Love and Notebooks (Multi - crossover AU, K+)
I started this on a whim, but the ending left me feeling fluffy, so I made it a banner.
I hope you like it, Shi-chan. Daisuki.
Ti amerò per sempre. - I love you forever. (Italian)
Daisuki, Heero. Aishiteru, Hee-chan. Zuutto. - I like you, Heero. I love you, Heero (affectionately). Forever. (Japanese romanji)
愛してる - I love you. (Japanese kanji)
Wo ai ni. - I love you. (Chinese)
我 爱 你 - I love you. (Chinese characters)
你 让 我 开 心 - You make me happy. (Chinese characters)
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Fandom/: Gundam Wing, Fushigi Yuugi, Weiz Kruz, Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon, Final Fantasy, Yu Yu Hakushou, Rurouni Kenshin, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Sakura Wars, Peacekeeper, Street Fighter, Digimon, X-Men Evolution, Master of Mosquiton, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Tokyo Babylon, Gundam Seed, Rave Master, Death Note, Code Gease, Castlevania, Ah! Megami-sama!, Fullmetal Alchemist, Dragonball Z, Card Captor Sakura, Supernatural (AU)
Characters/: Duo
Pairings/: Heero/Duo, multiple mentioned
Rating/: K+
Disclaimer/: I co-own the plot of this RPG, but not the characters stolen from other shows. But damn, it's fun to throw them all together.
Summary/: Nuriko assigned his brother a 'overview of my life' notebook. Duo is less than pleased. Heero is amused.
Warnings/: Minor language
Author's Notes/: I can't remember entirely what started me writing this. I think I was trying to explain all the characters. But I couldn't let it die, and the ending leaves me happy, so.
Here you go, Shi-chan. I hope you like it. And hey, now we've got another cast list for the next time we lose it!
Duo Son scowled at the notebook before him, picking absently at his lunch with a fork in his left hand. In his right he tapped a pen rather viciously against the blank page. "Bastard Nuriko," he growled under his breath.
Lips brushed his cheek as his husband slipped into place beside him. "And why is your brother a bastard now?" Heero asked, eyes sparkling with amusement.
Duo gestured angrily to the notebook. "He assigned me an 'overview of my life' notebook in our last session," he complained. "In other otherwords, now I have to keep a damn *diary*. As if I didn't have enough crap to worry about already!"
"How awful of him," Heero placated, trying and failing to stifle a chuckle.
Duo elbowed him with another scowl. "Jerk," he grumbled.
Heero kissed him again in apology, but he was still grinning. "You know I love you."
"Yeah, yeah, I love you too. Jerk."
My name is Duo Son - and that's pronounced sewn, not as in my child. Well, that's my name now. It's my married name - married to Heero Son way too many years to keep track of and counting. Sometimes I honestly don't know how the guy puts up with me ... until I remember all the crap he puts *me* through. Then I figure we deserve each other.
Anyway, I was born as Duo Maxwell, son of Candy Maxwell. I've got a younger twin brother, Nuriko. (Coincidentally, the same bastard making me write this stupid diary. 'Unresolved issues my ass! And I can't *wait* for you to read this, you purple-haired freak!) And I can get away with calling my brother a bastard, because technically we are; the product of Mom's one night stand with a guy who was apparently sent to kill her. She never saw him again, we were born, yada yada ...
Well, actually there's a bit more to it than that, but it's an extemely complicated story, so I'll start with me before I get into the pandora's box of issues my *dad* comes with.
I wasn't exactly a popular kid to put it mildly. To put it accurately, I was the class freak. Nuriko was the only friend I had, and I tried to make myself believe I liked it that way. My mom loved me, and my brother always had my back. Who needed more than that?
It was just the three of us for the first ten years of my life, with Mom scraping together to get us by. Then when I was ten, she got hired on as a nanny for this big business tycoon, Brad Crawdford. It was a great deal, to be honest: we moved into the Crawford mansion in Italy with our own rooms and free access to the kitchen whenever we wanted it. (Hey, I'm a big eater - so sue me!)
Brad Crawford's kid turned out to be this stuck up brat named Nagi. Quiet, kinda nerdy, rude, and with about as many friends as Nuriko and I had. I adopted him immediately.
He still curses me for that to this day.
Brad divorced his wife a couple years later, and got sole custody of Nagi. Honestly, I can't think of anyone who wasn't glad to see the blond bimbo gone. Never liked her; she treated my mom like dirt and didn't seem to notice Nuriko and I existed.
It didn't take long for Brad to come to his senses and realize what an awesome lady my mom is, and they married barely a year later. The three of us officially took the Crawford name, and Nagi became my step-brother. He was thrilled.
"Duo, if I remember correctly, didn't you say Nagi hated your guts and barely talked to your mom?" Heero asked, raising an eyebrow as he read.
Duo pushed him away. "Hey! Who said you could read over my shoulder?" he demanded. "This is private!"
Heero rolled his eyes. "I already know everything there is to know about you anyway."
Duo humphed. "Maybe you don't," he said loftily, hugging the notebook he'd been writing in protectively.
Heero eyed him for a moment before going back to his food at last. "And you had it right the first time - I don't know how I put up with *you*."
He glared, wounded. "Jackass," he muttered.
"Don't forget to eat your lunch," Heero returned, rolling his eyes as he poked at his side pointedly.
Mom and Pop are still happily married, living in that same damn mansion. Although now that Mom isn't the nanny anymore, she's become a business woman. She's damn good at it, too. At the moment, they live with Uncle Farfello - Pop's younger brother - who's their bodyguard. He's kinda creepy if you really don't know him (It's all in the eyepatch - and it doesn't help that he's more than happy to show that there's no eye underneath), but he's insanely loyal to Pop. And then there's Mom's secretary/assistant, Belldandy, who's Uncle Farfello's hot bombshell of a girlfriend. Although they've been dating long enough to be considered married all ready.
