Just washing it aside
All of the helplessness
inside
Pretending I don’t feel
misplaced
It’s so much simpler to
change…
-
-
Linkin Park (Easier to Run)
Twenty:
Keiko worried her lower lip as
she leaned against the door of her room. She shivered a little, but it wasn’t
from the cold. The encounter with Duo and Milliardo in the study was still
fresh in her mind and she absently reached for her bruised wrists and rubbed
them gently. She stared blindly at the ruffled white Battenburg lace sheets on
her bed, having spent the better part of her time lying on it and crying her
heart out. She felt…hollow. Her last venomous words to Duo; threatening
to bring him down, now sounded like a threat that a desperate child would make.
Slapping her hands to her face, she trembled harder, trying to keep the tears
from falling again.
She
had wanted to step outside to get some fresh air – to have a smoke, actually –
when the voices had caused her to step back into her room. Leaving the door
ajar, she had peeked outside warily, feeling her heart sink even further as she
noticed it was Quatre and Trowa. It wasn’t as if she was afraid of them, after
all, they were only playmates of her cousin. She’d had her fun with them in the
past. But she was still raw from her encounter in the den and the thought of
facing those two had been completely out of the question. And so she had
listened. Apparently, Yuzuki was finally gone. So why wasn’t she jumping for
joy at her victory? Wasn’t this what she had planned so carefully? It had gone
just the way she wanted it to, so why…why did she feel so…miserable about
the entire thing?
Heero.
That
was why she felt so sad. She knew more than anyone how much Yuzuki meant to her
dimwitted cousin. She had noticed how much the Japanese boy had doted upon the
maid as if she were his real mother. Keiko had teased him mercilessly about it,
but Heero had borne each insult or tease with a determined look on his
features. No matter what Keiko had said, Heero had been staunch in his
relationship with Yuzuki.
What
have I done?
Had
she been so blinded by her need to be with Duo that she had taken such drastic
measures? Had she been so adamant in trying to win the teacher’s affections
that she had failed to take into consideration his feelings…both men’s
feelings? Heero’s admission of his love for Duo had sent a searing ache through
her heart, but as usual, her vivacious need to cause pain and discord had taken
precedence again. She had managed to destroy not just her cousin’s life, but
her uncle’s, Yuzuki and Duo’s as well.
Then
fix it, Keiko,
a voice whispered in the back of her mind. She recognized it. It could only be
the voice of her late grandmother. The only woman she had ever felt close to.
How? What can I do? No one will listen or believe me anymore, obaa-san. I don’t know what to do.
She
closed her eyes and listened to the soothing voice of reason. There really was
only one thing to do and that was to take matters into her own hands. She had
caused the trouble and she would begin to fix it. She ran across the room and
into her closet, reaching quickly for a large black overcoat and a hat. Shoving
it roughly over her long black locks, she tiptoed towards the door and opened
it carefully. Luckily, the coast was clear. And taking a much needed breath,
she ran out of her room and out of the Yuy home.
Trowa
and Quatre walked as quickly as they could, both trying to catch up to the long
strides of the older man. Duo, now on his cell phone, had been talking to
someone for quite some time. As both teens exchanged quick but bemused looks
with one another, they wondered just how Duo planned on finding the elusive
maid. It wasn’t as if he had any clue of who she really was or where she could
possibly be.
The
teacher closed the small device and stopped in his tracks so suddenly that
Trowa bumped into the strong back with a small ‘oof’.
“Would
they mind if we looked in her house for a little while?” Duo asked quickly with
a thoughtful frown on his features. “Perhaps I can get some idea of where she
might have gone.”
Quatre
shook his head slowly. “You won’t find a thing, Duo. The house was completely
cleaned out.”
“Well,
there’s got to be someone around here who knows where she could have gone,” the
teacher insisted, while tapping the phone against his thigh impatiently.
“Mr.
Hanada,” Trowa offered quietly.
“Who’s
he?”
“The
butler. The one Quatre said he saw locking up Yuzuki’s house, remember?”
“Oh!
Great! Now, there’s a start,” Duo enthused. “So where can we find him?”
Both
boys shrugged as if saying that anywhere was their guess. “Maybe we should go
back into the main house and search for him…” Quatre began, but Duo was already
shaking his head.
