Abroad

Disclaimer: Again, I really don't own anything nor am I making money.

This chapter is dedicated to my great reviewers, Jaina, Emerald Eyes, and SeYa. Thanks!!
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The next three days of classes were much like the first. The subjects changed around, but without fail after classes were over, the students would have headaches. They had now taken up naptime for two hours after lunch to help themselves recover. The previous day, they had sacrificed their naptime in order to go out and get cell phones. The plan, which included email, would run at about thirty to forty dollars a month but the bonus was that the phone was free.

Duo sat in front of one of the computers on the second lounge, head resting on the palm of his hand, randomly clicking on different websites in order to stave off his boredom. In the corner of the screen his messenger service was up, but no one was online. Back in the states, it was the dead of the night and not even the late night studiers were still awake.

Alerted to a new email through his messenger window, Duo opened it to see Heero’s information in an email sent from Treize. Grabbing a scrap piece of paper from the printer and an abandoned pen, Duo quickly scribbled down a cell phone email and a phone number. Now with two different ways of contacting Heero, Duo couldn’t help but feel a little anxiety. Duo had offered his help to Heero, but the Japanese guy wasn’t the most friendly of people. Looking at the information on the paper, he stuffed it in his back pocket resolute to deal with it later.

It was another hour before Duo came back down to his room. Passing his friends’ room, he saw Quatre leaning over a textbook.

“I got an email from Treize. He sent me Heero’s cell number,” Duo said waving the little scrap piece of paper with Heero’s phone number on it. “Ya think I should I call him now,” Duo asked. Quatre started to open his mouth to form a reply but was cut off by Duo. “No, if I call him now, he is going to think I am overly eager and creepy.” Quatre opened his mouth again to begin to say something but he was interrupted again. “But it’s not like he knows when Trieze sent the email. He could be waiting for the call.” Quatre optimistically opened his mouth again but was again shut down. “Then again maybe I should wait for him to call me. I did have Treize send him my number.” Quatre frowned a little as Duo continued. “But maybe…”

“Oh give me that Hamlet,” Quatre said ripping the piece of paper out of Duo’s hands and pulling out his cell phone. Quickly dialing in the number before Duo could realize what he was doing, he handed the ringing phone over to Duo who was shaking his hands out in front of him not wanting to take the phone. “You better take it before he picks up,” Quatre threatened. With a heaving sigh, Duo gave in and put the phone up to his ear and waited for Heero to pick up.

“Moshi moshi,” Heero answered his phone.

“Hi, this is Duo,” he started off in Japanese.

“Duo. You are calling about the English lessons,” Heero said succinctly in English. Duo was quite taken aback with how quickly Heero got to the point. He figured he would at least have gotten the compulsory verbal banter about his health and weather. “I will be free on Tuesdays from two to four or Friday evenings,” Heero plowed on.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Duo articulated still surprised about the direction the conversation took. “Tuesdays will work for me.”

“I understand. I will see you next Tuesday.”

“Yeah Tuesday, bye,” Duo said and was quickly rewarded to the click and beeping of the dial tone. Duo held the cell phone out in front of his face with a confused look. “Not even a goodbye,” Duo said perturbed as he handed the phone back to Quatre.

“Well at least it’s out of the way,” Quatre said with a smile as he tucked his cell phone into his back pocket. “Feel better,” he asked with a smile.

“Yes, much better mommy. Thank you,” Duo said with a snort and a smirk. “So tomorrow’s Friday and we don’t have classes on Friday. What are we going to do?”

“I was talking to Hilde earlier, and she and Sally wanted all of us to go down to one of the bars or izakaiya close to campus. They’re calling ahead to make reservations tonight after dinner I think.”

“Oh hell yeah. Just us Americans?”

“Yeah I guess. It’s their plan so they might have invited Japanese friends or roommates.”

As it turned out, Hilde and Sally had invited Japanese friends, and encouraged other Americans to get their Japanese friends in on the party too. They had a good-sized group of twelve and tagged on Treize to come join the festivities. The izakaiya turned out to be a great little hole in the wall place that was brilliantly decorated with party areas cut out into every nook and corner along with architectural structures to mostly separate parties from each other. They were greeted at the door by one of the staff that took the shoes from the group and placed them into cubbyholes in the wall or shoe baskets. Because they had a group of twelve, they were ushered upstairs to a bigger party room. When everyone was seated on a pillow, Hilde stood up.

“Okay everyone, just in case you don’t know how this works, listen up. First I need to collect three thousand en from each of you. [1] We have two hours here. We have a set menu with 6 different appetizers and all you can drink.” At this everyone let out a big cheer and a few claps. “All you have to do is call the waiter over when you are empty and he will take you glass and get you something else to drink. Am I forgetting anything Treize,” she asked looking over to where he was sitting.

