Gundam Babylon
A Gundam Wing / Tokyo Babylon crossover
Part 5: Playing With Sakura
By Beth
Rating: G to PG-13 now, later R (for violence) Pairing: Heero + Duo, Seishirou + Subaru WARNING: Shounen-ai ahead, and a kissDISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing owned by Bandai, Tokyo Babylon and CLAMP Campus Detectives (CLAMP Gakuen Tantei Dan) owned by CLAMP. This is an unauthorized not-for-profit work inspired and using elements of both for purposes of personal and shared entertainment. Some of the best mangaka get their start in doujinshi... I'm trying to see if the same goes for writers ^_^mini-dictionary:
sakura - cherry, cherry petals, cherry tree
obaasan - grandmother
minna - everyone
sakurazukamori - literally "guardian of the cherry-tree barrow", or so I'm told
onmyoujitsu - traditional yin-yang magic
Duo laughed as he dove into the crowd, skipping from one stand to the next, Seishirou not far behind. Some sold food and refreshments, others souvenirs, but the pair gravitated towards the ones with antique merchandise. The twin sounds of their laughter carried into the twilight, merging with the soft sounds of music from the main festival grounds.
Heero and Subaru stood under the sakura trees, waiting for the other two to finish their treasure hunt. Subaru shivered in the evening breeze, even though he was wearing both a coat and a hat, as well as his habitual gloves.
"Are you alright?" Heero asked. "Still weak from yesterday?"
"A bit," the black-haired boy admitted. "I- this used to be my favorite place of all Tokyo. But now..."
"Yes?"
"I've been having strange dreams lately. I see a particular sakura tree here in Ueno, and a man saying something about blood and the color of the sakura petals. I cannot see his face clearly, but he scares me. Then he's promising me something... promising that we'll meet again. At first I thought it was just a dream, but now I think it may have happened when I was a child. I'm sure that if I could remember more of it, I would understand.
"And today my grandmother called. She is worried about me; she did a fortune-telling for me and saw sakura petals killing me. Sakura can also symbolize the assassin Sakurazukamori, and the persons who have held this title have always been enemies of my family, so she tells me. They also practice onmyoujitsu, but where the Sumeragi are the light, they are the darkness. Sakurazukamori killed my father... Obaasan worries that I may be next."
"Is there anything you can do?" Heero asked.
"Just strengthen my defenses, but that is getting harder. Between this and my dreams, I haven't been getting much sleep in the last few weeks."
"I see." Heero placed a hand on Subaru's shoulder and murmured a few words of Latin. "This should help you a bit."
Subaru felt the additional barrier rise. "Thank you," he whispered.
"Oi! Minna! Look what we found!" Duo shouted to them.
Heero and Subaru joined the other pair at a stall selling replicas of antiques. Seishirou showed them a beautiful picture - a replica of a seventeenth-century drawing depicting, strangely enough, the Madonna and the Child. The Virgin's face was calm and serene, gazing with maternal warmth into the eyes of the child. The clothes they both wore were a harmonious blend of seventeenth-century Portuguese wear and traditional Japanese kimonos. Roman letters wound around the pair, twisting and winding like vines, in a harmonious blend of Oriental and baroque styles.
"It's beautiful," Subaru admitted.
"Does any of you have any idea what it says?" Seishirou asked.
Duo peered in closely, trying to decipher the writing. "Nope, no idea. I might have been in a Catholic orphanage, but Latin wasn't on the curriculum."
"My knowledge is limited to say the least," Seishirou said. "Can you translate it, Heero? I believe Subaru said you know Latin - very well."
Heero shot Subaru a scathing look.
"Uh, sorry, I mean - let's forget it..." Subaru muttered.
"Oh, who cares!" Duo exclaimed. "It's pretty, but nothing to get so worked up about! Let's go look at the sakura trees!"
"Good idea," Subaru agreed hastily.
"Heero," Duo began, "what was that Seishirou-san said about you knowing Latin?"
The two ex-pilots were standing on a bridge over a stream in the park. Around them the sakura trees stretched, silent and white as ghosts in the moonlight. Their blossoms were already withering - the blooming season was almost over. They had been silent for almost a quarter of an hour now, Heero watching Duo's graceful form as the braided boy swayed slightly in rhythm with the faint music coming from the festival grounds. The question brought him back to reality.
"Yesterday Subaru-kun overextended himself when trying to exorcise a ghost."
"Yeah, Su-chan looked like hell warmed over when you met up with us."
"I wanted to help him. I know... a few things. I used one of them."
"Things?"
The Japanese boy regarded him seriously. "Duo, if you laugh I'll kill you."
"Who, Heero, me?? C'mon, spill."
"Spells. I've learned them long ago, back when I was with Odin Lowe. He was interested in the occult and let me read through his books. Turned out I had more talent than he did, or maybe I just cast the spells in a different way."
