16-Jul-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
The group of children, women and the two Gundam pilots found themselves in an open area, in the middle of a small metropolitan park. Heero and Duo recognized it as the park they saw in Arcadia when they first met Kenny. Kenny recognized it too. The other kids and the women from the base looked around, having been through way too much that day, and several of them had quiet hysterics.
Duan went over to some of the more hysterical kids and tried to calm them. He used comfort or threats, whatever worked.
However Duan did not have to spend much of his time doing this because a blond young man whom they had seen only on the vid screen appeared with several others in tow. The Mayor was here to see to his guests.
A few of the party assisting the Mayor took small groups of the children and people from the base under their wing. There was a place prepared for them and a more than a few children found themselves gathered into comforting arms and talked to quietly. In a few minutes from their arrival, the groups headed for a place where they could rest and eat. Introductions would come in time.
As everyone started shuffling the children away, Duo slipped up behind Kenny and Duan and unobtrusively dropped a hand on their shoulders. He grinned down at them widely, and then winked at them both.
Kenny looked up, blinking.
Duan looked up at Duo and smiled.
Watching his partner's move, Heero allowed a small smile to grace his face for an instant as his stance shifted slightly to something oddly protective.
"Got anything else you want us to blow up?" Duo asked brightly, aiming a smirk at Jack and Rip.
Jack smiled. "Are you offering to stay a while?"
Duo blinked, his gaze darting over to meet that of his partners. One eyebrow quirked up.
Heero's gaze locked with Duo's and then swept over the two boys he was holding onto. Then his mouth quirked slightly in what was almost a grin.
"Ryoukai."
Kenny looked from one of the older boys to the other. He frowned. "You should go home," he said softly. "Where it's better - right?"
"Why?" Duo asked. "Don't you like us anymore?"
Heero's brow furrowed as he looked down on the boy, mild confusion and a touch of doubt appearing in the blue eyes.
Kenny tried to keep his face still but his lip trembled ever so slightly. His hand snuck out unconsciously and reached for Duan's braid.
"I... like you..." he said, his voice only breaking a little. "But you should... go home to... where it's safe... you got... people I bet. Nobody like you could not have people. It's not fair for you to stay here." Kenny was struggling with emotions that were almost more than his small body could contain. All he could think of was his mother, who sent him away for his own safety, when she knew she was dying. He was trying to do something right and it was breaking his heart but he had to try.
Duan stopped and turned to the two older boys. He stepped closer to Kenny. "Kenny's right... true," he said. "You did lots for us already. You killed the General. Now, this is a good place... and your Mom's will be sad if you don't come home. So, you go on home.. We'll be okay."
Duo knelt down in front of Duan, his eyes sad and far away as he peered at the smaller boy.
"That's not a problem with us, kiddo. You should understand."
Duan nodded, putting his hands around Duo's face. He looked intently into Duo's eyes. "I understand. You got no Moms either, right?"
"Heh. Not sure if we ever did." Duo said.
Duan's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "No," he whispered and Duo could see that this thought shook him badly. "You gotta had to have a Mom... Helen said so. She wouldn't lie... I'm orphan. I used to think I didn't have one.. but Helen said.. so you gotta have one too! I just... I don't have a family cause I'm a mistake kid... and I'm bad."
Duo suddenly reached out and seized the boy in a tight embrace.
"Never. If yer a mistake kid, than I am too. To hell with that."
Watching Duo embrace Duan was the last straw for the exhausted Kenny who let go the braid and sat on the ground, putting his head in his arms so as not to show the tears he could not keep from falling.
Heero had stood stunned since Kenny had spoken. There had been something in the boy's voice. Something that dredged up long buried memories.
'Why have we come to this colony?' his own voice echoed.
'To abandon you.'
The cold reply still rung as hard and heartless as it had so many years before and Heero flinched at the thought of Kenny experiencing the same betrayal.
He watched the boy sit, and sat carefully beside him, unsure and hesitant, not wanting to do more damage. Slowly, he reached out a hand and put it on Kenny's shoulders, not hard, not even a little bit pushing. Just there, so that Kenny would look him in the eyes. He wanted to make sure that when he spoke, he'd be heard.
Kenny looked up, startled but not flinching. He almost leaned into the touch. He tried to wipe his face on his shoulder, but did not look away from the deep Prussian blue eyes that had come to mean so much to him.
Heero let his eyes soften as he recognized the look in Kenny's eyes. He'd seen it before but never before had he... wanted to see it so much. "We will not leave you behind," he said tightly.
"I don't care where we end up, man... but these two are going there with us," Duo said, voice thick with defiance and unshed tears.
