things actually presented Rip with a challenge. Hunting some mysterious artifact capable of destroying worlds apparently was one of the few things to fall into that category.
Duo's eyes suddenly narrowed, watching Rip's expression grow even more feral. He thought back to how Rip had neatly dispatched that soldier outside of the base they'd demolished, and then glanced sharply down at the boys sitting on the couch in front of him. As he looked back up at Rip, there were a dozen questions in his eyes, but none he'd give voice to. He simply nodded.
Rip sighed. "If you want to know more about it - you should talk to Jack. He can tell you anything you want. We're going after it. At first we had you and your friends spotted as possible help in the hunt. You seemed to be already aligned against it. But if you prefer to stay, that is no problem. Perhaps your friends will help."
"Exchange of services." Heero muttered when his control finally unclenched his jaw.
Rip shrugged. "*We're* not do-gooders. But the thing..." he glanced at Heero. "It made us what we are... and patricide has always appealed to me."
At that, Heero couldn't help the slightly malicious grin that spread over his face. He'd never thought to find a similarity in the strange man.
Duan tugged at Duo's hand to draw his attention.
Duo glanced down at the boys, eyes curious.
"Yessum, young master?"
"Come here!" Duan whispered crooking a finger at Duo.
Duo's expression grew curious as he flipped his upper body over the edge of the back of the couch to lean close to the young braided boy.
Duan glanced quickly at Kenny, then back to Duo. "You gotta help em," he said seriously. "Me and Kenny will be ok, here."
Kenny looked sharply at Duan and then looked down at his knees, controlling his face, but not fast enough to keep a look of sheer terror from passing over it for less than a second.
"Maybe you will... But... I- I'm not sure if... If I would," Duo whispered, his face tight as he confided in the pair.
Rip looked at the boys, then at Heero and Duo. "Hmmm... nothing needs to be decided this instant. I've things to check on. You should take some time. Oh.... Reg will be along sometime soon," he said to Heero. He went to the door.
"You might think of getting some fresh air," he said, nodding to the four. "We're around... just ask someone if you want to see Jack or me. And we'll be at the party this evening. It's a block party, as most Arcadian parties are. Um... will that do?"
Heero nodded, forcing the last of the tension from his body, unclenching his fists by sheer force of will. "Fine."
Rip nodded, and grinned at Duo before making it out the door.
Heero waked over to his lover, a few muscles trembling imperceptibly in protest against the sudden strain and equally sudden release. He ruffled Kenny's hair slightly as he stood behind the two boys, beside Duo. He looked over at Duo, an eyebrow raised in question.
"Hn... Ya know what I think?" Duo asked, tossing a significant look accompanied by a wink at the boys before he stood up to face Heero.
"I'm sure you'll tell me." Heero said dryly, but a smile lurked in his eyes.
Duo reached down, offering Kenny and Duan a hand up.
Duan stood and pulled Kenny up with him.
"I think..." Duo began, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"I think it's GROUP HUG TIME! Heero in the middle!" he crowed as he glomped the Japanese boy.
Kenny blinked, then obeyed, putting his arms around the big boy.
"Kenny too!" Duan screeched then moved around and grabbed Duo's arms as he attempted to do as Duo had.
"Sugoi!" Duo crowed.
Kenny whispered in Duan's ear, "Nah.. he needs it this time!"
"Sugoi!" Duan chimed in, then re-adjusted to glomp onto Heero tightly.
Heero blinked for a moment at the feeling and then tried to wrap his arms around all three of them in return. It felt awkward... but good. "Thank you." He whispered to the boys, the words echoing in his eyes as he glanced up at Duo.
Duo nodded imperceptibly, all of his love and understanding there in his violet gaze. He tightened his grip on his partner jut a fraction, his expression clearly denying the need for thanks. Not after everything Heero had ever done for him.
Heero smiled slightly, in a way that was almost self-depreciating but he didn't deny the hold. Instead he leaned into ever so slightly before pulling away. "Fresh air." He repeated Rip's words while he tried to salvage his control.
"You don't need to thank your family, Heero!" Duan offered merrily.
Duo grinned down at Duan proudly.
Kenny nodded, releasing his arms when Heero moved back but letting his hand hold onto the bigger boy's hand for an extra few seconds before letting go.
Heero smiled a little bigger, an amazing sight, as he brushed some bangs out of Duan's face. "I'll try and remember." Then he reached down and grabbed Kenny's hand once more. "Let's see about that air."
"Sugoi," Kenny said softly.
Duo smiled sadly at the boy's answer. Maybe someday, between them all, they'd be able to get Heero to loosen up enough to say that word. Of course, if that ever did happen, Duo would probably die of a heart attack.
"Wonder if there's any wind today? I gotta teach all you gloomy Gusses to fly a kite!"
"Yay!" Duan screamed, grabbing Duo's hand again and squeezing it. "Come on, then! We can tell you about the King! And show you the tunnels!"
"Fresh air, baka," Kenny muttered.