"With purer power?" Duo suggested.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, I've seen it from the word go," he smiled. "You, Heero Yuy, are the purest being I have seen."
The brown-haired boy made a motion as if to speak, but the American stopped him.
"No, you are. It's not only that you're heroic, chivalrous, idealistic. It's that you shine with the brightest light. I used to just sit and watch you glow, d'you know that? Hell, I wanted-" He stopped, as if afraid to say more.
Finally Heero found his voice. "Was that why you left? After the Eve wars?"
Duo grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. Got scared, I guess. 'Sides, isn't the hero supposed to end up with the princess?"
He yelped when he was pushed back against the railing, Heero's body pressing into his and a strong hand at his throat. "Do not say this again," the Japanese boy snarled. "This is not some fairy tale. This is you and me!"
Duo gulped. "Does that mean what I think it means?"
"Yes." Heero's hand moved from his neck to the back of his head, drawing the partly open lips closer.
Duo shivered as the short distance between them disappeared. The kiss was clumsy for a moment, but then their bodies remembered just how to do it right, and their tongues twined. Heero's hands were all over his partner's body, reacquainting themselves with the shapes they'd last felt more than a year ago.
He moved his mouth to the hollow of Duo's throat, lapping gently with his tongue in a way that he knew would make the braided boy squirm and moan.
"He-Heero..." Duo managed to gasp out. "This might not be a good idea... I'm not right for you... I'm-"
"I don't care," Heero growled before taking his lips again. He cupped Duo's buttocks, pressing the other tight against himself. He felt hands work their way tentatively under his jacket, and virtually purred. "I. Want. You. Period."
Right now Duo could only moan as their bodies rubbed against each other. The world whirled and faded, and the only thing he could feel was fire everywhere the other boy touched him. He knew there was something he had to tell Heero, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what. Instead he idly wondered whether there were any comfortable bushes nearby... with the way his lover's hands were heading, they might want to make use of such a hiding place. Soon.
A startled yelp broke the haze of passion. They jumped apart and turned to see a very blushing Subaru and a silently grinning Seishirou.
"S-sorry!" the black-haired boy stuttered.
"No sweat," Duo answered him cheerfully. He looked at Heero and licked his lips, looking for all the world like a cat that had just eaten a bowl of cream. "But I think we should be getting home."
"We can take a shortcut through the park," Seishirou offered.
They set out through a maze of shaded alleys. Seishirou led, with his hand wrapped securely around Subaru's frail shoulder. Behind them, Duo skipped cheerfully, not caring for anything but Heero's hand holding his.
Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew through, knocking Subaru's hat off the boy's head and carrying it off into the trees. The green-eyed boy ran after it, with the others following quickly. They stopped when they saw the headgear stuck in a sakura tree.
It was perhaps the oldest tree in the park, and the biggest. Its branches were gnarled and twisted like the arthritic fingers of a malicious sorceror. Even though the neighboring trees were already losing their blossoms, this one bloomed fantastically. The flowers were pink, delicate like a baby's skin, the subtle shade even more apparent in the silvery moonlight that turned each twig into a living being writhing with mysterious shadows.
"Pink sakura..." Subaru whispered softly. He looked at his hat and shook his head. "I don't feel like climbing tonight."
Seishirou started to say something, but Duo beat him to it. He ascended the tree with catlike grace, easily climbing almost fifteen feet up in a space of seconds. Then his braid caught on a gnarled branch, the tree's arthritic wooden fingers clenching around the chestnut strands.
Heero felt a chill, like if a breeze had stirred, but the air remained still. He could hear whispers on the edge of his hearing, eldritch voices speaking of death and power and revenge. Beside him, Seishirou tensed.
Duo's hair tie snapped with a sharp sound, leaving his hair free to tumble around his body in silky waves. The American shook his head in annoyance and quickly dove into the sakura blooms to retrieve the hat.
"Why are those sakura pink, when all the others are white?" Heero asked suddenly. He felt the question was important somehow, and the feeling was reinforced when he saw Subaru startle at the words.
Duo emerged on the other side of the sakura with the hat in hand. He leaned against the tree's trunk, balancing easily on the branches. His hair fell down to his knees, draping over the bark and blending in with it, becoming almost a part of the tree. He flashed a strange half-smile at Heero.
"You don't know, Hee-chan? There are bodies buried underneath this tree!" His eyes gleamed silver in the moonlight. " The blossoms are pink because the sakura drinks human blood!" He laughed, carefree, cheerful laughter. An errant gust of wind blew sakura petals around him, surrounding him in a cloud of delicate sweet-smelling pink.
He jumped down effortlessly, landing softly as if he'd gone down from three feet, not fifteen. His hair drifted around his face, surrounding it in a dark gold halo. He handed the hat to Subaru with a flourish.
"I do believe this is yours, sir," he quipped, executing an elaborate bow.
Subaru smiled hesitantly. Seishirou, still holding an arm around the black-haired boy, regarded the American warily.
