FUTURE HAUNTS
~By K.T.~
Chapter VII
Disclaimer: Same as the last one. Cry mercy.
Words surrounded by * are in italics.
Marimai stared adoringly at Duo as he laughed with Relena and Catherine.
Both Quatre and Heero were secluded once again in the study and Une was
locked in her room, pleading a head-ache.
Duo's violet gaze rested on her for a moment and one of his eye lids
dropped in a friendly wink before he turned back to hear what Relena was
saying. Marimai wriggled in her seat and looked down at her legs. She
frowned at the leg braces and then the frown smoothed from her forehead as
she remembered what the doctor had told her.
*".......the feeling in your legs is a miraculous sign and within the
next year, you SHOULD be able to take short walking periods on your own..."*
Marimai's gaze involuntarily moved back to the laughing, long-haired
pilot. He was so handsome...she sighed and smiled, lost in her happy
thoughts.
Sabriel stood silently behind the laughing three on the settee and
caught the dreamy look on the red-head-child's face. Her own face
unconsciously softened as she recognized the look of adoration the child
directed towards the goofy pilot.
Heero and Quatre opened the door to the study, their faces suspiciously
grim. Heero had eyes for Relena at once, his gaze narrowing dangerously on
the far-too-close Duo. Quatre, on the other hand, took in Sabriel's
understanding gaze on Marimai, Marimai's loving gaze on Duo, Duo's laughing
gaze on Relena, Heero's jealous gaze on Duo and Relena and
met....Catherine's simple and sweet, uplifted, violet-blue eyes. Quatre met
her smile with one of his own and then moved to stand next to her.
"Walk with me?" He requested softly.
Catherine took his hand for an answer.
Duo shook his head at their re-treating backs.
"Man, what I wouldn't give to see Trowa catch them at it...OW!" He
rubbed the back of his head and looked at Heero, his eyes wide. "What'dya do
that for?"
Heero's left brow rose and then his gaze moved to Marimai who
was pulling at his white-collared shirt. Duo turned to Relena for sympathy
but she was still giggling over Heero actually smacking Duo like that.
"Did you find anything?!"
Heero knelt infront of the red head and spanned her waist with his
hands while she held herself up on his arms.
"Yes."
Duo and Relena were suddenly sober, leaning forward intently.
"What, Heero? What did you find?!"
Heero looked at his angel and a funny feeling hit his stomach. He
ignored it and glanced at Duo.
"We have to go back into space."
"What?!" Both Duo and Relena surged to their feet.
Heero looked back into Marimai's open gaze.
"Sally contacted us. An organization, the New Dawn Order, had
kidnapped her and then Wufei. Wufei is still there, trying to cause some
damage, but he needs our help."
Relena looked away from the young man she loved and wrapped her
arms around her stomach. He was leaving. Again. She knew it would happen.
She knew...
They would need help...and if,...if Heero ever did care for her
enough...enough to go on those feelings for something more...she would
always have to accept the fact that he might leave on missions even while
they were together...Relena gave herself a little shake and dropped her arms
to her sides. She turned to her bodyguard.
"Sabriel, I want you to help them."
Heero stood, pressing Marimai into Duo's hastily stretched out arms.
The little girl fell into him, her body twisted awkwardly to the side, her
face pressed into Duo's hard stomach.
"Oops." Duo grinned and then sat down, pulling Marimai up onto his lap.
"Sorry about that, kiddo."
Marimai twisted her head around, looked into his big-purple eyes, and then
leaned her back against his chest. Duo glanced down at the top of her head
and then shook his own head. How old was the kid anyway? Seven? Eight? Duo
smiled to himself and gave a mental shrug. Oh well, who was he to get in the
way of young love...
"Relena, you need all the protection you can get. I don't..."
"She's not going with you, Heero." Relena cut him off. "It's just
that Sabriel has been in her line of work for a while and might know where
to get you guys some quick supplies while you make preparations for your
shuttle."
Heero blinked. What ever he had been expecting, it hadn't been
this...Relena helping him *leave*?! Then he saw it...in her eyes. She
understood. She was telling him the only way she knew how. Heero's heart
thumped with love for her...this blue-eyed girl who had shown him more love
than he could remember seeing from anyone. He took a step closer and
stopped. Not in front of Duo...
"Thank you." He accepted.
Relena smiled. Then Heero watched as Sabriel moved into the office. He
began to follow her, not wanting her to be in there alone...
"Are we going?" Quatre asked from the doorway. Heero stopped in
mid-stride and then shrugged his suspicions about Sabriel Arran off. He
threw another glance at Relena, soaking in her calm and open gaze.
"Yeah."
Duo lifted Marimai up and set her gently beside him before standing up.
