Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ 2 Reign ❯ No Comment ( Chapter 2 )

No Comment -

Other than the fact that my nieces were constantly touching me, the next morning was fairly normal.

Actually, it was utterly not normal.

I smiled at Heero as he told me how one of his advisors had demanded that he find me when the guy had realized how integral Heero thought I was to our little army. I wasn't sure if this story was just a story, or him reminding me that my two-year sojourn had really hurt them all.

I had made it to his wedding, though.

Wufei sighed, leaning against my side. I draped an arm over his shoulders, thinking a moment, "Have you kept in touch with Jesse?" I asked.

This brought everyone up short, and I realized suddenly that Heero'd been talking again.

"He hasn't come to the palace yet," Heero said, studying my eyes seriously, "But we talk to him at least once a month…normally more. Why?"

"My apartments," I muttered, looking around at everyone, "Does it matter who I invite?"

Wufei pulled slightly away from me to blink.

"As long as it's not someone intending to kill Relena, it's fine." Heero replied quietly, still studying me intently.

I nodded, tilting my head at him, "I dropped my name several times while I was gone so you could keep track of me…well, Tailor, I mean."

"Yes." he agreed, "But that didn't mean we could find you."

I shrugged.

"You see," Trowa muttered darkly to me, "That would require us all chasing after you together. We couldn't exactly do that." he indicated Alex, who was sitting on one of my legs.

"You could have called." Quatre informed me.

I studied his eyes, thinking that over.

"You could have!" he snapped suddenly, looking away from me, "It wouldn't have hurt you!"

It would have inconvenienced me.

That wasn't something I would have told them.

"So did you kill the lunatic or what?" Hilde snapped in irritation, "Why are you back?"

"I don't have to pay rent here." I muttered, focusing on her, "My family is here."

Her eyes turned slightly irritated.

Relena sighed, rubbing her temples, "Are you taking over security or not?" she demanded of me, "And before you answer that, let me remind you how serious a post this is."

I met her eyes, studying her a long moment, "You could have ordered me back."

"What?" she asked blankly.

I grinned at her.

She shook her head, thinking a moment, then nodded slightly, "If you take control of security, you won't only be dealing with Sanq. You'll be partially in charge of our intelligence division as well. You will be personally in charge of Heero and my safety."

I frowned at her, "I've been slated to that position since I was seventeen, Relena."

"And you disappeared without a word on us when you were twenty-three." she snapped.

"And reappeared ready for service when I was twenty-five." I added darkly.

"I am not starting out the day with arguing," Heero snapped, rising to his feet as he looked everyone over, "All right, he's been gone for two years and we're all pissed at him for it, but he is here now. He has said to us that he's intending to stay, so let's not run him off with bitching."

I laughed, studying him closely.

He blinked at me.

"Every inch a king." I noted.

That one dampened his enthusiasm.

I smiled at him, rising carefully to my feet as I set the girls down, moving to stand in front of him, studying his eyes a moment before resting my hand over my heart and lowering myself to one knee, bowing my head, "You are my king."

The room fell silent.

After a moment, I felt Heero's hand on my face, so I looked up at him. He had his old cocky grin on his face, "Do what I want?"

"Haven't I always?"

He laughed at that, sounding just as evil as he used to, "I always said I'd take you with me to hell."

I smiled at him, realizing how much I'd missed that before rising to my feet and stretching, looking everyone over, "I don't want to work today." I informed them, "Let's all go play."

"Play?" Wufei asked me warily.

I flashed him a grin before looking to everyone else and shrugging, "There's a little meadow on the eastern edge of the grounds. It's not on the normal patrol route and there's only one path leading to it. We should take a picnic and go bask in the glory of the sun."

"The old church-yard?" Relena asked, her voice quiet.

I met her eyes, then nodded.

"How the hell do you know that?" Trowa demanded.

I blinked at him, "Didn't you know it?"

"How would I know it?" he returned, looking bothered.

I laughed at him, turning to Heero, "Well?"

He thought about it a long moment, then nodded, looking to everyone else, "Make the necessary arrangements. We'll meet here at ten."

"That only gives us a half hour, Heero." Miguel reprimanded him quietly.

Heero grinned at the guy, "Then I suggest you move."

.

"Hold on tight!" Duo was saying to Marlea as she giggled helplessly. The little girl had her hands clasped around Duo's forearm and he was holding her a few inches off the ground as he led us all down an old track, "Don't fall!" Lea giggled more.

