Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Seventh Heaven ❯ Reminiscing Part 2 ( Chapter 27 )

Title: Reminiscing Part 2

Series: Seventh Heaven

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: 2+1, Mariemaia+OC

Warnings: Duo POV, AU (our time), OC

Archive: Finally Fantasia (http://www.finallyfantasia.netfirms.com)

Lev's Lair (http://www.gwaddiction.com/levlair/index3.htm)

Amy Mizuno's Little Gundam Wing Page (http://www.mizunoamy.bravepages.com/main.html)

Fanfiction.net

Disclaimer: I tried sending a letter to Santa and ask him for Duo, but that letter bounced. Apparently, Santa is hooked on email nowadays, and has cut off his postal service. So no, I do not own GW. I do own this little piece of fiction though.

Note: Direct sequel to 'Reminiscing Part 1'.

Thanx to Lily Kalanoa for beta-ing! ^^

School is over faster than I think possible. I wave Sylvia goodbye as she goes back to her apartment on a bus. Marie is… somewhere still hanging all over Jason, I suppose. I can almost see the pink hearts fluttering around her, and maybe Jason too. I'm not too sure how he feels about this whole situation. Who knows? Maybe he's elated.

Anyway, as I was saying, school is over, and I find myself in the school volleyball court playing a game with the guys. Nah, I'm not on the school team. Not good enough. Still, I do play it for recreation sometimes.

"Mine!" I yell, and dive for the ball. With a bit of effort, I succeed at digging the ball back into the air and I quickly get away from it. Someone else will have to spike it over. Damn! I hate receiving Ronan's serves! They're always so painful on my hands, and I have to rub at my abused wrists for a moment before I feel the blood circulating again. Fine, I'm exaggerating, but I have good reason to.

Jerry gets under the ball, volleys it high up and in a really great position. Otto quickly gets over to the ball, leaping up and spiking it hard over the net. It's difficult to deny that Otto's a good volleyball player, especially when it comes to spikes. They're tough, strong, and generally difficult to save.

The other team struggles with it for a while, until a newcomer hits it too hard and the ball goes out of court. I grin, and Jerry hi-fives me.

"Service over!" he yells. The newcomer, whose name still eludes me, grabs the ball and throws it over.

Our team rotates our position and Andy takes the ball. With a strong hit, the ball flies over the net like an eagle swooping down to catch its prey. And the accuracy and deadliness of an eagle is not something to be ignored, I suppose. Pete lunges forward, his hands already in position for a dig. However, he misses it by an inch and the ball slams into the ground. The loud 'thud' resounds, but our cheers drown it out.

"Yeah! We've won!" Jerry shouts while running around excitedly. Heh, he's always like that. So easily excited and prone to doing some really stupid things. Like the victory dance he's doing now. It's tough to describe how's he doing it, but take my word for it. It's dumb. Even dumber than that chicken dance Andy's doing now.

I steadily retreat away from him lest he grabs me to be his dance partner. He's already gotten Andy. Laughing at their antics, I head for the benches. I need to sit down anyway.

Otto jogs up to me and flops down on the seat beside mine.

"Great game, wasn't it?" he asks, wrapping his towel around his neck.

I nod. "Yeah. It's really nice to have a game like this every once in a while."

"Why don't you join the school team?"

"Now?" I gawk at him. "Are you kidding? We're graduating soon already! Besides, I'm not all that good at this," I answer with a shrug. Ever since my first game with these guys, Otto's been after me to join the team. He's the captain, yeah? But really, I'm not that interested and I'm not that skillful with volleyball.

He rolls his eyes. "You always say that. You aren't that bad either. At least, you're better than Tony. He still can't manage a good serve." Otto gives that guy a sharp nod, telling me who is it. I take a peek; it's that newcomer. And he's still struggling with the ball, now that Ronan is trying to have a practice session with him. From the way he handles the ball, novice is a good word for him.

"Hey, cut that guy some slack. He's new on the team, isn't he? He'll learn."