Nagi grew up, just as we all do, and met an older guy name Shaoran. Shaoran's sort of a got a weird story; no one's really sure where he's from, or how old he actually is, just that he was adopted by the Chang family a few years back. But Shaoran's a crazy guy with a friendly personality and a great sense of humor. Plus he's nuts about Nagi, which gives him bonus points. And he can handle Nagi on PMS, which gives him *serious* bonus points. He's a little over protective (and freakishly horny - it's *always* a good idea to call before we visit), but he's said he lost a lot of things in his life before, so Nagi lets him get away with it. I'm just glad to know he'll take care of my brother no matter what.
And of course, once Mom and Pop hooked up, they just couldn't keep it in their pants. (Okay, I'm not really one to talk, but that's later.) First there was Makoto, who's *way* too much like Mom - a sweet, loveable, manipulative business woman - now married to Andrew Bison, another big business man in Russia. He's a pretty nice guy and he keeps her happy, so I like him well enough. After Makoto came 'Samuel', but he'll never answer to that name - he goes by Squall. And considering how noisy a brat he was as a baby and how much trouble he's always getting into, it's a pretty appropriate nickname. He's seeing this guy named Seifer, but they're always fighting so much it's hard to tell if they'll *ever* settle down. My baby brother is Alex. We don't get a long as well as I'd like: he's pretty standoffish, and he always felt neglected as a kid because all of us teenagers were running around causing havoc. Far as I know, he's still single. But he never really tells me much about himself anyway, so.
Oh, wait - scratch that. Alex isn't the baby anymore. I forgot about Rei. See, Mom happened to come by the school (Getting to that), and met this insanely smart, rude little bastard of a kid named Rei. And being my mom, she fell in love with him instantly. So she and Pop adopted him, and brought home his boyfriend
Duo paused, frowning. "Hey, Heero? Remind me who Rei's boytoy is again?"
"Akira," he answered without looking up.
"Thanks."
Akira with him. Rei's almost more of a little shit than Alex and Squall combined, but Akira's a sweet kid. A little hyperactive, but Rei adores him. They've been with the family for just a few years now.
Well, that's the end of *that* side of the family.
When Nuriko and I were fourteen, we finally met our biological father, Kenshin Himura. Kenshin, as it turns out, was a former government assassin - no joke. He and his other assassin friends split on their agencies and made a break for it. It turned out Kenshin hadn't even known Nuriko and I existed, and once he did it was pretty hard to deny, considering the only feature I got from Mom was her hair color, and barring that, Nuriko and I are identical. It also turned out that Kenshin was a really sweet guy who'd been kidnapped as a child and taken advantage of. I'll admit it took me awhile to forgive Dad for not being there while we were growing up, but now I love him to death. And have him wrapped around my little finger, but hey.
"You do not."
"Will you stop with the commentary?! And didn't I tell you not to read this?"
Damn nosy husband.
And the greatest irony of ironies, my dad is gay. No, I have no idea how the hell Nuriko and I were born. Dad's kinda touchy about the issue of sex, and Mom is one of the few people who can scare the crap out of him. It's actually kind of entertaining to watch.
Dad ended up marrying one of his assassin friends, Casey Kyle - although everyone calls him Kyle. Kyle's actually the one wrapped around Dad's little finger. He adores him completely, and will bend over backward to make him happy. They have eight kids together. Seriously. Apparently Himuras are actually rather potent when it comes to reproduction, because we all come in twos or fours.
And to make matters worse, my half-brats (I say it with affection, I swear) come in sets of quadruplets. The first four are Touma, Kanna, Rubius, and Nataku. Kanna's the girl, and damn does she redefine tomboy. Touma's the only one as tall as she is, and anywhere near as strong, although he's a lot more serious and down-to-earth, too. Ironically, Kanna's very um, 'busty', to put it mildly, and an enthusiastic kickboxer. Rubius lives in Australia (where Kyle's from) with his own husband now, running their bar. Coincidentally, he's my only sibling that speaks with an Aussie accent. Nataku's the sort of kid that always wanted to be tough, but he was really the runt. Then he went and joined the Air Force against his parent's wishes (they have some serious issues with government *anything*), so he's sort of one of the family scapegoats at the moment.
The second four of the half-brats are Maia, Sousuke, Taikubou, and Daisuke. Maia - once again, one girl - is the total opposite of Kanna: quiet, ladylike, and reserved. Sousuke and Taikubou haven't done anything really note-worthy yet, and by the time they were born I've gotta admit I was a little more focused on raising my own kids. Daisuke on the other hand, may have almost beat out Nataku as family scapegoat. See, he met and married Damien Leatherneck, the son of the infamous owner/creater of the International Slave Trade. And while Damien doesn't exactly deal in the trade itself, he does help his father with the clubs that front the whole operation. And unlike the rest of us, Daisuke doesn't care about what Damien's family's involved in. But really, he's too young to have been involved in all the crap they put us through.
My family tree branches out insanely from there. Dad's the youngest of yet *another* set of quadruplets: Sano, Taiki, and Battousai, and then followed by another four, Lavet, Nash, Raphael, and Orphen. No, that's not his real name, either - but that's what he insists on being called because he hates the real one (Krys-something), and I can't remember how to spell it. On top of that, Grandpa Sokio (Dad's dad) was sort of promiscuous, so Dad's got his own fifty-bajillion half-sibs running around. I sort of wonder sometimes how Grandma Anna manages to put up with him: he's a real lovable guy, but he's also a character and a half.
"Bajillion isn't a word, Duo."
"It is now."
To add to this, Uncle Sano has eight kids of his own, all with kids of *their* own now. Thankfully, Aunt Taiki and Uncle Battousai only have one son a piece, and I don't see them often. And considering how insanely huge this family is, no one expects anyone to remember to mail birthday gifts. And *then*, Dad and I share this lovely habit of 'adopting people', like I did to my brother Nagi. We like someone, we make friends with them, we start calling them family. Dad does it all the time, and I've been told I'm even worse.
I think we're well into the thousands now, if you tried to count everyone. My son Hono was supposed to be working on attempting a family tree, but I don't envy him the job. Or the accompanying headache.