"Do me, do me!" Alexia squeaked, bouncing on his other side and grabbing his forearm.

"Alex," Trowa reprimanded, "He's got…Lea."

Duo had lifted Alex on his other arm and the girls were giggling uncontrollably.

"That's actually a bit disturbing," I noted to Miguel, leaning closer to his ear as I said it.

He squeezed my hand in response, "Neither of them weigh much, remember."

"Yeah, but he's not even shaking."

Duo's eyes were suddenly mine and he was smirking.

"Watch where you are going." Quatre said evenly, "I don't want to kick your ass, but I'm willing to make that sacrifice if you hurt my child."

Duo laughed, setting them both down, "Okay, here, watch…" that last bit was to Alex as he grabbed Lea by the waist…and lifted her above his head with one hand.

Lea squealed with delight, holding tightly to his wrist.

Duo laughed.

"If you attempt to lift my daughter at this moment, I'm gonna go postal on your ass." Trowa informed him just as evenly as Quatre had.

Duo laughed at that, "One…two…three!" he let Lea go completely and for a breathtaking moment she was in mid-air before he caught her and she laughed even harder.

"You may need to teach your daughter a bit of constructive fear." I noted to Quatre.

"As if," he returned, giving me a slightly pained look.

"My turn!" Alex insisted, bouncing in her spot.

Duo set Lea down…and lifted Alex.

"Do you suppose they'll resent him if he drops them?" Miguel asked me curiously in a conversational tone.

Duo laughed, doing the drop thing to Alex, who was much less pleased by it than her cousin and clung to him as he reassured her he wouldn't let her fall.

"So, Duo," Jacob muttered, moving up to his side and pushing Lea gently toward the rest of us, "Are you gonna tell us what's been going on?" he took Alex from Duo's arms and also sent her back to us, focusing on Duo.

"Some things don't need to be told." Duo replied easily, starting to walk again.

"You ashamed of what you did?" Jacob asked, narrowing his eyes shrewdly.

"No," Duo replied easily, "But you guys will be."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jacob's eyes registered fear a moment when Duo pinned him against a near-by tree, his head tilted so he was looking up to Jacob, "What do you think it means, Jacob?" he purred at the guy.

Jacob avoided his eyes, not looking at us either.

"Duo," Heero reprimanded.

Duo instantly moved away from the guy, smiling as he offered his hands to Alex and Lea, who were more than happy to grab them and bounce along beside them.

Even Heero looked startled.

Jacob, however, hadn't pulled away from the tree, his eyes on Duo.

"I think he may have just broke Jacob again." I noted to my fiancé, watching the guy.

"I think this may turn out to be more complicated than we all thought."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he lost the woman he loved, and instead of falling into the deep grief and depression most men do in that situation, he ran off and started killing people."

I sighed, looking to the ultra-blue sky before grinning and meeting Miguel's eyes, "He's back, though." I muttered, letting go of his hand and dashing up the path, tackling Duo from behind.

Duo's laughter was music to my ears as he struggled to regain his balance without hurting either of the eight year olds.

"Eight seconds, one handed!" Jacob encouraged with a laugh, "Ride'im, Cowboy!"

I died laughing.

.

The day had been more than awesome. I yawned as everyone settled into the couches around my sitting room and Duo stood near the door, blinking curiously.

"Apa?" Lexia asked quietly.

"Yeah, sweet?"

"I'm tired."

"Go lay in the window seat."

"'kay." Alex scrambled off the couch and yawned, grabbing a blanket and moving toward the window and the plush cushion that covered the length of the bench beneath it. Lea followed her, both girls curling up under the blanket and yawning before starting to mutter to each other.

"I am so fucking sore…" Wufei muttered, kicking his shoes off and curling against Miguel's side.

"When was the last time you vampires got sun?" Duo demanded of us, moving to sit at the end of one couch-why he seemed startled that we gathered in my living room was beyond me. My place had always been the place to gather. Our house in Deniel should have showed him that.

"We're outside plenty," Wufei replied petulantly, "We train recruits, we don't get into wrestling matches in the middle of grass that hides rocks, and when chance dictates we do start wrestling around, it's over quickly."

Duo laughed, "We didn't do shit today, Wufei! How can you all be so tired?"

This was met with a generally disgusted look.

Duo laughed more, slumping back into the couch, "So I take it clubbing is out."

We all stared at him.

He tilted his head as he studied us, "You gonna kill me if I go? There's a definite lack of single people in this place."