"Hopefully," Otto replies dryly.

Have I mentioned how demanding Otto is? That's probably one of the reasons why I've never bothered to sign up with the team, instead choosing to play it for recreation only.

Jerry bounces over to us, adrenaline still rushing through his veins, apparently. Or it could be the doughnuts he ate earlier. I resist the urge to stand up and yell 'Sugar high!' and run away from my friend.

"Hey guys! What're you doing, sitting down? C'mon! Let's play another game!"

Otto groans. "Aw man, you're shitting me! I'm tired already!"

"If he'd shitted on you, you wouldn't smell half as good as you do now," I quip flippantly, much to Otto's amusement and Jerry's annoyance. But maybe that isn't the best idea I've had: Jerry's shooting me this 'you're gonna get it' look, and I wince inwardly.

He glares at me with mock irritation marring his face, and he crosses his arms. "And you don't smell very good after a volley ball game either, Duo. Maybe you should get your boyfriend to buy you some perfume."

Okay, that is one thing I never expected him to say. How in the world did he know about Heero? And much less my relationship with him? Then I slap myself mentally. Jerry knows Marie, the biggest gossipmonger around me who has the tendency to say more than she needs to. Vaguely, I wonder how many people know about this.

"What's his name? Hero?" Otto asks, and his question cements my urge to go throttle Marie sometime soon.

"No, Heero. It's with a double 'e'. Don't mispronounce it; Duo will get angry. Won't he?" Jerry sighs sympathetically, patting my head as though I were some puppy.

If I were one, I'd bite his fingers.

"I don't wear perfume! It's cologne! Guys wear cologne!" I reply indignantly. "And Heero's not my boyfriend!" Well, not yet anyway.

"Not yet!" Otto and Jerry chorus in a singsong manner. Then they look at each other, almost surprised. "This must be the first time we're so on key with each other!"

As they laugh, I feel the beginnings on a headache coming. Yet, despite the embarrassment, everything actually feels pretty… nice. I'd always wondered when I'd get teased for my romantic encounters (which aren't many, thanks to my favourite brother), and the fact that the other person is Heero just makes it all sweeter.

"Look! He's smiling! Aww… how can you have naughty thoughts about your would-be boyfriend now?" Jerry sighs dramatically, feigning a swoon.

I can't help the blush creeping onto my face. "I'm not!"

"What? What's going on here? What did we miss?" Andy and Pete ask, joining forces to dump me with loads of questions.

As Jerry and Otto fill them in, I activate Duo stealth mode and inch my way out.

*****

I'm just about to leave the school compound when someone stops me.

"Hey Duo!"

I turn and wince. It's Andy. No doubt he's gonna try and milk more information on my love life. Just how does Marie do it? How in the world did she manage to get everyone I know so interested in my romantic encounter?

"Hi, Andy," I reply tentatively.

"You going home?" At my nod, he continues, "Me too. We go in the same direction, don't we? Let's go!"

Things aren't as bad as I assumed earlier. That is, until he starts talking about the subject again. The subject, as in the one and only in capitals.

"Tony's gonna be heartbroken, you know?"

I blink. Is he saying what I think he's saying?

Andy turns to me. "I think he's got a crush on you, but hey, everyone knows about you and Hero now."

"Heero," I correct, pouting.

"So Jerry's right about you getting mad if we mispronounce his name." He sniggers. "But well, Tony will get over it once he goes for his first volleyball tournament. The game's addictive, I tell you. And when he meets Walker's team, he's going to practice everyday and he won't even have the time to think much about anything else. It happens every time."

I blink again. "Walker who?"

Andy fixes me with a stunned look. He looks like a gaping fish. Ah, scratch that. Make that a gaping goldfish. His eyes are big enough.

"What?"

"You're joking, aren't you? How can a volleyball player not know who Walker is?"

I sigh. "Look, if I were joking, I would say, 'What would you do to an elephant with three balls?' [1] Besides, I'm only playing volleyball for recreation. It's not like I go out of my way to check out all the volleyball players in this world. Who is he anyway?"