Moving on ...
When I was ten years old, I met the love of my life ... And hated him on sight.
"Gee, thanks."
Duo paused, leaning over to kiss his husband. "It's true," he pointed out, then paused, frowning. "And *stop snooping*, damn it!"
Heero Son and I met under some rather 'unusual' circumstances, and discovered we had some things in common. Unfortunately, he thought I was an idiot, and I thought he was an arrogant prick.
But people change over time, and Heero and I fell in love. We married young, but we've never regretted it! Well ... There was *one* time when we split up, but we haven't had - okay, we haven't split again since. And every couple has their arguments.
Heero of course brought his own mess of relatives into the nightmare. His dad Goku: a very sweet, goofy, loveable sort of guy. His mom Chichi who is ... Well, she and I don't get along real well. She had expectations for Heero, and they didn't exactly include me. I love his brothers, though. His older brother Trowa even married my cousin, Quatre (Uh, one of Sano's kids), who's like my best friend. A few of our kids are inseparable. And his twin, Goten, is a lot like their dad, but more laid back. He's a record producer; ironically, the band that got him started, Destined to be Arrested, has two of Quatre's younger brothers, Matt and Yamato, as their lead singers. (And yes, the band name is appropriate.)
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, my Himura genes and Heero being a twin himself (and the fact that we've got a *fantastic* sex life), we've ended up with nineteen kids of our own. Yes, I said nineteen, and no, I'm not miscounting anyone. Okay, there is a *logical* reason behind this! It just involves a lot of multiple births ...
First up there's Kari, who's Heero's little angel. She's the perfect daughter and big sister, and we couldn't have asked for a better child. She's got a heart of gold and she loves to help people. She got married herself a few years back (much to Heero's dismay)
Duo ignored the grumbling beside him.
to Kurt Wagner. Kurt is a very funny guy with a serious self-confidence problem due to some birth defects he has. But he treats my girl like a princess and makes her smile, and he's always there for her. No matter how much Heero hates him on principle.
Of course with Kari being the perfect child, we sort of should have seen the rest of them coming.
Next we had the first set of twins, Yuki and Hono. Yuki is ... well, I love my daughter, but she's not exactly social. Or nice. Or tactful. More like blunt, rude, and brooding. Hono's the only person who can get through to her when she's in one of her 'moods'. She married a very friendly, cheerful girl named Mai, who happens to be a street fighter. I don't know how Mai manages with Yuki, but I'm thankful for her every day.
Hono is the artist of the family. And man, is he an artist. Paint, sculture, chalk, clay, marble ... you name it, he can turn it into artwork. His favorite method is painting, and he somehow has the ability to produce these fantastic three-dimentional paintings. He's actually not allowed to paint on any of the outer walls of the school anymore; he once camaflagued a wall so well people kept walking into it all day. And with just paint, no less! Hono married Maxfield Stanton, who's the local police commissioner now. He's devoted and spoils my little boy, and being that Hono's one of the few kids Heero hasn't claimed, I'm happy to know he takes good care of him.
There was movement beside him, and Duo looked up at his husband challengingly. "Go ahead. Try and tell me you haven't claimed most of our kids."
Heero started to say something, stopped, and scowled, muttering under his breath.
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
Chiriko is painfully shy, and just about the sweetest kid you've ever met. And of course, Heero's spoiled him rotten, too. Chiriko actually met the man of his dreams at four years old - our friends' son Tasuki - and tried to marry him. They've never looked at anyone else since. We gave them permission to *officially* get married a couple years ago, namely because Chiriko was so desperate. His best friend Mimi (Trowa and Quatre's little girl) even planned the wedding for them. And even now, those two are still hopelessly in love.
Now here's where the fun begins. Heero and I actually managed to have our own multiple sets of quadruplets - and *not* on purpose. They've been a nightmare and a half, and we love them to pieces.
Rei is the oldest. (For the record, we named her *way* before Mom ever met her Rei.) Unfortunately Rei is ... a very passionate person. She's also a very tempermental person. Firey temper does not begin to describe. How her girlfriend Dominique managed to convince her to move to Russia is beyond me. Heero was crushed: Rei's another one of his babies.
Hotoku, by contrast, is very calm and cool, to the point of seeming downright cold. She's a bit too logical and analytical. Of course, she and Rei can't stand each other almost on principle; their personalities are too wildly different. Put them in a room four five minutes and instant fireworks - and not the good kind. She met a very calm, collected guy and moved in with him. Some place cold, where we don't see her much.
Subaru is a sweet kid, but he tends to get overshadowed by the other three. He's pretty thoughtful, but not organized in the way Hotoku is. More in the future poet sort of way. If he ever gets his mind off his own boytoy, Seishirou.
The youngest of this bunch is yet another of Heero's: Shinji. Shinji is sweet, naivé, and innocently charming to a fault. He also adores flowers; he's grown a massive flower garden in a corner of the school grounds, and spends his time either tending them, breeding new, unique species, or sleeping in the flower beds. Fortunately, one of his boyfriend Kaworu's favorite passtimes is watching Shinji sleep. Namely because it means my adorable, friendly little son has *finally* stopped talking.
It was awhile before we had any more kids, but once we did, they were an instant handful. Daigo and Kira are the other set of twins, this time both boys. Daigo is energetic and always ready to do something, be somewhere. He loves martial arts and trains constantly, always eager to learn new styles. Kira is the calmer, more reasonable one of the two, although his brother's obsession with martial arts sometimes puts a a rift between them. It also doesn't help that Kira's boyfriend is Daigo's rival, Athrun. And Athrun is the sort of guy who while he loves Kira, he also likes to get a rise out of Daigo. It doesn't help that Daigo's own boyfriend, Hirofumi, is a recovering amnesia victim, which causes it's own mess of problems for my boys.
