Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Purrfect Houseguest ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

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The Purrfect Houseguest

Part 8

"Mariemaia?!" Treize stared first at his daughter then at the fair-haired stranger in a mixture of shock and disbelieve.
Impossible, this can't be. He swallowed hard, mouth suddenly gone dry.

"Papa!" Startled, Marie jumped up from the blanket she had been sitting on.

"What's going on here?" her father asked. It sounded rather lame, even to his own ears.

"Please Papa, don't get mad," Marie looked at him pleadingly. "I'll explain everything."

As Treize stepped closer the Neko tensed. Crystal-blue eyes narrowed. The tawny haired man stopped. "Marie, come here," he ordered firmly. "Now!"

"Papa, no. He is not mean, he is just scared." The little red-head replied. Then she turned toward the neko. "It's alright, Zechs. He won't hurt you, I promise. My dad would never hurt anybody."

Treize hesitated. Indeed, he had no intention of hurting the creature. His only concern was his daughter and keeping her safe. But the neko looked frightened, and as an experienced hunter, Treize knew only too well how dangerous an animal could become when it was cornered. And even humans are just animals, after all. He was sure that those claws were not just for decorations.

"Mariemaia come to me," he repeated, softer and quieter this time. "I'm not angry," he assured her. "I just want to come with me and talk to me, alright."

When the girl hesitated Treize took another, cautious step toward her.

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Zechs had not taken his eyes off the tawny haired man since he had entered the shed. Somehow there was something familiar about him, but then again he was Marie's father, so it was only natural that there was a resemblance.

Driven by pure survival instinct, Zechs quickly assessed his situation. He knew that he was in no condition to fight, so his only other option was to run. There was one problem however, between him and the door stood Mariemaia's father. He didn't want to hurt the man; he never really wanted to hurt anybody. But he also did not want to be recaptured.

When the man moved closer to his daughter, Zechs reacted. Sensing his chance, he jumped up, ready to dash for the door. Although his mind was willing, his body was simply too weak. He was barely able to take two unsteady steps, and then everything around him went black, as his mind dropped into a deep abyss of nothingness.

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Almost instinctively Treize reached out, catching the neko before he hit the ground. Beside him, Mariemaia gasped in shock. "What happened?" she asked in a shaky voice. "Is he dead?"

"No," Treize shook his head. "It seems as though he just passed out." He laid his hand against the neko's forehead, and frowned. It felt hot to the touch. "He has a bad fever."

"I'm sorry," Marie sniffled. "I knew he was sick, but he didn't want me to tell anybody. I just wanted to help him, he was so scared."

"It's alright," he told her softly. "I'm sure he will be fine. But were did he come from anyway?"

"I don't know," the girl shrugged. "He was just there and caught me when I fell from the tree. He…"

While Mariemaia told her father the story of how she and the neko had met, he pulled the fair-haired creature into his arms and rose. "Let's take him inside, shall we?" he suggested.

Treize carried his unconscious charge into the cabin, and upstairs into a spare bedroom, while Marie ran ahead to open the doors for them. He carefully placed Zechs onto the bed, removed his shoes and covered him with a warm comforter. Before straightening up he reached out to push a few strands of long, silvery hair out of the neko's face, lost in thought. How can this be? It's impossible; simply impossible.

"Can we keep him, Papa?" Mariemaia asked quietly.

Treize turned to her with a gently smile. "Honey, he is not a pet."

"I know. But what if he has no other place to go? I think he doesn't have a family."

"Why don't we worry about that later?" her father suggested. "Right now it is more important to get him well. Do me a favor and get me my phone, Marie. It's right next to my computer on the patio. I'll call Wufei; he should know better what to do."

"I'll be right back," Marie nodded.

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Wufei had just finished loading his motorcycle when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open casually. "Chang here!"

"Hello Wufei, it's me, Treize. Where are you right now?"

The young man frowned. Was it his imagination, or did his lover sound a little tense. "I'm just about to leave home and hit the road before rush-hour starts, why? Is something wrong?"

Treize quickly assured him that everything was alright. "I just need to ask you something."

"Alright."

"Dr. Po is an expert when it comes to nekos, isn't she?"

Wufei's frown deepened. "Yes, in a way I guess."

"Do you think she is knowledgeable enough to treat a sick neko?"

"Come again?" the young man asked puzzled. He knew that Treize had a strange kind of humor at times, but this question sounded weird even for him.

There was a long moment of silence, then he could hear his lover take a long, deep breath.

"I'm right now sitting next to a neko who seems very ill, and I'm not sure what to so with him."

Wufei's frown turned into a scowl. "Treize, have you and Mr. Garner dipped into his blueberry wine supply again?" he asked seriously.

"Dear, I realize that this sounds crazy, but I assure you, I'm neither drunk, nor am I kidding. I might not be as expert about this as you are, but I know a neko if I see one. Trust me on this. He is a neko …ears and all. Mariemaia found him. I'll tell you the whole story when you get here."

There was another moment of silence as Wufei considered if he should believe this crazy story or not. Finally he asked. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"How well do you know Dr Po?" Treize replied. "Do you think she could be trusted to keep this a secret?"

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Treize, seated on the edge of the bed, murmured soothing words of comfort as he dabbed the Neko's' fever-heated face with a cold, wet cloth.
Mariemaia was downstairs in the living room, watching a movie. Wufei and Dr Po should be on their way now, but even if traffic was light it would take them at least another hour before they would get to Deer Creek.

The tawny haired man soaked the cloth in a bowl with cold water that was sitting on the nightstand, and placed it onto the neko's forehead.

Zechs! It really is you, isn't it? When they told me that you had died, I should have known better than to believe them. Treize sighed. I'm sorry, Zechs! Do you even remember me? It's been so long.

When I grew up I detested Gentec and Romefeller for what they were doing, and I despised my own family for being part of that organization. I promised myself that I didn't want any part of that; that I would do something about it some day. But I turned out that I was just a big coward after all. I never did anything. Instead I took the first chance I got, walked away and never looked back.

I don't know how you got here; how, off all places in the world, you ended up at my 'doorsteps'. Perhaps this is faith. This time, I promise I'll protect you. I won't let anybody ever hurt you again. I just need you to hang in there and get well again. I know you can do it, I know you are though. Otherwise you would not have survived for this long…

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T.B.C.

Author's Note: I realize this chapter is rather short (even for my standards). But next will be a long flashback scene, which I want to write as a separate chapter.