The
Day Heero’s Cousin Came:
As
he checked the array of hand weapons – mostly guns - laid out before him, Heero
Yuy could not help feeling as if he was forgetting something very important.
“These
ones were confiscated from the left side of the dock,” the man said in a bored
tone as if it was something that he did every other day, which in fact wouldn’t
be too far from the truth. He was the Chief Inspector of the local police and
the Preventers had been called upon to help out in a raid of smuggled weapons.
A
large shipment of semi-automatics, pistols and shotguns had been found in
outsized crates that were headed off for North America. But thanks to a leak
from an anonymous source, the police had been able to get a wind of it.
The
Japanese boy sighed heavily as he picked up a .22 to check its magazine
carefully, knowing full well that he had a lot of paperwork to do tonight.
He
idly wondered how Duo was doing.
And
what in Kami’s name was that thing that kept nagging him at the back of his
mind?
__
Duo
Maxwell was faring no better. He hadn’t been assigned the smuggling case, but
that still didn’t stop him from groaning at the task at hand. He made a face as
he typed in several more words into his laptop.
Their
trip to the onsen had been a memorable one. The two days spent there had ended
up being both fun and relaxing for the two ex-pilots. However, reality had come
crashing down like a ton of bricks as their boss – one Lady Une – had left a
rather brusque message on their answering machine, demanding their presence at
the Preventers quarters first thing Monday morning.
They
hadn’t even had the time to unpack properly.
He
sighed again and this time got a wary look from his companion.
“What
now, Maxwell? I know you don’t want to be stuck with me, but at least try to
act like you give a damn, will you? Cracked the code yet?”
Duo
only gave a light shake of his head as his fingers flew across the keyboard. If
he was lucky, he could find the time to stop by the grocery store and pick up
that packet of sushi he had been eyeing all week. It would take a chunk out of
their budget for the week, but it was an indulgence they could afford…for now.
A
light beep on the screen with the words ‘Access Granted’ had him smiling in
relief and giving Wufei Chang the thumbs up sign, he began the rather tedious
process of downloading the stolen files that contained important government
information, from the hands of a rather elusive Drug Lord.
And
as the green rectangular bar showed the familiar ‘30% completed’, he closed his
eyes and thought of his partner.
Geez…he always gets the exciting jobs.
__
/“Hey, Duo. I won’t be able to make it back home on time
tonight, so don’t wait up for me or anything, okay?”/
“Yeah,
yeah, whatever…” He dropped his briefcase to the floor.
/“I
can’t help thinking I am forgetting to tell you something though…”/
He
took off his Preventer’s jacket and tossed it to the floor. “Forgetting to tell
me something? That’s a first.” He picked up the jacket as the image of his
lover’s angry face came to mind and then tossed it carelessly over a chair in
their bedroom.
/“And
uum…well…I…eh…”/
Duo
smirked as his hands tugged his belt. “Come on…say it…”
/“I…uuum…Iloveyou.
Bye.”/
/BEEP!
End of messages/
The
braided boy burst out laughing, as Coco strolled into the room with a small
mewl of protest. “Here girl,” Duo cajoled softly as he reached out to cradle
the cat within his arms. Scratching its ears slowly, he walked into the kitchen
and opened up the fridge with a foot.
“Awesome,
we’ve got some food for ya, baby. Hold on a sec…” He placed the cat gently on
the floor allowing it to wash itself as he reached for the bottle of milk and a
tin of cat food. The smile hadn’t left his face at his partner’s hurried words
of love to him. After all this time, the Japanese boy still could not say those
three words without blurting it out in a rush or saying it in his native
tongue.
“Heh,
I will take whatever I can get,” Duo muttered as he spooned out a generous
amount in the medium-sized bowl. “Here ya go, Coco! Eat your heart out, girl.”
He placed the food before the cat, watching it pounce on the food hungrily
before a low growl from his stomach signaled that he needed nourishment
himself.
“Sushi!”
He made his way towards the grocery bag he had left on the counter earlier and
pulling out the large box of Homestyle Sushi by Chef Won…
“Guaranteed
to satisfy that craving for the finest in Japanese food.”
