23-Aug-2000
Title: Mission Arcadia
bonnejean & vonceia *present* RavynFyre & Kateri MarieCategory: yaoi, AU
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 led the small group to the Presidential Suite and used the pass card to unlock the door. He came in and called out, "We're here!"
This was to give the older boys a chance to be ready for them. Kenny was an observant little boy.
"Hn!" Echoed back from the bedroom as Heero slid into a pair of jeans.
Wufan looked around the suite with interest. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and tried to memorize everything he saw.
Tryan stood nearby with his arms folded over his chest. He had changed into a white t-shirt and jeans.
"Yeah, we're back!!!" Duan called.
Duo sauntered out of the bedroom in jeans and his white t-shirt. He wiggled his bare toes in the plush carpet unconsciously as he grinned down at the assembled group.
"Hey, Duan... you seen my brush?" he asked, shaking out the remains of his unraveled braid.
"Yeah," Duan called, running to retrieve the brush. In no time at all, he scampered back, handing it to Duo.
"Thanks, kiddo. So... How was the world domination?" he asked cheerfully as he started to wrestle with his mane of hair.
Heero appeared silently behind Duo and took the brush from his lover's hand. Drawing the long strands of chestnut hair to the back, he started to gently pull the brush down them. He could almost hear Duo purr as they listened for the younger boys answer.
Kenny took one look around and disappeared into on of the bedrooms, returning in very short order.... without the fancy clothes, which were a bit dirty anyway from the chores they had been doing. He was wearing the bike shorts and tank top again and looked extremely satisfied without actually having much of an expression.
Heero's lips twitched up, which for him passed for an all out grin, as he took in the youngster's outfit.
Wufan's mouth opened wide and he moved to where Duo stood. Reaching out, he collected some of Duo's hair in his hand. "Wow," he exclaimed. "It's ... real," he said, then moved back.
Duan laughed. "Yeah, and it tangles too," he said.
Tryan watched the two older boys with some interest, but did not say anything.
"Yeah. It tangles..." Duo sighed absently, reveling in Heero's ministrations.
Heero ran a hand through Duo's hair, savoring the feel of it running through his fingers. He could understand why everyone here was so fascinated with Duo's hair. It was a particular obsession of his own as well.
He finished with one last stroke of the brush and started to divide the hair into three parts, looking back down at the kids, "You still haven't answered the question."
Duo halted Heero mid-part and waved him away.
"Leave it down," he murmured, moving to plop into a seat on the couch. Once seated, he speared the group with a pleasantly inquiring glance.
"Haven't finished it yet," Duan said, answering Duo's earlier question and waved Wufan and Tryan over to sprawl on the floor with him.
The other two boys followed suit and sat.
Kenny leaned against the wall crossing his arms. "Our part is going okay," he said, looking at Heero. "Yours?"
Heero looked at Kenny, almost rueful admiration appearing in his eyes as he saw the boy mirror his own favorite posture. He stopped himself from raising his own arms up to his chest and settled for stuffing them in the pockets of his jeans as he grunted.
"Hmmm. Interesting. So... Ya gonna tell me what you were up to then, my conniving micro psycho?" Duo asked Duan with a cheerful grin.
Duan looked around to the others, in turn, then back to Duo. "I'll trade ya," he said. "Otherwise, you gotta wait till we're done." he answered, with a grin of this own.
Duo's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"So whaddya wanna know then?"
"Thought you wanted to ask Tryan some questions," Kenny said.
Heero raised an eyebrow as he looked at Kenny then turned the blue gaze on Tryan. The interrogation of Duan could wait.
"We need to know about the base." He said simply.
Tryan looked up at Heero, emerald eyes and face impassive. "It's about a half day from here. What do you want to know specifically?" he asked.
"Guards? Arms? For a start." Heero returned the boy's impassive gaze with one of his own, one that had been perfected for two of Tryan's lifetimes.
Kenny said, "It's a lot like ours. They have weapons and they might have suits too. He didn't see that much of it. Best bet is to contact the other kid."
"Tell us about him," Duo asked.
Tryan tilted his head. His normally impassive look broke for a moment and he swallowed. "His name is Carter and he's very nice. He showed me some things and told me about the base. I don't think he's happy at all there," he said, then looked down. "I.. I wish we could have taken out too, but.. we had to leave him. He helped us."