We thought we were done with kids after all that, but apparently we thought wrong. Okay, so one of them was actually *my* fault, but Heero didn't complain as much as he says he did. We had a group of incoming orphans picked up of the streets, and one of them happened to bond with me. Well, actually everyone else kept accusing him of being my clone because we act a lot alike, and I ended up adoring him. So, Heero and I adopted Haru just a few months ago. It's tough going with Haru's abandonment and self-confidence issues, but I'll never give him up; I love him too much.
A few years later, I made the mistake of going to a mechanics convention without Heero, who followed me for the whole purpose of trying to seduce me before anyone else could. I have no idea where that logic came from, but it got results. The biggest one being our second set of quadruplets.
That set is Luke, our firey, tempermental bastard of a child, and I say that with all the love a parent can have for their child. Unfortunately it's true: Luke is a total pain in the ass, well aware of it, and could care less how we feel about that. After him is Erin, who does not believe in humility (or 'dishonesty' as she likes to call it) and has a fascination/obsession with anything that says 'Goddess' on it. That should tell you most of you might need to know about her. Although she has a certain fondness for Haru for some reason; maybe because he tends to indulge her more than anyone else. Then there's Torao, who's broody and anti-social, but in a less violatile version of Luke's temperment. He adores their youngest brother Tobykuma, and will do anything to protect him. Toby's the sweetheart of their group. He loves children, naps, and leasure swimming.
And more recently, we had are third set of four, which I blame entirely on Meiran. They were definitely a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. Messiah is their oldest, and he's a calmer, more arrogant version of Luke and Torao. He's almost ... regal in a sense, I guess you could say. Then there's Yuma, a sweet, bubbly manipulative boy who takes after Shinji a little, but in a more subtle way. After the two of them is the youngest of *my* babies, Mello. Mello has a lot of things in common with me, and it was my job to train him as he was growing up. He also had an accident that left him severely scared and self-consious, so I spend a lot of time smothering him to remind him that the scar isn't as important as the fact that he's alive. The current youngest in the family (and as much as I love my kids, I pray he *stays* the youngest) is Ayume. Ayume left us when he was little for martial arts training and to develop his own special abilities. He came back a beautiful young man with hips to die for and an almost seductive lethalness to him. Apparently he's named himself the 'protector' of his three brothers, especially Mello. In his case though, he's actually strong enough to do it.
That's my family - or at least the short version. The list keeps going, but that's pretty much the immediate section. Although I've probably missed someone somewhere.
Now this brings us to what I actually do for a living.
Not long after Kari was born, Hotohori Suzaku, my brother Nuriko's husband, came up with a vision.
"Is that what we're calling it? Ow!" Heero rubbed his side, glaring as Duo removed his elbow.
He got together a group of friends and family members to start a school. And not just any school: Everwood Schooling System. Essentially, we started out as a reform school. We take in kids from juvenile detention centers, freshly picked up off the streets by the cops, or just living in bad circumstances with 'special' needs.
The school itself is actually on an island in the Atlantic Ocean, a few hundred miles from Florida. We're really about where you'd consider the Bermuda Triangle to be on a map. Ironic, considering how many people come here and end up never wanting to leave.
To start at the top of the staff, our school principal is Nakago Seiryuu, an old friend of me an' Heero's. He's the most anal retentive tight-wad you'll ever meet, and I say that with love. He's also the one who enforces the rules around here, brings in the new students, and handles all the legal mumbo jumbo. He's really not as bad as he pretends; he's a big old softy under that 'I shall smear you under my thumb' tight-ass German exterior.
The vice-principal is previous idea-man Hotohori. Hotohori is pretty much the perfect counterpart to Nakago; relaxed, laid-back, and friendly. Not to say he doesn't have his own strict side, but it's not constantly on guard the way Nakago's is. It's a lot easier to get Hotohori to take a break and have some fun.
Their shared secretary is Yui Hongo, also coincidentally Nakago's girlfriend. Yui's a sassy bitch who can go toe to toe with Nakago and win - and probably the only person who can. But she's a real sweetheart when she wants to be, and a lot of the students call her 'mom'. She keeps Nakago, Hotohori, and the rest of the office staff in line. That would include Julie Fujitaka, who's sort of the receptionist/other secretary (she's my dad's cousin ... somewhere along Grandma Anna's side, I think), my daughter Yuki who's our forever-stressed accountant, and our two school psychiatrists, Nickolette Kaiba and my previously mentioned bastard brother. Nickolette's an overly analytical super-genius (no joke), and the daughter of one of my many cousins. On the other side of the professional spectrum, Nuriko is calm and mothering, the sort of person who tries to get you to cry on his shoulder so he can tell you it's okay. I don't know how they've managed to keep everyone here mostly sane just between the two of them.
Okay, moving outside the office ...
Considering the sort of kids we have here (And the fact that my dad and a few others here *are* former assassins), we have a security crew to keep the kids in and other people out. It's run by the
Duo paused, frowning and tapping his pen against his chin. "Heero? How would you discribe Meiran?"
"She's Meiran."
He frowned.
infamous Meiran Chang. She's a very caring woman at heart, but she's also got a very powerful voice and a gift for intimidation. *Nobody* fucks with Meiran. Her main crew consists of Touya Kinomoto - incredibly bored former business man who loves kids and fighting (not necessarily in that order), Fujitaka - cheerful former ex-con that I can't remember if he's ever given us a first name, and Aki Fujitaka - eldest son of said convict and a former student who just didn't feel like leaving when he graduated. They're the immediate underlings to Meiran, and help keep all the regular security guys in line.
Then we have our immensely popular Medlab, or medical building. Basically, the nurse's office. It's run by my uncle Sano Himura, who we all refer to as 'The Best Doctor in the World'. No joke; he can find health problems you never even knew existed just by looking at you. Plus he's a kick-ass chiropractor. Working under him is our other doctor, my cousin/best friend/brother-in-law Quatre Son, who also teaches our first aid class. Quatre's the sweetest guy you'll ever meet, but unfortunately he knows it, and how to use it to his advantage. He's a bit too understanding of how people work sometimes ... We also have a sort of back up doctor, Miko Yutaka. He's Sano's apprentice. We don't see him that often because he actually lives in Japan, but he's a big help whenever we do need him. He's got Sano's uncanny 'I see that dislocated disk' sense, but he's not as tactful as Uncle Sano is; he'll just walk up and fix you whether you like it or not. Our nurses are Sano's wife Aunt Galaxia, who's a bit scary sometimes - she's one of Dad's former assassin friends. Then there's Quatre's sister Usagi, who's just as sweet as her brother, but in a gentle 'you'll do it 'cause I know what's best for you' sort of way. Kind of a combination of Sano and Galaxia, which is actually really scary now that I think about it. She also teaches our Humanities classes.
