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The Road to Kindness	By : shinigamiinochi Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 7934 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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The Road to Kindness

Chapter 8

Part 2
　

�That rat bastard!� Quatre nearly screeched as the silver sports car drove the five of them home.

All four of his friends stared at the little blonde in shock, even Heero, though he just as quickly looked back to the road. Even for a seventeen year old, Heero was a careful driver, always had been. After his father�s death, Heero had been careless with his own safety, taking stupid risks like smoking and picking fights with bigger, crueler boys. But what had happened to his father had haunted him. Yes, the man who had struck him down with his car had done it on purpose, but it had just made Heero realize that if he drove recklessly, it wouldn�t just be him who paid the price.

He could kill someone, someone�s mother, father, or child. He could destroy someone�s family, so very easily. With those anxious thoughts swirling around in his head, Heero had a serious phobia about causing an accident. Plus, he had all of his friends in the car with him, nearly his whole world. And Duo. Considering all they had gone through together, it would just be so stupid to die in a car crash.

Wufei and Duo couldn�t recall having ever heard their Muslim friend swear before on the top of their heads, while Trowa and Heero were well aware that Quatre only swore like that when he was very, very angry. Duo shook off his shock faster than his other friends, even Trowa. Quatre�s aqua-colored eyes were alight with a blazing fury that Duo couldn�t quite understand. Quatre wasn�t the one confused and anxious about one silly grade.

Though the rest of them had all received their grades, no one had showed them, too upset with Duo�s little problem. He, personally, couldn�t understand it. He had almost died, had been shot and attacked more times than he could count, but here they all were, worrying about a grade that didn�t even matter in the grand scheme of things. For once, no one was hurt or angry with each other, so why was this bothering him so much? He was going back next semester, he should be happy.

And he was. He certainly couldn�t say that he wasn�t. It was just� after all the weird and traumatic things he had gone through in his life, this thing with his grade was so� mundane. So normal and boring. What teenager didn�t worry about their grades? That feeling of facing a problem that wasn�t a matter of life and death, freedom or slavery, filled him with a sharp sense of relief and happiness. He was anxious, but though the outcome of all this did matter to his pride, at the end of it all, his life would not be affected in some huge, earth shattering way. It made him feel like, for the first time in his entire life, he was actually a teenage boy and not like he was wearing some priceless, fragile mask that he had to fight just to cling on to.

It didn�t matter. God, wasn�t that a wonderful concept? He was sure that boys his age faced these sorts of things every day, little things that didn�t matter, but they called them �problems� or �trials� because they had nothing more stressful in their lives. As much as he hated the doubt and anxiety, it made him feel good and relieved as well. To the point that he was having a hard time understanding why Quatre and his other friends seemed to be enraged by it.

�We don�t know it was Mr. Williams�� Duo protested, but even his tone clearly said that he didn�t believe his own words, that he was just playing devil�s advocate because no one else would.

To Duo�s amazement, the other four boys all snorted at the same exact time in an impressive stereo effect.

�Of course we do!� Wufei snapped, not so much at Duo as his words, �Let�s look at the facts: one of your teachers gave you a failing grade at the last minute, despite all your good test scores, which either means that this person is completely incompetent or completely hates you, enough to even risk his or her job! Now, who does that sound like to you?!�

Duo sighed. Of course he knew that it was all because of Williams that he was going through this. His other teachers loved him. He was bright and interested in what they taught him while remaining quiet and respectful, a far cry from most of his hyper, bored classmates. Williams was the only one who loathed him. He didn�t even know why he was defending the man. It wasn�t like there was some shadow of doubt and he was the only one to see it. It simply wasn�t there. He was a very firm believer in innocent until proven guilty, but in this case, only a fool would be unable to see the truth.

Duo had lived in a world separate from the world that his classmates had grown up in. He had seen a lot of things, had gotten to witness people�s souls, if there was such a thing, while his peers had grown up watching movies and television while listening to their parents� views of the world, making it all their own. They hadn�t seen what really lived in people�s hearts, just the masks that society wanted people to wear because it was convenient.

Duo had grown up learning that just because you were homeless it didn�t mean you were simply lazy or a drug addict, not all immigrants were uneducated, and just because someone ran from the police it didn�t mean they were guilty of something. He had lived in a world that understood that what you saw was not always what you got, so it was easy for him to defend a man who didn�t really deserve that from him. The thing was he didn�t hate Mr. Williams. He should, he knew that. The man had made him cry and hide like a little kid, thoroughly embarrassing himself in front of Mr. Khushrenada. He had made him feel like the lowest, dirties kind of scum. Hell, he had nearly made Duo believe some of the nasty things that he had said about him.

Mr. Williams reminded Duo of every person who had seen him as a child, skinny as a rake, his hair badly matted, and his clothes falling from his skeletal body in tatters, looking down on him like he was a diseased rat who had wandered into their kitchen. Williams reminded him of every teacher who had made the same tired, uneducated assumptions about him. He was poor, so he must be stupid and unwilling to learn.

Education was for the good kids, kids who had parents, kids who had money, kids like Zechs who had a future. So, since Duo was poor, stupid, had no future, and was probably just going to get addicted to meth or heroine and go into a gang, what did it matter if he was picked on or bullied? And if he didn�t fight back, it didn�t mean that he was scared and powerless, it was because it didn�t bother him.

Williams reminded Duo of every cruel stereotype, every mindless assumption and he should hate him for that alone, not including the sick things he had said about Heero. But he didn�t. Maybe it was because he was too tired of all the negative feelings that seemed to constantly follow him. Maybe it was because, compared to Wes, Chris, and Relena, there wasn�t much of Williams in his life for him to think about. Williams made him feel useless, dirty, and ashamed of himself for an hour a day, five days a week, and that was just during school days. So what? Wes and Relena made him feel that very same way just by showing up in his thoughts.

�How dare he do this to you!� Quatre snarled, making Duo look back at him again, �You�ve worked so hard to get where you are now! When you first came back to school, you were behind everyone and still healing from all that time in the hospital, but you managed to not only catch up, but also be at the top of all your classes! You struggled a lot and worked really hard, harder than the rest of those immature idiots! That hateful man has no right to� to penalize you because his prejudices about you being lazy fell flat! And he�s a teacher! He�s supposed to be setting a good example for his students, not acting like a spoiled brat!�

Trowa smirked as he watched his lover rant, his hands gesticulating wildly in his fury as Duo watched him from the front passenger�s seat, his violet eyes wide with shock and amazement. Everything Quatre said was right, of course, but Trowa seldom saw him in this state of rage and couldn�t help but be amused by it. It was sexy and rather cute, even if Trowa knew that the blonde was completely serious.

