Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Of Legends and Magic ❯ The Meeting ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: Not mine. Never had, and never will be.


Warnings: AU. 1x2, 3x4, 5+H, 6x9, magic, ghosts. . .


Feedbacks: Onegai shimasu!!!! All reviews will be highly appreciated!!

~ Hiya! Sorry for the delay… been busy with school. To the person who said she'd read the… hope you enjoy this! And thanks to those who reviewed!

~ Ghost speaking ~

"Words"

`Thoughts'

//Telepathy//

. . .

Chapter Four: The Meeting

. . .

Hilde forced a smile. "It's so good to finally meet you! I'm Hilde, yo---" But she didn't get to finish her sentence as Heero took her hand and yanked her towards him, kissing her in front of the people in the courtyard.

. . . .


Duo watched in horrified astonishment. Hilde was unmoving in the arms of Heero, probably trapped and no match for the ruthless strength of his embrace. She had never been kissed by anyone in her life before.


Neither was Duo, not by any man. . . or woman. He had never seen anyone kiss the way Heero did, with such raw passion, with such unabashed hunger. It was as if he could feel the heat of it on his mouth. Duo raised his fingers on his tingling lips, a shiver coursing through his body.


"HEERO! Hilde is not you're your Mate!"


Duo snapped out of his warm thoughts as Quatre's words pierced through him. `Of course she's not!' he thought, `Because I AM! And he's KISSING MY SISTER!!!' Rage consumed Duo, combined with a hint of a nameless feeling after seeing the display in the courtyard.


Fortunately, it also penetrated Heero's mind. His eyes snapped open to take in the stupefied girl in front of him. But before he can move, a huge "thing" rammed into him with a force that shoved him backwards, forcing him to the ground.


"YOU BASTARD!! DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY SISTER AGAIN!!!" screamed his assailant.


Stunned, Heero raised his head to take in the black-clad figure in front of him, protecting the girl behind his back. The person was breathing hard from exhaustion, his hands clenched tightly, his head bowed, and he was trembling with more than a little fury.


Hn. As it happens, Heero was starting to get angry himself.


"Who the hell are YOU?" Heero whispered dangerously, his eyes narrowing into slits. He slowly stood up, like that of an animal poised to spring at his enemy. Small rocks on the ground started to rumble inconspicuously.


"Heero, stop it now." Quatre said calmly from behind, sensing the rage his cousin was keeping at bay. Trowa was looking at the scene with narrowed eyes, his body braced for any violence toward Duo.


"Stay out if this." Heero murmured softly, but his eyes remained on the youth protecting the dumbfounded girl. The person was smaller than him, slight, and was wearing an all black ensemble -- one that didn't disguise his slenderness.


Pathetic. Heero judged as he bore his eyes on the still shaking person with long bangs that hid most of his face. He took a step forward. . .


"Heero, calm down. Duo is your Mate."


. . .at the same time Quatre said that, Duo raised his head and pinned his startling amethyst eyes on Heero. Heero stopped short, Quatre's quiet proclamation echoing through him. . . coupled with the warning of the Cross reverberating through his entire being.


---Duo is your Mate---


The Amethyst-eyed One comes. . . beware. . .


---YOUR Mate---


. . . Amethyst-eyed One. . .


---Mate---


. . . Beware. . .


"Your eyes. . ."


Duo blinked at that. He was expecting a right hook or something painful, but certainly not a comment about his eyes. He frowned. "What about it?!"


"It -- it's AMETHYST!" Heero rasped.


"Yeah, it is. . . so what? I supposed you're hoping for blue?" But Heero didn't seem to hear him. His Prussian-blue eyes dilated as though he had lapsed into some sort of trance, staring at some awful sight invisible to Duo. "Hey. . ."


"It's you. . ." Heero muttered, staring numbly at Duo.


Duo's brow raised as a fleeting look of fear crossed his Mate's irate face.


He recognized Heero as the rider from the cemetery, but his feelings of fascination had already been dissolved earlier when he kissed Hilde. . . or so he told himself. He should hate him, right? Mate or no Mate. He glanced at Heero's face again, now devoid of any emotion.

