"Whispered Touches"

Written By: Zazu

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, nor do I own the characters. I have borrowed them here for some fun and creativity, and this is not for profit. I do, however, own the plot mentioned here, and any instances that you may find similar to real life events are purely a coincidence.

Rating: PG-13 (for now)

Pairings: 1+2+1, 3+4+3, 5+M (may progress to 1x2x1, etc)

Notes: Beta-read by ShenLong Deb. Thank you!!

/blah/ denotes thoughts.

Summary: Heero moves to a new house and finds something odd going on, something he's not quite sure about.

Started: June 5, 2006 :

"Whispered Touches "

Chapter 5

/How the hell did that happen?/ Duo wondered as he worried his fingers through the end of his braid. /A whole bunch of them, walking in the door and I turned around to stare at them like an idiot./ He flopped onto his back, once again irritated that during the day, he was unable to do much other than float. Yes, he could touch small objects, hence the Lego-building, and holding Naoko's hand, but he most certainly couldn't do much more. The sun would be setting soon and once night had come, he would become 'solid' once more; if he chose to. Then, there would be no more incessant floating, which he was really beginning to hate.

Speaking of Naoko, Duo hoped that he hadn't frightened the baby girl by vanishing like that. His eyes narrowed. Tonight, he would have to begin to act. He couldn't afford to let the living ones know that they'd frightened him. After all, he was the ghost and they were not.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Downstairs, Heero knelt in front of Naoko examining her hand for fear that there was something wrong with it.

"Ah...Heero? I think she's all right," Trowa murmured quietly. "According to you, she's had several run-ins with Duo Maxwell and she's never been harmed yet."

"She better not be either," Heero growled. "Or I'll do whatever it takes to harm him."

"Heero? That you?" Kanoko called from the kitchen.

"Yea, Mom," he replied before turning to the rest of the group whilst lifting Naoko into his arms. "Come on, we'll go say hi."

Introductions were duly made between Quatre and Kanoko Yuy. Upon hearing that the blond lived alone with his eldest sister, who, as a doctor at the local hospital, worked both night and day shifts, Kanoko extended dinner invitations to Quatre whenever he felt lonely or was too busy to throw together a decent meal. Quatre blushed and politely accepted the invitation with thanks, and after some polite chatting, the teenagers returned to the living room to talk.

"You have an adorable baby sister, Heero," Quatre cooed from where he sat on the floor against the couch, watching Meiran blow raspberries at the baby. "I wish I had a baby sibling."

"Thank you," Heero replied. "You can say she's as much my baby as my parents'. After all, I'm so much older that I did share the burden of taking care of her from the time she was born."

Quatre nodded in understanding. "That's how it is between Iria and I."

Trowa pet Wing, who rolled onto his back for a tummy rub. "And let's not forget that we had an interesting run-in with another member of this house."

Wufei allowed Naoko to grip his fingers, playing tug-of-war with her. His eyes showed how angry he was with the happenings of the ghost. "Twice, he's startled us," he growled. "I don't appreciate that."

"What do you expect him to do?" Meiran asked. "He's a ghost. This is his home. The job of a ghost is to...well...haunt; isn't it?"

"I've warned him not to mess with Naoko," Heero said, his cobalt eyes flashing at the thought of Duo Maxwell holding Naoko's hand.

"But why do ghosts become ghosts?" Trowa ventured. "Isn't there that theory about them having some 'unfinished business'?"

"Whatever his unfinished business, it doesn't mean he has the right to touch Naoko," Heero insisted. He opened his arms. "Come here baby," he called softly. Naoko smiled and hugged Wufei, not wanting to leave the warm embrace or relinquish her hold on his finger, which was still entertaining her with a game of tug-of-war. Wufei smoothed the baby's shirt.

"So what's the next step?" Quatre asked.

Heero's eyes narrowed. "Priority is still the same. Find out what happened, and why he's still around." He stood and looked out the window at the darkening sky. "Find out what his intentions are."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Meiran?" Wufei lay on his side across Heero's bed, his head propped up by his hand. His other hand traced the back of Naoko's hand as the baby lay in front of him, asleep and just starting to relax her hold on his hand. Wufei could hear the sound of the shower, indicating that Heero was in the bathroom.

"Hm?" Meiran lay on the other side of Naoko, curled up a little but mirroring Wufei's pose to prop up her own head. Her other hand fiddled with the paw of Naoko's teddy bear.