His boyfriend might look like a bunny rabbit, all small and cute and regularly had a sunny, patient disposition, but when he got mad, Quatre was just as cut throat as his father. That and their business sense were the only things that the father and son had in common. God help Williams if Treize didn�t punish him severely for this, because Quatre definitely wouldn�t have any sort of mercy. The only reason why none of them had attacked the man for the things he had said to Duo was that they would get expelled, but they all agreed that this was crossing the line.

�But even if he does fail me, I can still go back in the fall. That�s all I really care about. You don�t need to get so angry about it,� Duo said, worried about what Quatre might do if Treize didn�t get enough evidence against Williams, �I�m used to this, I really am, and I understand that sometimes people don�t get punished for doing something wrong. For once, I�m ok with that because, even if nothing happens to Mr. Williams, it doesn�t impact me that much.�

Heero felt sadness fill him at Duo�s easy defeat. He knew what his best friend was really saying, but it reminded him of how Duo used to justify being bullied and how he wasn�t mad that no one had stood up to Wes or Zechs for him, because he was used to it. God, Heero hated those words, but he knew what Duo meant. All those times that people had hurt him and had gotten away with it, the outcomes had been terrible for him. This time, no matter what happened to Williams, Duo was going to get what he wanted. But that kind of victory felt hollow to Heero. It was what Treize had said. Duo didn�t have to prove anything to anyone but himself.

In the past, there wouldn�t have been much to prove. Duo had never held himself to any high standard, but now� now Duo had fought so hard and had proved to himself that he could be so much more. There was a shining light, a bright glimmer of hope inside of Duo that hadn�t been there when they had met. It made Duo want more, Heero could see that quite clearly and he loved its presence. He loved that Duo had standards that he was trying to meet. It made Duo all the more beautiful to him.

Fuck, but would he ever fall out of love with the boy sitting next to him? People stopped loving each other all the time. Love that burned so very brightly just as quickly died out, like a flare of flame, and he had waited patiently for it to happen to him, too. Because sometimes it was painful, loving Duo. It would be a relief to let go of these powerful feelings, and horrible. But the more time he spent with duo, the more things he found in the longhaired boy that he fell in love with. And those old things that had made him fall so hard in the first place never lost their grip on him.

He remembered standing in the principal�s office with Duo and thinking that nothing would change. Duo had grown so much since that fateful, rememberable day when Heero had arrogantly introduced himself, only to watch as Duo yelled at him like a grown up scolding a small child and had stormed out, but there were still things that hadn�t changed enough. He had thought for sure that Duo would have given up, once Treize had said that that last grade didn�t matter, that Duo would be going on to the next grade anyway, that he would just surrender.

Then, Duo had looked at their principal so boldly, his eyes shining with the will to fight and Heero�s heart had felt swollen with pride. In the past, Duo would have shrugged and said that it didn�t matter, life wasn�t fair and his life was just that on a regular basis. Instead, Duo had decided that it was the principle of the thing, that he had worked hard and even if it didn�t really matter, it still mattered to him and he wasn�t willing to back down from the fight this time around. In that moment, Heero had felt this very strong urge in his gut that he should kiss the braided boy, but as he often did when he felt such strong, primal urges; he had pushed it deep down inside where it still hurt, but was no longer a threat.

Even now when Duo was saying that it didn�t matter, there was that spark in his eyes, a newly born stubbornness that made Heero wonder if this was the real Duo, and the boy that he would have been if he had grown up with a real family and had lived a healthy life. It made him feel as though they were reaching some kind of turning point, not just for Duo, but for all of them, like they were basking in his newfound strength. Even when Duo was telling them not to be angry, Heero could see that they were just words, that Duo was even madder than Quatre was.

�Bull shit!� Quatre swore loudly, shocking them even further, �I don�t care if it impacts you in some huge way or not! It�s the principle of the thing! Williams thinks that just because you�re quiet that he can get away with saying and doing anything to you that he pleases! I�m angry because you�re my friend and if that man thinks he can mess with one of my very close friends and is going to get away with it smelling like roses, ha! I�ll show him a thing or two!�

�Quatre�s right,� Heero said angrily, his grip tight around the steering wheel, suddenly feeling his vindictive side coming through.

Duo was a part of his family now. He was a Yuy, even if it wasn�t in name, and nobody messed with the Yuy�s and came through unscathed enough to gloat about it at the end of the day! Especially a pitiful, back water professor like Williams!

�We should go back there and beat the truth out of him!� Heero growled, the thought of turning the car around and slamming his fist into Williams� smug face very pleasing to him.

�Settle down,� Wufei ordered sternly, trying to be the reasonable one, even though he felt like ganging up on Williams, too, �Don�t just fly off the handle!� his dark eyes caught Duo�s and he smiled encouragingly at the American, �Mr. Khushrenada said he would handle things, so trust in him. He isn�t the kind of man who would promise something like that and not deliver. He has always been honest and honorable, especially to Duo. You are forgetting that Treize is well aware that Duo shouldn�t be getting a failing grade. He will investigate the matter and if he finds out the truth, Williams will be fired and none of us will be bothered by him again. If not, Treize will still make sure that Duo gets the grade that he deserves. If Williams isn�t punished, then we�ll do it ourselves,� he glanced at Quatre, who was still fuming.

Duo clenched his hands in his lap. There was still a part of him, so ancient and familiar that Duo could no longer remember where it had come from, that was jeering at him that there was no way Williams was going to be punished for this, not for his sake. The people in his life who hurt him were never punished. He wasn�t worthy of justice. And when he got that failing grade, the board would expel him, despite Treize�s promises. And it would be all his fault, his punishment for reaching for something that was meant for people much better than him.

It was in him to believe that part of himself, because he had always believed it. He wasn�t good enough, he had always fallen short. If there wasn�t something wrong with him, if he did deserve good things, then why was he always falling? It was just so easy for him to believe that. Too easy. Like a pattern or a bad habit. All he had to do was close his eyes and fall backwards, like jumping off a cliff. The bottom was scary, but there was something deep inside, something ancient and primal, telling him to jump, just jump. And, really, falling was as easy as breathing, because gravity existed, even if you didn�t want it to.