Usagi's husband is Mamoru Kinomoto - Touya's younger brother. He's not a real morning person though, so he only works nights. He's a great guy, friendly and helpful, and completely wrapped around Usagi's finger. But hey, as long as they're happy ... They're a little lonely now that the nest's empty; their triplets, Rini, Hotoru, and Saffire just moved out a few months ago. Don't know much about the girls, but I hear Saffire's working on writing a book. Best of luck to him.
Like I said before, Quatre married my brother-in-law Trowa. Trowa's a friendly, relaxed guy with a bit of a goofy side. And he's *constantly* flirting with Quatre, the perv. He teaches our woodshop class. Between him and Quatre, they've got seven kids: T.K., Suboshi and Amiboshi, Mimi, the adopted Winry and Mitzie, Mewt, who was born at the same time as Daigo and Kira, and their newest trio, Dino, Toni, and Near. And like I said, our kids have paired up. T.K. and Kari are close, Mimi considers herself Chiriko's protector, and Daigo and Kira are always calling Mewt their triplet. Quatre and I have always sort of liked how close our kids are, and Trowa and Heero just seem to think it's funny for some reason.
Our advanced English teacher is Heero's best friend and Meiran's husband, Wufei Chang. Wufei's a very serious, proper, uptight sort of guy, but it comes with being raised as the prince of China. His older sister Nataku took the throne, but that didn't stop him into turning into an arrogant snob. Well, to be fair, he's calmed down a lot since working at Everwood; he rules the spitball battles in his classroom. He and Meiran have their own hefty brood: my brother Nagi's husband Shaoran, who they adopted years ago, Laguna - the current emperor of China, Lee and Meilin (Lee runs a night club and is his mother's baby boy, while Meilin is Daddy's little girl except that she loves to dance, and currently works as a uh, 'exotic' dancer in her brother's club, which Wufei ain't so thrilled about), Tasuki - my Chiriko's husband since childhood, Plex and Platina, the twin street kids they adopted who happen to be friends of my Haru, and *their* trio, Hagi, Ethan, and Jing. Their Trio combined with Quatre and Trowa's trio, and our last quartet to make one big group of trouble. They're talking about space ships lately too, and it's starting to worry me ...
Beginning English is taught by Roy Mustang, who's sort of new around here. He wasn't exactly a family friend when he started, but he's taken a huge load of Wufei, who used to be our *only* English teacher. He's a funny guy who keeps things organized and under control. I'm not sure, but I think he may have something going on with one of the graduating students, Edward Elric. He's the only person Ed really listens to besides his baby brother Alphonse, but since Ed's just barely over age now, no one's really been eager to bring it up.
My dad Kenshin teaches our self-defense classes, with help from Aya Fujitaka. (Younger brother of Aki, son of Fujitaka and Julie ... yeah, more relatives. Plus Aki and Aya have a younger brother, Gojyo, who's still a student.) Dad's pretty traditional about his classes - he still teaches swordwork with a katana, and Aya only encourages him. But they do provide a safe, healthy outlet for some of our kids who need to work out their aggressions. Plus the kids only see Dad as a big goofball except for when he's teaching, so they absolutely adore him. And while Aya's sort of scary and kinda intimidating, the street kids who come here all respect him enough to stay in line when he's around.
Advanced Physics is a class we just added recently. It's run by Gohan Son, Heero's cousin. Gohan's a nice, friendly guy outside of class, but from what the students whisper apparently he makes Nakago look like a saint during lessons. He doesn't take any crap, and he only let the best students take his course.
"Gohan is *not* that strict," Heero grumbled beside him.
Duo raised his eyebrows at him. "You asked any of his students that lately?"
Heero's a little biased, considering Gohan *is* his cousin. Their dads, Goku and Vegeta, live in the middle of nowhere in Japan about twenty miles from each other, so all six kids between them grew up together. Trowa and Gohan have always been buddies, and Goten is best friends with Gohan's younger brother, Trunks. Incidentally, Trunks married *my* cousin Raven - one of Quatre's sisters. There's also Bra, Gohan and Trunks' younger sister, but she doesn't keep in touch all that much, so I really don't know her too well.
Another addition to our lovely staff is Yukito, and his occasionally visiting daughter Sakura. Yukito is the Sano of the cooking world. Anything he makes is amazing, like, BEST FOOD EVER beyond words amazing. He's also an expert on nutrition, which is handy, and serves the masses himself when we come through for meals so he can make sure everyone's getting enough to eat. He's kind of a motherhen that way, but he's so sweet and adorable no one cares. Sakura's even sweeter, if that's possible, and rules the dessert world opposite her father. She's charming and adorable, just like her daddy, and her father Touya spoils her *and* Yukito rotten.
"Duo?"
"Hmm?" he asked distractedly, tapping his chin with his pen again.
"You do know that you only have ten more minutes to eat before lunch is over, right?"
He paused. "What?!"
He shot a glare down at his watch. "Son of a - " Scribbling hurriedly, he added some more notes of things to finish before proceeding to inhale his entire platter of food.
Beside him, Heero closed his eyes in disgust. "You are so lucky I love you," he muttered.
****
Zechs-language
Haruka-driver's ed
Haruto-Beginning Science Health
Kazumi-algebra
Burn-electronics
Keith-World History
Hono-music/art
Suboshi-P.E.
