Violet Eyes
Chapter 2
By Silent Stalker
DISCLAIMER: Not mine, never was. And there is no original charas in this, so I can't claim them. Don't sue, please!!
WARNINGS: Hey, I was bored one day and reading the fan section of this month's Animerica, and it said the #2 fan favorite couple was 1x2. This story is not however. The pairings are listed on bottom so when you're done, you can read it. Or you can scroll down now and read it. Anyway, there's shounen ai in this story. And ummm, some random AUness. WTH? This is a crossover, It's as AU as I want it to be. Umm. . . okay, I'll shut up now. My muses are kicking me. Hard.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This takes place in an odd part of the continuity of both shows. In Gundam Wing, it's been 2 years since Mariemaya's uprising. In Weiss Kreuz, it's been about 3 years since the end of the series with the whole immortality crap with Schwartz and Aya-chan and all. Bear in mind that I haven't seen the end of the series yet (my friend is loaning me her VCD's) so I'm taking mondo liberties with WK. My own version of the end of the series will come out in this story, but don't flame me for screwing with it, k?
"So still no idea on what it was?" Quatre peered over Heero's shoulder at the mess of wires, metal and melted plastic. It was all that remained of the machine that had taken Duo from them. That and the odd files on G's old computer. Not that they made any sense anyway. They told how to make it and how proud G was to finally have it completed and where to get various parts and what would make good replacement parts in a bind, but DAMMIT ! Nothing told what it was. Just something about a TRDaC. [1]
Heero was all but tearing his hair out as he tried to recreate the portal that Duo had made. He had all the pieces of Duo's original machine, and was making a new one as per G's blueprints, hoping to shed some light on the matter.
All four had been slightly tense since Duo disappeared, a week prior. Slightly had been an understatement and Une had all but ordered them to take some time off. Heero was using the time to work on the stupid Machine. WuFei was hunting with a passion where Duo had been staying for the past 2 years. There had to be someone somewhere that had seen him. Quatre was keeping up with Winner Corps and Preventors business through multiple phone calls and vid calls and going out to see people. Trowa mainly relaxed and relieved Wufei and Heero on occasion.
Quatre shook his head at the Wing pilot, and began to hum quietly. Heero felt the music wash over him, and felt himself calm. He looked over at the blond, who had the grace to look away, but continue to hum. "How do you do that?" Heero asked.
"Do what?"
"You just hum, and I'm immediately calmer."
"It's just something I can do. I've always been able to do it, especially with an instrument."
"You mean, it's like some sort of supernatural power?"
"Kinda." Quatre peered at him, curious as to why Heero was so curious. "Why?"
"Well, I kinda got one of those weird powers myself." Heero inspected his fingernails, as if they would give him answers.
"What kind?"
"Don't laugh or Omae o korosu, but I can shapeshift."
"S called me a 'Siren', whatever that means, and you can shapeshift, so what about the others?"
" . . .?"
"What if Wufei, and Trowa, and Duo even, had weird powers?"
"Does it matter?"
"I think it does."
The pale light from the computer screen illuminated the gaunt face. The boy had neither eaten nor slept in the past 3 days, as he meticulously continued his search. As nothing gave way to nothing, he growled in frustration and slammed his fist into the rickety table his laptop rested on. The table shook, rocking the computer, then stilled.
Duo sighed and put his face in his hands, his elbows resting on the table. It had been one fruitless search after another. He knew of his parent's death, by Taketori's hand at the request of Estet. That had been after he left, but he had found out about it in AC 193, in library archived newspaper files. The librarian had chased him off before he could research more, and soon after, he had more critical things to think about. But of his siblings, he knew nothing. And nothing was coming up. It was as if the two had vanished of the face of the planet.
A small beeping pulled him from his thoughts and he opened the search he had running in the background. A search he didn't want to have to use, but knowing it wouldn't be realistic not to. It was a list of people buried in a cemetery not too far away, by a hospital. He closed down his computer, grabbed the black trench coat he had been wearing of late, and left. Headed to a small burial ground about a mile away.
Fujimiya Aya
1982-1998
Beloved sister, daughter
You will always be remembered.A few tears slipped down Duo's cheeks, unheeded, as he looked at the grave of his Onee-chan. She really was dead. It felt like a part of Duo died there, staring down at the ground where underneath, lay a girl that would never reach the age of 18. He sank to his knees on the soft earth, and cried.
It was a warm, bustling day. The kind of day the workers of the 'Blooming Hearts' flower shop hated. Because it was such a nice day, the shop swarmed with girls of all ages and all walks of life, fawning over the 'available men who ran the shop'. Said men being Aya Fujimiya, Ken Hidaka, Youji Kudoh, and sometimes Omi Tsukiyono. And if the girls were really lucky, the guy's friends, Schuldig and Nagi would be there. If they were unlucky, Schuldig, Nagi AND the man who ran the knife store down the street, Farfarello, would be there.