…Duo began to rip the box open humming softly beneath his
breath. He was just about to bring out the inner wrappings of the delicacy,
when the soft chime of their front door-bell had him halting his movements with
a bewildered look.
Who
could it possibly be now?
“It
had better not be some dumb salesperson again,” he muttered softly as he wiped
his hands on his pants and began to walk towards the door. Coco had followed
him as if she were a guard dog and as Duo leaned into the spy hole to get a
better look, her low purr (which Duo could swear had sounded like a growl)
rumbled from deep within her throat. For a moment, Duo wasn’t sure of what he
was seeing. It was a person alright, but whoever it was had his or her back
turned to him. No, it had to be a him, because the person was wearing a
blue dress shirt and rather nice-looking black pants. On closer inspection, Duo
could spot a bag of sorts (looked like a carry all) beside the man and feeling
the hairs at the back of his neck prickle in awareness, he slowly reached for
the gun that he had forgotten to take out earlier– and thankfully too – from
the back pocket of his slacks.
He
cocked it and held it carefully at his side, only to jump in surprise as the
doorbell rang again.
“Easy
now…relax…it’s no big deal. It might just be another sales person as you
predicted.” He held the gun a bit higher and in a casual voice, he said
quickly. “We don’t want to buy anything, so you can go on home now.”
For
a few seconds nothing was said and Duo gasped in honest shock as the man spun
around.
Heero!….Heero?!
No,
it couldn’t be Heero - although the resemblance was a bit uncanny. The same
unruly brown hair, which had somehow looked neat to Duo from behind, was
exactly as Heero’s. He had the same facial features as his partner except for
one little difference. Their eye colors were different. Whereas Heero’s were a
piercing blue, this man had dark brown eyes that seemed to match his hair.
“Excuse
me, but is this Mr. Heero Yuy’s home? I was told that he lived here.”
He
speaks Japanese, Duo thought wildly as his hands reached for the doorknob to
open it quickly. Could this be…?
With
the door now open, Duo could see that the man (who looked about thirty or so)
was a bit taller than he was and had the look of someone who was rather well to
do. The outfit might have been casual, but there was no doubt that this person
exuded a sense of confidence and ‘richness’ about him. Duo felt hopelessly
outclassed and a bit uncomfortable at the intense scrutiny he was beginning to
receive.
They
continued to stare at each other for a few more minutes, only for it to be
broken by a soft ‘meow’ from Coco. Shaking himself lightly from his dazed
stupor, Duo smiled widely and opened up the door a bit wider.
“I
am sorry, but I do not speak Japanese that well. Do…you…speak…English?”
The
man looked as if he had been insulted, but he was quick to mask that emotion with
a small smile. “Yes, I can speak English,” he replied politely as he gave a
small bow. “Is this Mr. Heero Yuy’s house? I do not wish to intrude on your
privacy, sir.”
Duo
gave a slow nod as his hands tightened on the doorknob. It was clear that this
guy, whoever he was, did not really like him. Duo had learnt to read people’s
expressions and body languages over the years (and quite well too) and there
was no doubt in his mind that he was clearly not winning this guy’s affections
in anyway.
“Oh,
he lives here,” he finally replied as he motioned for the man to come in. “And
who are you, if you don’t mind me asking? And you can come in now. I don’t want
the draft and cold in the house, if you know what I mean. The name’s Duo
Maxwell by the way.”
“Of
course, please forgive me,” came that same polite reply that was really
beginning to grate Duo’s nerves. “Allow me to introduce myself, please.”
Duo
held his breath.
The
man gave another bow before replying with a small smile that didn’t quite reach
his eyes. “My name is Rei Hayakawa and I am Miwa’s first cousin…from his
mother’s side.”
Duo
forgot how to breathe.
__
Heero
scribbled down a few more notes, his frown deeper than normal as he felt that
worrisome nagging feeling at the back of his mind yet again.
He was
forgetting something.