But inside, Heero was really fuming. Quatre flinched as he felt another wave of fury from his usually stoic cousin. Trowa drew Quatre closer to him.


//Are you all right?//


//Trowa, Heero is REALLY angry.//


At Odin's tower, two vases exploded into thousands of pieces and a figurine suddenly burst. Odin snickered from his painting at his descendant's folly.


~ Ohh. . . temper, temper. . . ~


Below at the courtyard, Heero retreated and stalked toward the door, which seemed to fling miraculously open at his approach. As he cross the threshold, Duo heard him say in a quiet voice. "Quatre. Let's talk." Then the door slammed behind him with a force calculated to crack the very foundations of Lowe Castle.


Duo stared at the closed door and Quatre sighed. The blue-eyed youth smiled resignedly at Duo and Hilde's direction. "Excuse me for a moment."


Duo watched again as the gentle blond went inside the castle, then he turned to Trowa. "Hey! Aren't you afraid to leave your Mate behind with HIM? I mean, Heero might hurt him or something. . ." he turned to Hilde, who was still gazing at one direction with glassy eyes. ". . .like assault him like he did with my sist---" he frowned as he heard Trowa laughing. "WHAT?!"


Trowa smiled, his chuckles starting to subside. "I want to thank you, Duo. I've never seen an expression like that on Heero's face before," he smirked. "It was priceless!"


"Eh?" Duo looked with an unbelieving expression on his face.


"You see, Heero is a very silent person. . . unemotional. He had a very difficult childhood." Trowa explained, his green eyes darkening. "But don't worry, he won't harm Quatre, or assault him." He snickered and looked at Hilde. "Is she all right, by the way?"


Duo looked at Hilde himself. She was still staring on one spot of the courtyard. He sighed. "Yeah, she's fine. She just had to vent her anger at something." Trowa inclined his head questioningly. In answer, Duo nudged Hilde. "Hey, Hil! Hilde!! C'mon, get it out!" Hilde blinked slowly, then she stood straight and face the castle. Her face remained shocked.


Trowa looked expectantly. "What happens next?"


Duo just grinned. "Watch her."


Trowa watched obligingly and gasped when he saw that the shocked look was gone. In place was rage.


"GODDAMN IT!!! He KISSED me!!! And it was my first kiss!!! How dare he do that when he doesn't have my permission!!! Damn, damn, damn, damn, DAMN!!! I'm going to kill that son of a bitch if it's the last thing I'll do!!!" She bellowed at the top of her lungs while kicking some invisible rocks from the ground.


Trowa gaped. Duo was laughing his head off.


"Oh, shut up, Duo!! Whose side are you in??!!" Hilde snarled, raising her fist at his way.


"Wahahaha--if you could just see your face-hahahaha-your side, of course-hahahaha!!!" Duo laughed, tears filling his closed eyes.


"DUO!!!"


"Alright, alright. . . I'll stop." He wiped the moisture in his eyes and grinned. "But really, it was so funny." He turned to the amused Trowa. "That's how she relieves her anger, screaming her head off. . . but don't worry, she doesn't intend to kill your cousin." Then he turned to Hilde once more. "You okey now?"


Hilde took a final breath, then she nodded. "Yeah. Not angry anymore. Sorry about the tirade, Trowa. Sometimes, I say things and don't mean them."


Trowa smiled slightly. "At least, you said one thing true." he said sardonically. Duo didn't miss the strained smile. "What?" he asked.


"That Heero's mother is a bitch." Was what Trowa wanted to say. Heero's mother was surely the most cold-hearted woman Trowa had ever met, including his own mother. At least, his mother punished him, but Heero. . .


What kind of a parent would want to kill her only child?


So instead, he said, "Nothing, just a private joke. Let's go inside." He knew his cousin wouldn't want him to tell that part of his life to his Mate so Trowa left it for him to open up to Duo. He gestured at the door. "Let's wait inside."