Heero nodded firmly, with fire in his eyes for any who dared try stop them. Then he tugged ever so slightly on Kenny's shoulder. Not even enough to be more than a twitch of muscle if the child wanted to ignore it.
Kenny swallowed. He whispered, "You... sure? Duan's right... we're mistakes - trouble. Maybe..." then he gave up, unable to keep the pretense of self-control up for another second. He leaned forward, keeping his hands in his lap, and butted his head gently against Heero's chest, trying not to cry.
"You're not mistakes." Heero grated out as he tightened his hold. He looked up at Duo, checking just one last time. But he was pretty sure he knew what he'd find.
Duo nodded, his arms tightening just a little bit more around Duan.
"Hell or high water, man. Hell or high water."
Duan hugged Duo back as his little body trembled slightly. "I promise... I'll try real hard not to be so much trouble," Duan said.
"What's the fun in that?" Duo smiled.
"Hn." Heero grunted. "With that baka around it won't matter."
His head still down, Kenny reached out and tugged Duan's braid. "You said... if there was a chance, to take it... so shut up, b-baka..."
"Duo, what's baka?" Duan asked, quietly.
"Heh... It means we're their special idiots. Heh. We do that well, yes?"
Duan nodded, smiling though the tears. "Hey Duo, does that mean... I mean does he like me, too?" Duan asked. Duan nodded towards Heero.
"You mean does Heero like you too?" Duo asked.
"Yes," Duan said quietly, not daring to look at Heero.
Heero blinked for a moment in surprise, then leaned forward slightly, without letting go of Kenny, enough to touch Duan's arm. "Hai," He said succinctly, then smiled again slightly, adding, "Baka."
"That's yes," Kenny said, head still down. He was waiting for Heero to give him some indication he no longer wanted to be leaned against but until he did so... Kenny wasn't budging.
Duan blinked. "Oh.." he said, then nodded. "Ok.."
Duo suddenly leaned forward and whispered something into Duan's ear, giggling slightly as he did so.
Duan giggled too. "Uh.. thanks, Kenny-*chan*," he replied, then giggled and buried his face in Duo neck.
Kenny made a muffled noise but did not return anything intelligible.
"Hn." Heero said flatly, punctuating it with a glare at his lover.
"Heh. That's my Heero... articulate as always."
Meanwhile, Mayor Shane had been standing next to Jack and Ripper, a few feet away, the three of them watching but not too pointedly, and talking softly among themselves.
After a few moments, Mayor Shane walked over. "Hi," he said, brightly. "I'm Ronnie Shane. I just wanted to thank you for what you did for us."
Heero eyed the man for a moment, ascertaining whether or not he was going to try and stop then. Realizing the man wasn't a threat, he nodded once, acknowledging his existence and nothing else.
Ronnie Shane caught the look on the young pilot's face and nodded, smiling to himself. "In a few minutes, we'll bring a cart around to take you and your mini-me's back to the Hyatt. Welcome to Arcadia for as long as you're here and for as long as you wanna stay. Stick around long enough, and we'll throw you a party."
"Heh... You guys have any kites here?" Duo asked, glancing up at Heero with a slight grin.
"We have kites to beat the band. In fact, there is a permanent collection of kites at the library," Mayor Shane said. "Just ask the librarian, Wilma and she'll let you fly any one you choose. Of course, you can always roll your own."
"Hn. Good," Duo said. "I have a promise to keep."
Shane looked from the older boys to the younger ones and shook his head again. He sighed. "Actually, I'd keep ya all here if I could," he said softly.
Jack smiled. He glanced at the two pilots. "Ronnie is no more a native here than you are," he said pleasantly. "Now..."
The small vehicle, which resembled a golf cart, rolled up at that moment with a red-haired woman behind the wheel. "Red," Jack said.
"Controller," she answered.
"That is you now, dear," he replied.
The woman smiled with obvious deep affection. She gestured to the older boys. "Come on, I'll run you to the Hyatt. The small ones look done in."
Duo nodded and stood, picking Duan up with him.
"Heck... I'M just about done in. And I'm hungry," he added as an afterthought, grinning at his lover mischievously.
"Well I didn't want to say so, but yes, you look like hell," Red answered serenely. "Food's waiting in your room."
Heero sighed, fighting the urge to reach over and jerk Duo's braid.
Then he stood, scooping up Kenny as well.
"Thank you, ma'am," Duan said, smiling.
Kenny looked a bit startled but simply clung to Heero, looking around wide-eyed. He may have been dozing just before.