Andy ignores my crude comments, luckily. Otherwise, there'd be no end to this conversation.

"Oh, he's one of the best volleyball players I've seen. Of our age, I mean. Met him once in a volleyball competition that I joined with a couple of friends outside. And we got thrashed so badly by his team. Still, I'm awed by his skills. He's really good," he answers, and says that Walker is from some junior college in another city.

I blink. I recognize that name and college. "Leon? You mean Leon Walker?" [2]

"You know him?"

"Yeah. He was my childhood friend. We used to go to school together. But then I moved here, and we sorta drifted apart. Still, he's told me which junior college he's in now and that he plays volleyball. But I don't ever recall him telling me that he's this good at it." I tell them, still mulling over the facts. All that is true. I'm still in contact with Leon via emails and the really occasional phone calls, but we mainly talk about small things. Nothing as big as him being such a good volleyball player, at least.

"Cool. If you ever arrange to meet him again, let me come along. Maybe we can arrange another match between us."

I agree half-heartedly. It's been quite a while since I've seen Leon. In fact, I think the last time I've seen him is years ago. A little upsetting, now that I think of it. We used to be such good buddies, always looking out for each other. I sigh, and head for a bus stop.

However, before I go, Andy pulls me to one side and asks, "Anyway, what *do* you do with an elephant with three balls?"

If I could sweatdrop, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

*****

Grabbing my towel from the towel rack, I rub my hair dry. It's a nuisance, sometimes. With hair this long, I'll be lucky if it gets dry under an hour. Not likely, I think to myself as I clutch another towel, dumping the wet one back onto the rack. Many times, I'm pretty tempted to cut it off and feel the cool wind on my nape again. And maybe I'll shed some grams or even kilos on the weighing scale. Then I think of my mother, and how I used to play with her chestnut hair, and I'll drop the idea. Lately though, I think of someone else apart from mum.

And who else but Heero has this effect on me now? I still remember the outburst he had the day when I suggested cutting my hair. Maybe he's got a hair fetish. Picking up a small bunch of my hair, I wonder how it would feel when Heero runs his fingers through them. And then I blush at the thought. If he runs his fingers through my hair, not when! *If*!

I miss him already.

Picking up my hairbrush, I brush out the tangles in a rhythmic motion and the hairbrush slides through easily. Thank god for extra-strong conditioner. Keeping my towel wrapped around my shoulders, I wander out of my bedroom. I've already finished my schoolwork for the day, and I'm not in the mood to revise anything now. It's been a tiring day, and I just want to take a short break. My first thought is to go raid the fridge and watch television. But I don't think there's anything worth watching now. Spying the computer in Solo's room, I decide to check my mailbox instead.

The computer loads quickly, and I find myself logged on to the Internet in minutes.

"Hmm… Spam, spam, spam and more spam. Is there *anything* that's from someone I know in here?" I mumble, feeling slightly irked by the flood of junk mail already. Then my eyes fall on one of the names and the subject matter. "Leon? Coming over? Leon is coming over to this city?"

Talk about coincidence.

Shrugging, I click on it.

Hey Duo! It's been a long while since I've received an email from you. You've been busy? Probably, since you're graduating from junior college soon. Not that I'm not, but I'm never that good at my studies anyway. Maybe I'll just find a job after graduation. Anyway, just writing to tell you something really important. My family is moving over to your city really soon because of my dad's job, so we can meet again! Actually, I've known about it for quite a while, but I haven't told you since it wasn't confirmed until a week ago. Not sure about our new address yet, but I'll tell you as soon as I can. Anyway, I still have your address, so it probably won't be difficult for me to look for you.

Now we're busy packing, so this computer will probably be stowed away pretty soon too. Still, reply if you can. Just don't be surprised if I don't reply as fast.

Well, see you soon! And say 'hello' to Solo for me too! I miss you guys!

Leon

Just as I'm musing over the turn of events, someone taps my shoulders suddenly. Startled, I let out an embarrassing cry and whirl around.

