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Entry tags:
Ghostfic
Hahaha, I am INSPIRED. PH34R M3.
Here is a small bit. I have lots more written, but I don't give more because I don't know where to cut it. I'll make another post with the rest when I finish the chapter. ^^
Previous tidbit here:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/askerian/44880.html#cutid1
The rest of the fic is already posted on ffnet. I'm too lazy to link. :P
+
The meal is a little calmer than our first encounter on Wufei's lawn, thank God. We're not teenagers anymore, and I cannot maintain that level of carefree amusement all day any longer. It's hard to avoid glancing at where Heero's presence is lurking, and it's harder not to think about how lonely he must feel, ignored by everyone. But I know that he won't like it if I go glum and don't enjoy the reunion because of him. So I do enjoy, and we do discuss, and for once it's good to think about the life of someone else.
Once the meal finished, Wufei and Trowa fight over the right to wash the dishes. Quatre wants to say something to Trowa and I use the moment to slip away, pretending that I want to check out Wufei's home... Which isn't so false. But it's also that I need a few minutes to relax. I'm not used to being social anymore. And I want to check on Heero pretty badly too.
I slide in Wufei's unlit study discretely.
'Daring escape. Executed with flawless skill.'
"Oh, shaddap," I mutter after checking that no one is following. "It was very nice but I could have done without their questioning looks that disappeared as soon as I noticed them."
'Still better than them asking directly.'
"... Yeah, I guess." Quatre wouldn't be satisfied with the evasive answer I gave Wufei and if there is another reason that I don't lie apart from my promise, it's that as a liar I just plain suck. I can evade, I can redirect, I can play with words, but ask me to make up something up front and I won't need two minutes before I'm babbling and contradicting myself. Unless I imagined the lie hours ago and spent my time reciting the finest details in my head not to get them wrong, but somehow, I'm not able to willfully spend time thinking about what sort of lie I will tell my friends if -- when-- they ask. I'll play it by ear or something when the time comes, but I refuse that level of betrayal. And if they catch me lying... well, that's a risk I'm willing to take to repay them for cheating on their trust in the first place.
I see Heero's shadow in a dark corner. A small object is nudged and rolls on its base. I recognize a chess pawn.
"Is that a subtle hint, love?"
He smirks at me, a flash of white teeth in the dark corner.
Chuckling, I go to the chessboard and move it to the table, taking place on one of the wooden stools. It's a simple but beautiful set. It reminds me of all the games we played during the last months of the war. Developed lateral thinking, Quatre said, and that sounded a lot like what G had been telling me -- I hadn't listened because it seemed boring, but it actually was interesting to watch-- so me and Trowa learned. Quatre and Heero already knew how to play, and their duels were truly beautiful... And very, very long. Like, stretching-over-a-week long. Of course back then either one of them could flatten me in about four moves. Wufei had not been taught chess, but Go -- or Wei Qi as he insisted on calling it-- and he took to chess faster than Tro and me.
It was a good, if weird, period of our lives. Five pilots who had been fighting side by side but never truly met, having to get used to being part of a unit before the last big battle... and we knew that what was coming would probably be one of our hardest battles yet, but in the meantime, there was nothing to do.
Except get to know each other, and play chess.
'Woolgathering? That's promising.'
"Whoops, sorry babe." I set up the pawns, shaking myself out of it. I've never been able to beat Heero yet, but I've been getting better. I know he'll probably keep on getting better just as I do, but maybe after a while he'll slow down or reach a plateau or something... In the meantime, it gives me training for when I want to kick Tro and Fei's butts.
'... Duo...? Would it bother you to move my pawns for me?'
I look up, startled, and notice how blurred he is.
'Relax, I just want to conserve energy.'
Translation, he's getting tired. "... Of course, love. You don't need to stay visible either, it's okay."
His smile shows a hint of relief. He disappears slowly, only a faint shadow indicating his place.
We start to play, and soon get absorbed in the game. It's so very weird-- for the first time in years I'm not just repeating an old game for the nth time or making one up from what I saw of him playing other people, I'm actually playing with him. He's actually making new decisions, inventing new strategies...
He's really there.
I wonder why it hits me so hard. It's been several weeks since I got him back. I had time to get used to it, didn't I?
But it's still a miracle. And I'm very glad to realize that I'm not starting to take him for granted. I will never commit this mistake again.
I'm still beaming dumbly when I notice Wufei's presence.
"Uhm..."
