My Apartment
Thursday, 9.50pm:

“I’m home,” I announce as loudly as I can since I’m downright exhausted and barely able to raise my voice past a certain level.

“Welcome back!” Duo replies, sticking his head out of the bathroom door to wave at me with a toothbrush in his hand. “Damn you look like shit.”

“And I love you too,” I say with a chuckle, leaning close to kiss his toothpaste-filled mouth softly. Thanks to my weekend ‘off’, and my need to make up the lost hours, I’ve been scheduled to work at the store during the week. “How did the job hunting go?”

He holds up a hand, runs to the sink and rinses quickly before replying with a wide grin on his visage. “Sid’s got a spot for me on the weekends. I can work on a few things around the shop until they feel comfortable enough to let me work on a machine. Man, I can’t wait!”

Peeling out of my uniform, I nod in agreement, feeling genuinely happy for him. “That’s great, Duo. Although, I still wonder why you want to work when you’ve got…”

“Don’t even go there, pal,” he cuts in with a wave of his hand. “I’ve gotta keep myself busy until…at least until school’s over. A little spare cash from getting down and dirty will make me feel better. You understand, don’t you?”

Yes, I do understand. My parents would have been more than content to give me an allowance each week and I wouldn’t have to lift a finger until I get into the family business. But I had moved out of home and sought my independence for a reason. I didn’t want to rely on them for the rest of my life and I can only assume that Duo feels the need to establish himself as a man capable of working to earn his keep. I’ve got to remember that living in the lap of luxury is something still ‘new’ to him. He has always struggled to get by in life and he doesn’t want to forget where he has come from.

A quick shower and change of clothes later, I’m digging through a succulent dinner of ramen in a cup. Since Duo’s moved in with me, I think I’ve been spoiled by the different meals he tends to come up with each evening. I must have mentioned how great of a cook he is and I was hoping he’d perform wonders again tonight. However, he was all too happy to show me the empty pantry and fridge, saying I hadn’t left any money for grocery shopping. And then he begins to rant about how I work at a grocery store and yet can’t remember to get anything for the apartment. I am quick to remind him that he could have at least called me at work to let me know and I would have picked up a few things on the way home. I think that made his argument moot since he turns away to focus on his schoolwork.

Since the incident with Relena on Monday, nothing really earth-shattering has happened, much to my relief. Career Day was a success. No fights broke out, students were generally well behaved and Kenzo couldn’t stop grinning with pride after praising him for doing a spectacular job. Relena, for her part, was approached by Duo, Wufei, Quatre and Trowa who all apologized for their behavior. Naturally, she forgave them….but not without a condition and that was for them to all participate in the Winter Ball coming up in a few weeks. She promised they wouldn’t have to be in drag or anything of the sort but they would have to play hosts to all the girls that were bound to show up that evening. Of course, I wasn’t spared from this new role and I’m already dreading it with a passion. I took the time to ask her how things were going with Akiko, but she wouldn’t say much about it anymore. She simply smiled and said things are going as well as can be expected. I did see her draped on the arm of Akira Yoshikata, a boy from Class 3-C, yesterday and both looked quite lively in each other’s company. I decided to let sleeping dogs lie. If Relena has found herself a new partner and she’s happy with it, then who am I to complain?

Unfortunately, there have been some reports of students still selling and trading XTC around the school grounds despite the strict rules that have been enforced regarding drug use. I had to write up a report regarding two third year students which was then sent to the administration. On Friday, there will be an Appropriations committee set up with me as a part of it. We’re really going to have to set a zero tolerance policy or Hamida’s arrest would have been for naught.

Our school’s music program is in full swing as well, since the Annual Christmas Concert is around the corner. If you remember Quatre and Trowa were one of the lucky few to be selected for the great event and I for one cannot wait to watch their performance. I know those two have been working hard and practicing for hours to get their parts just right and watching them beneath the lights in that Grand Hall will be the highlight of their young musical careers.