"Solo, you nearly took ten years off my life," I grumble while glaring daggers at my brother.

He smirks unrepentantly. "Relax, kid! I didn't even try to scare you this time," he laughs. Pointing at the computer screen, he asks, "What's that you're reading?"

"It's Leon. His family is moving over here."

Solo blinks for a moment, then cheers and flops onto his bed. "Alright! It's been what? Seven years since we've seen him?" He says, absently counting the number of years.

I nod. And we remain silent for a while, each reminiscing the old memories.

Solo breaks the silence. "It'll feel strange to see him again."

Although I don't say it out loud, I feel the same way. After all, it brings back a lot of memories. We were the best of friends, but also the most ardent competitors. We competed with each other in a lot of things. Like… our academic results (I used to always win this one)… our achievements… the number of girls who had a crush on us… and even who got to school first. Though we had to stop the last one after he had a near miss with a traffic accident. I remember our parents giving us the scolding of our lives after that, but we winked at each other playfully, and everything felt okay again.

Yeah, back then, mum and dad were still alive. And they looked after Leon like he was their son as well. His parents did likewise for Solo and me.

Solo and Leon were pretty good friends too, as much as I can recall. We were neighbours, after all, and we used to run in and out of each other's house like it was ours. I still remember the occasions the three of us hid under the covers together when Leon's dad scared us with his numerous ghastly tales.

It felt as though that life was meant to be that way. Everything was in perfect order, and I thought we would always be like that.

But well, I'm not the one who wrote the scripts. So this really bad car crash happened, and mum and dad just… died. It was raining, and I guess they were rushing home because it was my birthday, and it just… happened. Solo and I were taken over to our only uncle, Howie, who lived in another city. We barely had time to give Leon our new address.

"When is he coming?"

Solo's question is so sudden I nearly miss it. "Huh?"

He props himself on his hands, and asks again, "When is Leon's family coming over?"

Good question. I scan through the email again. "He didn't say exactly when. Just said it was 'soon'."

"Well then… I suppose he's got our address? He can come find us then, when he arrives," he notes casually.

"Yeah," I answer. Then I notice Solo's giving me that 'look' again, and I narrow my eyes. "What is it? You didn't come looking for me just to know what I'm doing, did you?"

I swear he never looks contrite, and I vaguely wonder if he actually feels it. He just plasters that confident grin of his onto his face, and stares at me harder.

"Can't I be curious as to what my little brother is doing? But really, I must admit that I do have another, more important reason why I'm here." He sits up on his bed. "Well, I just want to know if you're free next Friday night?"

"I think so. Why?"

"Oh, nothing much. I just wanted to take you out for dinner. Stumbled upon this really nice eatery the other day, and the food there is fantastic. So I was thinking that maybe you'll want to go there too."

That can't be all there is to it. Solo is nice to me, that much I admit. But I don't see any reason why it must be Friday night. Surely, he's planning something. And I'm not sure if I actually want to be part of it. But then something hits me.

"For my birthday?"

"If you want to. But the main reason is because there's supposed to be a special something on the menu that night."

"Oh."

"Well," he starts, getting off the bed and heading for the door, "just keep your schedule free for that night. And shut down the computer. It's dinnertime already. Let's go help Howie in the kitchen."

I stare at his retreating back for a while more, and head out for dinner as well after switching off the computer. Howie is burning dinner, and Solo is trying to make it edible again. Shini is just barking, probably asking why hasn't anyone fed him yet.

I just can't help but smile at them. While mum and dad aren't with us anymore, I still have Solo, Howie and Shini with me. And of course, Heero. Maybe that's enough already.

A smile lit up my face again when I gather a lock of my hair between my fingers and imagine Heero playing with it.

-owari-

Sorceress Fantasia @ 26th September 2003

Revised 8th February 2004

Last beta-ed 4th April 2004

[1]: Sorry, just couldn't help it. Heard this one from a movie. ^^[2]: I'm not sure if Walker has a first name or not. Just made it up.