Rating: PG-13
Finished: 11-13-2006
Disclaimer: This story is mine, all mine! Even if the characters aren't. ;-; Woe is me.
Notes: I do believe this is the longest fic I have ever written, so be gentle peoples.
Mariemeia glared around the attic and summarily decided that her grandfathers were packrats. "And slobs," she added aloud, half-heartedly kicking a cardboard box that obligingly sent up a puff of dust. It wasn't that she had any problem with her grandfathers or their attic, she simply didn't think that 17-year old girls (like herself) deserved to be cooped up dusty cabin attics in the middle of strange Michigan woods when they could be enjoying the lovely early-June days exploring the woods, or meeting people who'd barely known someone lived here.
Sighing, she decided that the boxes would not obey her wishes to simply become dust so that the most challenging thing she'd have to do is sweep and not have to spend her entire day sorting through twenty years of stuff. So she pulled open a box at random, taking a moment to cough at the dust she'd stirred up, then began pulling out stuff to see what she could find.
About ten minutes later, she came upon a picture album that she couldn't help looking through. She smiled at a picture of her mother, obviously about to go to prom, standing with her two fathers. Her mother was easy to identify by the circular glasses which had been stylish at the time, and her long brown hair, usually pulled back into a severe bun, falling into beautiful chesnut waves with distinct red highlights that the camera had managed to catch while her attention was away from it as she spoke to Mariemeia's grandfathers, Duo and Treize.
Mariemeia sighed as she remembered her grandpa Duo's cheerful voice, calling her munchkin everytime he saw her, no matter how often she said it drove her crazy, because she knew he knew she never really meant it. She remembered his big blue eyes and ever-present smile. She remembered his amazing way of always just knowing when she was hurt or just needed a friendly ear. She always remembered the big hulking form of her Gramps, Treize, with his infalliable wisdom and bright red hair. She remembered how much they loved each other, the daughter they'd had through the magic of modern technology, and their only grandchild. She clenched her eyes tight, trying not to cry as she remembered the fact that they'd been missing since before Christmas.
***Six months earlier***
"Mariemeia!"
Mariemeia rolled her eyes as she typed a quick "Brb" to her friends online before jumping out of her chair to see what her mom wanted. She found the woman busy looking up something on her own computer, "Yeah, Mom?"
"Could you call your grandfathers to remind them that we won't be coming until a week before Christmas? You know how forgetful they get up there."
Mariemeia snickered, "That's because they're doing all kinds of weird things." Une's head snapped up to look at her, hazel eyes widening in surprise and she smiled innocently, "Like camping in that Michigan cold, you know?" Her mother rolled her eyes and shook her head, returning to her work, "Go, before I kick you in your rear end."
"Yes, ma'am!"
***Present day***
She'd called her grandfathers' home several times that day, hoping they were just asleep. When there was no answer two days later, she and her mom both knew something had to be wrong. They always came home at night and they always made a point to return calls when they got there. It had taken only a week to determine that the two men had disappeared and six months later, Mariemeia and her mother Une had finally found the time and fortitude necessary to go through their things with the sad assumption that two of the most important men in their lives were gone without a trace.
Shaking her head, Mariemeia attempted to set her emotions aside as she continued to look through everything here. Her mother had the much harder task of sorting through the rest of their home and seeing what they had done when it was just the two of them, of seeing how they really lived their lives when noone else was around.
Five hours of work later told Mariemeia that her grandfathers had no method of organizing their things and probably had to spend a good hour or more to find things, if they had a good idea of what each box contained. She sighed and almost decided to head downstairs for a glass of water or juice, when she noticed the edge of a red book. Curiousity was what had driven her through most of her work and she decided to be curious one more time.
Pulling the book from beneath a few others, she noted the gold border, about an inch from the edge and the writing on it in the same fading gilt: *Treize Khushrenada Organization of the Zodiac*[1] She smiled to herself at the symbol for Leo[2] separating the name from the organization name and lightly traced her fingers over it before opening the book to peruse what lay inside.
It turned out to be a journal her grandfather had kept when he was a teenager. At least, that was what the dates led her to believe. She mostly skimmed until she came across a sentence written in large letters on one of the journal's lineless pages, *The most amazing thing happened to me last night!* The date was August 17, 2004. She tilted her head to the side to calculate the year difference, out of idle habit. The current year was 2047 and her Grandpa Treize would be 60 pending his August 1st birthday, so that meant he had been 17 when he wrote the entry. She noted with interest that it was the day after her grandparents' anniversary, then resumed her reading.
*The most amazing thing happened to me last night! I was out hiking late because of the full moon. I wanted to enjoy it in the woods, because the moon is so natural and gentle, I just couldn't help myself. I'm glad I couldn't, or I would have missed the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. I was out walking and I happened into a clearing that had almost no grass, which is really strange, because it's summer and all. Anyway, there I was, trying to decide if I wanted to go into this weird clearing to enjoy the moon, or go around because it was so unnatural, when the most gorgeous man I've ever seen in my life walked out of the woods from the other side. He was pretty short, but he had hair so long it was catching in the bushes as he walked. He was naked, though, with the kind of skin I always imagined vampires had. He was so pale and looked even paler than I knew he should be under the moonlight.