But, as simple as it was, hadn�t he made his choice? Fighting against something that was almost like a reflex was hard and painful, but he had already chosen that path and though it confused him and made him struggle, it also made him happy to know he had that kind of strength inside of him, when all his life, he had thought that he was weak. Wufei, Trowa, Quatre, and Heero� they were all proud of him and had all said that he had done well, so he shouldn�t be worried. His friends had always been honest to him, while that voice deep inside only brought him down, often with bitter sounding half-truths and lies.

Why should he listen to a part of himself that was just scared and cruel? No, as much as instinct told him to listen to his fears, he wanted to listen to his friends instead. He would trust them. Everything would be ok. Duo smiled brightly as a strong sense of calmness filled him. This was a step in the right direction, he could feel it. This was healthier, right? Against his own, beaten nature and that voice deep inside of him, Duo allowed himself to feel proud of himself, just a little bit.
*****
�That bastard!� Name snarled, her words and tone almost completely echoing Quatre�s, looking quite like an enraged mother bear, �If that man thinks he can mess with one of my kids, he�s in for a surprise! Let�s see if he�s so superior after I call the school board!�

She yanked the phone off its cradle so hard, Heero was amazed she hadn�t broken it.

�Wait!� Duo pleaded, his heart beating fast and his face beat red at hearing her call him her child, something that made him feel like his heart would split wide open.

Name raised a chocolate-colored eyebrow at him, but calmly put the phone back on the charger.

�Mr. Khushrenada said he would take care of things,� he reasoned, �So shouldn�t we let him handle it?�

Name took a minute to contemplate that, and then sighed.

�I suppose that man has proven himself quite capable. He�s shown a fortitude and strength of personality that none of Heero�s previous teachers and principals have ever possessed. He promised that he would find a way for you to return to school and he did, so, if he promised he would make things right this time, I guess I should take him at his word,� she smiled gently and put a hand on Duo�s head, which made the short teenager smile up at her.

Name slid her hand off of Duo and glanced at Heero with a sharp expression, reminding Duo of an owl studying a creature that was less threatening than it was and trying to decide if it would be suitable prey, or a general ready to do battle.

�Let�s see it,� she ordered.

Heero, every bit as stubborn as his mother, crossed his arms over his chest.

�Do I still have to? I�m seventeen already,� he said in a slightly nasal, petulant tone.

�Yes,� Name said sharply, �And even when you�re in college. Now, hand it over.�

Heero snorted, but picked his book bag off the kitchen floor, rifled through it, and handed his report card to his mother.

�You haven�t even opened it yet?� Name questioned, noting that the envelope was still sealed.

Heero just shrugged and watched, hiding his trepidation, as his mother opened the envelope with the cold precision of a woman who had done this chore many, many times and had grown tired of it. Name studied the report card, almost clinically, then her eyes widened in surprise and she put the piece of paper on the counter. The next thing Heero knew, his mother was pulling him into a tight hug.

�Oh, Heero� I�m so proud of you,� her voice was tight, like she was about to cry.

When she let go of him, Heero picked up the report card in confusion. When he was done reading it, his eyes widened, too.

�Can I see it?� Duo asked eagerly, glad that he was the spectator and not the center of attention for once.

Heero handed it over, his tan cheeks a little bit red in embarrassment, but for once, not in shame. Duo read the card, not bothering with the teachers� comments. They were just their opinions, anyway, and teachers were biased. They also seldom had a clue about what their students were really like. Every report card he had ever gotten had been filled with comments like �needs to participate in class more� and �does not work well with other students.�

One of his teachers in middle school one year had even written her concerns that Duo might be autistic because he never spoke in class and didn�t look people in the eye. She had ended the comment urging his father to come in for a meeting, but when he never showed, she never brought it up again. Duo wasn�t quite sure if she had been overly dramatic or incompetent, but he had seen a lot of lackluster teachers in the public school system.

Looking at comments like that made him look like a juvenile delinquent, though those teachers had to have known about the bullying, so why they couldn�t understand his reasons for not answering questions in class or making friends was beyond his understanding. Getting noticed, no matter what the attention was for, for a quiet and submissive, but smart, kid like him was dangerous. Or, it had been. Being friends with a Yuy, and having friends like Trowa and Wufei, who were bigger or just plain physically menacing, had made his classmates hesitate in calling him names or pushing him around. Especially after Heero had put that one kid in the hospital for picking on his best friend.

Predictably, Heero had done well in his science, gym, and math courses, getting A+�s, but had gotten C+�s in English and Home Ec., while he had gotten a variety of B�s in everything else.

�I can�t remember the last time I got an A,� Heero admitted sheepishly.

�You slacked off after your father died,� Duo guessed, more of a statement than a question.

�Heero stared at him, startled that Duo could guess something like that. Duo knew all about his past now, but it still surprised him when his friend said things like that, like he knew that his assumptions were right. It would be annoying if he wasn�t right all the time.

�You really think that?� Heero asked in fake amusement, �Maybe I�m just really, really stupid. I did get a couple of C�s after all.�

Duo�s expression turned serious and slightly sad. He looked away from Heero, blushing slightly.

�You guys always believe in me,� he murmured, �The two of you, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei� no matter what stupid things I do, you all believe that I can do better. But I believe in you just as much as you believe in me! So you got a few C�s, so what? You got A�s and B�s, too. Doesn�t that just prove to you that you can do well? Grades you get when you don�t even try don�t count. You aren�t stupid; you just haven�t put as much effort into your school work as you could.�

�Duo�s right, honey,� Name said with a soft smile, �Until now, you kept getting D�s and F�s. The only reason why you progressed to the next grade every year is because your principals were too scared of me to hold you back. For the first time since your father died, you�re trying your hardest. And next year, you�ll do even better. Your father would be very proud of you.�

Heero felt tears prickle his eyes at those words, but simply nodded and pushed them down. He felt like, for the first time since that hateful day, his stagnant life was starting up again. It was all because of Duo, because of his love for him. In his desire to improve Duo�s life, he had improved his own. Now� if only he had the courage to say that to Duo himself� Heero promptly left the kitchen, knowing that if his mother continued to smother him with praise, he really would cry. Name watched him go, then hugged Duo tightly again.