This brings me to Wufei, who – I’ll confess – has been a puzzle to me the last few days. There hasn’t been a drastic change if that’s what you’re thinking. He’s still as polite and courteous as he’s ever been and still keeps to himself most of the time. I just can’t quite place my finger on it and gnawing on my pen in thought isn’t going to help me much either.

“Say…Duo,” I begin slowly, while staring at the polynomial equation before me. “Have you noticed anything weird about Wufei lately?”

He lifts his head from his history book and blinks at me in confusion. “Huh?”

“Wufei,” I explain patiently. Compare the graphs of f(x) = 5x3 - 4x2 - 23x + 24 and g(x) = 5x3 by zooming out several times. This shouldn’t be too difficult.

“What about Wufei?” He’s hidden his face behind the large textbook again.

“Hasn’t he been a bit…quiet?”

“He’s always been quiet.”

“Well, not quiet…quiet, if you get what I mean…”

“Honestly, Heero, I’d be lying if I said I understood a damn thing coming out of your mouth right now. I’ve got the Shogun and Meiji era running around in my mind and talking about Wufei and his issues is the least of my worries.”

I lift my gaze, surprised at the sudden outburst. “Geez, slow down, Duo. We’re all stressed out but you don’t have to snap at me like that.”

He lowers the book and gives me a small smile of apology. “Sorry. I’ve got a mock test tomorrow and need to memorize these dates ASAP. But to answer your question, yeah, he’s been a bit quiet or maybe contemplative should be the right word. I asked him about it yesterday and he wouldn’t say anything.”

“Do you think he’s still wallowing in misery over losing Nia?”

“Doubt it,” Duo replies with a shrug and flips the next page of the book. “You’re closer to him than I am. Why don’t you go work your magic on him like you did Relena?”

I narrow my gaze, wondering if he’s being sarcastic but on closer inspection, I sense none of that from him. “I think I’m going to set him up with Dorothy.”

Duo slams the book down and gawks at me, his eyes as wide as saucers. “You’re really still thinking about that?! Are you out of your mind, Heero? They’ll kill each other!”

I shake my head slowly, now feeling a tiny flare of excitement in the pit of my stomach. “No, no I don’t think so. I think they have more in common than they’d like to admit.”

“So yeah, they’re in the kendo club…”

“Besides that,” I cut in quickly. “Even Relena says that Dorothy’s interested in Wufei.”

“Dorothy’s psychotic,” Duo mumbles and seems to shiver. “I swear those eyes of hers, when she looks at me, I feel she’s picking my soul apart or ripping my heart into shreds with those talons called eyebrows…”

“Duo!” I shouldn’t be laughing, honestly. That’s just such a cruel thing to say but I can’t help it. He does have a point though. Dorothy does have the tendency to intimidate people especially if you aren’t on friendly terms with her. She’s just as outspoken as Relena but in a different way. She’s got a quiet, almost deadly calm about her when she sets her mind to getting something done. I guess she wasn’t made the Kendo Club President for nothing.

“They are both strong-willed and…”

“…need to be in control,” Duo finishes with a firm nod. “Trust me, Heero. This is a match made in chaotic heaven. Just leave them alone.”

No, I can’t leave it alone. Wufei’s been my best friend even before Duo came into the picture. I’ve seen him through hard and good times and this is the least I can do for him. But first, I’ll have to find out his feelings for Dorothy. There’s no point in setting up a date if he hates her guts. Although, the image of both of them bent over the microphones and wires in my office the other day, reminds me of how good they work together.

“I’ve got a plan,” I finally say as I solve the equation quickly, grinning at my ingenious thought. “And I’m going to need your help, Duo….and don’t even think of backing out! You owe me one.”

---

Fujisaki High School
The Dojo
Thursday 1.21pm:

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Duo grumbles as he tugs the white yukata restlessly. “I can’t fucking believe I’m doing this. I don’t know the first thing about kendo, Heero! They’ll slaughter me in there!”

