The House That Light Forgot
Part One: Remembrance
Heero Yuy had been an adorable child, and an awkward teenager. His
post-toddler, pre-teen years found him with a healthy chubbiness, soft,
longish hair and long eyelashes giving him an almost feminine
appearance. As he entered adolescence his baby fat had melted away,
resulting in a too thin frame. He was a wiry teenager, all limbs and
unruly brown hair, a favorite target of Duo's teasing. The young man in
front of Duo today, however, had all of Heero's old appeal and none of
his faults. His frame had filled out, all slim, hard muscle packed into
a slender frame. His hair, still a mess after all these years, managed
to come off as somewhat sexy instead of unkempt like it used to. His
full lashes fell over deep blue eyes, set in a face that had matured
into angles and chiseled features.
"I've missed you," Heero's voice resonated through the sitting room,
and Duo noticed for the first time how his hands were nervously
clenching and unclenching on the counter he was leaning on. His face,
as usual, betrayed none of his inner emotions, instead forming a
perfect mask of neutrality.
Duo nodded from his seat on a soft, plush chair, somewhat surprised at
Heero's admission. "I'm glad I came back then."
The Prussian-eyed boy smiled, weakly, straining muscles that were
rarely used. "Would you like a drink?"
"Oh, ummm... I'll take a vodka gimlet."
Heero quickly made his way over to the bar, fishing around for a rocks
glass and some ice. Duo, in the meanwhile, relaxed comfortably in his
chair, already feeling like he was home, wondering why he ever left.
The fact that he couldn't remember the reason for his departure didn't
bother him, and he dismissed it to a lapse in memory. It didn't matter,
anyway, he was there now.
"So, Heero, what have you been doing since I've been away?"
Heero grabbed a sip stick and dropped it into the glass, heading over
to where Duo was seated. "Just keeping myself busy."
He pushed the drink into Duo's hand, sitting next to the taller boy on
the one man chair. Duo smiled, taking a sip as he contemplated the
thigh touching his own. "You said you had something you thought I
should see."
"That can wait. I thought you'd like to relax first."
The he grabbed Duo's hand, pulling the braided boy off the chair. Duo
hastily dropped the still half full glass onto a nearby table,
following Heero out of the room. After a while he recognized the path,
realizing he was being led back to his old room. And suddenly he was
there, looking in on a buried memory. His old posters were still up on
the wall, his bed freshly made. He made his way past his desk, just
dusted, to sit in front of his old piano. It made him smile, standing
somewhat forlornly against the wall, and he tapped a key with his index
finger. The noise that came out made him wince, and he turned to face
Heero, who was leaning against the doorway.
"I tried tuning it for you, but I'm afraid I don't know how."
Duo shrugged, getting off the bench and sitting down on the bed. The
springs creaked under his weight, and he ran his fingers over a yellow
quilt with red flowers. The whole room gave him a fuzzy feeling, one he
identified with youth, that period of time where you were still
disillusioned with the world at large, where your ideals still weren't
corrupted by reality. "Thanks, but you've done more than enough
already."
Heero smiled a little as Duo let out a small yawn. "You should get some
sleep. I'll wake you for dinner?"
Duo grinned and flopped down on the bed. "Even after all these years,
you know me too well."
Heero chuckled lightly, a sound almost foreign in Duo's ears, and it
somehow made the half-asleep boy infinitely happy. "It's nice having
you back."
"Matte, Heero," Duo muttered as Heero had started to turn around to
leave.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
"You already said that."
"No, I mean, for asking me to come back. Thank you."
Heero nodded in understanding, closing the door behind him as he left.
Inside the room, Duo dreamed of life, of Heero, and most of all, of
Nefura Manor. The memories washed over him in sleep, lulling in their
melody and comforting in their lyrics. And he wondered, in sleep, how
he had ever forgotten them in the first place.
Years Ago...
Young Duo Maxwell shifted in his seat uncomfortably, a large suitcase
held in two tiny hands. His eyes were open to an impossibly wide size
as he tried to take in everything around him.
"Well, we’re here."
Duo looked up at the man beside him, then carefully opened the door and
hopped out. So this was the place he would be living. The house looked
like a mansion, sprawling out into all directions. He followed the
man…was it Krushner? No…Krushenada, or something strange like that. He
followed Mr. Krushenada inside, into a large marble foyer. The young
boy had never seen a more extravagant room in his whole life. Suddenly,
Mr. Krushenada kneeled down in front of him, so that the two were eye
to eye.
"Now, Duo, why don’t you wait here while I go talk to the lady of the
house." The man smiled at him, then ruffled his hair, before moving on
to another room.
Duo took his time alone to inwardly gawk at the things surrounding him,
marveling at the elaborate double staircase and the porcelain vases.
His attention was diverted, however, by a light and slightly nasal
voice.
"Who are you?"
Duo turned, noticing for the first time a figure about his size hiding
among the furniture. Prussian blue eyes glared out at him from a dirt
smeared face, curious while at the same time foreboding.
"Who are you?"
"I’m… Duo Maxwell." Mr. Krushenada hadn’t said anything about another
boy. "Who are you?"
The other boy stepped up to him, looking him over in scrutiny, before
practically spitting out his next words. "You’re American."
Duo huffed a little in indignation, and was about to reply when Mr.