Once everyone was loaded, the little vehicle moved off smoothly, covering the few blocks to the big hotel. Someone opened the double doors and Red drove into the lobby, waving to the person at the front desk (the young lady from their previous visit) and taking them right up to the elevators.
"Checking in," the girl at the desk called, and then grinned, glancing at the children. "With luggage." She was dressed in a crisp navy suit this time and winked.
When the cart stopped, Kenny looked around and jumped up, determined not to be a burden.
Heero watched the boy jump up and knew the motivation behind it. But he also knew that the kid was tired beyond endurance. Hell, this mission even tired Duo out. Without waiting for his approval, he scooped Kenny up, holding onto him by virtue of superior strength.
Kenny didn't object or struggle, just frowned, but the frown cleared fast and he simply clung patiently.
"Hn." Heero grunted in approval when the frown cleared. He eased his grip a little, letting the small boy settle against him.
Duan looked around with wide eyes, but said nothing. He was too busy memorizing things.
"Pretty cool, ne?" Duo asked Duan as he climbed out of the cart.
Duan nodded. "Yeah, it's..." he began, then yawned. "Cool."
Duo dove for the elevator door, grinning back at everyone else.
"I seem to recall someone saying something about food being at the end of this particular yellow brick road. Let's go!"
Kenny said nothing but his stomach remarked for him.
"Food?" Duan responded, wide awake.
Heero glanced over at Jack and Rip, "I hope you sent up the whole kitchen."
"Close enough," Ripper said, winking.
"Hey! No fair! If I can't do that, neither can you!" Duo exclaimed.
"I didn't make the rules, little man," Rip said. "Talk to your keeper." He snickered.
Duo chuckled and then tapped his foot impatiently.
"Today, Heero. You have two hungry maniacs on your hands."
Kenny looked around and reached over from his vantage on Heero's shoulder and pressed the button.
"And the proper response would be Ninmou kanryou," Duo instructed Kenny with a smirk as the doors closed.
Kenny looked at Duo and repeated the words, "Ninmou... kanryou..."
"It means mission accomplished."
Kenny nodded, his expression dead serious.
Heero shifted Kenny's weight slightly, enabling him to jerk Duo's braid.
"Itai," Duo hissed as he felt the sharp tug on his hair.
He stuck his tongue out at Heero before turning his gaze back to Kenny.
Duan reached over and took Duo's braid in his hands protectively. "Know how that feels," he said quietly.
"Heh. Guess we'll just have to guard each other's hair from now on. Look out world, it's the Braid Patrol!"
Heero glanced at Kenny and murmured a question in Kenny's ear.
Kenny nodded largely. "Bigtime," he said. "Under his arms is the best."
"Good." Heero said smugly, levering a warning look at his lover, blue eyes sparking.
Duo shared a conspiratory look with Duan.
"I dun like the sound of that..."
Heero gave his lover the same frightening smile he'd worn while destroying legions of Mobile Suits.
Duan frowned. "I don't either," he said to Duo. "He's not gonna kill us, is he?"
Kenny scowled. "Duan! Baka!"
"Only if he cooks."
Heero moved a step closer to Duo, Kenny still in his arms, but with THE look in his glare.
"Eeep. Hey... Think if we started now, we could make it to a bomb shelter before they caught us?" Duo whispered to Duan.
"Run Duo!" Duan instructed.
Fortunately the elevator doors opened at that moment. Ding!
Duo grinned, tightened his hold on Duan, and sprinted from the elevator as soon as the doors were open enough to let them both squeeze past. Duo used the passcard to enter their room.
"Look Duo! Food!" Duan said, excitedly.
"Sugoi!" Duo crowed.
As they followed, Kenny said very quietly to Heero, "Hope you like leftovers."
Heero rolled his eyes at the two braided wonders. "Used to it." He replied to Kenny, his eyes crinkling ever so slightly with a combination of amusement and exasperation.
Kenny nodded, agreeing silently. Food had been rationed in the base but Duan had always found a way to get more than his share and often Kenny had been the source.
Duo glanced up at Heero and Kenny as they entered the room, his eyes sparkling wickedly as he smirked.
"So... What are you guys going to eat?"
Heero glanced at Kenny and cocked his head towards the two human vacuums.
Kenny followed the look and prepared to take any cue.
"They look serious." Duan said.
"Yah... Think we're in trouble?" Duo asked, swallowing.
Duan just nodded.
"Me too."
Heero gave the boy only the slightest warning, a tensing of muscles. Then he launched Kenny at the two, following right on the child's heels.
Kenny dropped from the air and pounced on Duan, reaching under his arms for the spot he knew was the most sensitive and tickling the other boy off his chair.
Heero tackled his lover with equal force and pinned him to the ground, taking the same tactics as Kenny.