"I was wondering where you had gone," he comments casually as he comes in, looking around the room. For a second his eyes are a bit weird-- cold and calculating, as if he was scanning the room for intruders, but then they fall on the board. I don't know who he was looking for anyway, it isn't as if he can see Heero and I'm sitting in plain view.
"Oh... Nostalgia... Been a while since I played," I explain when I see him look.
Correction, he's not looking, he's staring at the board.
'Duo, I get the feeling he saw us play...'
Weird, that's exactly what I was thinking. Good thing I was the one moving all the pieces. But Heero's style and mine are very, very distinct. No one knowing how to play can mistake his for mine.
"Duo, you--"
"Wanna play? It's interesting to play against yourself but not really challenging, you know."
After a few seconds of staring at me --no doubt searching for hints that I'm having a huge breakdown over my game against the memory of Heero (because I'm not stupid enough to think that he hasn't recognized the style) --he relaxes, and nods slowly.
I reset the pieces and he takes place in front of me. We exchange a polite little bow. And then the carnage begins.
I progressed a lot since the war, but he did too. And going against someone else than Heero is yet another challenge. This is so fun.
I am still getting my ass kicked, though.
'... Duo... Do you want to tell them ever?'
Huh?
'About me... Of course not now, not yet, but... Do you? Eventually?'
My first reaction is goddamit, no fucking way in hell. I never even visualized that idea; I know they would have me committed if I went to them and told them that I have invoked Heero's spirit and that he is now following me around and making snarky comments at random moments. But there's only to remember his forlorn expression as his friends smile-- and ignore him-- and my decision is made. I pretend to think about the game as I sign under the table in our old war code. Maybe. Later. If NoRisk.
He coalesces slowly behind Wufei, his voice almost inaudible. '... Then maybe... It would be good to make them doubt. You'll convince them better if they're already convincing themselves.'
I hide a little smirk. Devious. Melikes.
There's no risk involved, right? We're going to go very slowly, test the waters so to speak, and either they're broad-minded enough to accept and we can tell them, or they aren't and they won't even realize we were asking a question.
'Your queen in B3.'
I move my queen as recommended, breaking my pattern of attack. Wufei's eyebrow arches.
+
Here is a small bit. I have lots more written, but I don't give more because I don't know where to cut it. I'll make another post with the rest when I finish the chapter. ^^
Previous tidbit here:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/askerian/44880.html#cutid1
The rest of the fic is already posted on ffnet. I'm too lazy to link. :P
+
The meal is a little calmer than our first encounter on Wufei's lawn, thank God. We're not teenagers anymore, and I cannot maintain that level of carefree amusement all day any longer. It's hard to avoid glancing at where Heero's presence is lurking, and it's harder not to think about how lonely he must feel, ignored by everyone. But I know that he won't like it if I go glum and don't enjoy the reunion because of him. So I do enjoy, and we do discuss, and for once it's good to think about the life of someone else.
Once the meal finished, Wufei and Trowa fight over the right to wash the dishes. Quatre wants to say something to Trowa and I use the moment to slip away, pretending that I want to check out Wufei's home... Which isn't so false. But it's also that I need a few minutes to relax. I'm not used to being social anymore. And I want to check on Heero pretty badly too.
I slide in Wufei's unlit study discretely.
'Daring escape. Executed with flawless skill.'
"Oh, shaddap," I mutter after checking that no one is following. "It was very nice but I could have done without their questioning looks that disappeared as soon as I noticed them."
'Still better than them asking directly.'
"... Yeah, I guess." Quatre wouldn't be satisfied with the evasive answer I gave Wufei and if there is another reason that I don't lie apart from my promise, it's that as a liar I just plain suck. I can evade, I can redirect, I can play with words, but ask me to make up something up front and I won't need two minutes before I'm babbling and contradicting myself. Unless I imagined the lie hours ago and spent my time reciting the finest details in my head not to get them wrong, but somehow, I'm not able to willfully spend time thinking about what sort of lie I will tell my friends if -- when-- they ask. I'll play it by ear or something when the time comes, but I refuse that level of betrayal. And if they catch me lying... well, that's a risk I'm willing to take to repay them for cheating on their trust in the first place.
I see Heero's shadow in a dark corner. A small object is nudged and rolls on its base. I recognize a chess pawn.
"Is that a subtle hint, love?"
He smirks at me, a flash of white teeth in the dark corner.
