Operation: Lost Boys Part 13
The group decided to eat dinner in the living room. Triton cradled Quatre as the petite blonde ate dinner. "Quatre... remind me to feed you next time this happens in the middle of the night." He shook his head and sighed. He'd had to start with the mashed potatoes since Quatre hadn't possessed the energy to chew.
Quatre smiled tiredly. "Sorry 'bout this, Triton. It's THEIR fault!" He pointed half-accusingly at the other two couples.
Duo made a face at Quatre and cuddled closer to Heero before taking another bite of chicken. He smiled contentedly as he presented the next forkful to Heero. "I'm really proud of you, koi!"
Heero thought for a moment. "It's the first time I've said no to anyone when their wants conflicted with my own." He ran his fingers through Duo's bangs and smiled a little. "It... it felt good..."
Wufei smiled as well. He was back where he had been before all the excitement earlier... reclining on the sofa with his head on Harmony's lap. "Today certainly has been interesting." He turned the page.
"Mmmm... that it has. Mama is still tearing into J, from what I've heard. I hope she leaves a piece of him for me." Harmony scowled. "The NERVE of him! He has no business coming here when he and the others were expressly told NOT to interfere!"
"That's because he's frightened he's about to lose his favorite toy."
Heero turned and glanced at Madame Heatherfield. He flushed at the smile on her face and turned his attention back to Duo.
Harmony smiled at her mentor. "What's the good word?"
Madame Heatherfield's smile saddened. "Good and bad... which do you want first?"
Heero stiffened and turned when he noticed that the question was directed at him. "I'd like the good first."
Mme. H nodded. "The GOOD news is we have a positive match for you. Your real name is Kamui Hiyama... your mother, Hikaru, is still alive and has been looking for you since you disappeared at the age of six months. I even have a definite location where you can find her."
Before anyone asked, Heero answered. "Until this war is over and done with, I'll keep my code name. What's the bad news?"
Mme. H took a deep breath and closed her eyes a moment. When she opened them, there was intense sadness in them. "The bad news is... your mother is dying. From the hospital records, the doctors are amazed that she's held on this long. It is highly possible that she is holding on in hopes that she'll see you."
Heero took a shaky breath. "I want to meet her."
"I thought you might... the bus is waiting to take you all." At Heero's expression, Mme. H laughed. "Oh PLEASE! Look around you. You don't honestly believe your friends would let you go alone, do you?"
Heero nodded as he tightened his arms around Duo. He took comfort in Duo's warmth.
*****
Duo felt Heero's hand tighten as they stepped into the hospital. He returned the grasp and lifted Heero's hand to kiss it. "It's okay. I won't leave you."
Heero nodded somewhat shakily as Minuet approached the desk. Mme. H had stayed behind in the off chance a mission came up.
Heero was aware of the group gathering behind him, but couldn't bring himself to acknowledge them.
A little voice squealed in delight. "MEDLY!!! Whatcha doin here?
Harmony spun and smiled at the little girl who came careening down the hallway. "Hey, Laurel, I could ask the same question." She caught the child and lifted her up.
The little girl, Laurel, stuck her tongue out. "I'm gonna get my tonsils out tomorrow."
Harmony smiled. "Lucky you! You know you get all the ice cream you can eat after that, right?"
Laurel nodded. "Hey hey... didja get my letter? Did it help? Didja get what you wanted?"
Harmony smiled. "Duo? I want you to meet Laurel. I found her a home last year." She walked so that the child she was holding could see Duo's face. "Laurel? This is Duo... my twin brother."
The little girl's brown eyes widened. "SUGOI!!!!" She reached over to hug Duo. "I'm SOOOO glad Medly found you!"
Duo laughed. "So am I. And it looks like your keepers are here. Oi! This little lady belong to you?"
The nurse sighed and shook her head at the child. "Laurel... I thought we told you to stay in bed!" She took the child from Harmony's arms. "Thank you."
Harmony smiled and waved as the little girl was carried back to pediatrics. Her smile faded somewhat as her mother told Heero where his mother was. She walked over. "Do you want us all to go with you?"
"No... not everyone. Duo?" Heero bit his lip and flushed a little. "Do you... do you want to meet my mother?"
Duo blinked and blushed as well. 'Meeting the family...' He slowly smiled and nodded.
*****
Heero paused outside the room and listened to the argument inside.
"Mrs. Hiyama... if we disconnect everything..."
"Don't you think I know that? Don't you see? I'm going to see my baby for the first time in fourteen years and I'll be damned if I'm going to be denied the ability to hold him because some stupid wires got in the way!"