In a few minutes, Kenny was sitting *on* Duan, and handing him a sandwich with an air of generosity as he munched on one in his fist.
Heero was finishing off a sandwich of his own, looking down smugly at his lover.
He leaned down to Duo and grinned a Heeroesque grin. "Nimou kanryou."
"No doubt," Duo gasped, still trying to get his breath back from his fits of giggles and laughter.
"Least we get to eat," Duan commented.
"Speak for yourself, kiddo," Duo replied.
Kenny caught Duan's eye and passed him an extra... he could just about reach Duo... now, would he eat it himself or pass it along?
Duan took the sandwich from Kenny, then passed it to Duo. "Here's some for you too. Gotta be strong when we take our revenge." he said.
"You said it," Duo replied. Then he turned an unrepentant smirk at his koi sitting on his chest. "See. Someone here loves me."
"Hn." Heero grunted, looking down at Duo. "Baka."
"Hey, Duo," Duan said, confidentially. "Heero loves you too. He smiles at you when he doesn't think people can see.."
Kenny decided this was disloyal and tickled Duan to shut him up.
Duan collapsed in a fit of giggles.
Heero nodded in approval.
"Ohgod. Two of them. We're never going to get to talk again, at this rate," Duo quipped around the last mouthful of his sandwich.
"Exactly." Heero said in satisfaction, leaning towards Duo once more. "Peace. And QUIET." And then he couldn't resist. Fits of helpless giggles from Duo wouldn't exactly be considered "quiet" though.
Kenny let up as Heero began on Duo, allowing Duan to catch his breath. Then he leaned down and whispered something in Duan's ear.
Suddenly Kenny jumped up, pulling Duan with him, they hit the table, grabbing an armful of sandwiches each and then they darted into one of the three bedrooms attached to the suite.
Heero saw them go out of the corner of his eye and ceased his tickle assault.
Duo gasped for breath, trying somehow to get his hands up to defend himself, but, as always, never being quite fast enough. He sucked in great lungfuls of air and blinked up at Heero.
"Quiet." Heero repeated, leaning down to kiss his lover. It had been far too long.
Duo leaned into the kiss, savoring it for several long moments, and only breaking away when he finally had to draw a breath.
"Ya know.. I could get used to quiet."
Heero smiled, warming his eyes, and rolled off his lover. "It has its... advantages."
"Heh. Hey. Where'd the munchkins go?"
Heero jerked his head towards the extra bedrooms. "Bed." He slid gracefully to his feet and held a hand down to Duo. "Sleep is a good idea."
"Smart kids," Duo agreed, taking Heero's hand.
Duo hopped gracefully to his feet with Heero's help and snagged one last sandwich from the table.
With a wide yawn, he turned towards the bedroom that Heero had nodded at and tiptoed over to the open door to peek in.
The two boys were sprawled across the large bed. A small pile had been made of the food stash, on a bedside table. Kenny was flopped on his stomach, eyes closed, dead out. Duan was stretched on his back, limbs everywhere, a half-eaten sandwich in his hand. His eyes were closed, his mouth was open and a soft snoring sound came from his lips. Duan's braid was still in Kenny's closed fist.
Heero glanced over Duo's shoulder, memorizing the picture, then laid a kiss on Duo's shoulder. "Sleep." He prodded, reaching out to close the door.
Duo shook his head, as if just awakening from a dream, and he blinked at Heero.
"Yeah. Yeah, sure," he replied absently, allowing his partner to lead him away.
Heero walked his lover over to the main bedroom and towards the bed, getting them almost all the way there before asking, "What?" knowing something was on his lover's mind.
"Heh. I don't want them to end up like us. That's all."
Heero pushed Duo onto the bed with only a light shove, then joined him on the comfortable mattress. "We can protect them."
"Ryoukai."
Surprised at the one word answer, Heero shook his head with a soft chuckle. "Go to sleep, Duo." He commanded, wrapping his arms around the braided boy.
"You too. How can I take my revenge on you if yer still awake. Ooops. Did I say that out loud?"
Heero squeezed his lover somewhat too tightly before settling down. "Sleep, baka."
Duo's only reply was the gentle evening of his breaths, and a happy sigh.
Heero watched his beautiful lover for a moment before he felt the wear of the mission catch up with him and faded out to join Duo.
End of Part 9
bonnejeanne & vonceia present
RavynFyre and Kateri Marie
Please feel free to direct feedback to any or all of the authors!
ravynfyre@hotmail.com,
HematiteSalaris@aol.com,
vonceia@yahoo.com,
bonnejeanne@yahoo.com.