“Trowa? What day is this again?” he asked casually, not
bothering to lift his head to stare at his silent companion.
“The
23rd,” came the soft reply. “Why?”
Heero’s
eyes widened in disbelief. How could he have possibly forgotten to mention this
to Duo? How in the world had this important detail escaped his memory? Work. It
had to be all this work that was beginning to make him too distracted.
And
reaching for the phone, he began to dial quickly, completely ignoring the
bemused look he was now getting from his fellow Preventer.
“Pick
up, Duo. Pick up…”
__
They
both remained sitting rather stiffly on the kitchen table, neither really
knowing what to say. Besides the initial shock at hearing Heero’s real name
from the other’s lips, Duo realized that he had had no real reason to faint in
the first place. Of course, the man would have to have some sort of connection
to his lover. Hell, they looked alike for crying out loud!
“So…eh…can
I get you anything to drink?” Duo asked with a small smile, vowing inwardly to
kill Heero for not letting him know about this.
Rei
shook his head in refusal. He had been staring at the rather small kitchen with
its sparse furnishings with a barely concealed look of disdain on his features.
Duo’s hands, which had been clasped together, tightened as he tried to calm his
worries.
“Are
you Miwa’s roommate?”
Duo
wasn’t sure he could ever get used to Heero being called ‘Miwa’, but he was
learning quickly. And how the hell was he supposed to tell this guy that he was
just more than a roommate? He had the feeling that if he told Rei that he and
Heero were lovers, there was bound to be some sort of problem…for both of them.
“I
am…I am…”
Briiiiiiiiiiiingg!!
Duo
bounded from the seat with a look of pure gratitude on his features. Deciding
to pick up the phone in the living room, he excused himself and dashed in
there, nearly throwing the phone to the ground in his haste.
“Heero?!”
he whispered harshly. “It had better be you!”
“Duo?
What’s the matter?” came the slightly panicked reply.
At
the familiar voice of his lover, Duo gripped the receiver a bit tighter,
stealing a quick glance at the kitchen to see that Rei hadn’t really moved from
his spot…except for Coco, who was now rubbing herself against his pants.
“Duo?!
What’s wrong?”
“Everything’s
wrong, Heero! Your goddamn cousin is here! Why didn’t you tell me he was coming?!”
Heero
rubbed a hand against his forehead with a soft sigh. “I am sorry. I thought he
wasn’t coming until next week and then he called up last week to tell me that
he was visiting the city and would be dropping by to say hello. I had honestly
meant to tell you…”
“He
doesn’t like me, Heero,” Duo interrupted curtly.
“What?”
“You
heard me. He doesn’t like me. I can tell.”
“Don’t
be ridiculous, Duo,” Heero chided and Duo could swear he could ‘hear’ his
frown. “How can you tell by just…you just met him today.”
The
braided boy shrugged. “I just know, Heero, that’s all. Look, I better get
going. Gotta impress the ‘in-laws’, right?”
“Duo!
Wait…” But the dull hum of the dial tone greeted his cry as Heero swore beneath
his breath. He hung up the phone and rose to his feet quickly, hands already
reaching for his jacket to shrug it on.
“Can
you cover up for me for a while, Trowa?” he asked hurriedly as he stuffed
papers and notes into his briefcase. “I need to go home right now.”
“Is
everything alright back there?” came the concerned question as the Heavyarms
pilot nodded in acceptance. “Is Duo okay?”
The
Japanese boy gave a wan smile. “I hope so. I really hope so…”
__
“So,
what is Miwa like?”
Duo
thought on this for a moment not really sure of how to answer. Had the family
been so far removed from Heero not to know a little about him? Well to be
honest, Duo couldn’t blame them for not knowing a single thing about their
elusive relative. It wasn’t as if Heero had gone around for the past eighteen
years broadcasting his name (real or otherwise) for the world to hear.
“He’s
a cool guy,” he finally replied as he slowly brought out the bag of sushi. The
meal he had been looking forward to suddenly seemed bland and uninteresting. “A
bit on the quiet side, but he is…eh…dedicated to his work and everything that
he does.”