“We
can’t afford to go back in there now. We don’t have too much time.” He stole a
quick glance towards the windows to Heero’s room and an unreadable expression
flashed through his eyes for an instant as he finished softly. “I have to find
Yuzuki for Heero if it’s the last thing I do.”
Trowa
noticed the look and couldn’t help himself. “You really do love him, don’t
you?”
The
teacher’s face turned a bright shade of red as he tried to look offended at the
observation. “I’m…I’m not…”
“Oh,
please Duo,” came the light retort from the Arabian as he patted the flustered
man’s back. “Denying it only makes it more obvious.” He gave a wide grin; eyes
flashing with delight at the way their teasing seemed to affect Duo. Even Trowa
couldn’t help chuckling a little at the teacher’s embarrassed actions.
“I
suggest we set them up and lock them in a closet for an entire day,” Trowa
suggested with a mock look of seriousness on his face. “Doesn’t that sound
good, Quatre?”
The
blond laughed in obvious enjoyment. The whole scenario seemed entirely
ridiculous and yet funny at the moment. “Oh, yes! That would be more than
perfect!”
“No,
it won’t!” Duo yelled desperately as his cheeks darkened even more with color.
He was suddenly finding it very hard to think straight, since the very thought
of spending uninterrupted time in an enclosed space with his student was enough
to make him think of things he didn’t quite want to.
“No!
No! No, I don’t!”
The
teenagers stopped laughing long enough to blink in confusion at the vehement
words before Trowa asked warily. “No, you don’t what, Duo?”
“Eh?”
The older man stared at the two curious faces before him before realizing that
he had actually bellowed his denial at his wanton thoughts out loud.
“It’s…it’s…it’s nothing,” he denied quickly. “Why don’t we just go, okay?”
He
hardly waited for them to reply as he began to walk towards his home, but it
seemed as if his new torturers weren’t done with him yet because both boys
began to fire questions at him rapidly.
“What
did you mean by that, Duo?”
“Did
you and Heero do something together?”
“Surely,
you haven’t kissed him already, have you?”
“Maybe
they have gone all the way already.”
“Ooooh,
you think, Trowa?”
“Isn’t
it obvious? Didn’t you see the way they kept staring at each other as if they
wanted to eat…”
“Okay!
That’s enough!” Duo cut in sharply, having heard more than was necessary. He
struggled to put a stern look on his features as he stared at the smiling faces
before him. “Now. We are going to get into that car and we are going to comb
the streets of the city for Yuzuki and find her before Heero finds out what’s
going on.”
“But
how are we going to do that, Duo?” Trowa asked with a raised brow of
skepticism. “I mean, we are talking about a very large city here.”
“My
friend will help us,” Duo replied with a winning grin. “I have lots of
connections you know.”
“I’ll
bet,” came the low mumble from the Arabian, which earned him a light jab from
his partner.
Duo
heard it, but chose to ignore the comment and as he opened up the door to usher
the teens inside, he froze as the familiar light scent of a certain boy
suddenly filled his senses. No, he was just imagining things. Heero couldn’t
possibly be here. Heero was still up in his room, sulking and pissed off at
him. Heero was…
“Hey,
Heero!” Quatre cried out in a mixture of surprise and pleasure. “What are you
doing here? We thought you were…”
But
the Japanese boy wasn’t even paying attention to the speaking blond. His eyes –
dark and unreadable were trained on the handsome, but shocked face of the
teacher. A thick and tension-filled silence fell, as neither was sure of where
to begin. If Heero was here, then it was apparent that the boy knew what was
happening; So much for keeping the hunt for Yuzuki a secret and a surprise.
Duo
cleared his throat and tried to think of something tangible to explain the
situation. Heero was still staring at him and he could feel the reluctant heat
scorch through his body as he struggled not to make a fool of himself in front
of the others.
“Heero…”
he began softly. “I…”
“Why
didn’t you tell me?” came the curt interruption. “Why couldn’t you just tell me
the truth, Duo? Why does everything have to be a lie with you?”
The
teacher sucked in a harsh breath at the accusation as Quatre opened up his
mouth to protest. But Trowa beat him to the punch with as his brows creased in
a frown of displeasure.
“Duo
isn’t at fault here, Heero,” he explained quietly. “Even your mother suggested
we not tell you about this and besides, Duo was going out of his way to find
Yuzuki for you. You should be thanking him.”