Watching the expression change, Wufan looked down blinked a lot. He remembered the base where he had been before and understood.
Duo nodded, absorbing what Tryan was saying... and what he wasn't saying.
"How did he help you guys?" he asked gently.
Tryan squirmed a little. Looking up, he set his shoulders, pulling himself as together as he knew how. Professionals did not fall apart and he was a pro. "Carter told us which way to travel. He showed us the way out of the base and distracted the guards so we could get away." he said. "We owe him."
Heero assimilated the information quickly and looked down at Tyran with a strategic gleam in his eyes. "How many guards?"
Tryan looked up at Heero and thought for a moment. "I saw about thirty people, but I think there were more," he said.
Heero's eyes narrowed slightly, "Civilians? Or soldiers?"
It was a two-fold question and one that only someone who knew what to look for would be able to answer.
Tryan's brow furrowed. "We were the civilians," he said. "All of the people at the base belonged there," he said.
Heero nodded once, satisfied, and turned to other matters. "Would you remember the way in?"
"Yes," Tryan said.
An approving look flitted across Heero's face as he turned to Duo with eyebrow cocked for an opinion. Duo had plenty of those.
Duo nodded as he also absorbed all the information. His gaze turned thoughtful, inward, for a few long moments. Then he leaned back against the couch lazily.
"Hmm. So. Tell me... Where were you guys planning on stealing your transport from, anyway?" he drawled, peeking through his bangs to glance at Kenny and Duan.
Duan looked up at Duo. "We hadn't gotten that far yet. We were..." he began.
Kenny threw Duan a look. Almost a... glare.
Glancing at Kenny, Duan sighed and placed his hands on his hips. "What?!" he said, then sighed and folded his arms over his chest.
Heero stifled a smile but let Duo handle the interrogation.
Kenny said quietly, "I had. They have vehicles in a garage under one of the buildings here."
Wufan looked at Kenny and nodded.
Tryan smiled.
Duo crossed his arms over his chest and sighed in an almost bored fashion.
"And you figured no one would notice you guys just taking off in them?" he asked.
"After all... aren't you guys all a little... hmm... short?" Duo asked, trying to bite back the humorous smile.
"We hadn't decided to go yet," Kenny said.
"Why don't I really believe that?" Duo sighed. "Would you have honestly stayed behind?" he asked quietly.
Duan looked up at Duo. There was a decided frown on his features. "Are you calling us a liar?" he asked, seriously.
"No. I'm wondering if you really would have been able to force yourselves to stay behind," Duo replied, just as seriously.
"Ok," Duan said standing. "That isn't what it was. We asked questions because we didn't know what *you* were gonna do. You never said." The look of seriousness changed to one of seriously sad.
Duo shifted forward, sitting on the edge of the sofa and leaning his arms on his knees. He speared the boys with an earnest, and almost pleading look.
"That's because we don't want you guys involved in this. We don't want you guys to get hurt..."
"Problem is... I don't think it's going to work that way, is it?" he asked softly.
Duan looked to Kenny, then back to Duo with a sniffle. He didn't want to break down in front of the others, but this was tough. "I don't know what that last part means, but I know the first part. You don't want us, fine!" he said, wiping his nose with his sleeve.
Kenny walked over to Duan, and stood in front of him, covering him from the room with his back. He didn't say anything, just grabbed his hand. He waited until Duan had a grip on himself. Then he moved back and stood beside Duan.
"I know that's not what it means," he said quietly. "But if you didn't come back... we wouldn't know why."
"Whoa! Hold on a sec, there partner," Duo exclaimed, rising to his feet.
He walked over to where Duan stood and knelt in front of him, meeting his eyes squarely, and trying to fill them with all the intensity of his attachment to the boy.
"You got it all wrong... I- We- damnit.. We just found you guys... Do you- " Duo sighed explosively, still trying to order his thoughts. He looked down at his shaking hands and shook his head.
"I just don't want to lose anyone else I care about, okay?" he whispered quietly to Duan.
Heero came over to his lover's side and crouched beside him. It was almost like looking into a mirror, the two boys side by side, facing them with expressions they knew all too well. Heero squeezed Duo's shoulder briefly and then looked at Duan with a pair of determined cobalt eyes. "We want to protect you. Because we want you. We want you to stay alive and be with us. But missions are dangerous."