�Thank you,� she whispered, her voice strained with emotion.

When she let go of him, Duo looked thoroughly confused.

�For what?� he asked.

He didn�t even have a report card to show her, nothing for her to be proud of him for, but she looked like she was.

�For making him care again,� she said, �For bringing him out of that cloud of hate he was choking in.�

�I didn�t do anything-,� Duo started to protest.

�Yes, you did,� Name insisted, �Before he met you, Heero didn�t care about his grades, about school. He didn�t care about anything. He would just say that he was going to take over the company when I retired, regardless of how good his grades were. He didn�t even talk about going to college, just went with whatever I had planned. But now� he�s different. He�s how he was before his father died, tenacious, but kind. You changed him for the better. No, it�s more like you woke him up.�

�He woke me up, too,� Duo pointed out, �I guess, deep down inside, Heero and I were exactly the same. We were both hiding. I told myself that I didn�t care what was going to happen to me. I did whatever anyone told me, even if it hurt. I never fought against Wes and I had abandoned any kind of dream or hope. When I met Heero, I realized that not all men were like Wes. I realized that I could be loved and that I could have a future, but I would never know if I just kept giving up all the time. For anything he owes me, I owe him three times as much.�

�Oh, Duo,� she murmured, feeling that horrible sadness she always felt when the boy talked about his past.

She hugged him again and Duo let her love for him wash away all those bad memories, if only for a moment.
*****
�See you tomorrow!� Wufei called as he got out of Heero�s silver car in front of his house.

His friends waved back at him and Wufei watched as they drove off. Like he did every day when both his parents worked late, he to the mail and used the spare key to open the front door. He dumped the mail on the kitchen counter and took out the soup and white rice they had had for dinner last night for an after school snack.

After yesterday�s debacle with Duo�s report card, today had been mundane and slow. Of course, for a high school student, Tuesdays always seemed slow, but considering that it was the last week of school, it was even more tedious. Maybe if he didn�t go the rest of the week, he could start early on the gardening and be done with it in time for the start of summer vacation and he could hang out with Heero and Duo� but that would be irresponsible. Even if Mrs. Khushrenada had said they didn�t have to attend classes this week, he should still go. All his friends were going.

Besides, hanging out just with Heero and Duo was like being the third wheel in an old soap opera. The two of them were so infuriating! Even a blind man could see that they were deeply in love, but they were both too stubborn and scared to ever admit it! In the past, he would have been jealous, but now he just had the urge to bash their heads together until they saw what was clearly in front of them.

Wufei put all the food in one pot on the stove to warm up. As he was waiting, he wandered over to the phone and raised his eyebrows when he saw that they had seven messages. They never got messages. His parents still weren�t very friendly with other people in town and they never got phone calls from their relatives, not even from Meiran. He pulled up the missed calls list on the phone. All the messages were labeled from �out of town� and each call had occurred once every hour since he had left for school that morning.

�Strange,� he muttered out loud.

Wufei shook his head, leaving the messages for his parents and decided to go through the mail. He never really got anything, but he hoped that, one day, his family would get over what had happened and send them at least one letter� After shuffling through a mountain of bills and fliers, a slim piece of mail caught Wufei�s attention. The white envelope was covered in so many stamps, brightly colored and some in languages Wufei wasn�t familiar with, that the envelope probably weighted three times as much as its content.

Wufei became excited when he saw that the address wasn�t in the center of the envelope, but in the top, right hand corner, which was how it was done in the area of China that he had come from. But what really made his heart beat faster was the neat, pretty, familiar writing on the center of the envelope. In delicate Mandarin, someone had written �Fei�. There was no return address, but Wufei didn�t need one. He knew who this letter was from.

As gently as he could, as though he were handling a priceless relic, he opened the envelope, careful to not tear it in any way, and removed the single piece of paper from within. As he read, his heart stopped, then sped up rapidly.
　

�Dear �Fei,

I do so hope that this letter reaches you. I have never had to send something so far. Indeed, I have never had to send any sort of letter, but I feel that this is necessary. Mrs. Yuy gave me money to send this letter before I left all of you in America. It took me many days to discover the courage, and the eloquence, to write it. I have a good job now, just as Mrs. Yuy promised. I hope to be able to send you many letters like this one, if you wish it. From the moment we had parted at the airport, I have missed you terribly. So much so, I fear every day that my heart might break, but the thought of hearing your voice or seeing your handsome face again has kept me strong. I know you will stay strong as well. You have always had a wellspring of strength that vastly exceeds mine. I hope your friends are well. Very little has changed here. Father and Mother treat me worse than before, knowing the lengths I went to see you again. My brothers bully me. They say that I am no longer a true Chinese. I am a mutt, for I have known American soil under my feet. However, it is a strange thing. When I was with you, in America, I thought of our native China often. Remember that day in the mountains of our village? We shared that bottle of wine by ourselves as our village danced. As the sun set and the moon shone in the amber sky, you kissed me. I remembered that day often and wished we were back there where I could hear the sound of bells, laughter, and song in the village below us as I tasted sweet chrysanthemum wine on your lips. I thought that, when I returned here, I would experience those things and my heart would be at peace, but without you, it cannot be the same. Now, as I live my days in our village, I only think of America, of my first taste of pizza and root beer. I think of that moment when you made love to me in your high bed, when I had thought I would never even hold your hand again. Even now, I blush as I write that. I think that the only place I can ever call home is in your arms. In the house where I was born and have lived my whole life, I feel like a stranger. IN that country, amidst your friends whom I had just met, I felt comforted. I dream of returning there, even in my waking moments.
All I can think about is seeing you again, but I am afraid. Chiong-yo, our sister village, just over the mountains was set ablaze. There are rumors, ghosts and shadows of an unknown truth, that we are being invaded. I wish to think that such a thing will never happen here in this quiet place, but there is much talk of the army. Father has told my brothers to train. Sometimes Father talks of far off lands, of wars on different continents and I wonder what makes us so different from those people. I wonder if this village is truly peaceful, or if I am just a blind fool. These thoughts frighten me.
I hope deep in my heart that there will never be war. Our little village is dying, not from war, but from greed and no prosperity, as much of this world is. I think that it is good that you have gone. Perhaps America is not as better off as my father believes, but I still think you are safer there.
I hope to see you again, xin� ai.
Fai
　

The sound of the phone ringing jerked Wufei from the letter. Silent tears were pouring down his cheeks in such a torrent that they dripped from his chin. He couldn�t remember when he had started to cry. He paid his tears no heed and picked up the phone.