The
Yuy heir’s jaw worked silently as he tightened the hold he had on his thick
coat. His cheeks flushed with color at the reprimand, but his cold gaze – which
was beginning to waver a little - remained stubbornly fixed on the teacher. All
of a sudden, he wished that the others weren’t here. He knew he had so much to
apologize for, but he didn’t even know how to say the right words or express
them without sounding too foolish.
“Then
I’m coming with you,” he finally mumbled. “I think I know where she might be.
That isn’t a problem, is it?” he added a bit defensively.
Duo
shook his head rapidly. “Hell…I mean, no. It’s no problem at all.” He forced a
warm smile even though his heart was beginning to pound much harder than
before. “Would you…I guess you want to sit in the back with the others, right?”
he finished softly, wondering why he should even care if Heero wanted to sit
beside him or not. It wasn’t as if they were back to being on friendly terms.
It was only natural for his student to want to be as far away from him as
possible considering all they had gone through today. But to his genuine
surprise, he watched Heero head straight for the passenger’s side and slide
into the seat with a resounding slam of the door behind him.
Trowa
smirked and snuggled close to his giggling partner in the backseat as he
noticed the flushed look on Duo’s face. “Heh…looks like he’ll be riding
shotgun, Duo. Deal with it.”
As
Duo made himself as comfortable as he could in the driver’s seat, he closed his
eyes and slowly counted to ten to calm himself as much as possible. He
eventually opened them again to start the car engine, knowing that somehow,
this was going to be the longest drive of his life.
Hikari
closed the door carefully and walked as steadily as her legs could take her
towards the large desk. She stopped before it, hands fisted tightly as she
stared at the pale man that was slumped within the large leather chair. The low
‘whirr’ of the answering machine came on and Yuzuki’s tearful confession began
all over again. Having heard enough, Hikari reached over and switched it off
quickly. She pressed down on it so hard, that the machine fell to the floor
with a loud clatter.
The
noise seemed to jerk Odin out of his dazed stupor and he slowly lifted dull and
listless eyes to the figure before him. His mind, slow at the moment as
thinking coherently was a bit hard to do, stared at the person for a moment
longer before realizing that the heaving female was actually his wife.
“Hi…Hikari…”
he croaked out weakly as he tried to stand up.
“Don’t
bother, Odin,” Hikari retorted coldly, watching him slump back into the chair
heavily. Her well-manicured fingernails dug into her palms a bit harder, but
she ignored the pain as she struggled not to give in to angry and distressful
tears. “Don’t you dare bother anymore, Odin Yuy because it’s over.”
The
businessman looked stricken and tried to get to his feet again. “Don’t…don’t do
this to me, Hikari. I ne…need you…”
“Liar!!”
She bellowed out angrily. “You lie and lie and lie and lie! All the time! Do
you think I don’t know you’ve been cheating on me, you bastard?! It’s bad
enough that I had to live with that woman for all these years but then you go
out and sleep with that…that slut! What the hell do you take me for, Odin?!”
“Listen…please,
listen to me…”
“It’s
over! Do you hear me?! It’s over! I should have done this a long time ago,
Odin. Kami-sama! I should have!”
She
spun on her heels to make her way out of the room only to turn and walk back to
him with determined strides. She placed her hands on the table and leaned
close, coming within inches of his handsome face. And making sure he was
focused on her, she spoke up in a deadpan voice.
“I
am throwing a party tomorrow night in honor of Milliardo’s return and we are
going to put up a united and happy front, Odin. But first thing Monday morning
you will be hearing from my lawyers, do I make myself clear? I had come to tell
you that Yuzuki was gone in hope that you would have known a thing or two about
her whereabouts, but obviously, you already know about that, don’t you?”
“Keiko…”
came the thick mutter that had Hikari doing a double take.
“Excuse
me?”
“Keiko,”
Odin reiterated coldly. “It’s all that girl’s fault. She’s the cause of this.”
Hikari
stared at the now angry look on her husband’s face for a moment before bursting
into derisive laughter. This was really too much.
In
between mirthless giggles, she managed to ask in disbelief. “Are you trying to
blame this all on my niece, Odin? As usual, you try to steer the blame away
from yourself, don’t you?”