He fell back slightly on his heels with a sigh and turned to Kenny, locking with blue eyes for a long moment. "And sometimes... sometimes it's better not to know."
Duan's eyes widened. Before he knew it, his fist punched Heero on the arm. "It is not!" he said, determinedly. "I..I would rather see you blow up with my own eyes, than to have somebody tell me a story about how it happened. I didn't have a mom or a dad. Somebody, Helen, told me I did or else I couldn't be here. All I know is me and I can see me, so I know I'm here. That's what I believe. Me and Kenny have been here living for as long as we know. We've been scared and almost killed a million times. You can't protect us, if we're supposed to die anyway." he said, grabbing Kenny's arm and hiding his face against Kenny's shoulder.
Duo blinked stupidly a few times as he stared at the small boy. Unbidden, tears welled out of his eyes. One hand reached out, gently touching Duan's shoulder, as if he were afraid the boy might shatter into a million pieces. Or maybe he was afraid HE might shatter.
"No."
The whisper was almost inaudible.
Heero had flinched almost imperceptibly at Duan's words and he looked at the two boys with something akin to helplessness in his eyes. But then he took a deep shuddering breath, "We wanted to try."
Kenny looked at Duan, and then Heero. He could see that they were both feeling bad about everything. He didn't want them to feel bad. Duan... was tender. This was the first time he'd really had anyone to loose.
Kenny touched Heero's arm. "I know," he said quietly. "But... we're... stronger together... remember?"
The corner of Heero's mouth turned up as he nodded slightly, "Hai." He looked for a moment like he was going to say more, but he had no more words to use. "Hai."
Kenny reached out and touched Duo. "Don't be sad."
Duo blinked again, shaking his head as if he were just returning to himself as his brain registered Kenny's contact. He stared at the two boys, violet gaze bouncing from one to the other and back again.
"Then promise me you'll never leave US...." he whispered.
Kenny blinked, his eyes shining suddenly. "I promise. I was strong enough to stay with her till she was ...cold. I can be strong enough for you."
Duan sniffled, then looked at both Duo and Heero. A part of his little heart was breaking to see Duo and Heero sad, but put it aside for a moment. This was important. "I promise too," he said, "I was strong enough to stay behind... twice, three times if you count when Helen got killed. I can be strong too."
Duo leaned forward and wrapped them both in his arms, clinging to them tightly.
"I don't want you to be strong... I want you to be happy. I want you to have the chance to grow up and be happy," he uttered harshly.
Heero felt his breath escape him as he pushed himself forward onto his knees. "We'll make sure they do." He said firmly as he added his arms to the hug, encircling his lover and as much of the kids as he could.
"We gotta all be both," Duan said. "All of us have to be strong and happy when we can, or else we won't make it. We're not like the Arcadia kids. They had nice stuff."
"That's why we were thinking about taking you with us," Duo admitted.
"You guys aren't like them... You guys can take care of yourselves..." Duo said softly, still unwilling to relinquish the two.
"That's a good thing," Tryan said. "Because you're gonna need them. You asked me if there was a way to get in and there is. You're gonna need these guys."
Duo gave a short bark of laughter.
"There's a first."
"Hn." Heero grunted, as he returned to his crouch.
Wufan kept his eyes on his shoes. These were pretty private family things and he did not wish to cause offense.
"Carter made it. I got through, but I almost got stuck. He said it was how he went for quiet time." Tryan added, remembering.
Duo finally released the two boys and leaned back. He turned around on his knees and simply sat on the floor.
"Then how, do you propose, that Heero and I get in? I'm not real pleased with putting these two in the danger it's going to be bringing them along... There's NO way I'm letting them run pell mell through some place on their own!"
"Hai." Heero added emphatically with a mild glare to enforce the point.
Kenny glared back.
"Excuse me, sir," Wufan said, going against his better judgment and training.
"No. No way. Sallah will kill us... She'd just kill us," Duo said, glancing over at Wufan.
"Um," Wufan said, quietly. "I... I understand what you are saying, but please allow me to ... um.. finish?"