�Hello?� he said in a hoarse voice.

� �Fei?� a heart-breakingly familiar voice breathed in relief, �I finally got you� these time zones are so hard to figure out��

Wufei felt like he couldn�t breathe as he heard his lover�s voice coming from the phone. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn�t speak.

� �Fei?� Fai asked, sounding concerned, �Are you still there?�

�Y-yes,� Wufei croaked, �I�m here.�

He could hear Fai breathe another soft breath of relief.

�I wasn�t sure I had the right number,� Fai said, �I kept calling, but no one answered. I didn�t wake you, did I?�

�No,� Wufei assured him, finally finding himself again, �I just got home from school. I� I just got your letter. I was reading it� when you called.�

There was a long space of silence over the line, but Wufei waited patiently, unwilling to hang up the phone. He suddenly heart Fai laugh, a sweet sound that soothed the ache in his heart.

�It must be fate, then,� Fai said cheerfully, �You read my letter, then I call��

Wufei found the humor in that to laugh, too.

�Yes, it must be fate,� he paused, trying to find some intelligent words, but in this situation, his usual eloquence failed him, �You got home all right?�

�Yes. The flight was very long, but a nice, elderly woman sat next to me. She was returning to Hong Kong after seeing her grandson in Bangor. We talked for many hours about America and our homeland. She was kind to me. It helped pass much of the time. Father was waiting for me at the airport in Hong Kong. I do not know how he knew when I was coming home, but he drove a long way to meet me there,� Fai�s voice was hesitant and sad.

�How angry was he?� Wufei asked, then cursed himself for asking such an insensitive question.

There was another lengthy pause, greater than the previous one, and Wufei feared the worst. Had Fai�s father hurt him? Had he struck him? Beat him? His free hand curled into a fist while his other fingers tightened on the phone so hard, the plastic creaked. If that bastard had laid his filthy hands on his precious Fai�

�He was very angry,� Fai confessed softly, �But I survived.�

Wufei didn�t like how that sounded at all. He wished Fai was here, where he could hug him and tell him that everything would be all right to his face, not hundreds and hundreds of miles away where he could not even touch him. He remembered how Duo had looked in the hospital that time, the almost endless black-purple bruises on his pale white skin, the needles in his thin arms, the look of exhaustion and hopelessness in his violet eyes, and how frail he had looked in that hospital gown and imagines Fai looking like that, with bruises that his father had given him. It made his blood boil.

�Where are you calling from?� Wufei suddenly asked, worried that this phone call would get Fai in trouble with his father.

�I snuck out,� Fai said and Wufei could swear that he sounded smug, �I�m blocks away, near that red tree we had lunch under, the day before you left for America,� Fai�s Mandarin became heavy and wistful, �Mrs. Yuy sent me this cell phone. She wrote me a letter saying she would pay the bill, so I could call you whenever I wanted to. I�ve been calling you ever since it arrived.�

Wufei shook his head as he heard about how much Heero�s mother had done for him and Fai. How could he ever repay her for her kindness, a kindness that he had never earned? He had been cruel to both Heero and Duo, had been foolish and had played with their feelings out of his own bitterness.

�How long can you talk for?� Wufei asked, realizing that it was after two in the morning from where Fai was calling from.

�For as long as you can stand the sound of my voice,� Fai responded and Wufei could imagine that smile that he wore easily.

�Forever, then,� Wufei thought with his own little smile.

The thought alone filled him with a content sort of peace and he stood there in the kitchen for many hours, just listening to the sound of his distant lover�s voice.
*****
Meanwhile�
　

�Bill� bill� flier� bill� flier� junk mail� bill� bill�� Name flipped through the mail, throwing out the huge pile of fliers and coupon magazines that arrived in their mailbox every day.

Apparently not even living on the most expensive and well-kept street in town could not keep them from sending this trash. With the amount of paper they sent out every day, they could feed a homeless family for a week, maybe more! And then there were the bills� sure, because they were rich and owned such a big house, they had more bills than most, but still ,it was no wonder why middle class residents were losing their homes so often. She wasn�t even threatened by it and it still infuriated her. It was because of these hefty bills and tax hikes that there were more and more children growing up like Duo had, without home or a stable family.

Last night there had even been a report on the news about low income parents who had left their children on the streets to keep from going broke. Her company could do so much more, she knew that. But� it was a lot harder than just saying she should be doing more. Name donated more money to charities than any other CEO in the world and she had to fight tooth and nail just for that. Yuy Corporations was her company, but she had share holders, partners, and employees to think of.

Name held all the power in what policies YC had, but that was how companies fell, by leaving all the decisions in the hands of one person. The company had survived all these years by being able to adapt to the changing times and had had been able to do so by listening to its employees. One single opinion must be wrong at least once, so by listening to many voices, a leader gains a greater chance of being right, and not only that, can understand the people who rely on them. Her father, the previous CEO, had taught her that as a young girl and she lived by it.

So, no matter what she did, she had to listen to her employees, even if they decided something that she didn�t like. The last thing she needed in this stressful economy was anarchy or a mutiny. So, she would continue to donate and try to help people like Duo who needed a guiding hand while she hoped for an opportunity to do more in a way that wouldn�t endanger the company and the people who worked under her. Her father often told her that she had been born in a bad time, that this generation of the company would be the hardest yet and that he was sorry that she had to be the one to be burdened with it.

But Name was not sorry. If things were difficult, she would just try harder until she could rise against it. She had always been that way. Whenever anyone had said to her that she couldn�t do something, she had always strived to prove them wrong, even when it had not been in her best interests to do so. She stopped shuffling through the mail as a letter caught her eye. She had almost missed it and to anyone else, the envelope wouldn�t have looked extraordinary, but the stamp on it easily caught her eye.