“You’ll be fine,” I reassure him while tossing a wooden shinai in his direction. He barely catches it, his glare speaking volumes as the loud sounds of students practicing in the other room drift through the door to the equipment room. I tighten the dark blue sash of the hakama around my waist, smiling a little at the familiar sensation of the cloth against my skin. Although I’m not in the kendo club and don’t practice the martial art as much these days, I do know the fundamentals. My father was my teacher and we still spar whenever we have the chance to do so.

“Ready?” I ask, eyeing my reluctant partner, who looks quite good in the uniform and with that long braid of his trailing down his back like that, I’m reminded of brave samurais from the past.

“Yeah, about as ready as getting sent to an electric chair.”

Laughing softly, I pull him close to me to seize his lips in a hard kiss. I pull away a little to whisper. “Don’t worry. Anyone dares to harm a hair on your head, I’ll be more than happy to kill him for you.”

Enjoying the flush of color on his cheeks at my statement, I push open the doors and step into the large open space that makes up the dojo. The floor is of fine polished wood – not too slippery – but clearly worn with years of use and abuse. Anyone who has the misfortune of falling on it was sure to feel the pain. There are about twenty students seated along the walls while twenty more are in the middle of the room, all with partners and practicing basic routines and skills. Looking around quickly, I can see Dorothy standing against a wall, dressed in her outfit with a frown of concentration on her features. Every now and then, she’d yell out a command and the students would follow her instructions to a T. It really is impressive to watch.

“Hey guys. What evil wind possessed you both to join us today?”

Duo and I turn to face Wufei, who looks pretty damn good in his uniform. It’s still amazing to me that no one has claimed my friend as a companion yet. He’s got the looks and charm and yet…

“Don’t look at me,” Duo’s saying. “I’m not the one with the hair-brained idea to get yo…ouch!”

I had nudged him in the ribs, giving him a quick glare as a reminder that this is supposed to be a secret plan.

“Heero Yuy coming up with a plan?” Wufei says with a laugh. “Now I know the world’s definitely ending.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Mad at me, Yuy?” he says with a smirk. “How about we settle it with our swords?” He twirls his shinai in one hand and nods towards the middle of the room. “I can get the others to clear out and we can fight.”

“Sure,” I reply, feeling my lips curve into a matching smirk. “Just don’t whine when I defeat you easily, Chang.”

“Dream on, Yuy,” he says with another laugh, although there’s a determined look in those dark eyes now. “Hold on, I’ll be right back. Let me tell the others.”

“Now remember what you have to do, Duo,” I whisper to him.

“Yeah, yeah, go to Dorothy and ask her to teach me the basics and then try to find out how she feels about Wufei. Anything else, Captain? Because I swear if she gets too serious with me, I won’t fail to go medieval on her ass…”

“You’ll be fine,” I say, trying not to laugh at the image of Duo chasing Dorothy around the dojo with the wooden sword. “Now go before she wonders why we’re standing here doing nothing.”

With a heavy sigh, Duo trudges off to meet his doom…eh…Dorothy just as Wufei comes back to me. “Ready whenever you are, Yuy. Will you need the protective gear…?”

“No,” I reply quickly, noticing the look of respect that fills his eyes. “We’ll just have to be careful. Besides, the extra gear tends to weigh me down. Let’s do this.”

We make our way to the middle of the room, my entire being thrumming with an excitement I haven’t felt in quite some time. It’s been a while since I’ve had a sparring match with anyone and I can’t help wondering if my skills are still as good as they used to be. I have a feeling I’m going to seem like an amateur compared to Wufei, who practices at least three times a week.

We take a bow, now aware that we’re getting a few interested looks in our direction. Old habits die hard as I immediately fall into a wakki-gakame – a ready position with the shinai downward and facing my right foot.