Heero grabbed Duo's braid and stuffed the end in his lover's mouth. Then he nodded to Wufan to go on.
Wufan cleared his throat, pushed his glasses back up on his nose and resumed. "I... I think that you, maybe both of you are thinking with your emotions. Um, I know you want to protect Kenny and Duan, but this is how they have lived and survived. I know that my mother would do everything to protect me and keep me safe.. but she lets me help her, too. If Kenny and Duan can get in, I don't think they will be playing around the place. If I'm understanding correctly, they will get in and maybe Tryan's friend Carter can tell them how to let you in and where to go," he said, ending with a little shrug. Wufan then dropped his gaze again to his shoes, bracing himself for whatever barrage would come his way. Sometimes older people didn't quite get it and that was all right too.
Heero nodded decisively. "Almost a plan." He said, with approval coloring his voice only slightly.
Kenny looked at Wufan and gave him an almost imperceptible nod of approval.
Duo reached up and gently tilted Wufan's head up until the smaller boy's eyes met his own. He cocked his head to the side and smiled. He tried to smile. First he had to spit out the braid. As the rope of hair dangled over his shoulder, he gave Wufan a lopsided grin.
"I know I'm being over protective," Duo admitted quietly.
"I'm kinda new to this whole 'parenting' thing. You don't seriously think I'm like perfect or something, do you?" he asked with a small smile and a wink.
Wufan smiled. "No," he said, honestly, "I don't think you are perfect. I like you, both of you, but you must learn to relax."
Heero snorted at the boy's words but didn't comment.
"You have something to say?" Duo asked sweetly, not even glancing over at his lover.
"Iie." Heero said aloud but couldn't resist muttering under his breath, "If that bakayoro gets any more relaxed the planet won't survive."
Duo chose to ignore his partner. For now. He simply smiled at Wufan and let his hand drop, leaning forward into a little formal bow.
"I shall take your words to heart," he said seriously.
"Or die trying," he quipped with a grin.
"Kami help us." Heero scowled over his smile. "The rest of us just might."
Wufan bowed back.
"The base is half a day away, or at least that's how long it took us to get here," Tryan said. No one had noticed that he'd found the remote and accessed the library files for maps. "I got it marked on the screen there. We came up the coastline. It's in this little valley over a hill. There are two main buildings and a small building not far away."
Heero moved over so he could see the map perfectly and nodded as he committed it to memory. Then he looked at Tryan with cocked head, asking silently if there was anything else he thought they should know.
Tryan nodded. "There are guards outside the small building and at the main gate to the base. If you get there, you have a good chance of being picked up by Carter. He knows things long before they happen," he said.
"Just things? Or things people are thinking?" Duo asked, curious, but oddly accepting of the concept.
Tryan thought for a minute. "I don't know how it works, but he feels things. Like he can feel when a person is not right.. or bad. I tried to get him to leave and he wouldn't. He wouldn't tell me what it was, but there is something at the base that he's afraid of.. really afraid."
Duo nodded, absorbing everything and weighing it carefully.
"What else can you tell us then?"
Tryan shrugged. "About the base? I don't know. I think that's all," he said.
"You said Carter helped you escape... What did they want with you guys?"
"Information," Tryan said. "We travel around and they wanted to know about the places we've been."
"Hn. You mean like us?" Duo said, a rueful grin flitting across his face quickly.
Emerald eyes locked on to Duo. "Yes," he said clearly. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Duo smiled, eyes narrowing in appraisal of the young acrobat.
"Not exactly."
Tryan nodded. "That makes sense," he said. "That would explain the softness."
"Softness?" Duo asked, cocking his head to the side in query.
"You both have that soft look when you look at Kenny and Duan. It's not like the Arcadians. It's different. You're also kinda weird. Not too old and not like the kids," Tryan said.
"Yeah. This is what you get to look forward to in ten years," Duo replied, indicating Heero and himself with a wave of his hand.
"Only, a little bit saner, one would hope," he said, tossing them all one of his trademarked manic grins.
"Baka." Heero muttered, jerking the braid slightly.
Duan reached out and gently removed Duo's braid from harm.
Duo grinned and gave Duan a wink.
"Thanks man!"
"My job, man," Duan replied. "I'm sorry I made you sad," he said quietly.