Krushenada stepped back into the room. By his side was a tall woman,
shoulder length hair hanging down in straight strands. She wasn’t
young, or old, but lines creased themselves around her eyes, giving her
a very tired appearance. Her features were plain, small pink mouth set
into a frown. She was wearing a long dress and scarf, draped across her
front and flowing past her shoulders. The colors of the fabrics flowed
together, draping elegantly, then moving again by the force of some
unseen breeze.
"Duo, say hello to Lady Une, your benefactor."
Duo smiled nervously at the woman, as she looked down at him with an
unreadable expression.
"I’m afraid I have to go now. Don’t hesitate to call me if you need
something."
Duo’s gaze followed the man’s departure. Mr. Krushenada was, after all,
the only person in the room he even felt the tiniest bit comfortable
with.
"How old are you?" The elegant voice drew him back, as did the sound of
bells on the scarf, moving together as the lady stepped closer to him.
Duo would, later on, forever associate the sounds of bells with the
lady of Nefura manor.
Duo took a step back, uncomfortable. "Nine years old, ma’am."
"You can call me Lady Une."
Duo nodded as Une leaned down, and a long manicured hand reached out to
stroke his cheek. "You’re the same age as Heero. Good."
Duo watched as Une, still looking at him, motioned for the boy named
Heero to come over. The boy did so, standing beside the woman as she
straightened and drew him closer. A hand idly petted the Heero’s head,
a voice purring at the scowling boy.
"Now Heero, don’t you like the new friend Aunty Une got you? Why don’t
you show the boy to his room, then you two can go play."
And then the strange woman was gone, her perfume lingering in the air.
Duo stared at Heero, who in turn stared at him. Surprisingly, it was
the other boy that broke the silence, moving forward to grab Duo’s
suitcase.
"The guest rooms are this way."
Then the boy rushed away, leaving Duo to clamber after him. "I’m not
really a guest, I’ll be living with you for the next several years."
Heero snorted, not even looking back. "What did Une do? Buy you at a
yard sale?"
"I'm a student." Duo finally caught up to the other boy, grabbing his
suitcase away from Heero’s tight grip. "And your aunt agreed the host
me until I finished my studies."
Heero looked at Duo, a little annoyed and a little dumbfounded, then
pushed the door next to him open. "You can stay here."
Duo crept into the room, taking in his surroundings. It was a medium
sized enclosure, bare except for a bed and dresser, but he could always
change that later. He turned around to thank Heero, mildly surprised to
find that the other boy had already disappeared down the hallway.
* * *
Lady Une sat at the head of a extravagantly long table, chandeliers
hanging above her. Duo and Heero were seated opposite each other, on
the other end. It was dinner time at Nefura manor, and this would be
Duo’s first and last time eating in the dining hall. After tonight he
would just have the servants bring food up to his room, where he could
be without the presence of the eccentric lady. Une, at the moment, was
eyeing him critically as she ate. Duo, for his part, kept his eyes
downcast as he tried to ignore the attention. Heero was eating his
dinner in silence, though he did at times look up to steal glances at
the boy across from him.
"Do you like him, Heero?"
Duo looked up at the breach of silence to find Une still staring
intently at him, though her question was no doubt directed at Heero.
"Hn." Heero grunted in the affirmative, before starting to eat again.
"Good!" And then Une broke out in a smile, the first one Duo had seen
since entering the house. "Then we’ll keep him."
The exchange would be the only conversation between the three for the
rest of the night. Feeling quite like a piece of meat, or more
accurately a plaything, Duo hurriedly finished his meal and headed back
to his room, hoping that Monday would come soon so he could start going
to school.
* * *
Duo walked through the gardens, content. It had been a week since he
had come to Nefura, and he had assimilated to the place. It was vastly
different than the orphanage he had grown up in, with its luxury and
grandeur. The gardens were his favorite portion of the manor, the area
he felt was the least impersonal and the most full of life, and he had
taken to walking there whenever he could.
Plants hung from porcelain vases, grew from well taken care of plots.
It was sunny out today, with a light breeze, and the chestnut haired
boy was intent on enjoying the weather as he read for English. There
was a rustle in the bushes then, and he called out into the air.
"Why do you follow me?" He turned as some one moved out from the
greenery, knowing even before he did so who it was.
Heero stepped up to him, the two boys making their way deeper into the
gardens together. "I like to watch you."
Duo blinked incredulously, staring at Heero’s always scowling
expression. "Yeah. Okay."
"You’re pretty."
"Thank you." Duo watched the strange boy out of the corner of his eye,
then stopped to face him. "Heero, why don’t you go to school?"
"Lady Une hires a tutor for me."
"Oh." Duo turned again, heading in a different direction
"Do you like it? School?"
Duo shrugged. "It’s okay. It’s pretty boring, except for piano."
"You play?"
"Um hmm. It’s fun." Duo stopped at a water fountain, the sunlight
glinting off the cool stone. Hopping onto the pedestal’s base, pressing
the trigger and lowering his lips down to the resulting stream. After a
few seconds, he felt a gentle pressure against his lips and the water,
and straightened up to come face to face with Heero. He held two
fingers against his lips, which he could still feel tingling a little.
"Why’d you do that?"
Heero shrugged, then ran away, calling back as he did so. "Because I
like you."
The next day there was a piano in his room.