A low chuckle escaped Heero as he watched the two boys. "Nimou ryoukai." He said.
Duan stuck his tongue out at Kenny briefly, then giggled.
Duo chuckled, grabbing Duan's hand and sprinting to the door.
"Last one down's a rotten egg!" Duo yelled, tossing a conspiratorial look at Heero.
"Baka." Heero said lightly, glancing down at Kenny to warn him, before taking off just as fast.
Kenny bolted at Heero's heels.
"Yeah.. well, if I'm the baka, then why is it that YOU have the egg down your pants?"
Heero eyed the braid flapping behind his lover. This time he was NOT going to spare him at all.
Duo stopped dead in his tracks, tucking his body low. He knew better after baiting his predictable lover like THAT!
Now the question was... how predictable had he, himself gotten?
Heero waited until he saw Duo stop, then dove at his lover, tackling him very efficiently. "You lose." He said quickly.
"Damn! You were supposed to sprint past me, Mr. Perfect-Can't-Lose-A-Challenge-Soldier," Duo muttered as they rolled to the floor.
Kenny dashed past the two, caught up with Duan and passed him, going full out. He hit the elevator door and punched the call button, then whirled, placing himself in front of the door.
Duan caught up and stood behind Kenny, breathing hard. "Well, we're not last!" he said.
Kenny faced Duan. "Have to get past me to get in," he said in a low voice.
Duan's mouth opened wide. "You traitor!" he declared.
"Am not," Kenny growled. He eyed Duan's ticklish sides menacingly.
"Stop!" Duan called out. Even the thought of being tickled made him ticklish. He waited for the door to open and tried to keep an eye on his friend as well.
The door opened and sure enough Duan would have to get past Kenny to get inside. Kenny eyed his friend, then moved very slightly to one side, as if offering and opening.
Duan dashed for the opening as quickly as he could.
Kenny let Duan get beside him and then grabbed for his sides, bringing him to the floor of the elevator in a tangle of arms and legs as he began to tickle the little braided boy unmercifully. The shrieks rose.
Heero glanced up at the noises, just in time to see Kenny ambush Duan and grinned down at his lover, the idea jumping over to his brain. His eyes glinted and then his hands came up, attacking every ticklish spot he knew his lover had, mercilessly, ruthlessly.
Duo's own shrieks of laughter and panic filled the hallway as he squirmed every which way he could in an attempt to get free.
Heero relished his lover's squirming and shrieking but knew they couldn't play long. The elevator would not wait forever. So while Duo writhed beneath him, he grabbed the end of the flying braid and wrapped it securely around his hand. "Up. Time to go." He said, hiding a grin as he tugged on the braid.
"What? I'm- a prisoner- of war... here?" Duo gasped between breaths.
"Mine." Heero said succinctly, dragging Duo towards the elevator by his braid.
"Itai! Itai! Itai!" Duo hissed, hopping along in Heero's wake.
The minute both older boys were in the elevator, Kenny left Duan gasping on the floor and punched the button for the lobby.
"Yer both a pair of sadists, ya know that," Duo muttered sullenly, although his eyes were sparkling with mirth.
"Have to be, with you around." Heero responded rolling his eyes ever so slightly.
Duan stood up from the floor and leaned against Duo's leg to catch his breath. "We'll get em, later." he managed, winking up at Duo.
"Try." Heero dared, eyeing the smaller boys ticklish arms with relish.
"Duo save me!" Duan cried, running behind the older boy.
Heero looked at Kenny and jerked his head towards Duo.
"You blind?" Kenny muttered to Duan. "He can't..." Then he grinned at Duo and shrugged apologetically. He tilted his head at Heero, trying to suss out the signal.
"Was that... a joke- you were trying to crack there, Kenny?" Duo gasped in mock astonishment.
Heero used Duo's momentary distraction and flicked his hand at Kenny. Then he lunged.
Duo, expecting such a maneuver, backpedaled away from Heero, shoving Duan behind him into a corner and shielding the smaller boy from the other two's assault.
Kenny squirmed around Duo's legs, getting a hand around long enough to grab a swinging pendulum of hair... Duan's.
"Ow! Oh no!" Duan cried out, giggling as he went down.
Instead of going for Duo's sides, like he knew his lover expected, Heero let his hands drop at the last moment, going for the spot on Duo's thighs that made every ticklish child immediately scream with laughter as they doubled over on the floor.
"YOU FIEND!" Duo yelled, his legs giving out under him at the attack. He couldn't stop the giggles and laughs from coming. His body wasn't obeying him any more. It was a good thing no one from Oz ever figured out that he was ticklish. He'd have given them his own grandmother if they had.
"Duan... sorry... donefor..." he managed to gasp.
At that moment the elevator opened at the lobby. A small group of people looked in surprise and then most of the grinned.
Kenny pulled Duan out, clearing the way for the other two.
Heero stood, straightening his clothes slightly with a smug look flitting across his face. Then he reclaimed Duo's braid, "Now come quietly. Or else." And the look of pure menace on his face left no doubt as to what the or else would be.