*I decided to not show myself to him, if he hadn't seen me yet. Apparently, he hadn't, because he gave the clearing a cursory glance, before turning his face to the moon and closing his eyes, as though basking in its light. Then he began to dance. There is no real way to describe that dance, but it was sensual and innocent and pleading and a hundred other words that couldn't do it justice, but that's what it was. He danced and danced and danced. His hair danced with him, it seemed, swirling around his body in the most arousing display I've ever had the pleasure to see.*
Mariemeia looked up from the words to blink at the other side of the attic. She closed her eyes and shook her head, "Grandpa aroused is so not a thought I need." With that thought purged from her mind, she resumed reading.
*As he danced, I became aware of the sweat glistening on his body, mostly because his hair began to stick in it, but also because it almost seemed to glitter in the night. Still he danced. Soon, I could tell that he was getting tired, but he didn't seem anxious to stop. He may have only danced for a few minutes, or he might have danced for hours. I still have no idea. He suddenly wrapped his arms around his waist, his head falling forward, causing his hair to slide down to conceal the front of his body. He stumbled a few steps before sinking to his knees, bent almost double. Without warning, he threw his head back, flinging his hair out of the way in the process and his mouth opened as though he was screaming, but no sound came from it.[3]
*Instead, a beautiful, pure light emanated from his mouth. I would say it was white, but it wasn't. It was all colors and none at the same time. That light made its way through the clearing as a ripple from in a pond. I saw it bounce off the edge of the clearing and fold in on itself. Soon colors were discernable. The brightest white I had ever seen, the purest blue, the cheeriest yellow, the most earnest green and the sweetest brown. They congealed into little balls of light that bumped into each other, pushing one another out of the way, absorbing more of the same color, until the only light left in the clearing was contained within those five balls of color, which floated over to surround the boy, who'd ceased his screams, though he retained his place on the ground.
*Now, you'd have thought that I'd have been practically immune to surprise by now, but what happened next would have given anyone an ulcer. The boy lifted his hand, and bolts of violet electricity sprouted from his fingertips, encircling each ball. They exploded silently, and when the spots faded from my eyes, there were suddenly five more boys standing there each as beautiful, and as naked, as the first. Closest to me was a boy with gently bronzed skin, untamable brown hair and a distinct white aura. To his right was a pretty thing with eyes so big I could see they were blue, golden-blond hair and a wide aura of baby blue clung to his body. Next to him was another blond, though this one had a firmer build and longer hair that was more white than blond, in addition to a bright sunny yellow aura. The last two were an Asiatic boy with a gorgeous golden complexion, long black hair and a bright green aura, and a brunette with a lovely hazel-brown aura who seemed to hold himself very tightly.
*The first boy took the hand of the one with the white aura and told him, "You are Heero. You are the Hand of our people, to fight our enemies and to keep the peace. This is the task and burden I assign you." The newly-named Heero kissed the hand that held his, "I am honored to do your bidding, Master. I will not fail you." He nodded and turned to the little blond, kneeling up to press his hand to the boy's chest, "You are Quatre, and because you are the strongest, I give you the most difficult task. You shall be our peoples' beating Heart. You shall never let them forget to love themselves and each other as I love you, my dear one." Quatre covered the hand at his chest with his own, "I will bear my burden as lightly as I can, my lord."
*The long-haired master turned to the next, standing to place his hand to his forehead, "You are Zechs. My most delicate child, I assign the task of being the Mind of our peoples. You will collect all the knowledge available in this world and any others you may gain access to, and make it available as it is needed." Zechs fell, trembling, to his knees, wrapping his arms tightly about his master's waist, "Thank you for your understanding, my lord." He released the man as he moved to the Asiatic boy and placed a hand on top of his head. "You are Wufei," he declared, maintaining the air of assurance he'd used with the others, "You shall be the Conscience of our people, reminding them of their wrongs, that they may learn from them."
*Wufei smiled, a beautiful expression filled with love, "Yes, master." He turned finally to the last, lightly pressing a finger to the boy's throat, "You, my beauty, are Trowa. You shall evermore be the voice of our people, saying what must be said and withholding what must be withheld." "I shall honor you, master. My lord." Trowa's rich voice was reverent and succinct. The long-haired dancer took a few steps back, obviously assessing the group as a whole. He seemed pleased and nodded in acknowledgement of what had been said and done. He extended a hand to both Quatre and Zechs, who moved towards him, obligingly taking his hands. He gently told them, "The Heart and the Mind should always be who they are unto themselves, but they should never be far removed from one another." He placed their hands together and, when he removed his, they clasped hands, smiling almost shyly at one another as they moved out of the way.