Duo took a deep breath, the mania fading from his eyes quickly to be replaced by something... softer.
"It's not you that made me sad... It's... It's what you've been through. It's what I wanna keep you from going through anymore," he said, uncertainly.
He shrugged, glancing up at the boy uncomfortably.
"It's also probably a low blood sugar," he said, slipping back into his manic grin.
Duan reached out and hugged Duo's neck. "Thank you, Duo." Duan said. "I wanna protect you too, from all the stuff you went through. You let me, ok?"
Duo returned the hug, squeezing the boy tightly.
"Okay," he said softly, "I'll try real hard."
Heero's eyes gleamed in approval and appreciation at Duan and he offered the boy a smile.
They were interrupted by a polite knock at the door.
Duo leaned back and shared a conspiratorially wink with Duan.
Duan grinned.
Duo sprang to his feet, losing valuable time just trying to get up.
Duan hit the door, grabbing the door handle. "Got it!" he called, triumphantly.
Duo slid to a halt right behind the smaller boy, a mock growl of frustration bubbling up from his throat.
"Quick little minx, aincha?"
Duan nodded. "Check it," he said.
Duo saluted, already leaning forward to glance out the peep hole.
Sallah stood outside the door.
"Hey, Wufan? Think yer busted," Duo called softly as he nodded down at Duan.
Duan opened the door. He looked up at Sallah with a big grin. "Hi Sallah!" he called.
"Hi Duan," Sallah said. "I think... is Wufan here?"
Duan nodded.
"Ma, I'm here!" Wufan called going to the door.
Sallah looked down at her son with a relieved expression. "I know I said you could stay up late for the party... but I think it's time for you to get some rest..." Then she looked around and noticed the new boy, Tryan. "Oh... are you having a... a... what is it called? A 'sleepover'?"
"Uh... is that ok with you?" Duan asked, looking up at Sallah.
Sallah looked to Heero and Duo... the nominal 'adults'
"Hn." Heero grunted affirmatively, looking to Duo briefly.
Duo tossed her a slightly cheeky grin.
"Don't worry. We promised not to blow this place up," he chuckled.
Sallah smiled. "Well... okay. But... don't stay up all night, Wufan. Promise."
Wufan moved closer to his mother. He beckoned her down with a crooked finger, for privacy.
Sallah bent close to her son.
"I will be ok," Wufan said. "But... can I go to bed when they do? I don't wanna miss stuff. I'll be good, I promise.." Leaning over, he kissed Sallah's cheek and hugged her.
Sallah sighed. She hugged her son. "Do not stay up all night," she said firmly. "Even if 'they' do. One of the things *I* don't want you to miss is a chance to grow up healthy and strong."
She kissed Wufan on the cheek and then went back to the door. "Good night, everyone."
"Good night, Ma," Wufan called.
"Good night!" Duo said.
Sighing deeply, Wufan gauged his degree of mortification and turned around. He worked it out as a question of Yin and Yang. On one hand, he got the mother thing, and on the other, he was now a free agent in a sleepover. That worked.
Duo smiled down at the two boys beside him. His smile slipped into a grin as he locked eyes with Duan.
"Of course you know what this calls for..."
Duan shook his head. "What?" he asked, interestedly.
"Oh Kami." Heero sighed.
"No sleepover is complete without.... Sugar filled snack foods!" Duo crowed.
Heero's head bowed slightly as he shook it. "Not good." He muttered.
Fortunately Sallah had gone by then.
"Yes!" Duan added, approvingly, excited by Duo's tone.
Duo chuckled mischievously as he turned and dashed back into the main room of their suite, looking around for the remote.
Heero held up the remote close to his chest. "No way." He said. "Not a chance." This was a matter of self preservation here.
"But-"
"I still have a desire to live." Heero said pointedly, holding tight to the prize.
"But-"
Heero shook his head.
"That's it. Duan?" he said, glancing down to meet the younger boy's eyes.
Duan looked up and shrugged.
"You go left. I'll go right. The honor of our blood sugar levels depends on us!"
Duan winked and took up position. "I'm ready," he said.
Kenny shook his head, figuring his money would be on Heero.
Duo nodded, and then, with a banshee wail, which he was careful enough to keep from producing at his full volume, dashed forward towards the Japanese boy.