The stamp was larger than normal and its edges were gold. It was an expensive stamp, used to send important mail overseas. The writing on it was Japanese and her address had come from a business stamp instead of being handwritten. Name frowned when she saw that the return address was the main branch of Yuy Corporations in Tokyo. What could the board of members possibly want with her right now? Unless a member had died and they needed her vote� but her father would have just called for something like that. There was just a single piece of paper in the envelope and she scanned through it quickly. All she needed was the first sentence to make her hands curl up in fury.
�We wish to inform you that your status as The CEO of Yuy Corporations is-�
�Mom, I�m home!� Name heard the front door open and Heero started to walk towards the kitchen, but she was too busy reading the letter to greet him.

As Heero and Duo entered the kitchen, Name slammed the letter on the counter.

�That spineless idiot!� she snapped, glaring at the piece of paper.

Heero had seldom ever seen his mother this angry and paused at the doorway. From behind him, Duo flinched and became just as frozen, confused at what was going on.

�Mom?� Heero asked cautiously.

Name sighed heavily, feeling guilty at the fear on Duo and Heero�s faces. She ran her fingers through her short, dark hair and tried to calm herself. It was bad, but nothing that she couldn�t handle. She had dealt with much worse as a mother, let alone a businesswoman, but she needed perspective, something to settle herself.

�I�m sorry, boys,� she apologized, �Just a bit of bad news.�

Duo stepped in front of Heero, trying to be bolder than he usually was. He had been scared at first, hearing Name�s angry, raised voice, but it was just instinctual. Loud noises meant anger. Anger meant pain. It was so engraved into his heart and mind, he didn�t think it would ever let go of him. But this was Name and whatever fear he had vanished with that knowledge.

�Name, what�s wrong?� he urged.

The Japanese woman before him was always calm and collected. The only times he had seen her angry or upset were when he had told her about his past or if she was worried about him or Heero. It scared him to see her like this, not because he thought she was dangerous, but because it made him wonder what was so bad that it could make her this upset. Name smiled gently at him, the worry in his eyes washing away her indignation and anger.

�Come here, sweetie,� she said softly.

Duo walked into her stretched arms and smiled as he felt her hug him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged back, sensing that she needed a hug just as much as he did.

�Just some silliness,� she soothed, �Nothing for either of you to worry about.�

She let go of him and kissed his forehead.

�Thank you, love, I needed that,� her soft expression was contagious; making Duo feel like his love for her was burning like a small sun.

Heero picked the letter off the counter and read it. It didn�t take long for him to feel the same rage that his mother had.

�They think you�re unfit to be the CEO?!� he yelled, unable to believe what he was reading.

�Something along those lines,� Name muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

Duo stared up at her. He had no idea what Name losing her job would mean for her and Heero, let alone himself. Name looked angry, but now worried. How could she look so sure after getting news like that?

�Who on the board would be stupid enough to question you?!� Heero demanded.

His mother was one of the best leaders that Yuy Corporation had ever had, everyone knew that! Questioning her leadership would be committing professional suicide. If they succeeded in kicking her out, there was no one suitable to take her place, and if they failed, then they had had no grounds to dismiss her in the first place and neither his mother nor grandfather would tolerate such a person in their company.

�I-I don�t understand,� Duo interrupted.

He had no idea how business worked, but it seemed like Name was doing a good job. Besides, she was the boss, wasn�t she? So how could her job be in jeopardy if she hadn�t done anything illegal?

�I�m the CEO,� Name explained to him, �But I also have a board that reviews the company�s success and policies. If they believe that I have made decisions that will hurt the company, even just one of them, they have the power to put my leadership under review.�

�How does that work?� Duo asked.

�A board member gathers evidence against me and brings it to the head of the board, along with a suggestion for replacement. The head reviews the evidence and unless he finds some fault, the evidence is then submitted to the entire board and they put it to a vote. If half or more vote against me, I must step down,� Name said.

�It�s not going to happen!� Heero protested, �Grandpa�s the head of the board and he knows what a good leader you are! He would never let that happen!�

Name smiled sadly at her son.

�It isn�t that simply,� she pointed out, �Your grandfather is a very honorable, strict man. Above all else, he is a businessman. He will not favor me simply because I am his daughter. As he should, he will do what is best for the company. If he was not such so straightforward and did not follow his own rules as the man who helped keep this company together, he would have hired whoever the board had wanted and not the one that he believed would do the best job, simply to curry their favor. However, the company is doing well. There is only one member who is stubborn enough, and foolish enough, to question me.�

Heero thought about that, but the answer came quickly to him and his eyes hardened.

�Uncle Mizu,� he growled.

�Why would your uncle want your mom to not be the CEO anymore?� Duo asked, becoming more confused by the minute.

He knew about as much about Heero�s family outside of what had happened to his father as he knew about their company�s policies. He had thought that his life was complicated, but the world of business was something else. It was like no one lived by the same rules as normal society.

�Mizu is my step brother,� Name told him, �My mother died when I was little more than a baby. After years of mourning, my father fell in love and married again to another woman. Her lover had abandoned her before Mizu had been born and had been struggling on her own. My family is fairly traditional, so my father�s marriage to her created quite a scandal. Not only did my step-mother come from a poor family, but she was an unwed mother, something that was very shameful. But Father loved her deeply and wished to take her away from her world of sorrow and strife. Even nowadays, it is hard for a single mother to find work and her raise her child on her own. I was lucky because I came from a wealthy family, so Heero and I never had to worry about much beyond our grief. My step-mother had not been so lucky, but Father helped her and gave her a new family and in time, the rest of the Yuy clan accepted her as their own. It had helped that, at the time, Father was the CEO and I was an only child. When the rest of the family learned that his new wife had a son, they had thought it would solve everything, since many of them did not want the business to be run by a woman. Mizu and I grew up together and I quickly accepted my father�s new wife as my mother, but Mizu never regarded me as his sister. Any affection we might have had for each other was lost when Father chose me to head the company instead of Mizu. Mizu is just as traditional as our family is, believing he should have been chosen for the job simply because he is male and older than me. Our family was split in half by the decision. Some believed, like Mizu, that was better than me for being a man and the rest believed that I was better because I was my father�s flesh and blood, while Mizu was only a Yuy by name. Either way, my father�s word was law. He gave Mizu a job on the board, but it only made my brother more bitter. He never understood that Father had given him the job because he had truly believed that Mizu�s insight would help the company. He had always thought he was just placating him. If there is one board member who thinks they can profit from this, it�s him.�

�But Grandpa will never elect him as the new CEO,� Heero argued, �He chose you because he didn�t think Mizu was good enough. Even if you have to step down, Uncle Mizu has to understand that he won�t get the job.�

�I don�t think that matters,� Name said, �I�m sure that Mizu is hoping that he is the only suitable candidate left, but deep down inside, I think he will settle with just destroying my career.�

�But why now?� Heero muttered, �They never would have sent you that letter unless he has some serious evidence against you! But how is that possible? You haven�t done anything wrong!�

�I think that�s rather obvious,� Name looked at Duo.