“No madam. Let’s just get this thing started,” he said waving his money.

The party quickly got underway and the alcohol began to flow. The girls stuck to the girly drinks like lime chuhai while the men started in on the beer and attempted for some harder drinks as well. Every time a new round of drinks came, the cheers of ‘kampai’ could circle around the group followed by the clinking of glasses against each other.

“Talked to Heero today,” Duo told Treize who was sitting across the table. “Tuesdays from two to four is when we are meeting.”

“Good good,” Treize said as he finished of a stick of yakitori. [2] “Once a week is quite enough. I would recommend inviting him to things like this also. Get to know him in a more casual setting too. Of course that’s not a requirement,” Treize said picking up on the hesitant look on Duo’s face. “I’m afraid the boy doesn’t get out much. Very dedicated to his studies and job.”

“Who is Heero,” Milliardo who was sitting on Treize’s right asked.

“One of my students. Brilliant boy but very reserved,” Treize said picking up his almost empty beer glass.

“Made an ass out of myself in front of him at the grocery store,” Duo blurted out the story due to his lowered inhibitions. Soon the whole table was laughing their heads off at Duo’s unfortunate luck.

As time passed and the alcohol increased so did the flow of quastions. “Have a girlfriend here Treize,” Quatre asked around a mouthful of chahan. [3]

Treize’s first response was to only laugh. “No I don’t, and most likely won’t. Ever.” The alcohol in his system allowed him to admit it more freely.

Duo and Quatre laughed out loud at that. Throwing an arm around Quatre’s neck they said together, “Yeah, welcome to the club,” and proceeded to laugh even more.

“Oh, so are you two together then,” Treize asked a little surprised.

Duo couldn't help but throw a quick look over to Trowa to gauge his reaction. “Nah, Quat here is a brother to me. Nope, I’m living the gay bachelor’s life. Sucks doesn’t it,” he said taking a drink.

“Tell me about it,” Milliardo mumbled audibly.

“You too,” Treize looked surprised. Had Duo not been quite so drunk, he may have noticed the appreciate glance that Treize gave Milliardo. Then again, had he been sober he might have written it off because Treize was a teacher and Milliardo was, in a way, one of his students. “Well is it too much for me to assume that you are as well,” Trieze asked Trowa.

“No. I’d say you would be right on target with that assumption,” Trowa said with a small smile.

Treize leaned heavily on the table. “In the last four years I have only had one lesbian in the groups that I have looked after. Now you are all telling me that the entire group of guys this year is gay.”

“Look at it this way Treize. You don’t have to worry about us sneaking upstairs into the virgin vault this year,” Duo said cheerfully.

“No I guess I don’t,” he said with a smile. “We need another round gentlemen. We need to give cheers to a group of guys with so much in common.”

After that, Treize and Milliardo became engaged in a conversation about Japanese society, Duo, Trowa and Quatre reflected on the good times back at college, while Hilde, Sally, Kathy and their Japanese friends chatted amongst themselves.

At last call Hilde stood up from the table and offered up another round of kampai for a great night among friends. After that they were kindly ushered out of the izakaiya.

Waving goodbye to Treize and the Japanese students who were waiting to catch a bus home, the American students stumbled up the street back to their dorm. Hilde, with her arm around Duo’s shoulders, swayed heavily now and again. “Ya know,” she managed not to slur too badly, “Milliardo here,” she said gesturing to him walking in front of her, “he’s fucking sex on legs to these people here. Tall, muscular, blonde and blue eyes; you’re a god to Japanese women. Stand aside,” she said pushing imaginary Japanese women out of the way, “Sex God coming through.” The group laughed at her antics. “You’re just too damn zexy,” she said slurring her words.

“Zexy,” Duo said with a loud laugh making fun of Hilde’s mistake. “Oh poor zexy Milliardo. Wherever we see a huge group of Japanese women we can be like, ‘Hey Milliardo’ and we will see his hand stick up out of the group of them. The poor life of being zexy.”

“He’s Zex on legs,” Kathy squealed in fake admiration fanning herself with her hand.

More laughter and joking ensued until they got back to the dorm. Having planned in advance, Trowa left the window unlocked in his room so he could climb inside and then come around to the front door and let the rest of the students in. The Murakis locked the door after curfew, so without this trick, they would be stuck outside until the Murakis woke up again at six in the morning.

Finally inside his room, Duo tried to make as little noise as possible. Sadly he was lucky he didn’t wake Wufei up with all the banging and moving his drunk ass made that night. Stripping down to only his boxers, Duo decided pajamas were out of the realm of possibility and climbed up into bed and passed out.


[1] That is about thirty dollars. Also, in Japanese yen is en.
[2] Grilled chicken on a stick
[3] Like fried rice