Rei
gave a nod as if to say that such a trait was to be expected. “The Hayakawa
family has a strong history of pride and dedication as well. It is a virtue we
take very seriously.”
I
bet, Duo thought with an inward sigh.
“And
how did you get to meet Miwa? Were you both in the same school?”
Duo
slammed the pan he had brought out from a side cabinet a bit too loud and
thought over his words carefully. He couldn’t lie. And besides…what was the
point?
“We
were both Gundam Pilots. You know…the war and everything…”
“Oh…yes…that.”
Nothing
impresses you much, does it? Duo shook his head and then forcing a smile on his
visage, he raised the sushi for Rei to look at. “Would you like some? I am
making it for Hee…eh…Miwa tonight.”
“Packaged sushi?”
“Uh…yeah?”
“Miwa
likes that?”
Duo
shrugged. “I dunno. We haven’t had this particular brand before. The last time
we had sushi was actually two days ago at the on…” He shut his mouth up quickly
as he noticed the look of incredulity on the older man’s face. Better zip it
up before I say something I’m going to regret. “So, eh…yeah. That’s what
happened.”
He
turned away and began to place them neatly in the pan, when Rei replied softly.
“I do not think that we will be eating here tonight. He and I were supposed to
be having dinner at a local Japanese restaurant.”
Duo’s
hands froze in its movements as he stiffened at the revelation. “Ah…I see.” He
continued to place the rolls neatly. A sense of foreboding had begun to fill
his being again. He hated this feeling, but it just wouldn’t go away. But it
looked like his torture wasn’t ending anytime soon.
“How
long have you been with Miwa? I mean…as roommates?”
“A
year and a few months,” came the stiff reply.
“Does
he have anyone of significance in his life?”
Duo
swallowed tightly.
“Well,
does he? He has reached marriageable age now. I am sure there must be someone
he likes, isn’t there?”
The
American closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was going to be the
hardest thing he had ever done. But he knew he had to do it, for Heero’s sake
at least.
Please forgive me, Heero. I just want you to be happy…at
least with them.
And
in a voice that sounded a bit too alien to his ears, he responded quietly.
“Yes, yes, he does. Her name is…is Relena Peacecraft.”
He
did not need to turn around to know that Rei was more than satisfied at that
answer and for a brief moment, Duo felt physically ill.
“That
is good,” Rei muttered softly as he rose to his feet. “Although I do not sense
a womanly presence in the house, but that is to be expected.”
Duo
opened up his mouth to say something else, when the rattle of keys on the
doorway had the two men turning simultaneously to face the very man they had
been talking about.
“Duo…are
you oka…?” Heero’s words died in his throat as he noticed the other man
standing in the kitchen. For a heart stopping moment, he felt as if he was
staring at himself ten years from now and it sent a jolt of electricity down
his spine.
His
relative. Someone with the same blood that ran through his veins. For eighteen
years, he had thought he was alone. He had always believed that he had just
been born into the world to fulfill his role as a soldier and nothing else.
Odin. Odin who had trained him and taken care of him (if you could call it
that) had actually been his real father without letting him know. And now…now
standing before him was someone he could call a relative. Someone he could call
family.
“Miwa,”
Rei greeted with a warm smile as he walked towards his cousin.
“Rei…”
Heero croaked weakly. He didn’t want to hug the other man as he felt that it
would be inappropriate somehow, so he settled for a polite bow, but was quite
mystified to find himself engulfed in a crushing embrace that had him wheezing
for air.
“Finally,
Miwa,” Rei whispered, although it was loud enough for everyone else to hear.
“Finally, you are coming back home where you rightfully belong.”
And
as Duo watched the proceedings from the kitchen, he felt his heart sink into
the pits of his stomach.
His
lover, partner and mate now had others in his life. A family he could turn to.
So, this was a momentous and joyous occasion, wasn’t it? They ought to be happy
and celebratory, shouldn’t they?
Coco
‘meowed’ softly, as Duo hands clenched into tight fists at his side.
He
was happy for Heero….wasn’t he?
TBC…