Another Murder of Crows
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Title: Another Murder of Crows
Author: KKChitown
Part: 7/?
Feedback: Accepted
Warnings: Language, shounen ai-ism (is that a word? It is now!)
Anything that is not for family fun, I assure you.
Disclaimer: No own. No sue.
Before we begin, I must warn you that this will contain bad toilet
humor. You'll see what I mean. I also have my reasons for making Duo
sloppy, which are perfectly valid because:
(1) I stamped 'OOC' on the fic and,
(2) It is after the series ends, so that's pretty much free reign on
their personalities as far as I'm concerned.
If anyone feels compelled to argue, just make sure it's on the
weekends. My week is pretty booked.
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Another Murder of Crows: Part 7
By Karen
The hour and forty five minute trip home did not help Heero's temper,
or mine for that matter. We didn't say anything to each other for the
duration of the drive, but the tension was almost tangible, it was so
thick and heavy. Worse yet, he's still here. When we arrived at the
house, he insisted on checking out and repairing the car himself,
even though Abdul is an expert mechanic. But I just told Abdul not to
worry and let him do whatever he wanted. If it keeps him busy, that
means he can't argue with me.
Trudging up the stairs, again, I let my mind wonder over today's
events. That kiss really surprised me. Not him kissing me but me
kissing him back. That is so out of character for me, but I've
noticed that a lot of things that I've been doing lately have been
out of character. I don't know what Relena has going through her
mind, but as far as I can tell, we are still on for Saturday. Of
course, all personal problems are secondary. The universe comes first.
I entered my room and out of habit, I left the door unlocked. Wufei
and Duo weren't home yet, and as far as I could tell they weren't in
jail, so soon enough I expect Duo to run through the door with news
that really isn't significant, and a battered Wufei to trail slowly
behind. I can't help smiling to myself at the image. It's just funny
to think back to those times. What I would do to bring them back
again.
I flopped bonelessly on my bed, face down, fighting away the images
of Duo in the car, with me. I want to ask him when he gets back what
that could be about, but at the same time I don't. What if this is
some weird, psychotic thing my brain cooked up? I mean, Duo and I
have never been intimate, and I've never been attracted to him. Of
course, I have admitted how attractive he is. I'd be a liar if I
denied it, but still this bothers me. Freud believed that we all have
animalistic urges in our subconscious. So could it be that I do have
feelings for Duo, and maybe when that guy kissed me, I wanted it to
be Duo? I mean, the kisses are identical. On the other hand, Duo
hadn't even crossed my mind, I was too focused on that guy. Or maybe
I did try to tell him I felt something for him and he tried to cave
my head in on the dashboard? Nah!
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Thank you Allah. I needed the
distraction.
"Master Quatre?"
"Come on in, Rashid." I yelled into the bed.
The door opened and closed quickly, with heavy footsteps following
the b-line to my bed. I rolled to the edge of the bed, but remained
laying on my stomach as Rashid sat near the foot. "What happened?"
was the first thing he said. His voice wasn't angry, but it held a
tiny tinge of worry.
"What do you mean, Rashid? What is it?"
"Quatre, please, don't toy with me. Your twisting your ring and
you're biting you lip." I chanced a look down at my hands and sure
enough, it looked as though I was trying to unscrew my finger. "Heero
seems a little bit more quieter than usual. He won't even grunt a
response. Something must have happened while you two were at the
mall. What was it?"
I can never fool him, no matter what. I don't even know why I
try. "While we were there, at the arcade more specifically, a
boy..er..man was there and Heero caught us kissing." Rashid raised an
eyebrow but didn't comment. "I didn't know the guy, he–he just
appeared out of nowhere and gave me a credit to put in the game and
the next thing I knew we were playing tonsil hockey." I chuckled a
little bit at using one of Duo's many euphemisms. A small smile
splayed across Rashid's face as well. "But Heero lashed out and hurt
the guy, but the guy just laughed it off. We started to argue about
it in the food court then Relena showed up, and she decided against
spending time with us. I find that hard to believe. She found him
where ever he was, and it could've killed her, but at the sight of me
yelling at him, she left us both alone." Confusion hung on my last
sentence.