"Yessir," Duo panted, struggling to his feet. His knees still felt a little watery. "Whatever you say, sir."
"Hi Faun!" Duan called out.
Faun waved. "Hi kids!"
"Yeah... all four of us," Duo muttered, eyeing Heero with a little look of triumph of his own.
"Hn." Heero grunted suspiciously.
But then he shook his head, seeing what his lover had gotten him to do. "Baka." he said fondly, tugging on Duo's braid to pull him a little closer.
"Professional baka for hire," Duo smirked.
"We'll talk rates later," he added, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively.
Kenny released Duan's braid and grabbed his hand instead. He looked up at Duo. "Um.... the Mayor said... kites were at the library. Wanna go there?" he asked, his eyes offering a mute apology for the double-teaming.
"You bet!" Duo said, winking to show he hadn't minded.
The two boys led the Heero and Duo out of the Hyatt towards the library across the street. There were small groups of people outside who turned to greet them as the passed by. Duan and Kenny recognized some of the kids as being from the group that had escaped from the base.
A few feet ahead, Duan called out to a familiar friend, one that the older boys had met at the base. "Hey, Sallah!" he called, then saw his friend. "Wufan!"
The woman turned in the direction of the voice calling her name and smiled. Her hair was twisted into three braids that fell over her shoulders.
"Hi guys!" she called back, glancing up at the two older boys as well. Heero and Duo could see the relief in her face as she looked down at Kenny.
Kenny nodded.
Heero moved closer to Kenny, letting a hand stray to his shoulder even as a grunt of mild greeting left his mouth.
"That would be Heero for 'Good morning,'" Duo translated merrily.
Sallah's smile widened as she leaned down. "I got that," she said.
Duan walked over and gave her a hug. "We're gonna fly kites." he said.
Sallah nodded approvingly. "Kites are good. There are lots of them in the library." she said, squeezing the little boy, then letting him go.
"So we've been told. That's where we're headed now. Care to join us?" Duo asked brightly.
"Wufan!" she said, looking around for her son.
The little boy with the glasses appeared next to her, carrying a small stack of books. "Mother," he answered, looking and Duan and Kenny and nodding.
"Duan and Kenny are going to fly kites. Are you interested?" Sallah asked.
Wufan smiled, then looked down. "Yes," he answered, quietly. Then he looked up at the two older boys.
"Cool! Let's go then!"
"Hai." Heero said approvingly.
Sallah took Wufan's books and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then shooed him off to go with the other boys.
With that, the little group moved towards the City Library.
The library was a large square building with glass sides. They could see several floors and a lobby that reached up to the top of the building. In the vaulted ceiling were many, many kits of different sizes and shapes, hanging with brightly colored tails and streamers.
Duo's eyes grew as wide as saucers as he peered up at them. He was still enough a kid himself to appreciate the splendor hanging so beautifully from the ceiling.
"Sugoi," he breathed softly.
Kenny looked up, his eyes wide also. He'd never seen a kite before and could only guess from Duo's reaction that the bright objects he was seeing where the mysterious object in question.
Duan smiled, scoping out which one he wanted. "I like the skull one!" he said cheerfully.
"The dragon is nice," Wufan said, quietly.
Kenny didn't say anything but his eyes lit on one that was painted with a blue bird with outstretched wings.
"They.... fly..." he whispered, suddenly understanding the references Duo had made before.
Duo nodded emphatically, his gaze darting about for someone in authority.
"You bet they fly."
A tall woman of about forty-five came up, smiling gently.
"Hello," she said. "I'm Wilma, the Librarian. You look as if you would like to take out some of our kites..."
Duo nodded emphatically again, a wide and infectious grin dancing across his face.
Wilma looked closely at the two older boys. She had not seen teenagers in many years and she'd heard the stories circulating - that these two had saved the city from a menace. She noted the very serious demeanor of the one with deeper blue eyes and shorter hair. She nodded to herself.
"Of course," she said. She motioned the group to come over to the wide front desk. Taking a set of small cards, each printed with the word "kite", she placed then on the counter. "Pick out the ones you want to take. Then write the name of the kite and your name on the card." She pointed to a series of buttons behind the counter. "Tell me which ones and I'll get them down for you."
Heero nodded slight thanks, putting hand on his lover's arm so he could at least keep track of him.
Duo glanced over at Heero and smiled, shaking his head minutely.
"This is for them. And you," he whispered, leaning close.
Duo suddenly saw a kite among the others... it was painted blue but had the figure of a white bird, like an dove, with feathery outstretched wings across the paper.
"Course... There's no reason I shouldn't..." he murmured, softly.
Heero sighed to himself. he knew where that was going.
End of Part 14
bonnejeanne & vonceia present
RavynFyre and Kateri Marie
Please feel free to direct feedback to any or all of the authors!
ravynfyre@hotmail.com,
nacl3salaris@hotmail.com,
vonceia@yahoo.com,
bonnejeanne@yahoo.com.