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lavandarlizard2...and I love to see nice birds get what they deserve...
BFB - 080c - Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
My half-siblings arrived as we were finishing our lunch. They each gave me a warm hug and settled in with tea and a few words about what their contemporaries were up to.
I had worked myself out of the slightly lost mood I had been in earlier and was more than ready to put the past behind us. Unfortunately, I had reckoned without the highly vocal and protective in his own way Banshee.
I was speaking to the IchiBan and missed the beginning of Duo’s expression of disapproval to my siblings. He was already giving off sparks when I realised what was going on.
“At least I always knew that my aunt and my cousin cared for me; we exchanged mail regularly. I never doubted their love for me,” he said rather tightly. I looked up at his tone, but the danger was too slow in dawning and he spoke before I could head him off. “You two, on the other hand, just disappeared out of Heero’s life. What was it; six, seven years between your mother’s death and him going off to school? Not a word or a visit in that time? Not like you didn’t know where to find him,” he growled testily. “And how many years from then until now? That’s pretty cold, even for Dragons,” he snapped.
My grandmother and my brother and sister gaped at him, clearly startled at his combative tone. I started to speak, to cut him off, but he was on a roll, and rolled right over me. Truth be told, I may not have wanted to stop him...
“And to use the ‘trauma’ as an excuse? Oh, please!” He rolled his eyes dramatically. “He needed all of you then! God! Can you imagine how scared he was? Only five years old and an orphan!”
There was more, much more, but I barely noticed it, so caught up was I with his angry flashing eyes and his sharp, exasperated gestures. I had never dwelt on how I may have felt back then; it remained a time of empty days and nights devoid of any real emotion. I knew only that my parents were gone and they were never coming back. My mother would never hold me again; my father would never sing to me again; they would not share any part of my life from that time forward. I would not lean on them ever again. There would be no adolescent arguments, no hormonal dramas, and no embarrassment at their pride in me. A lump grew in my throat, threatening to choke me.
Tulip was trying to get a word in edgewise of Duo’s rant when I suddenly spoke up.
“Why *did* you leave me?” I demanded, inwardly appalled at the pain in my voice. “I remembered you; both of you. And you left me, just like they did!” The IchiBan laid her hand on my arm, but I ignored it. “I thought you blamed me!” I had never realised that before, but I knew it was true at the time, the painful memories unfolding now like some long-dormant exotic flower. Their mother wouldn’t be dead, I had reasoned, if she hadn’t fallen in love with my father. As a child, it seemed perfectly logical. Of course, my siblings would not want anything to do with me. It seemed unbelievable that my grandmother didn’t hate or blame me as well. “I needed you!” I snarled helplessly.
“Heero,” began Tulip, “We thought...”
“But you never *asked*!” Duo snapped. “You never asked him if he wanted you to stay, or if he was lonely or scared. Even a five-year-old knows what they want. You think I didn’t want my mother? You think I wasn’t acutely aware of being different to my Clan? Heero’s half-Banshee; don’t even try to tell me that was never brought up! Kids know what’s going on, what’s being said behind their backs!” He suddenly rounded on me. “People did talk, didn’t they?”
“Y-yes...” I stammered automatically, more than a little in awe of his protectiveness on my behalf. Why had I ever thought he needed protection from his Clan? “Sometimes... Never to my face, but I heard things...”
Giniro gasped; could it be possible that there was something my grandmother *didn’t* know? She leaned forward, eyes gleaming. “Who, Heero? Who would say cruel things behind your back?”
Terrific. I couldn’t lie to the IchiBan. Someone was going to lose hide before the day was out; I knew it. With a sigh, I named a few who had been the most cruel, “Vocar, Haichin, Toshinma; others. I don’t remember, really. I ignored it as... as jealousy.” I shot Duo a sour look and was startled by the look of ferocity in his sparking eyes. He was not going to back down or apologize over this.
A hand fell on my arm and Kikai said quietly, “He’s right, you know. We did walk away, using feeble reasoning to excuse us from our duties to you and to Mother. But we were required to leave, and it seemed so much easier to just go and not remind you of the bad days.” She glared at Tulip and he pulled his head down between his shoulders. “Neither of us raised our own children... I can’t speak for Tulip, but I know I was afraid to have the responsibility of you. And Tori’s people wanted you to come there...” She looked up at Giniro. “I’m sorry, Sobo. What you said to me back then, you were right, though I denied it.”