"We should probably just take one of the air-crafts to the abandoned
military base near the bay. Then we can use one of the old shuttles there."
Heero nodded.
"I'm going with you." Catherine said from behind Quatre. Heero
frowned thoughtfully but Duo spoke up.
"No offense, Kitty-Cat, but I don't think we should be taking any
femme-fatales with us on this trip..."
Catherine smiled knowingly and then slipped her arm through Quatre's,
signifying to all that she was going no matter what. Quatre just looked
back at his two male friends with a sheepish grin.
"Right." Heero said slowly. "Quatre, go tell Lady Une that we're
leaving." Quatre nodded and left. "Duo, Catherine, go prep one of the
air-crafts."
Duo winked at Relena and then clapped Heero on the shoulder.
"Want her all to yourself, huh?"
Heero grabbed the rim on the back of Duo's pants and lifted...
---------------------------------------
Sally pulled the alarm and waited. She checked her watch.
"Come on, kid. Get out of there!" She glanced at her watch again and
then worried her lower lip. "Wufei..."
"Yes, woman?"
Sally jumped about a mile and a half and then turned to look at the
Chinese Preventer, murder in her eyes.
"If you ever do that again...."
"Shh." Wufei laid a silencing finger on Sally's lips and they
ducked down lower in the darkened ally way.
"What happened?" She asked after a few minutes.
"I got...detained." Wufei answered solemnly.
Sally looked at her young friend and noticed the blood on his neck
and arms. She looked away.
"Think its safe to move?"
For an answer, Wufei cautiously stood and then motioned for her to
follow him.
-----------------------------------
Duo groaned as he sat slowly into the pilot seat.
"Remind me to think up something horrible to do to Heero when this is
all over."
Catherine gave a little chuckle.
"I don't know, Duo. I think you deserved it..."
"That's cruel..." Duo huffed, crossing his arms and turning his nose
away.
Catherine laughed and then started when Duo suddenly pressed her back
into her seat, a hand over her mouth. She looked at him, her eyes a little
scared, but he was scrutinizing the cargo hold.
"Wait here." He hissed, not even looking at her.
Catherine peeked back, over the seat, to see what he was doing. He
moved stealthily, silently, back to the cargo hold and picked up a near-by
crow-bar. Then he moved on.
Something jumped out at him and Catherine covered her mouth to
stop a scream. Then Duo laughed and she relaxed, her eyes closing in the
sudden release of suspense.
"Perfect that it was just a 'cat' huh?" He asked with his quirky humor.
Catherine stuck out her tongue at him. Then, she turned back around and sat
back in her seat. She shook her head at her own jumpiness and Quatre's face
popped into her head...
****FLASH-BACK****
"I can't believe it." Catherine shook her head after Quatre
told her what he and Heero had found. She looked at him, the young man who
had found and restored her brother to her. The young man who would so
selflessly give his life for the sake of those he didn't even know.
Quatre was watching his feet, his forehead creased in thought.
Catherine tugged him to a stop and then took her finger and smoothed the
frown from his forehead.
"Too young for wrinkles." She explained when he looked at her
curiously. Quatre laughed his gentle laugh and then shook his head.
"I don't want to go." he confessed, looking shyly back up to her.
Catherine swallowed at that look.
"Quatre...I..." She stopped, unsure of what she wanted to say... "You're
such a kind person..."
Quatre's left brow rose suddenly, his face as empty as Heero's
could be. Catherine blinked at the change and then brought both hands up to
grip his sleeves before he could walk away.
"No...Quatre, that's not what I meant...I...!" She didn't know
what to say...what did one say to a...a man a year younger then you who had
fought, killed, and survived a war as well as managing to remain one of the
most gentle and kind people she had ever met?
"Then what, Catherine?" Quatre asked, his voice noncommital.
"What *do* you mean?"
Catherine opened her mouth and then closed it. She could hang around
lions all day long...throw knives at a target fifty feet away and hit dead
center every time...yet she couldn't sort her feelings out for a boy...
She closed her eyes in defeat and shook her head.
As Quatre watched Catherine sort through her self he held back when
every instinct was telling him to take her in his arms and kiss her
senseless. He had to be sure that *that* was what *she* wanted first...but
when her hands began to slide from their grip on his shirt sleeves, Quatre
knew he had to take some action before this ethereal angel escaped him.
Catherine moved to turn away but her hand was captured in Quatre's
calloused one. Another hand captured her chin and turned her face back.
Catherine's eyes widened as she saw Quatre's own close face...then he kissed
her.
Catherine held perfectly still until Quatre pulled back. She looked at
him, her mind a tumbling frenzy, whirling around one fact. Quatre Rebabba
Winner had the most sexy smile she had ever seen and he had kissed her with
those same smiling lips.