But today it didn't matter that the one eyed, scarred man was there. Because all four of the original workers of the 'Koneko no Sumu Ie' were there, along with Schuldig and Nagi. So the store was packed from back wall to front and even outside. There was a small sign that hung over the door that said "Warning. Maximum Capacity 100 people" The girls obviously ignored this, as there was at least 120 inside the tiny shop itself. Finally around noon, Schuldig had to mentally remind them all of prior engagements so they could close the shop for an hour for some peace during lunch. The guys with aprons hung them on pegs in the back, and, hanging a sign on the front door that said "Be back at 1 p.m." they headed upstairs for relative peace and quiet.
"I don't know how ye do it," Farfarello sighed, pulling out a knife he had hidden in the waistband of his cargo pants and beginning to poke the tips of his fingers. The ex-Weiss had gotten used to it after a while. "I ne'er get that many folk in me shop."
"Farfie," Nagi turned to his Irish lover. "That's because you run a blade [2] and anti-Christian book store called 'Blood & Holy Tears'. Most of the customers of 'Hearts' are terrified of you, and won't even think of stepping one foot into your store."
Farfarello wrapped his arm around Nagi's waist, pulling the smaller bishounen to him. "Good point. I nay know what I'd do if any of them did. Girls like that scare me."
Ken made a gasping noise and held his hand to his heart. "Something scares Farfarello?? The world must be coming to an end!!"
Aya whacked the soccer player on the back of his head gently. "Play nice," he commanded. [3] Ken grumbled under his breath and most of the people in the room caught the phrases "baka Aya" and "couch tonight".
Omi chuckled lightly from his vantage point by the fridge. The room was comfortable; something that no one would have guess at 2 years ago. Nagi was still wrapped up in Farfarello, who was looking down at the shorter boy in bemusement. Schuldig was antagonizing them from his perch on Youji's lap at the table, and Aya was near silently apologizing to Ken. Omi watched the once icy, now quiet redhead drop a kiss on the top of Ken's head. The brunette must have accepted the apology, for he glomped his lover around the waist. His lover. That was something Omi didn't have yet. Everyone one in the room was paired up, with the exception of him. He felt like the 3 . . . no. 5th . . . not quit. 7th . . . that's it! 7th wheel some of the time and wished for someone of his own to cuddle and hold and love.
Schuldig caught the wayward thought and looked over quietly at the blond and smiled. The smile seemed to say, "You'll be happy one day, I know". Omi smiled back and once again when back to marveling at their situation as he fixed everyone's favorite sandwiches. After all the crap that had happened 3 years prior with Estet, and Weiss's own falling out with the organization called Kritker, life seemed to just slow down for everyone. Youji had gone back to his PI business, but seemed not quite content. Aya and Ken spent a couple of months going in circles around each other, not quiet sure what to do with life. Omi had returned to school. Because Kritker owned the Koneko, they were all forced to move out, and were renting various apartments around the city. Omi himself was feeling desperately lonely without the constant companionship, and had thrown himself at his studies, leaving little time for much else.
He had been perusing a library book while walking across the campus of the small college he attended one day, and had slammed into someone who was doing the same thing. Both people tumbled to the ground, and Omi didn't get a good look at the person he had knocked over until they both stood up and turned around, apologizing. Omi grinned as he remembered what had happened next.
The two stared at each other for a few minutes, Omi looking into Naoe Nagi's shocked dark eyes and Nagi doing the same, before they began trading trite insults. Trite gave way to biting insults about their lineage, and then to a shouting match of accusations, curses, threats and so on. It went on for about 10 minutes before they realized they had accumulated a somewhat large audience and they fell silent with twin sheepish smiles on their faces. Omi's stomach growled as he remembered he was once again skipping meals and he had looked over at the smaller boy.
"Wanna go to lunch?" He had asked.
Nagi smiled, realizing the absurdity of the situation as well. "I'd love to." As cliched as it sounds, it had been the start of a beautiful friendship. Lunch that day and many days after had found them discussing the funk the ex-assassins had fallen in. Weiss was clueless about what to do with life, and Schwartz had a falling out when Brad Crawford had expressed a desire to return to America to once again take up his boxing career. Nagi and Farfarello were just starting to explore the boundaries of their odd relationship, and Schuldig was decidedly lonely. And a lonely telepath was a bad idea.
Omi had commented on Youji's being lonely as well, and the two began to conspire to set the German and the Playboy up. It had taken a month of planning, but had ended on spur of the moment. Omi knew Youji was going out that night, would probably pick up a date and sleep it off at a hotel and return the next morning. So he had called the younger boy to convince Schuldig to go to the same club at the same time, and pray something would happen.