Chuckling, I go to the chessboard and move it to the table, taking place on one of the wooden stools. It's a simple but beautiful set. It reminds me of all the games we played during the last months of the war. Developed lateral thinking, Quatre said, and that sounded a lot like what G had been telling me -- I hadn't listened because it seemed boring, but it actually was interesting to watch-- so me and Trowa learned. Quatre and Heero already knew how to play, and their duels were truly beautiful... And very, very long. Like, stretching-over-a-week long. Of course back then either one of them could flatten me in about four moves. Wufei had not been taught chess, but Go -- or Wei Qi as he insisted on calling it-- and he took to chess faster than Tro and me.
It was a good, if weird, period of our lives. Five pilots who had been fighting side by side but never truly met, having to get used to being part of a unit before the last big battle... and we knew that what was coming would probably be one of our hardest battles yet, but in the meantime, there was nothing to do.
Except get to know each other, and play chess.
'Woolgathering? That's promising.'
"Whoops, sorry babe." I set up the pawns, shaking myself out of it. I've never been able to beat Heero yet, but I've been getting better. I know he'll probably keep on getting better just as I do, but maybe after a while he'll slow down or reach a plateau or something... In the meantime, it gives me training for when I want to kick Tro and Fei's butts.
'... Duo...? Would it bother you to move my pawns for me?'
I look up, startled, and notice how blurred he is.
'Relax, I just want to conserve energy.'
Translation, he's getting tired. "... Of course, love. You don't need to stay visible either, it's okay."
His smile shows a hint of relief. He disappears slowly, only a faint shadow indicating his place.
We start to play, and soon get absorbed in the game. It's so very weird-- for the first time in years I'm not just repeating an old game for the nth time or making one up from what I saw of him playing other people, I'm actually playing with him. He's actually making new decisions, inventing new strategies...
He's really there.
I wonder why it hits me so hard. It's been several weeks since I got him back. I had time to get used to it, didn't I?
But it's still a miracle. And I'm very glad to realize that I'm not starting to take him for granted. I will never commit this mistake again.
I'm still beaming dumbly when I notice Wufei's presence.
"Uhm..."
"I was wondering where you had gone," he comments casually as he comes in, looking around the room. For a second his eyes are a bit weird-- cold and calculating, as if he was scanning the room for intruders, but then they fall on the board. I don't know who he was looking for anyway, it isn't as if he can see Heero and I'm sitting in plain view.
"Oh... Nostalgia... Been a while since I played," I explain when I see him look.
Correction, he's not looking, he's staring at the board.
'Duo, I get the feeling he saw us play...'
Weird, that's exactly what I was thinking. Good thing I was the one moving all the pieces. But Heero's style and mine are very, very distinct. No one knowing how to play can mistake his for mine.
"Duo, you--"
"Wanna play? It's interesting to play against yourself but not really challenging, you know."
After a few seconds of staring at me --no doubt searching for hints that I'm having a huge breakdown over my game against the memory of Heero (because I'm not stupid enough to think that he hasn't recognized the style) --he relaxes, and nods slowly.
I reset the pieces and he takes place in front of me. We exchange a polite little bow. And then the carnage begins.
I progressed a lot since the war, but he did too. And going against someone else than Heero is yet another challenge. This is so fun.
I am still getting my ass kicked, though.
'... Duo... Do you want to tell them ever?'
Huh?
'About me... Of course not now, not yet, but... Do you? Eventually?'
My first reaction is goddamit, no fucking way in hell. I never even visualized that idea; I know they would have me committed if I went to them and told them that I have invoked Heero's spirit and that he is now following me around and making snarky comments at random moments. But there's only to remember his forlorn expression as his friends smile-- and ignore him-- and my decision is made. I pretend to think about the game as I sign under the table in our old war code. Maybe. Later. If NoRisk.
He coalesces slowly behind Wufei, his voice almost inaudible. '... Then maybe... It would be good to make them doubt. You'll convince them better if they're already convincing themselves.'
I hide a little smirk. Devious. Melikes.
There's no risk involved, right? We're going to go very slowly, test the waters so to speak, and either they're broad-minded enough to accept and we can tell them, or they aren't and they won't even realize we were asking a question.
'Your queen in B3.'
I move my queen as recommended, breaking my pattern of attack. Wufei's eyebrow arches.
+
no subject
But you knew that already.
I'm still loving this, the way they transcended death :)
And if they're going to spook the others, I definitely want to read more XD
Sweeeet!
I love the subtlety in this! No corny B-rated spin-offs here! ::nuzzle:: We can always expect high-quality stuff from you, Asuka. ::sigh:: I'm so jealous! Chu!