"I'm single." Jacob muttered, "And Quatre."

"Jacob!" Quatre's tone was aghast.

Jacob laughed evilly.

"Hm…" Duo actually considered Jacob a moment before shaking his head, "Too much potential danger…like a relationship." he made a face.

Jacob was laughing, "I could go for a pity…" he trailed off, suddenly focusing on the girls.

Duo focused on him, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Jacob shrugged, "I find a person or two by the way-side, but these instances are rare and far between."

"There's something to that…" Duo muttered, rubbing his nose a moment.

I wasn't the only one staring at him.

Chances are, he realized it.

He sighed, "But no. I don't want to risk our friendship on a one-night stand."

"You'd fuck him?" Trowa demanded, all emotion suspended from his tone.

Duo studied Tro a long silent moment, then focused on me again, "I think I'm gonna invite Jesse over…let him give me an ear full before we get down to some serious partying."

"What about me?" Relena demanded, her tone shocked.

"You, my dear queen, don't need my presence to be safe. I'll survey my subordinates in the morning. Obviously you haven't been endangered, and you know as well as I do that no one will let me just pick up the reigns and run with it. They'll slide me in and them out slowly…" his eyes went distant before he smirked and met my eyes again, "Am I right?"

I nodded slowly.

"You have to take responsibility!" Relena cried, her tone slightly pitiful, actually.

"Do you trust me?" he snapped back.

Relena stared at him a long moment before shaking her head slowly, "You disappeared on us, Duo. Your girlfriend got killed…and you ran."

"Relena," I started, wondering why I felt this was such dangerous ground.

"You left us to deal with her parents-do you know how hard it was for us to tell them what happened to you? Do you realize that Kayla's mother actually broke down completely when she realized you were gone?"

Duo was looking anywhere but at us.

"And then we had to conduct the funeral," she added, pressing her advantage, "We had to write the eulogy, we had to find a place for a memorial plaque…her parents, Duo, they all thought you'd be there to grieve with them…"

"Do you think I didn't grieve?" Duo's shout ripped through the silence like thunder on a silent night, causing us all to jump and stare up at him since he'd jumped to his feet. He stared at Relena and I a long moment before turning…and walking out the door.

Jacob was on his heels before the door could slam all the way shut, and the rest of us were staring at each other.

"I think it's safe to say that Kayla's not a safe topic." Relena noted, her tone false.

"We all knew that." Wufei snapped at her, rising to his feet and moving out the door as well.

Relena's expression became hurt.

I rubbed my eyes, then looked to the girls, who were staring at us with alarmed eyes, "Maybe you guys should put them to bed." I noted, avoiding all eyes.

Quatre was on his feet in an instant, "Good idea."

.

"You need to take a vacation and go see Athens." I informed Relena, who had been avoiding my eyes all morning. Every time she talked to me there was a kind of…begging tone…to her voice. It was beginning to grate on my nerves.

"I've been." she said quietly, "I love it."

"So…we should plan a trip there," I looked my brethren over, wondering why they were avoiding my eyes. It was ridiculous. Relena had pinched a nerve last night, to be sure, but…

"Ten minutes to the meeting, Majesty." a stuffy looking man informed Relena, disappearing out the door an instant later.

Relena sighed, sitting back to finally look at me, "I'm going to be introducing you to everyone today."

I tilted my head at her.

"…it would have been easier, had you been here when I assumed the throne." she muttered, looking away from my eyes, "But I don't imagine this will be too difficult. You are a notable public figure, and as you pointed out yourself, the position has been yours since you were seventeen."

"So you want me to play nice?" I asked, smirking at her.

She focused on me.

"Watch my language? Cross the t's and dot the I's?"

"I just want you to…accept." she replied slowly.

"So ask me if I'm going to."

"I thought you were annoyed at me for suggesting you might not want it."

"But obviously you're worried if I will or not, so ask me and get the matter settled in your mind."

Relena drew herself up.

"Are you taking the position, Duo?" Heero demanded, slightly annoyed.

"I am." I replied easily, looking pointedly back to Relena, "I'm assuming there'll be a six month assimilation period that will start next Monday, correct?"

"That's the general scheme of things." Heero agreed.

"Then there we go."

"Duo?" Heero added after a moment.

"Yes'm, Highness?"

"Watch your mouth."

I sniggered, meeting his eyes.

He grinned slightly helplessly at me, shaking his head and rising to his feet, "Well, let's go."