"I..." Wufei looked up into Meiran's eyes. "Today, when I was outside with Heero, and you screamed my name-"

Meiran began to blush, and covered up her embarrassment by tossing a retort back at him. "I'm usually not so easily scared, you know. It's just something totally out of my element-"

His hand released Naoko's and Wufei pressed his finger against her lips, causing Meiran to stop talking in surprise, although she didn't pull back from the touch. Wufei forged on.

"When I heard you scream for me...Meiran, I felt my heart drop," Wufei murmured. "So many things crossed my mind. I was afraid that you were hurt, that I wouldn't get there fast enough."

Meiran pulled back slightly from the touch of his finger so she could speak. "Fei-"

"Hear me out," he cut her off. "I never want to let anything happen to you. I want to...to protect you."

Her eyes hardened. "I don't need your protection."

He shook his head. "I don't mean it like that. I know...that you aren't a weakling, Meiran, but...dammit, I don't know how to make you believe this."

"Believe what?" she asked quietly.

"Believe...that I like you."

Meiran looked away. "We've been friends a long time. We wouldn't be if we didn't like each other."

"I don't mean it like that!" Wufei forced himself to keep his voice lowered. "What I'm saying is...I like you more than as a friend. If you would give me the chance...I'd like to show you that." Wufei's hand closed around hers, which was resting on the teddy bear paw.

"Wufei..." Meiran turned her hand upwards so that their fingers could tangle together. "I'd...like that. As long as you stop telling me I'm a weak woman."

"I'll try my best," he offered.

"I think I can accept that."

"So...you'll be my girlfriend?"

Meiran smiled. "Yes, Wufei. I will."

Wufei returned the smile and shifted to lean closer.

"I really don't want to interrupt," Wufei sat up quickly, and Meiran did the same, blushes clear on their face. Heero was leaning against the bathroom door jamb, his arms crossed as he smirked at the two. "But as glad as I am that you two have finally faced up to your hearts, I'd appreciate it if you don't demonstrate your first kiss in front of, or over top of my baby sister." Heero moved forward. "Especially when she's awake."

Both Meiran and Wufei looked down to see Naoko playing with her bear, no longer asleep. Heero drew the baby's attention to him, then picked her up, taking the bear in his other hand.

"So I'll leave you two for a little while to do what you wanted to do just now," Heero teased as he walked to the door. "And I'm going to put Naoko to sleep." He walked out of the room.

"Ohhh why did you do that at a time like this?" Meiran buried her face in her hands. "That was so embarrassing!"

"Well, he has been urging us to get together," Wufei murmured. He cleared his throat. "I guess I'll go take my shower now."

Meiran lifted her head and offered a smile that Wufei returned silently. He leaned forward again, and she looked away. Shyly, he kissed her forehead. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay."

As soon as the door to the bathroom was closed, Meiran lay back on Heero's bed, giggling as quietly as she could, hugging the pillow to her face. Pulling back after a minute, she sighed happily, glad that her hopes of getting together with Wufei were realized, and hoping that the relationship would last.

Roughly twenty minutes later, the three teenagers lay in their respective 'beds' for the night, the lights switched out and light music playing from Heero's stereo.

"So how's school been for you two?" Heero asked.

"Not the same without you," Wufei replied. "But we're getting by."

"Mrs. Trail is pregnant," Meiran announced. "And Mr. Drake is getting married!"

"Right," Heero tucked his hand under his head.

"So...do you like it better here?" Meiran asked after a moment.

"Hard to say," Heero admitted. "It would have been better with you both around, that's for sure. But in terms of school, the academic program is challenging, and suited for me. The environment is decent. Now, if only there wasn't this ghost problem, I think things would be well."

"Then get out of my house." A voice whispered in his ear.

Heero jerked from his futon, his elbow landing on Wufei's stomach.

"Heero!" Wufei gasped. "What the hell?"

Wufei's question was immediately answered by the chuckling of a voice he did not recognize. Meiran gasped behind him.

"Show yourself!" Heero hissed.

"Now, if only there wasn't this human problem, things would be very well," the voice drawled. "This is my house to begin with."

"Was your house," Heero corrected. "Now, it's my family's."

Duo slowly materialized, hovering close to Heero. "Boo."

Heero conveyed his surprise by widening his eyes, and he reacted by swinging a punch. Luckily for Duo, he hadn't completely solidified his own presence and Heero's fist passed right through him.