Heero peeked in. Despite knowing that she was dying, the woman on the hospital bed looked almost perfectly healthy. Her red gold hair was short and curled inwards a little at the ends. Her eyes were brilliant and full of life as she argued with the doctor who was reluctantly complying with her wishes. Heero froze when the woman's intense eyes fixed on him.
Hikaru gasped. "Ka... Kamui?" She motioned for the boy to approach and smiled as she studied him. "You... look like your father." She tilted her head at the other boy. "Hello."
Duo decided to ease the tension and walked forward boldly. "Yo! I'm Duo... Duo Maxwell Lonestar. It used to be just Duo Maxwell, but I just found my family, so I'm using my real last name now. Nice to meetcha!"
Hikaru nodded her head with a smile the turned back to her son. "You aren't afraid of me, are you? I know it's awkward." She bit her lip. "Have you been well? Have you been happy?"
Heero walked forward. "Well? More or less. Happy?" He glanced at Duo and smiled a little. "Not until recently."
Hikaru blinked and looked between her son and Duo a few times before smiling in understanding. "Ohhh..." She smiled at Duo. "You're my son's koibito?" She had to giggle as the boy blushed deeper. She reached for her son. "Who did this to you, Kamui?" When his startled gaze met her own, she decided to clarify. "I don't mind about Duo... I can tell he's a sweet boy, and he makes you happy. I meant about YOU... who made you so reserved?"
Heero sighed and walked over to make sure no one was listening. "It started with Odin Lowe... he trained me as a terrorist until I was about five years old. When he died, I was taken in to be trained by a scientist to become the perfect soldier." He sighed and decided to let the cat out of the bag completely. "My codename is Heero Yuy. I'm a Gundam pilot." He nodded to Duo. "So is Duo. It's only just recently that I discovered that I was so much more than just a soldier who lived for the mission." He shrugged. "Feelings... are still awkward for me. It was easier to just not let myself feel." He took another step closer and let his protective mask fall to let his mother see the frightened boy he was.
Hikaru pulled her son into her arms. "Kamui... Heero... don't be afraid to feel pain! The strongest steel must first go through the hottest fire."
Heero sniffled and buried his face in his mother's shoulder. "No one ever asks the steel how it feels about it, though!" He shuddered once. "I'm sorry. I thought I was abandoned as a child... that no one wanted me. Even Odin Lowe didn't really want me. He died planning to leave me on a colony by myself."
Hikaru felt her heart twinge. "And you blame yourself? That is why you let them lock your heart away?" She brushed her fingers through Heero's hair. The door opened a little and a fair-haired boy peeked in shyly. She narrowed her eyes, then widened them. "By all the stars in the skies... are you Quaterine's boy?"
Quatre blinked. "You knew my mother?" He walked in a little shyly. He had never been told anything about his mother... he didn't even know what she looked like.
Hikaru laughed. "I should hope I knew her. There's a picture of the four of us... your parents, Kasuga and myself... in the drawer there. Have a look. You resemble her a great deal."
Quatre found the picture and smiled sadly. "Hey... is this Heero's father?"
Hikaru nodded. "That was taken at a mutual baby shower."
That's when Quatre noticed the bulges... and promptly dropped the picture in shock. "She..."
Hikaru frowned in anger. "Oh what a stubborn man... you mean your father never told you?" She sighed and reached out to tousle the boy's fair hair. She felt her insides twist at the anguish and confusion in Quatre's eyes.
"My... my mother died because of ME?"
Duo was by Quatre's side in an instant. "Quatre... don't blame yourself. You had no say in the matter. You didn't ask to be born, and you certainly didn't ask her to take such a risk. I doubt she would have walked into it without knowing the risks. You mother must have really REALLY wanted you..." He hugged his friend tightly. "Don't blame yourself, Quatre... it only takes away from life. I know that for a fact."
Hikaru grumbled. "What I wouldn't give to get my hands on that man! I TOLD her, but did she listen to me? Noooooo!"
Quatre had to grin a little at Hikaru's grumbling. "You sound like a miffed sister!"
Hikaru stared at Quatre a moment. "That's because I AM a miffed sister! Quaterine was my older sister, and I TOLD her that your father was a very stubborn man. Did she listen? No!"
Quatre slowly grinned at Heero's dumbstruck look. Then he started to giggle.
Hikaru smiled at the sound. "What's so funny?"
Duo had to grin as well. "You see... we just found out that another member of the Gundam team was MY cousin... the fact that Heero and Quatre are cousins as well... makes us less a team, and more a family. Granted... it's a dysfunctional family, but it is a family."