Catherine moved: she threw her arms around Quatre's neck and kissed
him back.
****END FLASH-BACK****
Relena watched Duo limp from the room. She and Catherine shared an amused
look before Catherine walked with Marimai out of the room. Relena shook
her head before darting a nervous glance at Heero. He had stayed behind and
she wondered why. She suddenly remembered the night before when he had
kissed her hand...
Relena shook the thought from her mind and then noticed Heero was watching
her. She swallowed nervously.
"Was there something else you needed, Heero?"
Heero nearly smiled at the higher than usual pitch of Relena's voice.
He mentally shook himself, though, and managed to sit down with an impassive
face.
"Zechs contacted me." He told her, using her brother's old name.
Relena looked at him, blinking stupidly for a moment before sitting
next to him.
"Milliardo? Milliardo...contacted you?"
"He and Noin should be coming back soon. They want to get married here."
Relena looked away from Heero's stoic face and stared at the
darkening sky outside the window. Her brother was coming back! They hadn't
really had any time to get to know one another and now he was returning...
"Relena?"
-----------------------------------
"Hey, Kitty-Cat, hand me those boxes, we'll stack them up over here."
Catherine picked up one of the heavy boxes and tripped over to where
Duo was standing. He turned to her.
"Oh, good. Right here."
Catherine dropped the box on the edge of his toe and gave a satisfied
smile when he hopped around holding his foot in one hand.
Then a hand came around Catherine's mouth and a strong arm pinned her to
a rock-hard body.
Duo was stooped down, still rubbing his toe when something caught his
attention. He got down on hands and knees and crawled into one of the
cubby-holders.
"Uh, Kitty...looks like we've got *some* cat-trap here..."
Duo crawled out backwards, pulling the bomb out with him. He turned
around and saw Catherine being held by some blond guy while a woman pointed
a gun directly at his head. Duo stared cross-eyed down the barrel and then
raised his hands, smiling sheepishly. Then, his eyes narrowed as he stared
at the woman before him.
"YOU!"
Aerran gave the braided boy an evil smile before squeezing the trigger.
-------------------------------
"Yes?" She turned and drew back , startled by the near-ness of Heero's
face to her own.
"When this is all over...can I..."
Relena met his deep gaze and her eyes widened in surprise. She had never
seen Heero nervous before...
Heero opened his mouth to speak when a brilliant light lit the darkness
outside. The great house shook and the windows rattled. Relena opened her
eyes to find herself pressed against a hard chest, strong arms wrapped
around her protectively.
She looked up into Heero's face.
"What was that?!"
His eyes narrowed.
"Come on."
He drew her up from the couch and they ran out the door, down the
stairs...
"Hey, you guys! What the heck was that?!" Quatre ran behind them.
"It came from the hanger." Heero called back, his grip on Relena's
hand pulling her along at his relentless pace.
They stopped about four hundred feet from the exploded planes and
stared in horrified fascination at the wreckage.
Relena moved forward only to have Heero yank her back. She
struggled against his hold for a moment before giving in to his strength.
"They're dead...aren't they..." Relena asked, her voice colorless.
Heero drew her more fully against him to protect her from the heat
blasts but his gaze remained fixed on Quatre. He watched the young blond
survey the wreckage with shocked features.
"Let's get back inside. We need to call the paramedics as well as
the fire-patrol. They'll want to contain this before it spreads..."
Heero pulled Relena with him towards Quatre. He reached out an arm
toward the younger man and gripped his shoulder.
"Quatre."
The blond looked at him, emptiness in his gaze. Then recognition
filled them and he nodded slightly.
They moved back to the mansion in a daze. Marimai and Lady Une both
stood in the doorway, their gazes full of hope. Heero met Une's gaze and
the shake of his head was barely perceptible.
Sabriel came out and Relena pushed herself away from Heero running to the
older woman's form. Heero slid his hands into his pockets, not sure if he
should be hurt or relieved that Relena hadn't chosen him to cling to. He
watched Sabriel slip an arm around Relena's shoulders and the two young
women moved inside.
Marimai was crying and Une picked her up to carry her inside.
"Heero?" Quatre spoke and Heero turned around. The blond was staring
at the burning hangar and he looked back at Heero, his eyes haunting.
"I want to kill them."
Heero winced at Quatre's words and then proceeded to comfort Quatre the
best way he knew how to. He moved slowly and stood beside the blond man,
staring at the burning grave of their friends.
---------------------------------
Aerran and N'Brekk dropped the long, dark bag on top of the other one and
then stepped out of the small mail ship. Aerran pressed the codes and then
punched in the address for the mail ship to drop at. She turned to N'Brekk
and gave him a rare, pleased smile.
"Thanks." She said.
He gave a shy smile back.
--------------------------
Mary Paradis