"Saa, I'm tired!" Duo exclaimed. "Let's go!"
Before the entrance to the subway station, the group paused.
"Thank you for a wonderful evening," Subaru smiled at Heero.
"I'm sorry for intruding," Heero said.
"Oh no, it was not intruding..."
Beside them, Seishirou and Duo eyed each other warily for a moment. Then the braided boy sneaked a glance to make sure his partner wasn't watching and threw his arms around the taller man, hugging him tightly.
"How'd you like my little showdown with your precious tree?" Duo whispered.
Seishirou hugged him back cheerfully. "I may have underestimated you," he said, equally quietly.
Duo hugged Subaru next, almost knocking the frail boy down. "Thanks Su-chan, we had a ball! Double dates are fun, right?" He snickered as the green-eyed boy blushed furiously.
Heero tugged on the braided boy's arm.
"Alright, alright!" Duo exclaimed. "See you in school, Su-chan!!"
As they descended into the subway the wind brought the sound of a single flute playing an old Japanese tune. Heero recognized it as "Sakura, sakura".
When they arrived back on campus, Duo and Heero were confronted with an unusual sight. The other boys from their little clique were lounging in the common room of the ex-pilots' dormitory, looking more than a little worse for wear. Nokoru was nursing a bump on his head, Quatre jumped at every slight sound, Akira was still slightly singed and Trowa looked as if he had been mauled by one of his lions. Still the worst off were probably Wufei and Suoh, both covered in so much scrapes and bruises that one could barely tell the natural color of their skin.
"What the hell happened here??" Duo exclaimed.
His only answer was a team of glares from all.
"C'mon, tell us!"
"They've been quiet all evening," Relena said from the doorway. "I'm afraid something happened when they were looking for my necklace... From what Utako-chan and Nagisa-chan told me, they weren't having much luck to begin with and then the girls lost sight of them when they ran after a white rabbit."
"Rabbit??" Duo was evidently curious.
"The only thing I could get out of them was something about a woman who wanted to chop off their heads..."
"And play cricket," Quatre muttered. The others glared at him and shushed him down.
"Did they find the necklace?" Heero asked.
"Oh, you won't believe it!" Relena beamed and held up the piece of jewelry. "It turned out that Dorothy borrowed it for a party - it came in the mail today!"
Wufei muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "stupid onna". Nokoru seemed torn between chastising him for offending womankind and heartily agreeing with him.
"C'mon Heero, let's go out..." Duo muttered. "The atmosphere's too thick with mystery for me."
The night was still beautiful and warm, full of the smell of plum trees in bloom - a scent more delicate and subtle than the cloying sweetness of sakura. The two boys stopped under one such tree, and Duo turned to face Heero.
"I still don't get something," he remarked.
"If you say anything about Relena, I'll gag you with your braid."
Duo chuckled. "Seriously, why do you want me, when you can have her?" Just to be sure, he clutched his hair protectively.
Heero glared, then considered the question. "You say I'm pure. It feels good to have someone who believes in me like that."
"So does she."
"She doesn't know me like you do. She hasn't been through the stuff you and I have." Heero placed a hand on Duo's chin, gazing deep into violet eyes. "You know me, and you don't turn away. That's worth more than anything."
He kissed the braided boy deeply. After a good few minutes, they had to pause for breath.
"Besides," Heero smirked, "You look better."
They resumed kissing, and the Japanese boy did not notice the girls that passed them by about five minutes later. They did not notice anything either, apart from a few black feathers that the wind swept through the empty space under a plum tree.
Duo congratulated himself on his foresight with the last coherent thought before his brain turned to mush.
Notes:
Madonna and Child - for those who don't know, this means the Christian figures of the virgin Mary, mother of God, and baby Jesus. Christianity first came to Japan in late 16th and early 17th century through Portuguese missionaries so the existance of such a picture is possible, though I must admit to having made this one up...
And in this chapter, research goes to pieces. If anyone can tell me what's wrong with my description of Ueno Park, I promise to remain eternally grateful and shower the person with virtual Pocky! I just couldn't find a map with all the paths.
Lots of stuff taken from Tokyo Babylon... too much to mention
"Sakura, sakura" is a traditional Japanese melody. You can listen to it here <-- that's the one I meant in the fic
I was suspicious enough when Duo started behaving strangely in the third chapter, but this took the cake. I was just as puzzled by what he was saying as Heero, but I had the benefit of not being totally blinded with uh, passion ^_^ Anyway that boy's starting to scare me... and Sei-chan's too quiet. Definitely too quiet.
PS: writer's block and general inability for comic stuff stopped me from describing the adventures of G-boys and Clamp Campus Detectives in Wonderland... figure out your own version ^_^
In the next chapter: Shakespearean mayhem, courtesy of one ecstatically happy Duo Maxwell! Then the mood gets darker: what has happened to Seishirou? Why is Subaru so sad? Be wary, it's "Twilight over Babylon"!