Tulip looked like he wanted to say something, but just couldn’t get it out past the embarrassment of having his sister hanging him out to dry as she had.
“Why were you required to leave?” I asked, having just processed that statement.
“The Dragons,” she said as if that explained everything. At my perplexed look, she elaborated. “We are liaisons between the Great Dragons and the Human and Magical worlds. We have to be where they are. We were allowed a visit, but we couldn’t stay, Heero.”
“We would have had to renounce our positions,” said Tulip quietly, “To remain here.” He looked at me warily. “I like my job, Heero; I didn’t want to give it up. I thought we would visit you occasionally.” He suddenly looked very uncomfortable and I realised I was Glaring at him. How interesting; I can even Glare down a half-dragon.
“But you didn’t,” I growled. Giniro sat with a hand covering half her face, staring into her teacup. I wondered how she liked riding the Banshee-coaster...
Tulip borrowed Duo’s spontaneous combustion trick, and muttered something too low for me to hear. Kikai whacked him on the shoulder. “Louder!” she snapped.
“We... we... lost track of time,” he said finally. “Well, we did!” he cried into the stunned silence that followed.
“What?” snapped Duo, “Dragons don’t wear watches?!”
A snort erupted from my grandmother’s direction. Duo looked at her, blinking, and his angry expression changed, melting into one of wide-eyed astonishment. Apparently he had only just realised what he was saying, and to whom.
I snickered. Tulip and Kikai left off staring at the IchiBan and stared at me.
I snorted. Duo turned worried eyes my way.
I snerked. And began to laugh. I laughed until my ribs hurt and I was sprawled across the table wincing, still chuckling painfully.
...and yeah, there is more...
BFB - 080c - Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
My half-siblings arrived as we were finishing our lunch. They each gave me a warm hug and settled in with tea and a few words about what their contemporaries were up to.
I had worked myself out of the slightly lost mood I had been in earlier and was more than ready to put the past behind us. Unfortunately, I had reckoned without the highly vocal and protective in his own way Banshee.
I was speaking to the IchiBan and missed the beginning of Duo’s expression of disapproval to my siblings. He was already giving off sparks when I realised what was going on.
“At least I always knew that my aunt and my cousin cared for me; we exchanged mail regularly. I never doubted their love for me,” he said rather tightly. I looked up at his tone, but the danger was too slow in dawning and he spoke before I could head him off. “You two, on the other hand, just disappeared out of Heero’s life. What was it; six, seven years between your mother’s death and him going off to school? Not a word or a visit in that time? Not like you didn’t know where to find him,” he growled testily. “And how many years from then until now? That’s pretty cold, even for Dragons,” he snapped.
My grandmother and my brother and sister gaped at him, clearly startled at his combative tone. I started to speak, to cut him off, but he was on a roll, and rolled right over me. Truth be told, I may not have wanted to stop him...
“And to use the ‘trauma’ as an excuse? Oh, please!” He rolled his eyes dramatically. “He needed all of you then! God! Can you imagine how scared he was? Only five years old and an orphan!”
There was more, much more, but I barely noticed it, so caught up was I with his angry flashing eyes and his sharp, exasperated gestures. I had never dwelt on how I may have felt back then; it remained a time of empty days and nights devoid of any real emotion. I knew only that my parents were gone and they were never coming back. My mother would never hold me again; my father would never sing to me again; they would not share any part of my life from that time forward. I would not lean on them ever again. There would be no adolescent arguments, no hormonal dramas, and no embarrassment at their pride in me. A lump grew in my throat, threatening to choke me.
Tulip was trying to get a word in edgewise of Duo’s rant when I suddenly spoke up.
“Why *did* you leave me?” I demanded, inwardly appalled at the pain in my voice. “I remembered you; both of you. And you left me, just like they did!” The IchiBan laid her hand on my arm, but I ignored it. “I thought you blamed me!” I had never realised that before, but I knew it was true at the time, the painful memories unfolding now like some long-dormant exotic flower. Their mother wouldn’t be dead, I had reasoned, if she hadn’t fallen in love with my father. As a child, it seemed perfectly logical. Of course, my siblings would not want anything to do with me. It seemed unbelievable that my grandmother didn’t hate or blame me as well. “I needed you!” I snarled helplessly.