Heero dodged Duan's advance and seeing Duo almost on him, his eyes spotted Kenny and he tossed the remote with pinpoint accuracy as he dove for Duo's legs, determined to take his lover down with him.
Kenny caught the remote. He didn't look very happy though since he knew this would make him a target.
Standing, Duan turned to Kenny. "Kenny..." he said. "Share?"
Kenny looked skeptically at Duan. He didn't pass the remote to Tryan since he didn't know where the tall boy stood on the conflict at hand. Wufan? No. Kenny gripped the remote tightly. He looked at the tangle of Heero and Duo on the floor.
"How about just a *few* snacks?" he said, attempting to get a compromise.
Heero tried a few times to extricate himself but failed, only succeeding in tangling himself further in Duo's limbs. "Low sugar." He growled.
"Some sugar!" Duo demanded, maintaining his glomp on Heero's legs
"How about one sugar thing each and one non sugar thing each," Kenny suggested carefully, not really even sure what he was talking about since they didn't really have much in the way of sweets on the base.
"Acceptable." Heero grumbled lowly as he tried futility to move his legs.
Kenny sighed, relieved.
"We better help em. Duo needs to help pick the sugar thing," he said. Stashing the remote in the waistband of his shorts, he motioned all the boys over to help untangle the two bigger boys.
Duo immediately un-glomped his partner and sat up.
Tryan smiled at the picture of all of them, then went to help as well.
When he was finally free, Heero glanced over at Kenny and gave him a smile to go with a long sigh, "You have no idea what you're getting into."
Kenny smiled tentatively at Heero and said, "Um... no. What's sugar snacks?"
He said this just the tiniest bit wistfully.
"You'll find out." Heero promised. Then his eyes crinkled slightly with amusement. "You will find out."
"Hey... I had that cotton candy before!" Duo protested.
"I thought I was being rather well behaved," Duo continued to Duan, sniffing dramatically.
"Wasn't I?"
"Is it like an orange?" Duan asked. "Sugar snacks, I mean?"
Heero rolled his eyes at his partner's melodrama.
Duo stopped, mid-pout and blinked down at Duan.
"You've never had... real sugar stuff before?" he asked in utter amazement.
"It was kept for the officers," Kenny said.
"Yeah," Duan agreed.
Duo blinked again, his stunned gaze taking them all in. Seriousness settled over him like a cloak as he held out his hand for the remote.
"Well, damn. Ninmu ryoukai to that!"
Kenny handed him the remote, "One each. That was the deal."
"Deal? What is this deal?" Duo asked archly. He paused dramatically before tossing Kenny a grin.
"I know. I know. Shut up, baka."
Kenny sighed.
Duo smiled, and then started calling up room service menus.
"Try 542A and 56B" Duan offered.
"What are those?" Duo asked Duan as he punched in the codes.
"That's the snacks pages," Duan said.
"May I have a couple of oranges?" Wufei asked.
Duo glanced down at the young boy.
"Only if you promise to try some chocolate too," he said with a smile.
Wufan shrugged. "Of course I will. Thank you," he said.
Duo's eyes lit up as he got to the appropriate pages, seeing the lists of sweets, candies, and snacks. A small, wicked little chuckle escaped his lips as he contemplated the choices.
"I'd like a piece of chocolate and an apple," Tryan said.
Duo nodded, keying in the selections and tossing Kenny a look.
"You?"
"You pick for me," he said simply.
"Me too," Duan chimed in.
"Like to live dangerously, eh? Well... okay then!" Duo said, grinning like a madman.
Heero glanced at his lover, "Pocky?" He queried.
Duo blinked, glancing over at his partner.
"Was that a request?" he asked, surprised.
Heero glared, "Hn. Baka."
Duo scanned the menu quickly, expression falling when he couldn't find what he was looking for on the list.
"Hmm.. Sorry, Hee-chan. No pocky."
Heero shrugged it off. "You pick then."
"Hmm.. Lessee then... Hot fudge sundae... Chocolate cake... some assorted candy... popcorn... what else, guys?"
Kenny shook his head, having no idea what else to suggest.
"Oranges?" Tryan offered, sinking to the floor in a perfect split.
Duo suddenly brightened as he sought some more fruit. He spied something on the menu and then whooped happily.