Dark Snider-World History
Treize-chemisty
Yoko-beginning math
Michiru-science
D/Yukito-cook
Duo stared down at the old notebook, and the unfinished notes under the only entry. He'd forgotten about it for so long it wasn't even accurate anymore. The book itself had yellowed with age, and his handwritting was barely legible - not that it had been completely perfect to begin with.
Bouncing the baby in his lap almost absently as Jason giggled, he reached out with a fingertip, tracing a rune on the book. It glowed faintly, and slowly began to mend itself until it looked brand new again. The faded ink from his entry was bold again, and the pages crisp and white.
Picking up a pen, he carefully crossed out the names Zechs and Treize from the notes he'd left himself, blinking rapidly for a moment. They weren't gone anymore, but they'd changed so much that even though they were still his friends, things just weren't the same. It was weird trying to make conversation with someone a good twenty years younger than you, no matter how many lives you'd lived together.
Jason began to fuss at the lack of attention, and he bent down to kiss his son's head, closing his eyes.
Eventually he picked up the pen again.
Life goes on, as it always does. My family has grown and shrunk all at once. I lost two of my best friends and several students in a fight that never should have happened, my grandparents to a curse my own children were forced to break, lost my brother to a senseless death, and gained them all back again through the wonders of reincarnation and Fate and Death's ... 'blessings' so to speak. Not that either of them would really call it that.
All of them but Nagi, anyway.
He closed his eyes again, feeling the burn of tears. Nagi was dead, but he *would* return. Eventually. Death had promised. It just wasn't going to happen as fast as they'd hoped. His brother would be back.
He would.
He took a deep breath, reaching up to stroke Jason's hair for a moment and leaning over to check the basinet to see that Alana was still sleeping peacefully. Jason cooed and Alana snored faintly in that cute way babies did, and he smiled as he grabbed the pen to write more.
I was wrong when I prayed that Ayume would remain the youngest of my kids as I usually am, and I'm so greatful for that. Several years ago Heero and I had another set, Aram, Rinda, Kage, and Aori. Aram and Kage are identical twins and opposites in a lot of ways. Aram is sweet, caring, and makes friends easily, while Kage is snarky, cynical, and gets into lots of trouble. The one thing they do share in common is how protective they are of each other and their family. Rinda's my adorable bundle of energy who loves gymnastics. And Aori's my quiet, sleepy little girl with a mind just as brillant as Heero's, who could really care less about anything that doesn't keep her interest. The four of them are struggling to make it through high school without getting expelled (again) and figure themselves out along the way, like all teenagers do.
While he's not exactly my son, they have a 'fifth quadruplet' they've adopted, although he's really their cousin. Uh ... third cousin, I think? Or is it second? Anyway, He's *my* cousin Quatre's grandson, through his daughter Winry and her boyfriend Dean Winchester - one of our students. (Yeah, that story was about as fun as it sounds.) Johnny is trouble and a Winchester/Himura, which is basically two cursed families combined into one con-artist child from hell. He's adorable and funny, and my kids love him like one of their own.
After losing Nagi, I thought I was going to lose part of myself. He's ... well, he's my brother, you know? We weren't even technically related, but he's still like a triplet to me and Nuriko. It hurts knowing he's not here now. I tell myself he'll be back, but it just isn't the same.
I've learned a lot the last few years. And I've learned that I don't really like the person I was without Heero in my life. But losing Nagi brought me two precious gifts that I really shouldn't have had, and I'm so grateful that they're here. My babies, Jason and Alana. Kids from a life I don't remember, from a life without Heero. A life where I was just your average jerk who barely cared about my kids, married to some blond bimbo.
And now ... Now I'm married to a man that drives me crazy and gives me heart attacks every few months with some of the stupid stunts he pulls. But he gave me a family. He loves me so much it hurts, and I'll never, *EVER* not want him in my life. He gave me twenty-six beautiful children who drive me almost as insane as he does, and I adore each and every one of them. He gave me in-laws who frequently worry me are going to end up destroying a planet, if not themselves one of these days. Again.
He's Heero. He's crazy, obsessed with guns and machines and math, a genius, a loving father and husband, and just ... Heero. He's perfect. Not the Perfect Soldier, not now. Just ...
Perfect.
I told Nuriko a few years back that I'd lost this notebook or forgot about it or something. I don't even remember what I said now. I think he got annoyed with me, but that's nothing new. Comes with being *my* brother, after all. I have a certain 'gift' for being annoying.
But I'm glad he made me write it.
I miss you, Nagi. Come back soon, okay big brother?
I love you, Kari. I love you, Yuki. I love you, Hono. I love you, Chiriko. I love you, Rei. I love you, Hotoku. I love you, Subaru. I love you, Shinji. I love you, Daigo. I love you, Kira. I love you, Haru. I love you, Luke. I love you, Erin. I love you, Torao. I love you, Toby. I love you, Messiah. I love you, Yuma. I love you, Mello. I love you, Ayume. I love you, Aram. I love you, Rinda. I love you, Kage. I love you, Aori. I love you, Jason. I love you, Alana. I'm proud of you.
I love you, Mom. I'm so proud to be your son.
I love you, Dad. Thank you for being you. Thank you for making me so much like you.
I love you, Nuriko, Makoto, Squall, Alex, Rei. You drive me crazy. I'll always protect you.
I love you school. I love you friends. I love you students. Thank you for making life interesting. Thank you for giving me a purpose. Thank you for giving me a home.
I love you, Heero. Thank you for giving me *you*.
Ti amerò per sempre.
Daisuki, Heero. Aishiteru, Hee-chan. Zuutto.
愛してる
-(Mate Shiny)-
Duo smiled at the Dragon runes beneath everything. That, more than anything, seemed to sum up how he felt.
Being immortal was hard. Not being human was harder. And being a Time Dragon was impossible.
But all of it, every moment, every pain, every complication and frustration, was worth it. It always would be.
He closed the notebook and tucked it back in the drawer he'd found it in. Looking down at his snoozing son in his arm, he smiled. "Time for bed, kiddo," he murmured, kissing Jason's head again.