"What happened in the car?"
Okay, now this is going to get weird. "Well, do you know anything
about Frankfurt?"
"Yes," he answered solemnly, "Duo told me while you were in the
hospital. I would've burned the house down, except he beat me to it."
He smiled faintly.
"Did Duo and I ever, um, get involved kind of?"
His eyes held nothing but kindness and sympathy. "Quatre, he didn't
leave out any details, if that's what you're asking. And as for that
question, I think you should talk to him about it. What brought that
out?"
"Well, its kind of the reason why I almost wrecked the car." I said
in a small voice.
"Oh," he chuckled slightly. "I can't blame you then."
"But that's not all. You see, the guy's kiss felt a lot like Duo's.
Exact just about."
The smile died instantly, leaving a deep frown in its wake. "Now
*that* you have to explain to the others. I urge you to. That could
mean something."
I nodded my head in understanding. If Rashid thought I should do it,
then I should. "Sure thing then."
He started to pat me on the head, like he always use to do when I was
younger. "Now, Heero told me about you leaving for the Sanc kingdom,
so I will have the hole fixed then. The mirror will have to wait
until next week. The man I usually use is sick right now. Is that
suitable?"
"Of course. How am I going to ask you to deal with this and then
complain? I shouldn't have broken it in the first place."
He leaned forward and kissed me on my forehead. "Quatre, you are too
hard on yourself. It is repairable, so do not worry. Besides, Duo and
Heero have broken enough in this house that the total cost would be
enough to buy a new estate!"
I rolled onto my back laughing. Of course, both of us knew that was
an understatement. Trust me. "I guess you're right. Thank you for
listening, Rashid."
He got up from the bed and walked to the door before turning back to
me. "Anything to be of service, Master Quatre. Now get some rest."
And just like that, he was gone.
Rest. Another good idea. Too bad I didn't think of it. Swinging my
legs around the edge of the bed, I kicked off my boots using my feet,
and pulled off my sweater, which joined my shoes on the floor.
Unbuttoning and unzipping my jeans for some breathing room, I got
under the covers and curled myself into a little ball. I didn't
realize how tired I actually was.
***
I took a short nap, I guess maybe for an hour or two. It was dark
when I looked outside, and glancing over to my clock confirmed it.
It's 9:02 p.m. Uhg.
There was a slight pressure in my lower abdomen that increased when I
sat up. I don't feel like going but oh well. I stood up and stretched
before I made my way to the bathroom, seeing my shattered mirror
looking worse for wear. A smaller chunk fell off the wall and into
the sink, which I decided to leave for the time being. Throwing it in
the trash would only risk cutting someone, and add more problems to
my already problem full life. I'll personally deal with it later.
Pulling down my pants and underwear, I sat on the toilet and tried to
clear my mind. I didn't want to think about today, or yesterday, or
even the day before that. I will just think about...panda bears.
Yeah, that will work. Panda bears. They're big, black and white,
and....that's all I know. Okay, so maybe it wasn't such a good
thought after all.
Of course, I was soon saved from thinking by Duo. I heard him barrel
through my bedroom door, talking loudly to everyone.
"Hey, Q-baby! What's going on? I went to say hi to Heero and he went
straight for the `omae o korosu' jive instead of telling me to shut
up first. That's a breach in protocol man, so what did you do?" He
came into the bathroom and sat down on the floor against the wall,
holding one of those styrofoam plates that you get from restaurants.
I shifted on the toilet seat some to lean forward more comfortably
towards him.
"It's a long story."
He sat the opened plate down on his lap and pulled out an eggroll,
which he was currently wrapping a slice of cheese around. "Well, Cat,
its early, and I ain't got a date, so spill it."
Well, here goes everything. "When Odin and I got to the mall,
everything was cool, then–"
"Duo! Have you no respect for privacy!" Wufei fumed right outside the
bathroom doorway.
"What? Privacy? Who needs privacy?" Duo turned to Wufei, confused,
before he regarded me. I shrugged.
"Who needs privacy?" Wufei repeated. "Who needs privacy?! Duo, what
is he doing?"