"Shit!" Wufei muttered, scrambling back towards Meiran and the bed. They could see Duo Maxwell straddling Heero's prone form with a leg on either side of Heero’s thighs and his hands also on either side of Heero, but not touching the teenager in any way. Dimly, Wufei registered that Meiran had slid down from the bed and huddled close to him, clutching his arm. He touched her hand, some inner part of him wanting to comfort her even though he was most definitely not confident in the current setting.

"That was not nice." Duo waggled a finger at Heero. "That probably would have hurt, a lot. But then I wonder if ghosts can hurt? No one has ever tried it on me. You’re the first."

Heero glared up at the see-through figure that was hovering so close above him. The tingling feeling coursed through him, followed by the rapid thumping of his heart. His very first visual run-in with Duo Maxwell, and a small part of his conscience did nothing but tell him that Duo's picture did no justice to him, or specifically, his eyes.

"But luckily, it seems that ghosts can do a bit of hurting, too." Heero realized that Duo's form was no longer see-through, and then he felt the touch of cold fingers as Duo prodded his forehead and tapped his nose before backing away from Heero's reach. "Now, I'm not mean by nature." Duo offered a manic grin. Then, his eyes narrowed, sending shivers down all three spines of his captive audience. "Push the wrong buttons, Yuy, and you will find yourself hurt."

Heero's eyes narrowed in return. "Don't you dare touch Naoko!"

Fleeting surprise passed through Duo, but he didn't allow the other three teenagers to realize. Instead, he shrugged lightly. "That would be...convenient. It all depends on you, Heero Yuy. Keep prying, and maybe I will hurt what's most precious to you-"

"You sick bastard!" Heero launched himself at the ghost, smacking the surprised Duo against the wall. For what it was worth, the impact against the cool body startled Heero; he had acted on instinct and anger, and it had been the very last moment before he remembered that his first and last attempt to touch Duo had not been successful. Duo guessed he would have been winded, had he needed to breathe. He did breathe, of course, or so it felt like, only because it was out of instinct. But now, his grin was feral.

"Feisty." He touched his nose to Heero's, their gazes locked together. "Here's the deal then. We now share this home. You leave me, all of me, alone. I'll do the same to you."

Heero shivered violently as his body melted through Duo's to press against the wall, just as Duo's form passed through him. The sensation itself was cool and pleasant in a way, but the knowledge of what caused that feeling was shocking to say the least. Duo's eyes narrowed at Wufei and Meiran, watching as Wufei sat up just slightly to put himself in front of Meiran. Heero turned, leaning back heavily against the wall.

"If I stop looking at your past, you'll leave my family alone?" Heero growled.

Duo turned and smirked. "If I feel like it. Since we're going to live in harmony, I'd like to borrow a book." Duo walked over to the shelf and selected the book he wanted. The three teenagers looked on in awe and shock as only his hand became solid. "I will return this when I am finished, but I read a bit of it, and it was rather intriguing." He walked to the door, and only then did the three in the room realize how silent his movements were; nothing but Duo's voice could be heard. "Goodnight then, fellow..." He shook his head, chuckling for a moment. "I was going to say fellow humans, but that would be funny, wouldn't it?" With that, his other hand became solid and he opened the door, closing it behind him.

For a few minutes, no one in the room moved, other than Heero's slumping to the floor.

"Heero?" Meiran broke the silence with a small voice. "What...are you going to do now?"

Heero swallowed hard, his eyes still on the door. The tingling feeling was gone, but the cool, pleasant sensation of Duo passing through him remained.

"Heero?" Wufei urged, impatient for an answer. Heero suddenly stood and walked to his door before opening it, and stepping out, his senses alert for signs of the ghost and any tingling sensations at the back of his neck. He turned back to the two in the room, easing his door closed.

"I don't know," he said. "He may not keep his word. The more I find out about him, the more vulnerable he is, right?" He lowered his voice. "Seems to me that I'll have to conduct my research outside the house, and quietly." He glanced at the door again. "After all, he's only a ghost, right?"

Neither Wufei nor Meiran were sure that 'only a ghost' would be the appropriate way to describe Duo Maxwell. But if they thought that Heero was underestimating his new enemy acquaintance, they did not say so.


~*~*~*~*~*~

To Be Continued...

Written: August 18, 2006

Chapter 6

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