****
Years later, when he stumbled across the notebook again, he stared at the familiar handwriting at the bottom of his entry, and smiled.
Aishiteru, Duo. Zuutto.
愛してる
Wo ai ni.
我 爱 你
你 让 我 开 心
-(Mate Shiny)-
I love you, Duo.
I hope you like it, Shi-chan. Daisuki.
Ti amerò per sempre. - I love you forever. (Italian)
Daisuki, Heero. Aishiteru, Hee-chan. Zuutto. - I like you, Heero. I love you, Heero (affectionately). Forever. (Japanese romanji)
愛してる - I love you. (Japanese kanji)
Wo ai ni. - I love you. (Chinese)
我 爱 你 - I love you. (Chinese characters)
你 让 我 开 心 - You make me happy. (Chinese characters)
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Fandom/: Gundam Wing, Fushigi Yuugi, Weiz Kruz, Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon, Final Fantasy, Yu Yu Hakushou, Rurouni Kenshin, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Sakura Wars, Peacekeeper, Street Fighter, Digimon, X-Men Evolution, Master of Mosquiton, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Tokyo Babylon, Gundam Seed, Rave Master, Death Note, Code Gease, Castlevania, Ah! Megami-sama!, Fullmetal Alchemist, Dragonball Z, Card Captor Sakura, Supernatural (AU)
Characters/: Duo
Pairings/: Heero/Duo, multiple mentioned
Rating/: K+
Disclaimer/: I co-own the plot of this RPG, but not the characters stolen from other shows. But damn, it's fun to throw them all together.
Summary/: Nuriko assigned his brother a 'overview of my life' notebook. Duo is less than pleased. Heero is amused.
Warnings/: Minor language
Author's Notes/: I can't remember entirely what started me writing this. I think I was trying to explain all the characters. But I couldn't let it die, and the ending leaves me happy, so.
Here you go, Shi-chan. I hope you like it. And hey, now we've got another cast list for the next time we lose it!
Duo Son scowled at the notebook before him, picking absently at his lunch with a fork in his left hand. In his right he tapped a pen rather viciously against the blank page. "Bastard Nuriko," he growled under his breath.
Lips brushed his cheek as his husband slipped into place beside him. "And why is your brother a bastard now?" Heero asked, eyes sparkling with amusement.
Duo gestured angrily to the notebook. "He assigned me an 'overview of my life' notebook in our last session," he complained. "In other otherwords, now I have to keep a damn *diary*. As if I didn't have enough crap to worry about already!"
"How awful of him," Heero placated, trying and failing to stifle a chuckle.
Duo elbowed him with another scowl. "Jerk," he grumbled.
Heero kissed him again in apology, but he was still grinning. "You know I love you."
"Yeah, yeah, I love you too. Jerk."
My name is Duo Son - and that's pronounced sewn, not as in my child. Well, that's my name now. It's my married name - married to Heero Son way too many years to keep track of and counting. Sometimes I honestly don't know how the guy puts up with me ... until I remember all the crap he puts *me* through. Then I figure we deserve each other.
Anyway, I was born as Duo Maxwell, son of Candy Maxwell. I've got a younger twin brother, Nuriko. (Coincidentally, the same bastard making me write this stupid diary. 'Unresolved issues my ass! And I can't *wait* for you to read this, you purple-haired freak!) And I can get away with calling my brother a bastard, because technically we are; the product of Mom's one night stand with a guy who was apparently sent to kill her. She never saw him again, we were born, yada yada ...
Well, actually there's a bit more to it than that, but it's an extemely complicated story, so I'll start with me before I get into the pandora's box of issues my *dad* comes with.
I wasn't exactly a popular kid to put it mildly. To put it accurately, I was the class freak. Nuriko was the only friend I had, and I tried to make myself believe I liked it that way. My mom loved me, and my brother always had my back. Who needed more than that?
It was just the three of us for the first ten years of my life, with Mom scraping together to get us by. Then when I was ten, she got hired on as a nanny for this big business tycoon, Brad Crawdford. It was a great deal, to be honest: we moved into the Crawford mansion in Italy with our own rooms and free access to the kitchen whenever we wanted it. (Hey, I'm a big eater - so sue me!)
Brad Crawford's kid turned out to be this stuck up brat named Nagi. Quiet, kinda nerdy, rude, and with about as many friends as Nuriko and I had. I adopted him immediately.
He still curses me for that to this day.
Brad divorced his wife a couple years later, and got sole custody of Nagi. Honestly, I can't think of anyone who wasn't glad to see the blond bimbo gone. Never liked her; she treated my mom like dirt and didn't seem to notice Nuriko and I existed.
It didn't take long for Brad to come to his senses and realize what an awesome lady my mom is, and they married barely a year later. The three of us officially took the Crawford name, and Nagi became my step-brother. He was thrilled.
"Duo, if I remember correctly, didn't you say Nagi hated your guts and barely talked to your mom?" Heero asked, raising an eyebrow as he read.
Duo pushed him away. "Hey! Who said you could read over my shoulder?" he demanded. "This is private!"
Heero rolled his eyes. "I already know everything there is to know about you anyway."
Duo humphed. "Maybe you don't," he said loftily, hugging the notebook he'd been writing in protectively.
Heero eyed him for a moment before going back to his food at last. "And you had it right the first time - I don't know how I put up with *you*."
He glared, wounded. "Jackass," he muttered.
"Don't forget to eat your lunch," Heero returned, rolling his eyes as he poked at his side pointedly.
Mom and Pop are still happily married, living in that same damn mansion. Although now that Mom isn't the nanny anymore, she's become a business woman. She's damn good at it, too. At the moment, they live with Uncle Farfello - Pop's younger brother - who's their bodyguard. He's kinda creepy if you really don't know him (It's all in the eyepatch - and it doesn't help that he's more than happy to show that there's no eye underneath), but he's insanely loyal to Pop. And then there's Mom's secretary/assistant, Belldandy, who's Uncle Farfello's hot bombshell of a girlfriend. Although they've been dating long enough to be considered married all ready.