“Heero,” began Tulip, “We thought...”
“But you never *asked*!” Duo snapped. “You never asked him if he wanted you to stay, or if he was lonely or scared. Even a five-year-old knows what they want. You think I didn’t want my mother? You think I wasn’t acutely aware of being different to my Clan? Heero’s half-Banshee; don’t even try to tell me that was never brought up! Kids know what’s going on, what’s being said behind their backs!” He suddenly rounded on me. “People did talk, didn’t they?”
“Y-yes...” I stammered automatically, more than a little in awe of his protectiveness on my behalf. Why had I ever thought he needed protection from his Clan? “Sometimes... Never to my face, but I heard things...”
Giniro gasped; could it be possible that there was something my grandmother *didn’t* know? She leaned forward, eyes gleaming. “Who, Heero? Who would say cruel things behind your back?”
Terrific. I couldn’t lie to the IchiBan. Someone was going to lose hide before the day was out; I knew it. With a sigh, I named a few who had been the most cruel, “Vocar, Haichin, Toshinma; others. I don’t remember, really. I ignored it as... as jealousy.” I shot Duo a sour look and was startled by the look of ferocity in his sparking eyes. He was not going to back down or apologize over this.
A hand fell on my arm and Kikai said quietly, “He’s right, you know. We did walk away, using feeble reasoning to excuse us from our duties to you and to Mother. But we were required to leave, and it seemed so much easier to just go and not remind you of the bad days.” She glared at Tulip and he pulled his head down between his shoulders. “Neither of us raised our own children... I can’t speak for Tulip, but I know I was afraid to have the responsibility of you. And Tori’s people wanted you to come there...” She looked up at Giniro. “I’m sorry, Sobo. What you said to me back then, you were right, though I denied it.”
Tulip looked like he wanted to say something, but just couldn’t get it out past the embarrassment of having his sister hanging him out to dry as she had.
“Why were you required to leave?” I asked, having just processed that statement.
“The Dragons,” she said as if that explained everything. At my perplexed look, she elaborated. “We are liaisons between the Great Dragons and the Human and Magical worlds. We have to be where they are. We were allowed a visit, but we couldn’t stay, Heero.”
“We would have had to renounce our positions,” said Tulip quietly, “To remain here.” He looked at me warily. “I like my job, Heero; I didn’t want to give it up. I thought we would visit you occasionally.” He suddenly looked very uncomfortable and I realised I was Glaring at him. How interesting; I can even Glare down a half-dragon.
“But you didn’t,” I growled. Giniro sat with a hand covering half her face, staring into her teacup. I wondered how she liked riding the Banshee-coaster...
Tulip borrowed Duo’s spontaneous combustion trick, and muttered something too low for me to hear. Kikai whacked him on the shoulder. “Louder!” she snapped.
“We... we... lost track of time,” he said finally. “Well, we did!” he cried into the stunned silence that followed.
“What?” snapped Duo, “Dragons don’t wear watches?!”
A snort erupted from my grandmother’s direction. Duo looked at her, blinking, and his angry expression changed, melting into one of wide-eyed astonishment. Apparently he had only just realised what he was saying, and to whom.
I snickered. Tulip and Kikai left off staring at the IchiBan and stared at me.
I snorted. Duo turned worried eyes my way.
I snerked. And began to laugh. I laughed until my ribs hurt and I was sprawled across the table wincing, still chuckling painfully.
...and yeah, there is more...
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no subject
Date: 2004-10-20 04:26 am (UTC)Well, a little side of Duo that Heero hasn't seen much of. Duo's little moment of 'oh shit' is just priceless too! *snicker*
But oh; poor, sweet baby Heero! ;_; He must get some snuggles now. *nod nod*
no subject
Date: 2004-10-20 07:42 pm (UTC)Snuggles?! Dragons don' need no stinkin' *snuggles*!
...well, okay; maybe they do...
no subject
Date: 2004-10-21 04:34 am (UTC)