Duo did a once over on me before turning back to Wufei. "He's taking
a shit. So what?"
"Ahhh!" Wufei screamed and left the doorway, mumbling something about
the injustice of crazy friends. Duo glanced to me, somehow managing
to put ketchup on the eggroll without getting it on the rest of his
food. "What's his problem?"
I shrugged again. "Beats me."
"Anyway, go on go on. Whatever happened has him pretty pissed." Duo
took a huge bite out of the cheese–and–ketchup covered eggroll.
"Okay. We were at the arcade playing when we ran out of credits. He
left to go get some out of the car right?" Duo nodded, taking a sip
of Dr. Pepper. That's all he drinks besides coffee. "So while I'm
playing I run out, and this guy puts a credit in the machine for me
so that I wouldn't lose the game. I tell him that my friend will be
here any sec and that I will pay him back, but then he tells me I can
pay him back, but not with money."
"So how were you to pay him back?" Wufei's head popped into the
bathroom, while the rest of his body remained hidden behind the wall.
"If you would shut up Wu he will get to that part." Duo held a piece
of shrimp between his chopsticks that he threw at Wufei. Wufei ducked
back behind the wall. "Sorry Cat. Go ahead. I want all the gossip."
"Well, the guy, he–he, he kissed me." For that instant I didn't see
Duo any more. Instead, I saw that sly grin as the young man's lips
caught my own. "Then Odin showed up and threw him against the wall."
"Damn that boy. It was his mission to get you laid after all!" By now
Duo has gotten half of the beef–and–broccoli from his plate on my
floor.
"So what did the guy do?" Wufei's head came from around the corner
again.
"All he did was say that he didn't know I was taken, then he left.
Odin and I then went to the food court and got into it, but I forgot
we invited Relena, so she showed up to see us fighting. She decided
that she and Dorothy would rather spend the day with themselves."
"Well, ex–CUSE ya'll for having a disagreement without a counsel
present." Duo remarked.
"There are other places to deal with situations like that.
Disagreements should not be handled publically."
"Thanks for the tip, Wu, but you know how Heero is. Kill now, ask
questions later–maybe." Duo stated, gesturing wildly. "So what
happened with the car? Abdul said the clutch was broken, and the
transmission was shot."
I blanched at the mention of the car. I forgot about that. "Quatre?"
I looked up to see both Duo and Wufei staring at me with worried
expressions. "Uh Duo, I need to ask you something. Its about
Frankfurt."
Duo raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. Wufei sighed loudly and
walked over Duo's legs to sit on the shower steps. I thought about my
conversation with Rashid earlier, and decided to come straight out
with it. One thing that I've learned about Duo is when there is
something you want to say to him, say it. Don't beat around the bush.
"Duo, I think I remembered something, and it had to do with me and
you in a car, kissing."
Duo laid his food down on the floor, and started massaging both of
his temples with one hand. "Yeah. That ghost I told you about, he
possessed himself in my body in order to get close to you."
"Huh?" Getting close to me and making out are two VERY different
things.
"You knew him by face, so in order to be able to get close enough to
touch you, he had to possess himself in someone he knew you trusted."
Wufei filled in helpfully.
"And you found us and tried to help me," I stated, pretty sure that I
was correct.
"Yes. By then, I knew you and Duo weren't that way with each other,
and if you were, you wouldn't be caught like that."
"Why didn't he use....Barton? At least I was attracted to him."
"We don't know." Duo said softly. "He thought you and I were lovers,
and figured he could get you in the sac that way. Other than that,"
Duo didn't finish his sentence, just shrugged his shoulders in
response. I am so sick and tired of people assuming that of me and
Duo. Especially since it isn't anybody's business anyway.
"Ah well. Let's continue tomorrow. We've read so many books today
that I'm seeing in print." Duo stood up loudly and popped the bones
in his back.
"What were you looking for, Duo?"
He only frowned to himself. "I was curious about something. I'll
explain tomorrow, k?"
"K." The times when Duo won't explain something is so rare, it only
drives my curiosity through the roof. I'm sorry, I love Duo to death,
but if its not attached to a mission of some sort, the word `secret'
does not exist in his vocabulary. Whatever it is, it's a sensitive
subject and I don't want to upset him. He will tell me in due time. I
hope.