“Will
you just shut up for one goddamn minute and listen to me?” the man interrupted
coldly. He could understand his wife’s anger, but that still didn’t give her a
right to act so superior all the time. “Your niece apparently knew of my affair
and decided to use it against me, Hikari. I don’t give a damn if you believe me
or not, but I was too damn afraid to go against her wishes. She told me to fire
Yuzuki or she would have spread the…the…” Somehow he couldn’t finish saying the
embarrassing words.
But
Hikari was relentless. “Spread the what, Odin? Go on!” she barked with growing
annoyance. “Go on and fabricate something!”
“I
am not fabricating anything! Why won’t you believe me?”
“Why
did you marry me, Odin?”
The
man seemed stumped at the question and he looked as much. He stared at the
woman in surprise, his mouth opening and shutting for several seconds. “What on
earth…what are you talking about, Hikari?”
“You
know damn well what I am talking about, Odin. Was it true? Is that why you
really married me? Because I had just lost my first love to my sister? Was that
all I was to you? A charity case?”
“Hikari…”
“Say
no more, Odin. Your speechlessness has answered the question for me. I will try
to speak to Heero on Sunday,” she continued quietly. “I should tell him the
double bad news at one fell swoop, don’t you think?”
She
made a move towards the door again, but Odin’s hand on her arm stalled her
movements. He pulled her close to his hard frame, ignoring her fruitless
struggles as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.
“Shssh…don’t
fight, Hikari, please. Just listen to me,” he pleaded thickly against her
well-coiffed locks. He endured the blows she reigned against his chest before
feeling her slender body sag limply against his in defeat. The harsh sobs soon
followed and Odin could feel the warmth of her tears soak his shirt.
He
knew without a doubt that he now had her attention.
Heero
stared out of the window with his hands still clasped tightly upon his lap. He
had long blocked out Trowa and Quatre’s whispered conversation behind him as
his body and mind became attuned to the man sitting a few inches away from him.
Each and every movement from the teacher produced waves of deep longing within
him. How he wished he could reverse the past events of the evening and take
them back so that time when they had become one with their bodies and in mind.
He closed his eyes and allowed himself to dream a little. In this dream, he was
all alone with Duo and the teacher was driving them far from the mockery that
was his life. Duo was going to set them both free from the pressures of duty
and obligation to his family and society. They would drive to the far ends of
the earth and live happily ever after…or something like that.
Ah, to dream of the
impossible.
When
Duo left his room, he had sat staring at the door with a mixture of confusion
and wariness on his features. There was something not quite right about the way
Duo had promised to find Yuzuki for him. The smile the teacher had given him
had looked a little strained and even Trowa and Quatre’s behavior had showed as
much. They seemed to have forgotten that Heero was quite astute and quick to
notice things that looked and felt out of place.
They are keeping something from me.
He
had gotten off the bed and taken a quick peek out of his door. All he had to do
was follow them and find out just what they were keeping from him. Little did
he know that it would involve having to go on an impromptu road trip in search
of his second mother.
Why
had she left in the first place? Yuzuki would never leave without letting him
know. Something terrible must have happened to cause the woman to take off
without even saying goodbye. Things had suddenly begun revolving at a pace that
was a bit too fast for the teenager to handle. He felt another wave of
dizziness wash over him and a low, almost reluctant moan of distress escaped
his lips causing Duo to steal a quick but concerned glance in his direction.
“Are
you okay, Heero?” he asked quietly, torn between his focus on the road and the
boy who had huddled himself even closer to the door. “You don’t have to…”
“I’m
fine,” came the curt, but thickly mumbled reply as Heero stubbornly kept his eyes
closed. He had a feeling that if he stared directly into the teacher’s face, he
would start crying or do something even more embarrassing – like say, hugging
him.
Unfortunately,
Trowa and Quatre had caught the tail end of the conversation and decided that
it was their duty to become the thorns in Heero’s side again.
“Do
you want something to drink, Heero?” Trowa asked amiably as he leaned forward
to place his chin on the head rest. “Duo can stop at a nearby store to buy you
something. Right, Duo?”