"And where does the fifth come in? There are two pairs of cousins here, and five Gundams from what I've heard." Hikaru noted the smile tugging at Heero's mouth.
Duo shrugged. "There is a sixth that was just finished, that one belongs to my twin sister. She and Wu-man are a couple. Same as Quatre and Triton!" He grinned. "Want I should bring the rest in?"
Hikaru ignored the fatigue she was starting to feel and nodded. She wanted to see the people who would be looking after her son. She already liked Duo... he seemed to be coaxing her son out of his shell. Quatre's compassion would be a great asset. She reached out and brushed her fingers through her son's wild mane of hair. "So much like your father... my Kamui. Come here and let me hold you... if only just this once."
Quatre lowered his eyes as Heero sat beside the ailing woman. 'This is not right! He... he deserves a moment alone with her.'
Heero was unaware of the door opening as a pair of frail arms drew him close to his mother's chest so his head rested over her heart. He closed his eyes and let the steady beat soothe him. "Kaasan... gomen nasai."
Hikaru hugged her son. "Daijobu, Kamui. Aishiteru." She smiled as Duo and Quatre offered brief introductions to the motley group. 'Yes... he'll be all right. They're all good boys... and the girl is a sweetheart. He won't be alone.'
Harmony gazed at Heero sadly and left the room. She leaned against Wufei when he joined her in the lobby. "It's not FAIR!" She turned and wrapped her arms around him. "It's not fair, airen! It's just not FAIR!"
Wufei held Harmony close. "Life very seldom is, Nataku. If life was fair, then this war would never have started. If life was fair, the baby that Heero was would have grown up with his mother." He kissed her forehead. "Still... there is always a balance in the universe. For every Yin there is a Yang. For every bad, a good. Because of life's unfairness, Heero won't be grieving alone. Because of life's unfairness, there are warriors such as us to fight against those who seek to destroy. Most of all... because of life's unfairness, I have found you. Everything balances out. No one ever said you had to like it, Nataku." He tightened his hold on his love as she started sobbing. "Do not concentrate on the sorrow, my sweet Nataku. Concentrate on what must be done. We will have to keep Heero here with us, and not let him shut us out."
Quatre and Triton approached in time to hear that last statement.
Triton nodded. "I agree. Emotions are too new to Heero. A shock like this one... no one can tell what his reaction will be."
"Heero knows... he knows his mother is dying. I don't know what he's feeling. I'm too confused about how I'm feeling." Quatre shook his head. "My whole life... I thought I was the typical 'Winner' test tube baby. Up until just a few years ago, I thought I was worthless because of it." He smiled a little at Triton as his tall lover wrapped an arm about his shoulders. "And now... I learn that I'm natural born and that my mother died shortly after giving birth to me. I'm not sure how I should feel about it... if it should make any difference at all." Then he grinned. "At any rate... if Heero needs it, he has 30 cousins... talk about your group hugs!"
*****
Hikaru watched as four of the young people left the room. Her son was breathing evenly, and his face was relaxed... a sure sign that he was asleep. "Poor dear... on a subconscious level, he doesn't want to deal with it."
"Yeah, well... he's new to this whole emotion thing. J knew what he was doing, and did it almost too well. I don't know if we would have gotten a hold of Heero had this Operation been put off." Duo quirked a grin that was only half-hearted. "A part of me wishes he hadn't found you. He's had too much grief in his life as it is. Still... that's the selfish part that doesn't want him hurt. Because his pain is mine. I know it's sappy, but it's true."
Hikaru smiled tiredly at the boy. "I wish... I could have known you longer. I think we would have gotten along splendidly." She gazed at the tousled hair of her son. "Do me a favor... take him out of here and don't wake him up when I stop singing."
Duo nodded and walked over. "I love him, you know."
"Yes... I know. It's why I can leave him without regrets. I know that he has you... and he has friends. He has people who will love him and see him through the pain. You both... you have my blessing and all my love." She stroked her hand slowly through Heero's hair and smiled as she started singing softly.
*"Hush now... my baby...
Be still, love... don't cry...
Sleep... like you're rocked... by a stream...
Sleep and... remember... my last... lullaby
And I'll... be with you... when you..."
Duo felt his eyes fill for Heero's sake as Hikaru Hiyama's hand went limp. Being very careful not to awaken his sleeping koibito, he picked him up and carried him to the door. He glanced back once at the body. 'Solo... Father Maxwell... Sister Helen... look after her!' He walked out to the bus with the others behind him.
Two minutes after the bus pulled away, Hikaru Hiyama was pronounced dead.
TBC...
* The River Lullabye from "Prince of Egypt"
* I do NOT like writing angst!
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