"Bananas!!!" he crowed, tossing Kenny a significant look.
Kenny smiled.
"I think that should do us, don't you, Hee-chan?"
Heero shook his head in contemplation of that much sugar. "Hai." He said, reluctantly.
Duo nodded as he punched in the last few buttons. Then he glanced around, grinning at everyone. When he noticed Tryan, he blinked, then winced.
"Doesn't that... hurt?"
Tryan frowned, then realized that Duo was talking about the way he sat. "No," he said. "But, I've been doing it every since I can remember. Acrobat training."
"And martial arts," Wufan said, pushing his glasses back up on his nose.
Kenny studied the position. Then he stood up. Very slowly, he lowered into a copy of Tryan's position, not frowning, but concentrating.
"Hn," he said.
"That's good, Kenny," Tryan said.
Duo eyed the young boy thoughtfully for a moment. Then he crossed his arms over his chest, turned, and speared his partner with an anticipatory, and challenging look.
Heero arched an eyebrow confidently, his entire pose asking, "what'll you give me for it?"
Duo's eyes sparkled mischievously. He knew what Heero was asking. He also knew that Heero had damn well better know what his answer would be.
The blue eyes gleamed and Heero stood easily. Then, with very little thought indeed, he sank down into a perfect split and gazed up at Duo with a smug, and challenging look.
"Heh. Nice try. Wisdom comes with age, my friend. No way."
Heero arched his eyebrows again and the blue eyes narrowed in an out and out dare. "You can't?" He suggested in a low voice, carefully kept that way despite the smile he was hiding.
Unfortunately they were not destined to find out how the challenge would go.
Suddenly there was a pop of displaced air and two people stood in the room that hadn't been there before.
Duo immediately dropped into a crouch, reaching for anything he could use as a weapon instinctively.
Heero rolled smoothly to the balls of his feet, palming the gun he'd brought with him.
The two people were instantly recognizable. However, for the first time since they'd met him, Jack's expression wasn't borderline bored, and Rip was not smiling.
Jack's green eyes were blazing cold fire. Rip simply looked like he was about to murder someone.
Without bothering to acknowledge the defensive stances of the two pilots, Jack pinned each of them with a frozen look.
"Sorry," he said. "Timetable's moved up. Gun's been caught."
Heero rose to his feet, pocketing the gun, "Plan?"
Ripper dropped on the floor two bags that looked familiar. They also looked full.
"We go. Now," Jack said.
Duo nodded sharply, tossing a look at Kenny and Duan.
"Five minutes. Get dressed," he said, then headed for the bedroom to change into something more appropriate.
Heero glanced at Tryan, "Give us whatever directions you can." He tossed him the remote then followed Duo.
"He comes," Jack said simply.
Heero nodded, already half in the bedroom. "Fine."
Duan began peeling his party clothes off, leaving a trail as he dashed to the bedroom to get dressed.
Kenny, already dressed, went to Wufan quickly. "Better go to your mom," he said softly.
Wufan looked into Kenny's eyes. "I understand," he said. "But I'm on a sleepover, remember. I can tell her later."
Heero strode out, back in the usual spandex and tanktop ensemble, "Ready."
Duo followed on his heels, clad in his black on black with Rip's knives slung low on his hips.
Duan ran in dressed in his usual as well.
Duo reached down and shouldered one of the bags, glancing back up and then biting off a curse.
"Wu- damn. What-"
He tossed a questioning glance at his partner.
Heero turned a piercing gaze on the small boy for a moment and then shrugged. He wouldn't want to separate their team. "Team?" He offered to Duo.
Duo glanced down at Kenny, the question obvious in his eyes.
Kenny looked back and simply nodded.
Duo sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
"She's gonna kill us," he muttered to himself.
"Okay... everyone ready?"
Kenny nodded.
"Hn," Duan remarked.
Tryan nodded.
"Yes," Wufan said, then peeled off his long, white tunic. He folded it quickly and placed it on a table.
Heero shouldered the other bag and turned to Rip and Jack, "Let's go."
The two exchanged a glance, then reached for their instruments. Interestingly, they had not been visible when the two showed up.
Kenny, knowing what to expect, grabbed Tryan and Wufan's hands.
And then they were somewhere else.
End of Part 19
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.