Duo felt like his stomach was trying to crawl into his intestines. This was all because of him? Of course it was. Name was a perfect leader for their family�s company. Even amidst the worst economy in decades, the Yuy Corporation was flourishing. Then, all of a sudden, she had taken in a penniless, teenaged whore out of the goodness of her heart. The media, apparently, thought all sorts of crazy things about their arrangement and Heero�s uncle had clearly seen this as some kind of weakness.

�So� this is all my fault?� Duo whispered in a tiny, lost voice.

He could feel tears forming in his eyes and he hated himself for them. Why couldn�t he be stronger? Why was he always so pathetic? He hated himself, not just for being so weak, but because of this whole mess. This wasn�t like having Name pay for his food, clothes, and hospital bills, or even him being such a burden with all his problems. Name could lose her job, all because of him. Name had given so much of herself, just to see to it that he was healthy, safe, and happy. She was the most wonderful woman he had ever met. She didn�t deserve this.

�Sweetie, no,� Name made a pained noise, placing her hand on his shoulder and her head on top of his, �This is not your fault. Don�t you ever think that! Mizu would have pulled this stunt eventually, regardless of your presence in my life. I�ve told you this a thousand times: no matter the consequences, no matter what happens, I will never ever regret taking you in. You are a part of this family. If I have to lose my job just because I helped someone who needed me, then good riddance! But that isn�t going to happen,� she marched over to the phone and started to dial, �If Mizu thinks he can use you to take my position from me, he�s more of a fool than I thought! You aren�t my weakness, far from it!�

Heero and Duo watched in amazement as Name punched the send button and someone picked up on the other end. Name seemed to listen to the other person, her expression becoming angrier and angrier.

�You know who this is!� she snapped, �If you have a problem with me and my methods, you tell me to my face, you coward! � I will speak to you however I wish! You don�t have my job, yet. � Cockiness isn�t becoming of a man who has no ground to stand on, Mizu� If you want a civilized conversation with me, don�t expect to hear it in your safe, cozy little home over the phone! � Fine. If I don�t see you by then, I�ll know the kind of coward you really are!�

Name violently slammed the phone back on the hook. She took a deep breath, letting out all of her anger and frustration.

�What�s going on?� Heero asked.

He had always had the utmost confidence in his mother when it came to the family business. In fact, she impressed him. A lot of the board members, including his uncle Mizu, were backwards traditionalists, still believing that only men could run the world and that women in the office were just distractions for the male leaders. His grandfather had had all the say about who would take over the company after him, but just allowing his mother to be the CEO had been a battle. His mother had told him about it once. She had been young at the time, in her early twenties, and had equated it to Sisyphus, cursed to push a rock up a hill for the rest of eternity.

Every time she had made a little bit of head way, that rock would roll back down the hill and she would find herself back at the beginning. The entire board had fought to have Mizu take his mother�s job, but his grandfather had refused. He had told the board that there was some by-law saying that only a blood descendant of his could take the position, but even Heero, who was almost as clueless about this stuff as Duo was, knew that such a silly rule could easily be ignored by the head of YC. The real reason was simply Mizu�s incompetence as a leader.

So, it completely amazed Heero that his mother had made the company this successful in this economy that none of those board members were willing to have her take n down. Even if Mizu was going against her now, Heero had faith in her. His mother always took care of things. Nothing since his father�s death had ever unhinged her, but she was still his mother and he was worried.

Heero had only met his uncle a handful of times. The first time that he could recall was at his father�s funeral. He had sat on his mother�s family�s side, but way in the back, looking bored by the whole mess. Heero had only noticed him because he had kept staring at him during the service. Even as a child, Heero had understood that his uncle Mizu didn�t like him very much. He had also understood that the only reason why his uncle was there was because his grandfather had forced him to. Realizing that, in that moment, he had hated Mizu right back.

Mizu had never actually spoken to him, but there had been plenty of those cold stares whenever he had visited with Heero�s grandfather and Heero had always remembered the rage he had felt at his uncle for daring to show such disrespect to his dead father. Now, he was trying to take the company from his mother. He had never had any real interest in Yuy Corporations even before his father�s death.

He had always understood that one day he would be expected to take his mother�s position, to lead the most prosperous company in the entire world, but it had been like any other child knowing that one day they would go to college. It was something they accepted as fact, but too far off in the future to even contemplate on. They didn�t even know what it was exactly, just barely aware of its presence.

Heero had used his status as an heir like a shield. It was inevitable that he would fill his mother�s shoes, so nobody seemed to care beyond that fact. Nobody cared about his grades, his behavior, or his dreams except for his mother. His future had already been decided for him. It had made things bleak, but simple and straight-forward. Even if the path in front of you wasn�t the one that you wanted to be on, if you knew where it led and there was nothing in your way, it was easier to just keep on walking. Even when it had seemed like he was rebelling against everything, in reality, he had just given up and allowed his �fate� to control him, ignoring that little voice inside his head that said he would make a terrible leader.

He was exactly like how Duo had been, just trudging forward with his life, never growing, never changing, giving up and denying himself so much as a chance to try, just because it was easy and he didn�t think he would ever get anything better. He had stunted himself. Only� Duo was growing now. He had wandered off the path, to another that was frightening and new, but he was happy. Duo was leaving him behind while Heero, who hadn�t faced any of the difficult trials that Duo had, was still stuck at the same place.

Maybe that wasn�t fair to say that his problems and Duo�s were exactly the same. Duo�s fate had been to die as Wes� slave and punching bag and his had been to become rich and powerful. How could you possibly say that those two things were similar? But he was sure that becoming CEO of his family�s company would bring him no happiness. That was probably a cliché, but after living with Duo and watching him learn and enjoy things that he had never experienced before, things that any normal kid would have grown bored with at Duo�s age made Heero wonder what he could be missing, too.