But Duo didn't budge. He looked at Trowa seriously. "Are we welcomed?" he asked, gesturing at the castle.


Trowa stifled a smile and nodded. "Of course, you are. I invited you myself, didn't I?"


Duo looked at him for a moment, judging him curiously. Then he grinned. "Yeah! Let's go in, Hil!! On to the castle!!"


Trowa smiled as Duo passed him to go inside. After a few minutes, he was ogling at the interior design of the main floor of Lowe Castle. He went from one part to another while exclaiming Ooh's and Ahh's at every painting or sculpture, or whatever would capture his interest.


A feeling of rightness filled Trowa's entirety. Duo was a survivor, Trowa knew. He knew that behind those bright smiles lies Duo's deeper emotions, and that no matter what, he will always try to live another day to the fullest, always smiling for show. Appreciating and laughing at life's quirks and `Ups-and-downs'.


Heero on the other hand had almost gave up on life. Trowa knew that he was still lingering here because of his responsibilities as the head of the Lowe family, but without them, he will just be another passing shadow. . . a body without a soul. Consumed by guilt and smeared by the wrath of his so- called parents. He knew that given the right incentive, Heero would `live' again.


Trowa hoped that Duo would be the `right incentive'. Quatre thought so, and he believed in his Mate more than anything else.


Duo is a survivor. He would understand Heero.


And probably help him heal.


. . .


"What have you done to me, Quatre?" Heero asked with deadly calm. They were now on the castle's enormous library, with Heero standing straight in front of a floor-to-ceiling window.


"Done to you, Heero?" Quatre, who was sitting serenely at the chair in front of Heero, looked at him innocently. Too innocently. "Why, nothing that I know of. Except find your Mate."


Heero snorted. "The hell he is!" an image of Duo rose in his mind, along with his temper. "That guy?!"


"Heero, you told me not to mind the gender of your Mate." Quatre reminded him.


"Right," Heero retorted. "If you remembered that small detail, why the hell didn't you remember everything else?" He paced in front of Quatre. "I told you, someone with an objective and practical nature, but most of all no Amethyst eyes!" he glared at his cousin.


"I remembered all that, Heero."


"Hn. Then are those eyes just an illusion? I made you a list. . . why didn't you follow it?"


Quatre shook his head. "That's absurd. I followed that list." Quatre said. Groping inside his coat, he produced Heero's note and began to read. "`A person quite smaller than me. Possessing a curious and cheerful nature. Likes to smile----"


"What?!" Heero hissed as he snatched the note from Quatre's hand. He scanned the inked words in disbelief. "Long, braided chestnut hair. Amethyst eyes. . ." he muttered. He glared at Quatre again. "What did you do to the list? This is not the list that I wrote, even though it is in my handwriting."


Quatre sighed. "I didn't do anything with the list, Heero. I didn't know how to forge your hand."


"But who. . ." Heero began then broke off, a discomfiting memory surfacing. That night in the old tower, presenting the list to Quatre, the chill wind blowing through, the ghostly laughter mocking him, the glow of satisfaction in painted eyes. "Odin." Heero stalked the room again, grinding his teeth. His ancestor had once been famous for his tricks. "This is his sorcery at work. As if the infernal man did not make enough mischief in his own lifetime, he lingers to plague mine." He wadded up the list and flung it into the empty hearth.


Quatre's lips twitched. "So, this was Odin's work? This is surprising," Quatre covered his mouth but was unable to stifle his amusement. "For a ghost over three hundred years old, he remains perceptive. The man always was reputed to have an eye for the ladies. . and the men."


One glowering look from Heero stopped Quatre's chuckles. "This is still your fault, you know." He narrowed his eyes at the innocent expression on the blond's face. "I made my desires plain enough for you."


"Heero, I told you it doesn't work that way. I have to rely on my instincts. And my instinct happened to guide me towards Duo." His perceptive gaze assessed his cousin, and then frown marred his face. "Why are you afraid of him, Heero?"

Heero's eyes widened slightly. "Hn. Absurd." Heero muttered, turning his back at his blond cousin. But Quatre shook his head. "What is it about Duo that frightens you?"