“Not bad, Yuy,” Wufei says with a small smile as he falls into hasso-no-kamae – a ready position with his shinai held vertically by the left shoulder. “I see you still remember a few things. But let’s see how well you can block this!”

My eyes widen as he seems to leap off the floor, the shinai raised at an angle that has me lifting my arms (they feel as heavy as lead) to block the strike. The impact is tremendous and has me sliding backwards a little. My wrists scream in agony, my shinai almost slipping from my fingers as I leap out of the way just in time. Without giving me a chance to prepare myself, Wufei lunges for me again, this time with zan-shin clear in his movements. It was going to be the perfect execution and one more blow from him would end this so-called match.

Suddenly, an image of my father in Wufei’s place comes to mind and in that moment, I know just what to do to disable my friend. Almost falling to a knee – at least feigning it – I keep the shinai at an angle that’s able to block the intended strike as well as cause my opponent to stumble in the process. Well, the first part of that plan worked but Wufei’s no fool for he seems to do a back flip in the air and avoids my intended strike altogether.

Shit. Shit! Shit!!

I think I hear applause in the background but I could care less. I suddenly feel angry and irritated, aware that I’m going to lose if things continue at this rate.

“Relax, Yuy,” he drawls lazily as we circle each other slowly. “Your aura’s definitely more dangerous but I fear you might strike out of anger and forget the basic rule of martial arts. Fight.With.A.Level.Head!”

He lunges and strikes again and although my wrists now feel numb from the pain, I swing back to block his attack. This continues for a while until I somehow manage to get him into a stalemate, our shinai pressed tightly against each other as our bodies strain towards each other. Not surprisingly, we’re panting harshly, our faces flushed with heat and beads of sweat on our skin.

“Didn’t think you’d last this long,” he says through clenched teeth, his dark eyes alight with amusement.

“Yeah, well, I might be rusty but I’m not going to give in to you that easily.”

“Oh yeah?” He presses and I grunt as I feel my feet slipping backwards again. Damn, but he’s strong!

“What’s the matter, Yuy? Don’t want to lose in front of Duo?”

“Shut up,” I hiss coldly, my cheeks darkening at how easily he seems to be able to read my thoughts. The idea did cross my mind to be honest. I don’t want to seem like a weakling in front of Duo or any of the other students for that matter. There is something about the school President getting defeated that doesn’t sit too well with me.

“And what about you?” I taunt with a smirk. “Aren’t you doing this to get Dorothy’s attention?”

His reaction to my statement is priceless. His mouth drops open, his eyes widening in disbelief. However, that’s more than enough for me to make the final move. I leap back and ignoring the flare of pain that shoots up my arms, I raise my shinai in a swift upward motion which effectively sends his weapon tumbling to the floor with a loud clatter.

Yes, I know. It’s a cheap trick to use but hey, what can I say? A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.

“Yay, Heero!” Duo screams from the sidelines. “That was way cool!”

I blush and wave towards him, bowing at the applause I get from the other students. However, my victory is short-lived as Wufei grabs the scruff of my yukata and all but drags me out of the dojo. I can see Duo making his way towards me (and believe me beneath the heavy layer of protective gear, Duo looks like a miniature sumo wrestler) but I lift a hand to ward him off. He has to deal with Dorothy, remember?

Soon enough, I’m out into the bright sunshine and almost slammed against the wall of the building. Ouch.

“What was that all about, Heero?” Wufei hisses coldly, his eyes now dark pools of blazing anger. “That was a cheap trick and you know it…!”

“So you do like Dorothy then?” I ask with a small smile.

He throws his hands up in the air, walks away from me, returns, stares at me with a look of exasperation and walks away again. “Good God!” he finally mutters and comes back to stand before me.

“What makes you say that?”

“I don’t know,” I say, still smiling at the clear look of frustration on his features. “She does like you.”

“What?!”