Something did. They had nearly ripped each other's throats out, and came home respectively, bruised and more then pissed. Omi and Nagi despaired, until it happened again. And again. 3 times they ran into each other somewhere, beat the crap out of one another and came home injured. The fourth time it happened, however, Youji acted faster then usual and kissed Schuldig before the German could react. They hadn't spent much time apart since. When the two youngest had gotten together to discuss this odd turn of events, Omi just shrugged. "Dominant Male Hormones, I guess," he had commented.
Youji had revealed his relationship to Omi, and Schuldig to his entire team, with the exception of Crawford, who by now had returned to LA. Omi, Youji and Nagi once more put heads together to try and find a way to get Aya and Ken to accept it, and to accept that they were no longer enemies. It was actually Farfarello who came up with the idea that they ended up using, however. And for the most part, everyone was glad in the end.
Early one morning, before Aya left for his job as a martial arts instructor at a local dojo (a job he was completely unhappy with), and before everyone headed off in every way for the day, Omi and Youji had dropped in at the couple's apartment. About 10 minutes after they had been there, there was a hesitant knock at the door. Aya went to answer it, Ken following curiously, and Youji and Omi following because they knew who it was.
Aya opened the door, and 3 ex-assassins stood there. In the front, Nagi gave Aya a small smile and offered what was in his hands to the redhead. For in his hands, Nagi had held a potted Acacia. Aya had just looked and looked at the plant, the meaning of the flower not escaping him. Friendship. Schuldig and Farfarello both held White Chrysanthemums. Truth. Someone must have painstakingly researched what each meant. And had counted on the fact that Aya would know what they meant. Aya had looked between his own anxious teammates and the nervous men at the door. Then he had nodded. The gift was given, understood and accepted.
It had taken them all a while to get used to each other, and the concept of being friends. Weiss had to get used to Schwartz's idiosyncrasies and quirks, like Farfarello's bloodlust, and Schwartz to the odd kind of affection Weiss showed one another, and later, them. It came as a huge shock to Aya and Ken when they discovered that Youji and Schuldig were together. But for their credit, they took it in stride, Aya understanding how you can't hold on to the past forever.
So now there was 7 people to lean on one another as they floated aimlessly through life. It turned out however, that Schuldig had a good eye for business, and had helped Farfarello buy, open and run a Bladed Weapons store, with a small Anti-Christian bookstore off to the side. Nagi helped his lover. But with Weiss, stuck unhappily in dead-end jobs or with no purpose, he had a bigger challenge. He finally convinced them to open another flower shop, where they could just sell flowers without the dread of a debriefing any minute. Youji could also use said shop as a cover for his PI business, and Omi could work there after school and between classes.
So the White Hunters had gone out, bought a shop not too far from 'Blood & Holy Tears' and opened 'Blooming Hearts' flower shop. The girls of the neighborhood were glad for it. And now, over two years later, they were friends, if not an odd family of sorts, and having lunch in the apartment the ex-Weiss shared over the flower shop. A flower shop that didn't have a dark basement with a big screen TV.
Omi shook his head of his thoughts and returned to making lunch. After a quick lunch of eating and harassing one another, they returned to the flower shop. They still had 20 minutes left until they had to open back up, and spent the time straightening up the shop.
"I hate days like this," Youji commented randomly. Everyone turned to look at him.
"Umm, can we ask why?" Ken asked. "It's nice out, we're getting good business, everyone's in a good mood. . ."
"Just for those reasons. It's one of those days that scream: 'Have fun now, your lighthearted time is growing short!' Kinda foreboding, you know?"
"Hai, Youji-kun," Nagi replied. "It does seem like it's not gonna last."
The group was silent for a minute, then shook off the air of pessimism that they had acquired. What was to come, would come. And if anything did, they'd be ready for it. [4]
End Notes:There, another chapter done. As soon as I finish this story, I'll get to work on the rest of them, including the sequel to CA. Also, I might one day write the back story to VE, with just what happens in the WK universe. The longer version of the cliffnotes here.
[1] AKA The Machine, aka Temporal Rhythm Disrupter and Compressor (TRDaC)
[2] Farfie's store sells swords, knives and such. And I'm not trying to bash Christians, but I'm trying to give Farf and outlet for his hatred for god.
[3] Aya does this a lot, doesn't he?
[4] Really now? The only way they'd be ready for it is if Crawford was there, and he's in LA.
Heya, I promised pairings last chapter, so here are the known ones:
Aya/Ran + Ken
Farfarello + Nagi
Schuldig + Youji
Wufei + Trowa
Heero + Quatre