"Frightens me?" Heero snorted. "Are you out of your mind?"


"Heero, I can feel your fear. You can't hide it from me." Heero remained silent. He was thinking, Quatre knew, on whether or not to trust the blond with his thoughts. So he waited until. . .


"I can't feel him, Quatre."


Quatre started at the sound of his name from Heero's lips. "Heero?"


But his cousin shook his head. "I can't sense him! Nothing! That was why I didn't `feel' him charging towards me."


"Nothing?"


Heero nodded. "None." After a lengthy pause, he said, "I consulted the Cross before you came here about my future."


Quatre was aghast. "Heero! You swore never to touch that thing again! You vowed not to use th-"


"So I did." Heero cut him off. He shrugged. "I used the Cross before I told you to look for my Mate. I can still remember the vision. . . that of a person with the most startling violet eyes that I have ever seen. I called it the Amethyst-eyed one." He focused his blue eyes to his cousin's lighter ones. "The figure's face was unclear, even the hair was vague. . . all I can see were those eyes."


Quatre, ever practical despite his ardent nature, frowned. "Is it possible that you're overreacting? There are other people who have violet eyes."


Heero smiled wryly. "But isn't it peculiar that it has to be my Mate?"


Quatre nodded, accepting his idea. "What does this person in your vision do to you?"

At this question, Heero looked grim. "Nothing. It's just the feeling of unease that it gives me. I have a strong notion should he come too close, he will be my undoing." He glowered when relief crossed Quatre's face. "Is that all? Heero, it's not too bad to be undone by your Mate!" He blushed. "Just looked at me and Trowa! Who knew that my Mate will be that recluse distant cousin of mine that I haven't seen since I was four?"


Heero snorted amusedly at that. "It's different with you two. You saw each other one night and fell in love instantly. It will not happen to me."


"He used to bully me when I we were small! How can you say that was love at first sight?" Quatre `tsk'ed. "Give Duo a chance! He might surprise you one day." Then he stood up and patted Heero's shoulder. "Duo belongs to you, Heero. He's here to stay."


Heero raked his hand on his unruly hair. "Damn. What am I supposed to do with him?"


"You can start by apologizing to him and his sister. Do that before you start the ceremony for marriage. And you better notify the rest of the family, too. The others should be informed of your marriage, especially Zechs. . . and Solo." Quatre told him tentatively. Heero felt the familiar prickle of irritation that the name of THAT other distant cousin always evoked. "Why would I inform HIM?"


"Doesn't Solo consider himself your heir? And beside, even though he wasn't blessed with abilities, he is still family." Although Quatre looked as if he wanted it to be otherwise.


"Damned idiot." He muttered. "I intended to name Zechs and Noin's child as my heir if ever I married someone with the same gender as mine. There is no way I'll permit Lowe Castle to fall in the hands of that-" he broke off, looking at the door.


"Heero?"


"Trowa's coming. I think he got impatient waiting for you." Heero focused on the double door, and it swung opened to reveal the tall, smirking cinnamon-haired youth. "You know, it would be better if you let me knock first."


"Hn."


Trowa and Quatre smiled at each other while the latter crossed the room to his Mate. The green-eyed young man dropped a quick kiss on the blond's lips, and then he turned to his other cousin. "You might want to talk to your Mate, Heero. I let him in." Trowa's penetrating emerald eyes looked at him challengingly. Quatre was eyeing him with pleading blue eyes while nodding in encouragement.


Heero scowled at his cousins. He had learned a year before, after being reacquainted with his four cousins -- Zechs, Quatre, Wufei, and Trowa --- that he had emotions after all. He cared for his cousins, and even liked Zechs' Mate, Lucrezia Noin. They were the only ones who understood him. . . and were the only real family that he recognized. Now. . . to let another person inside his life? His heart?


He gazed again at his cousins, who were looking at him expectantly. Was he ready?


Can he survive another rejection?


Heero sighed. "Fine. I'll do it your way."





Tbc. . .



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