The
teacher nodded with a friendly smile, somehow grateful that the other boys had
cut in to break the uneasy silence that had fallen again. “That sounds like a
good idea. So, what would you all like to drink? There’s a gas station we can
stop at…”
As
he spoke, he pulled the car into a Stop n’ Go, where a lone truck was being
filled at a gas pump by a man who looked as if he wished he was anywhere else
but there. He gave the newcomers a small nod of acknowledgement before focusing
his attention on the machine in front of him. There was a small convenience
store on the right, which seemed to have every single thing under the sun
within it. Items ranging from brightly wrapped candies and condoms to
mammoth-sized tires, hung from rafters that looked as if they would fall at the
slightest touch. The heavy stench of gasoline, grease and sweat filled their
nostrils as the teens stared in acute fascination at the rustic splendor of the
small station - since neither had ever had the chance to actually visit one
before. Even Heero, for all his sulkiness, had opened up his eyes to stare at
the junkyard to his left, which currently housed over ten cars that begged to
be sent to a scrap yard.
“Are
you all coming out or are you going to remain in there?” came the bemused
question from the teacher.
Trowa
and Quatre were already scrambling out of the car with barely concealed
excitement as Duo chuckled softly at their eagerness.
“You’ve
never been to a gas station before?” he asked in amusement.
The
Arabian shook his head with a slightly defensive look on his handsome face.
“No. Why would we?”
Duo
gawked in surprise. “Don’t you have cars of your own?” he asked incredulously.
Heero
stepped out of the car. “Yes, we do. What’s your point?”
The
teacher was really getting confused now. “You have cars…but you’ve never
been to a gas station before. So how…?”
“The
mechanics take care of all of that,” Trowa explained with a light blush as he
stepped up to an empty pump to examine it a bit closely. “And besides, we
hardly ever stop in areas that have gas stations. The cars are always ready for
us to use whenever we want.”
Duo
raised a brow in disbelief. “So basically…”
“We
just ask for the car and it comes around and we hop in and drive wherever we want,”
Quatre finished with a sheepish smile. “Isn’t…isn’t that convenient?”
“Yeah,
it’s convenient, if you want to spend the rest of your life being babysat,” Duo
replied a bit too roughly, before wishing he hadn’t as the boys looked even
more uncomfortable. It wasn’t their fault that they had been born rich, but
there were just some things they had to be able to do for themselves.
“Can
any of you fix a flat tire?” Duo asked as he began to make his way into the
store.
All
three nodded as they followed him in a single file – with Heero right on his
heels. The owner of the gas station, a man in his mid fifties who was dressed
up in enough jackets and wool hats to rival an Eskimo, eyed the customers with
genuine surprise. These people looked like they belonged in some fancy dinner
party and not in his humble store. He sincerely hoped they bought a lot of
stuff. Business had been pretty slow lately.
Duo
made his way towards the red and chrome-colored fifties-like soda fountain that
offered beverages that ranged from cola to frozen lemonade.
“I
mean have any of you actually fixed one?” he asked again with genuine
curiosity.
No
one answered or bothered to answer as Quatre had begun to examine the shelves
stored with candy, while Trowa was making himself busy in the refrigerator
section. There were some cans of beer that he would have loved to try…
“Don’t
even think about it, Trowa,” Duo murmured as he reached for the paper cups
beside the machine to fill one up with lemonade for himself. “I’ve got something
for you to drink, so get over here.”
“I
am seventeen, Duo,” the Barton heir tried to argue. But when Duo pointed
towards a sign with the words ‘NO SELLING OF ALCOHOL TO UNDERAGE
Heero, who had been considerably quiet as he eyed everything around him in silent awe, walked up to Duo and stood beside him. He watched the sure and steady hands reach for another large cup. He watched Duo place the cup beneath the machine and press a button before the soft gushing sound of the orange liquid filling the vessel was heard.
“Want
to give it a try?” Duo asked softly, with a warm smile on his lips. “I used to
run into stores that had soda machines like this when I was a kid just to see
how fast I could fill up a cup. Pretty dumb, right?”
Heero,
unable to stop the light flush that filled his cheeks at the smile from the
older man, shook his head and reached for a cup. “No,” he muttered more to
himself. “No, you weren’t dumb at all.”
I’m
the one who’s stupid.
With
hands that were surprisingly steady, he filled a cup with some ginger ale for
himself. A small smile of accomplishment came to his lips. And as he lifted his
gaze to show the teacher just how well he had done, he felt his heart literally
stop for a second as rich blue depths met the warm amethyst ones before him.