Wufei sighed audibly and stood, following Duo out of the bathroom.
That's another thing. Duo and I have been best friends since we met.
Why would he tell Wufei what's going on and not me? When I looked to
Wufei for an answer, or at least a clue, he only shrugged helplessly
and diverted his attention from me. I see he's not going to volunteer
any information either. Huh.
I finished up and decided to take a shower. I needed to feel
something warm against my skin, and nothing will do like a hot
shower. I felt like a giraffe though, stretching my neck above the
water, trying to keep my hair from getting wet. I already washed it
this afternoon, and I didn't want to bother with it now, considering
that when I get out I'll probably head straight for the bed. And I
forgot to take my ring off before I got in, so even if I did wash my
hair, my ring would get tangled in it. I could take it off, but I
don't feel like it. I know, the predicament of a trillionaire.
This time when I got out of the shower, I made sure to lay towels on
the steps and the floor. I was not up to another adventure like the
one I had earlier, since I still didn't figure out what actually
happened. I'm sorry, but I'm a former terrorist, gundam pilot, and
one of the major leaders of the world. I just don't slip coming out
of a shower. It doesn't happen.
When I made it out of my bathroom to my bedroom, I was greeted with
the site of Duo talking loudly to someone on the phone, spilling even
more food, and Wufei sitting in the papa san, reading. How he can
focus while Duo's mouth rattles a mile a minute while inhaling lemon
chicken is beyond me.
"No way Hilde! You're crazy. Trunks is WAY sexier than Goku!
Especially when his hair is down to his shoulders. Ah, I wouldn't
mind getting a taste of him!" I glanced to Wufei who only placed his
finger on the part that he was reading, gave me an exasperated look,
then went back to reading. Chuckling to myself, I wrapped the towel
tighter around my waist and went over to my dresser to find some
pajamas. It took me awhile before I finally gave up, because I
couldn't find a matching pair. So a leopard print pants and a zebra
print shirt later, I heard Duo screaming into a dead phone.
"Hello! Hel~lo! Hilde! I can't believe she hung up on me!"
I tried to keep the smirk out of my voice. "She hung up on you?"
"Well what do you expect Duo, you can't insult her and think
everything's okay."
"You insulted her?" Those two are identical in every way. If Duo was
a girl, he'd be Hilde.
"Well she asked me a question and I answered it. I'm not going to lie
to her!"
I turned to Wufei for answers. Once again he stuck his finger where
he was reading. "We saw Hilde at the chinese restaurant. She was on a
date with somebody from payroll. Anyway, she had on this brown
leather dress and she asked Duo what he thought. He told her she
looked like a shaved wet rat."
"Well she did! I don't like it when she has her hair up. And that
dress didn't complement her at all!"
"Duo, you didn't have to say that, and especially in front of her
date," Wufei argued thoughtfully. I know my face is blood red from
trying not to laugh.
"Well, what was I suppose to do, lie to her?!
"Yes," Wufei answered, "she's a woman."
"I may be many things, but a liar isn't one of them."
"Neither is being tactful."
I lost it at this point. Clutching my stomach, I nearly fell to the
floor laughing. "Hilde is so going to kill you," I panted.
He walked to the garbage can and threw away the plate, leaving a
trail of fried rice behind him. "Yeah, I know. She's going to have my
nuts for this one."
We all laughed then, but the reality of it is that she more than
likely will. I love Hilde to death, but she's as vindictive as they
come. She can give Dorothy a run for her money any day.
As quickly as it started though, Duo's laughter ended as he stared
into my bathroom. His eyes grew wide to consume his face, and he
began swearing under his breath.
I nearly ran into Duo to find out what was wrong with him. I tried
shaking his shoulders to get a reaction. It didn't work. All he did
was point to my bathroom. When I heard Wufei swear behind me, I
looked into my bathroom just in time to see the mirror liquify,
stretch itself across my wall, and solidify to become whole once
again.
© 2001 by KKChitown. Please do not remove without permission.