“Uh huh.” I lift my wrist, wincing inwardly at the swollen flesh. Definitely going to need some ice on it. “She likes you and I think she’s just right for you.”

Wufei snorts, causing me to lift my gaze to his face again. It looks like he’s trying not to laugh. “Oh man, you really were always clueless about things, weren’t you, Yuy?”

I frown at the indirect insult. “What do you mean…ah!”

He leans into me, his hands now on either side of my head. I think I can see my reflection in his eyes and damn if my breathing isn’t getting shallow. “I envy you, Heero,” he begins in a husky voice. “You have no idea just how much, do you? Everyday I have to remind myself that I could have had you first but in the end I lost you to someone else.”

Wha…what is he saying?!

“I thought it would be so obvious but I have this problem you see…I can’t seem to express how I feel or make it blatant enough.” He laughs softly and leans even closer and I swear the temperature must have gone up a few notches. “Tell me, Yuy. If I finally kiss you the way I’ve always wanted to, would that make me more likeable in your book?”

“Wha…what the hell are you talking about?” And why does my voice sound so breathless? “You’ve always been my best friend…”

“Until Duo showed up!” he says coldly.

“Well, that’s not my fault is it?!” I snap back angrily. “If you wanted me so much, why the hell didn’t you make a move before he came along?!” I push him away from me, or at least try to but he grips my hand tightly and pulls me closer to him.

“Fuck it! Let me go, Wufei. The game’s over! I know you’re upset that Duo and I are together…!”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy for you two,” he says with a smile. “But there’s still this itch inside of me that’s damn curious to know just what it would be like to finally taste you, Yuy.”

“Well, you’ve got a long time to wait for that.” Shit. Things aren’t supposed to happen like this! I feel so damn betrayed for some reason. How can I look at him now without knowing that he’s always had feelings for me? Why did he have to ruin everything?!

“At least grant me this last wish before I let you go.”

“What now?!”

He laughs softly, his breath warm against my cheek. “You want me to be with Dorothy, right?”

“…yes…”

“If I go on a date with her…what do I get in return?”

“Geez, Wufei,” I pull away – not that it helps much since my body is pressed against the wall as is. “If you don’t like her, don’t string her along.”

“She’s got her finer points,” he says with a nod. “But as a future partner, I don’t see it happening.”

“At least give her a chance!” I really wish he wouldn’t be so close. It’s getting incredibly hard to think straight. He smells so good too. Damn.

“Then a kiss if nothing else, Heero and I promise I’ll never bring up this topic again.”

I glance towards the dojo, perhaps hoping that Duo will show up to rescue me from this mess. But no one comes out and it’s only Wufei and I out here, under the hot sun, with a tension so thick between us, it’s killing me. Won’t this be cheating on Duo? If I let Wufei have his way…then wouldn’t it hurt Duo if he finds out? I can’t do this. I don’t want to and yet…

I make the mistake of lowering my gaze to his lips and have to fight back the groan that escapes me.

“Don’t make me do this, Wufei,” I say quietly. “I love you…as a friend and doing this to Duo would kill him. I love him too much to do this. Please try to understand.”

For a long minute, he makes no attempt to release me but finally he does and I can honestly say that a chill runs through my body as he pulls away. I wrap my arms around my waist and lower my gaze to the ground, trying not to show the pain I feel inside now.

“Forgive me,” he’s saying in a voice that doesn’t sound like his at all. “I was out of line. I hope we can still be friends, Heero. Let’s not make things too awkward between us, okay?”

He’s holding out his hand for a handshake but I can’t take it. “It’s cool,” I reply softly. “We’re still friends.” I try to smile but it’s a weak attempt, not that he really cares much at this point for he lowers his hand and walks away without a second look back.

Are we really still friends? I slide to the ground and raise my knees to my chest, burying my face against them with a low groan of misery. Somehow I doubt that now. Things have definitely changed between us and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.


~End Period Twenty-Eight~