The strange feeling of being lifted and soaring through the air filled the
teen’s body as his heartbeat quickened. How could he have ever wanted to let
Duo out of his sight for even an instant? Hadn’t he made a promise to the
teacher – or rather to himself – never to let Duo go that easily? And even
though the older man had tried to tell him that he no longer harbored any
feelings for David, Heero had still tried to push the teacher away.
That
had been a cowardly thing to do.
He watched Duo part his lips. Those lips that looked so warm and inviting and oh so luscious. Duo, on the other hand, felt as if he must have said something wrong again because Heero had not replied to his question. He stole another quick glance to see if the boy was even paying attention to him, when he caught sight of the darkened look that now filled Heero’s eyes. Duo had seen that look before and it hadn’t been when Heero was angry. It was a look that Duo knew only too well – a look that they had once shared in the throes of passion on a night that now seemed so many eons ago. The fingers that were wrapped carefully around the paper cup tightened even more as he felt his own breathing become shallow and rough. To steal a kiss right here and now, wouldn’t be such a bad thing, would it? No one would have to know.
Such
sweet, succulent temptation – mere inches from him…just begging to be tasted…
“Heero…”
came the soft plea that bordered on desperation. Give me another chance to
make it up to you. I can’t keep living in the past. I know that now…
Was
it Heero’s imagination or were Duo’s lips coming much closer to his? The boy
could feel himself swaying again. Just a little bit more and he would be safe
and sound within Duo’s arms.
Duo…touch me…please…
“Can’t
you two at least wait until we find Yuzuki before jumping each other?”
Trowa’s
deadpan comment had both of them jumping apart so quickly that the drink Heero
had so carefully poured, splashed onto the counter and floor. Quick reflexes
had him out of the drink’s path so none spilled on his jacket. He tried to
glare at the smirking couple before him, but failed miserably. It didn’t help
that his cheeks were burning with color. If they hadn’t come…
“Here’s
your drink, Quatre,” Duo said with a warm smile. There was a tell-tale blush on
his cheeks as well, but he was doing a fine job of downplaying the awkward
moment. He handed the cup of ice tea. and one filled with ginger ale to Quatre
and Trowa respectively, before turning to face Heero.
“Uum…would
you like to refill…”
“I’ve
got it,” Heero replied quickly, needing to do something with his hands or he
was sure he would embarrass himself. Not surprisingly, they weren’t as steady
and twice the cup almost slipped from his hands in his agitation.
Finally,
they made their way towards the counter and figured they must have made the
owner’s day, as the old man was more than willing to help them out in whatever
problems they might have had.
Quatre,
who was beginning to rip through a small bag of hard candy he had bought, asked
carelessly, not really expecting an answer. “Well, I think you just might be
able to help us,” he began. “We are looking for a lady about thirtish. She’s
Japanese and drives a black Mazda. You wouldn’t happen to have seen her in
here, would you?”
Trowa
snickered and reached over to steal one of the sweets from the blond. “Fat
chance that’s going to happen, Quatre. He might not even remember…”
“Ah,
that girl with the funny voice,” the man suddenly cried out with a wide toothy
grin. “I’ve seen her before!”
The
four men, who had been ready to make their way out of the store, spun around
quickly with mirrored looks of surprise on their features. Hardly giving anyone
else a chance to think or act, Heero ran
up to the counter and leaned closer to pin intense blue depths on the
bemused storekeeper.
“Where
did she go? What did she tell you?!” he asked feverishly.
The
man scratched his head, trying hard not to cringe at the wild look in the boy’s
eyes. “Shucks, son. I dunno. She juss came in ‘re and got her some gas and
left. Oh, yeah, there was another one too.”
“Another
one?” Duo asked in growing confusion. “What do you mean another one?”
The
man smiled wider, but this one was a bit leery. “This one was a looker, I tell
ya. Not that the other one wasn’t a looker, but this one was young and fine, if
ya know what I mean. She came in ‘ere and asked me the same thing.”
The
men exchanged looks with each other, each trying to make sense of what was
going on. But even as their frazzled minds raced with a million and one
possible individuals that could have asked for Yuzuki, only one name sprang to
mind.
“What
the hell is going on here?” Trowa asked as they all turned to Duo for guidance.
“Which
way did they go? Do you know, sir?” the tutor asked with a light frown on his
visage.
The
old man scrapped at a tooth with a dirty fingernail before pointing towards the
dying sunset in the west. “Thataway, son. Both of ‘em.”