He had lived his life sheltered, in the lap of luxury. His mother had tried hard not to spoil him, refusing to hire maids and nannies, but it was impossible to live like a normal kid when you were Name Yuy�s only son. Everyone around him had treated him differently, his teachers, classmates, even his own relatives. He had been treated like a little prince, everyone double checking themselves to make sure that they wouldn�t offend him. That was why his friendship with Quatre and Trowa had lasted through the years. When they were around, Heero didn�t feel special because he was rich, he felt special because of their bond. Quatre and Trowa weren�t afraid to yell at him if he was acting like a jackass or tell him that they didn�t want to do what he wanted to do. It was refreshing to know that there were two people in his life that didn�t constantly lie to him just to get close to him.

He just wanted to do things that anyone else in the world could do, without having to worry about responsibilities and being careful just because he was the heir to the Yuy business. He wanted to travel to some far off land and climb a mountain. He wanted to go scuba diving in the ocean. He wanted to go to college and just be �that Asian guy with the blue eyes� not �the Yuy�. He wanted to live in a cozy house with a fence and have to mow the grass on the weekends, not in a high rise penthouse where his meals were brought to him by servants. But most of all� he wanted to do those things with Duo.

He could kid himself into thinking that Duo would be with him for his entire life, but he knew better than anyone that if he became the CEO of Yuy Corporations, Duo wouldn�t be there. He wouldn�t want Duo to be there, to have to deal with that. He wanted Duo to have that normal life with the white picket fence, to go to college and find out what it was he wanted to do with his life. Duo didn�t deserve the stresses of the life that Heero was destined for. He knew now, with absolute certainty that he didn�t want to take his mother�s position. Not ever. He was just too scared to tell his mother that.

Name looked at the two boys mournfully. They both looked so worried and she wished that she could tell them that it would be all right, that she had things under control, but she refused to lie to them. Until she was sure what Mizu had for evidence against her, she wasn�t sure of anything. All she knew was that, no matter what happened, she would make sure that she still had the means to take care of her children. Mizu, even if he got her job, couldn�t take that away from her.

�He�s coming here,� she said, wishing she could have hid this from them.

�What?!� Heero exploded, �Mom, are you crazy?! He�s trying to take your job away and he�s obviously attacking Duo in order to do it!� he glanced over at his best friend, �He can�t come here! Can�t you find some other place to meet?�

Name sighed.

�Heero, the situation is worse than you think it is. There�s something you have to realize,� she warned him, �If Mizu tries to take my job from me, it will be a contest between you and him. According to the bylaws, only a Yuy can be the CEO, so only you and Mizu are suitable candidates. Your grandfather will not appoint Mizu, so it will all come down to his opinion of you and the board�s vote, if Mizu�s evidence persuades them.�

�But Heero�s only seventeen!� Duo yelled, �He�s still in high school! That has to be illegal! They can�t expect him to stop his life and take on this huge responsibility!�

�Anyone with a position in the company has to be at least eighteen years old, but Heero isn�t going to be seventeen forever. The board will certainly see it that way,� Name said sadly.

Heero felt like someone was choking him, like the walls were closing around him. This couldn�t actually be happening, right? He had known that this moment was coming, when he would have to drop everything and take up this huge responsibility, but never at this point in his life! Maybe fifteen, twenty years later, when his mother was ready to retire, not when he was still in high school. He didn�t want to take the job and now he was being forced to because there was no one else.

�Heero�s grandfather used to be the CEO, right?� Duo asked, �And now he�s the head of the board, so can�t he just change the rules and pick someone else?�

�If I�m asked to step down, my father will be the impromptu leader, yes, he is in charge of choosing the next CEO, but I�m not going to let it get that far,� she put her hand on Heero�s arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze, �Mizu is coming here because he isn�t just contesting my leadership, but yours, too. I�m not going to let him bully us and I�m definitely not going to step down without a fight. I won�t let Heero take the fall for this.�

Heero knew that his mother, for all her power and professionalism wasn�t God. Even with all her confidence, she could still fail. But hearing her assurances soothed his fear. If she said that she would protect him, then she would.

�When is he coming?� Heero asked, feeling a bit better about the whole mess.

�His flight comes in tomorrow afternoon. He�d better rent a car because there�s no way in hell that I�m picking him up at the airport,� she muttered.

Heero and Duo looked at each other, both feeling trepidation at having to meet Mizu. Duo hadn�t had the displeasure of meeting Heero�s uncle, but he had already formed his own opinion of the man. It was something that he never did, knowing that people could surprise you and hated to form judgments about someone he hadn�t even met, but given all the trouble this man had put Name and Heero in, he could make an exception. It struck him at that moment, his anger at this Mizu and how out of character he felt towards him. Making judgments, having the urge to punch him when he met him� He was acting like how Name did when someone hurt Heero or himself. God� They really were his family, weren�t they?

Utter peace filled him at that revelation, certainly not the first time he had realized that, but it was just as powerful, maybe even more so. How else could he describe this protective feeling deep down in his heart? Heero, on the other hand, wasn�t worried as much about meeting his uncle as he was about Duo meeting him. He hadn�t been there for when Noventa had shown up, but according to his mother, it had been bad, enough for Duo to run away from home. Any vulnerability that any of them had, especially Duo, Mizu would pick at it and Heero didn�t want his best friend to go through that, but it couldn�t be helped. Nothing was going to stop Mizu from coming and if he knew Duo, and after this long, he certainly did, Duo was going to insist on sticking around.

�I�m sorry,� Name apologized again, �This won�t be easy on either of you.�

Heero felt Duo hold his hand, the feeling of the longhaired boy�s slender hand around his own making his heart soar and race. Duo smiled up at him and Heero easily smiled back. What had he been so worried about? Duo was strong, the strongest person he had ever met. For all the times he had run away, he had always come back one way or another. And Duo was even stronger now.

�It�s ok,� Duo said with a burst of rare confidence.

�We�ll be fine,� Heero agreed.

And they would. No matter what, Heero was now sure that their friendship could survive anything.
　

　

End Part 2
And yes, you should take that last line with a sense of foreboding. Now on to Poisoned Memories, which is almost finished.
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The Road to Kindness