*He extended his hands to Heero and Wufei, who both came forward, "The Hand should always show the Conscience what is, while the Conscience shall show the Hand what should be." He placed their hands together, then reached for Trowa, who, of course, did not remain where he'd been. "The Voice says what the Conscience knows should be and the Conscience helps the Voice say those things. The Voice and the Hand do not often commerce, but they must always reflect one another. Thus, the Hand, the Voice and the Conscience must be as close as possible." He placed Trowa's hand with Heero and Wufei's. Wufei immediately removed his hand, in favor of leaning his forehead against Heero's, while Heero clasped Trowa's hand tightly. The master/dancer nodded again. "Now you have names and purposes. Make our people be as I have made you be." With no hesitation, there was a flash, and by the time my eyes stopped doing strange things, they were all gone. I assume they turned back into balls of light, even though there was no sign of them in the sky.
*Now comes the most amazing part of it all. When I looked back at the clearing, the only one left was the master, and he was looking directly at me. I could see for the first time that he had gorgeous violet eyes in that heart-shaped face of his. He beckoned silently to me. I took a few steps, freeing myself of the trees, then I suddenly felt shy and came no closer. He seemed to understand and came the rest of the way, placing his hands on my shoulders and smiling up at me, "You have seen something that may never be witnessed again. The birth of a race, the Fae." He suddenly blushed, the moonlight making the soft reddening of his cheeks easily discernable, "Will you be mine and help me hold this burden?"
*First thought: YES![4] Second thought: He just made a race? Whoa. "Uhm...I don't really know what's going on," I told him. He shook his head and smiled, "That's ok. With time will come understanding." He gave me a coy look from beneath his lashes, "But you have to say yes, first." I threw caution to the wind, "Yes. Whatever happens, yes." He tackled me, wrapping his arms around my neck and his legs around my waist, kissing me senseless. I stumbled one or two steps, then decided to just sit down on the ground. I didn't really decide to sit, so much as I couldn't hold myself on my feet anymore. He didn't stop, and I didn't really want him to. Most of the rest of the night is a blur, but I do know that I made love to him until we were both too exhausted to move.*
Mariemeia sighed deeply, lightly fanning herself and shaking her head, "Whoo. Little too hot to handle. Mebbe I'll keep this for myself."
*When I woke up in my own bed this morning, I was sure that I had dreamed everything, when I felt something snuggle into me. I opened my eyes, and there was that beautiful boy, his arms wrapped around me, and he obviously still asleep, so I untangled myself to get up, so that I could try to figure out what was going on. I didn't mean to wake him, but I did, and when he looked at me, I was shocked to see that his eyes, which had been so vividly purple before were now a rich blue. He looked a little sad, "Did I do something wrong?" I shook my head. I was still half-asleep and exhausted from our activities the prior night, "No. No, not at all. I'm just a little...what happened to your eyes?" He blinked, and sat up, apparently intending to make some point to me, and I noticed that his long hair, which I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt had been to his waist the night before, now only just brushed his shoulders, "And your hair! Why did you cut it?" He fidgeted, looking uncomfortable, "I didn't cut it. Or do anything to my eyes. They were both maintained by the magnitude of magic I possessed in my body, and now, since I gave it to you so that we would have an equal amount, they changed."
*That was two hours ago. Since that point, I have had breakfast and spoken with him more in depth about this. I learned that he never had a name. He never needed one, so we picked a name for him. He wanted to be named Two, but I thought it sounded silly and told him it should be Duo.*
Mariemeia's eyes opened wide with shock. "No way! Grandpa and Gramps had super-magic like that?! I don't believe it!" She had to find out how it ended.
*I also learned that because of the magic we now share, it'll take so long for us to age that Duo felt it would be prudent to only stay another 40 or 50 years, then disappear and let people assume we were dead. I don't like it very much, but Duo insists that it'll be wonderful to be left alone for ten or twenty years. He's got such a mischievous smile. God, I love him!*
"MARIEMEIA!!!!!"
Mariemeia looked up in surprise, startled to realize that she had to have been reading for hours. "Wait-why was Mom screaming like that?" She ran down the stairs as fast as her feet could take her, forgetting the journal she still held in her hands. She found her mother in the living room, on the couch, with her grandfathers hovering uncertainly over her. Grandpa Duo looked up at her, "She fainted."
Mariemeia abruptly remembered the journal and proceeded to throw it at her Grandpa, "Just because you can make fairies doesn't give you the right to make our lives hell by disappearing and making us think you were dead!!!" She burst into distressed tears, covering her face with her hands and leaning her hip against the couch. She could feel her Gramps strong arms wrap around her, "We're sorry, sweetie. I told you it was a bad idea, Duo. Shhh...it'll be ok."
She continued crying as she hiccupped to her grandfathers, "Don't do it again. We thought you were dead and didn't know what happened to you. Meanies." A gentle hand stroked her short red hair, "We won't, hon." It was Duo, "Promise."
[1] Organization of the Zodiac: Tell me you didn't think "Astrology" when you first heard that name!
[2] Treize is a Leo: Leo's are the most ambitious and charismatic of all the signs in astrology. I would have made him an Aries, but they have a problem with follow-through.
[3] Duo's dance: If anyone has ever seen Jungle de Ikou, when that girl transforms into Mie? That was the inspiration for that scene.
[4] First thought: YES!: If you Duo asked you to be his, would you REALLY say no? ;)