The
teacher gave a curt nod and began to lead the way out of the store. He began a
quick jog and the boys followed just as quickly, each knowing that there was no
time to waste. If Keiko was after Yuzuki, then something was definitely not
right with this picture. The Japanese girl might have had something to do with
the maid’s disappearance in the first place.
The
teacher barely said a word as he started up the engine. Neither felt like
saying anything to break the thick silence. The earlier camaraderie they had
all felt before had now dwindled to one of unease and dull panic. It was
getting rather dark outside as evening had finally begun to fall. If Keiko was
out on her own at a time like this… Duo wasn’t sure he knew what he would do.
Keiko might be a major pain in the ass, but she was still a teenager and a
beautiful one at that. Driving around these parts at night and on her own was a
major no-no in the teacher’s mind.
Please, God. I know I have no right to pray to you right now, but if you are still listening to me…please keep her safe.
Heero
spared a glance at the silent teacher and noticed the way Duo’s jaw seemed
clenched with worry. Even after all she had done to him, the teacher was still
willing to go out of his way to help the wayward girl.
Something
hot flared in the teenager’s chest – something that he now knew to be more than
just childish infatuation. It was something he had known all along and now the
situation had only done more to solidify his belief. And hardly giving his
actions a second thought, he reached over and placed a hand upon the older
man’s thigh. He gave it a light squeeze, not failing to notice the quick glance
of surprise (or was that pleasure?) on the teacher’s face. Heero felt a
responding smile come to his lips at the reaction and this time he didn’t
bother to wipe it off.
She
was lost. She had to be lost. Hanada – that moronic butler – had told her to go
to the Key West Flats. Yuzuki had a friend who lived there and that was where
she might be found. The directions had looked straightforward enough and as she
parked the brand new Porsche – which was actually Heero’s – at a curbside, she
reached for the roughly drawn map and stared at it intensely.
“Go
right at Marigold…two exits later…make a left,” she mumbled to herself, before
raising her head to stare at the long winding road ahead of her. She had passed
Marigold a while back, but the two exits…had she passed those? She hadn’t seen
any signs at all that pointed out any exits.
“This
will teach me never to listen to old men,” she muttered as she reached for her
cell phone to call for roadside assistance. She had always known that Hanada
and Yuzuki had a close relationship and it was only logical that the seasoned
butler would know one or two things about her ‘disappearance’. However, getting
information from the man had been as hard as trying to pull teeth out of one’s
mouth. After threatening to get him fired (a trick that was slowly beginning to
work on just about anyone), she had managed to wheedle the information out of
him.
She
cursed loudly as she rummaged through her oversized designer bag in search of
her elusive cell-phone. She was beginning to feel cranky again and the earlier
feelings of guilt at sending Yuzuki away were dissipating quickly as growing
irritation…and a little bit of fear began to creep down her spine. She had
never been away on her own for long periods of time. Yes, she did spend a
weekend with some friends on a road trip of sorts, but besides that, Keiko had
hardly done anything this irrational or unplanned in a long time. She stole
another nervous glance out of the window, wondering if it really was a good
idea to park on such a deserted strip of road. She wasn’t really familiar with
this stretch of highway. In fact, she had never been to this side of the city
before! Anything could happen to her. What if some crazy guys who wanted to
rape or kill her accosted her? What if…?
Easy…relax, Keiko. You can handle this. Just try not to spook yourself too much.
Inwardly,
she swore that once she found Yuzuki, she was going to give her a piece of her
mind and force her to come back home. She didn’t need this extra trouble on her
head.
And
where the hell was her cell phone?!
“Yes!”
came the small triumphant cry as slender fingers wrapped around the small
silver object. Ignoring the way her hands shook with each number she dialed,
Keiko tapped her fingers against the dashboard, listening idly to the dull
continuous ringing of the hotline against her ear.
And
just when she thought she would never get a reply, the lackadaisical voice of
the telephone operator came over the line.
Keiko
grit her teeth and forced her voice to be as friendly as possible. “Listen, I
am looking for…” she began to explain quickly as she raised the map to her face
to read it again.
So
focused was she on getting her information across, that she failed to notice
the twin headlights of a car that had slowly pulled up beside her or the
outstretched arm that held a pistol that was now aimed right at her temple…