"We've got…ten minutes," I noted to them.

"It's about a five minute walk through the halls," Relena muttered, rising to her feet as the others did before pausing to meet my eyes, "Would you…swear fealty to Heero?"

"I did that yesterday." I replied, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I mean…for everyone to see." she gave me a slightly hopeful smile.

I laughed, rolling my eyes at her, "Whatever. We'd better go if we're going."

.

"I would also add my concurrence to my king's," Relena muttered, moving forward to stand next to Heero and Duo, "Duo Maxwell has been someone I could rely on through thick and thin."

That was high praise from her, she'd been bitching about how unreliable Duo really was since just before her wedding-she's stopped when he showed up, and she'd held her piece for a month or so after he disappeared again, but it was something she really seemed to believe. Too bad for her.

I rolled my eyes at Quatre, who smirked at me.

"I'm grateful you find me so," Duo said in a tone that none of us could mistake. He knew what she'd bitched about. He stepped away from them a moment, considering Heero before smirking out at his audience, "I seem to have forgotten something."

People were blinking at him curiously.

"What might that be?" Heero asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Not everyone in the room could see that, though, just those of us right up front.

Duo straightened into unmistakable stance, resting one hand on his heart as he smirked at Heero slightly, lowering himself to one knee, bowing his head, "You are my king." he said clearly, "I will follow you anywhere. My life is yours."

"That's a trifle dramatic," I whispered, knowing he could hear me.

He didn't respond.

"I would never ask you for that," Heero muttered-something tugged at my memory, but I didn't bother tracing it, "And I've never been in question of your loyalty."

"The thing that disgusts me," I muttered to Quatre, "Is that he's being completely honest."

"Trowa," Miguel reprimanded me.

"As my queen once stated," Heero added, seeming to come across a bright idea-he was really enjoying himself. "You are my knight."

Duo's snort wasn't audible to anyone but us.

"Rise then, Duo, and take your rightful place with my advisors." Relena muttered after a long pause and Duo nodding. She indicated the group of us.

Applause started as Duo straightened, then began to rise as the people in the room realized what they'd just witnessed before raising into a mighty crescendo that required everyone to stand as Heero and Duo exchanged a brief hug.

"He out-did us." Quatre noted to me as Duo paused at the top of the stairs to acknowledge the moment, moving down the stairs and focusing on us as he moved closer, "We all had our fancy speeches, and in two statements he's won everyone over."

Duo smirked at this, ducking his head in a semblance of modesty, "I aim to please." he muttered.

I laughed, elbowing him slightly.

Relena was beaming at him, probably realizing that their little exchanged would be played and replayed all over the media-not only in Sanq. It'd probably be added in those `news outside our country' blips all over the world.

Duo smiled back at her.

"You've just won her over, you realize?" I asked him as the noise finally died away, "She was pissed enough at you to hurt you physically, and in that stupid moment you just gave her, she's forgiven you everything."

"Yeah, I wasn't too happy with the idea of you lot turning on me at her word." Duo muttered quietly.

"Well," Relena's tone was obviously pleased as she turned to her husband, "I guess I'll turn this back over to you."

"I don't know if I could speak at the moment." Heero lied, though I wasn't sure if his flushed face was sincere or not.

"And him," I noted, "We all had to practice speeches…sir knight."

Duo's grin turned evil as he met my eyes, "Aren't you?"

"No, actually." I replied, making a face, "That was a spur of the moment title bestowed only on you. We didn't get to overcome him with a sudden declaration of fealty…twice. You're such an asshole."

Duo laughed again as Relena took a moment to organize notes on the podium and Heero moved to sit on Duo's other side, grinning at him.

"Tell him how boring ours was," I muttered to Heero around the guy, "Tell him how Relena wrote our statements and your responses."

"I'm shocked she didn't do it to you." Heero agreed, grabbing Duo's hand briefly.

It occurred to me that he was really moved by Duo's phrasing.

"I have a feeling she wanted this to happen later," Quatre muttered carefully as Relena addressed someone on the other side of the room, "I think she wanted to be sure he would do it publicly."

"Either that," Wufei muttered, "Or she knew that Duo would make it notable."

"You may have to perform a knighting ceremony now, Heero." Jacob whispered, smirking, "I thought you didn't like these little shows."

Heero's eyes widened and he met Duo's eyes.

Duo winked at him, lounging back in his seat, "Whatever."

Heero elbowed him.

.

E/N: I might also add that I don't own Gundam Wing.