Nagi grew up, just as we all do, and met an older guy name Shaoran. Shaoran's sort of a got a weird story; no one's really sure where he's from, or how old he actually is, just that he was adopted by the Chang family a few years back. But Shaoran's a crazy guy with a friendly personality and a great sense of humor. Plus he's nuts about Nagi, which gives him bonus points. And he can handle Nagi on PMS, which gives him *serious* bonus points. He's a little over protective (and freakishly horny - it's *always* a good idea to call before we visit), but he's said he lost a lot of things in his life before, so Nagi lets him get away with it. I'm just glad to know he'll take care of my brother no matter what.
And of course, once Mom and Pop hooked up, they just couldn't keep it in their pants. (Okay, I'm not really one to talk, but that's later.) First there was Makoto, who's *way* too much like Mom - a sweet, loveable, manipulative business woman - now married to Andrew Bison, another big business man in Russia. He's a pretty nice guy and he keeps her happy, so I like him well enough. After Makoto came 'Samuel', but he'll never answer to that name - he goes by Squall. And considering how noisy a brat he was as a baby and how much trouble he's always getting into, it's a pretty appropriate nickname. He's seeing this guy named Seifer, but they're always fighting so much it's hard to tell if they'll *ever* settle down. My baby brother is Alex. We don't get a long as well as I'd like: he's pretty standoffish, and he always felt neglected as a kid because all of us teenagers were running around causing havoc. Far as I know, he's still single. But he never really tells me much about himself anyway, so.
Oh, wait - scratch that. Alex isn't the baby anymore. I forgot about Rei. See, Mom happened to come by the school (Getting to that), and met this insanely smart, rude little bastard of a kid named Rei. And being my mom, she fell in love with him instantly. So she and Pop adopted him, and brought home his boyfriend
Duo paused, frowning. "Hey, Heero? Remind me who Rei's boytoy is again?"
"Akira," he answered without looking up.
"Thanks."
Akira with him. Rei's almost more of a little shit than Alex and Squall combined, but Akira's a sweet kid. A little hyperactive, but Rei adores him. They've been with the family for just a few years now.
Well, that's the end of *that* side of the family.
When Nuriko and I were fourteen, we finally met our biological father, Kenshin Himura. Kenshin, as it turns out, was a former government assassin - no joke. He and his other assassin friends split on their agencies and made a break for it. It turned out Kenshin hadn't even known Nuriko and I existed, and once he did it was pretty hard to deny, considering the only feature I got from Mom was her hair color, and barring that, Nuriko and I are identical. It also turned out that Kenshin was a really sweet guy who'd been kidnapped as a child and taken advantage of. I'll admit it took me awhile to forgive Dad for not being there while we were growing up, but now I love him to death. And have him wrapped around my little finger, but hey.
"You do not."
"Will you stop with the commentary?! And didn't I tell you not to read this?"
Damn nosy husband.
And the greatest irony of ironies, my dad is gay. No, I have no idea how the hell Nuriko and I were born. Dad's kinda touchy about the issue of sex, and Mom is one of the few people who can scare the crap out of him. It's actually kind of entertaining to watch.
Dad ended up marrying one of his assassin friends, Casey Kyle - although everyone calls him Kyle. Kyle's actually the one wrapped around Dad's little finger. He adores him completely, and will bend over backward to make him happy. They have eight kids together. Seriously. Apparently Himuras are actually rather potent when it comes to reproduction, because we all come in twos or fours.
And to make matters worse, my half-brats (I say it with affection, I swear) come in sets of quadruplets. The first four are Touma, Kanna, Rubius, and Nataku. Kanna's the girl, and damn does she redefine tomboy. Touma's the only one as tall as she is, and anywhere near as strong, although he's a lot more serious and down-to-earth, too. Ironically, Kanna's very um, 'busty', to put it mildly, and an enthusiastic kickboxer. Rubius lives in Australia (where Kyle's from) with his own husband now, running their bar. Coincidentally, he's my only sibling that speaks with an Aussie accent. Nataku's the sort of kid that always wanted to be tough, but he was really the runt. Then he went and joined the Air Force against his parent's wishes (they have some serious issues with government *anything*), so he's sort of one of the family scapegoats at the moment.
The second four of the half-brats are Maia, Sousuke, Taikubou, and Daisuke. Maia - once again, one girl - is the total opposite of Kanna: quiet, ladylike, and reserved. Sousuke and Taikubou haven't done anything really note-worthy yet, and by the time they were born I've gotta admit I was a little more focused on raising my own kids. Daisuke on the other hand, may have almost beat out Nataku as family scapegoat. See, he met and married Damien Leatherneck, the son of the infamous owner/creater of the International Slave Trade. And while Damien doesn't exactly deal in the trade itself, he does help his father with the clubs that front the whole operation. And unlike the rest of us, Daisuke doesn't care about what Damien's family's involved in. But really, he's too young to have been involved in all the crap they put us through.
My family tree branches out insanely from there. Dad's the youngest of yet *another* set of quadruplets: Sano, Taiki, and Battousai, and then followed by another four, Lavet, Nash, Raphael, and Orphen. No, that's not his real name, either - but that's what he insists on being called because he hates the real one (Krys-something), and I can't remember how to spell it. On top of that, Grandpa Sokio (Dad's dad) was sort of promiscuous, so Dad's got his own fifty-bajillion half-sibs running around. I sort of wonder sometimes how Grandma Anna manages to put up with him: he's a real lovable guy, but he's also a character and a half.
"Bajillion isn't a word, Duo."
"It is now."
To add to this, Uncle Sano has eight kids of his own, all with kids of *their* own now. Thankfully, Aunt Taiki and Uncle Battousai only have one son a piece, and I don't see them often. And considering how insanely huge this family is, no one expects anyone to remember to mail birthday gifts. And *then*, Dad and I share this lovely habit of 'adopting people', like I did to my brother Nagi. We like someone, we make friends with them, we start calling them family. Dad does it all the time, and I've been told I'm even worse.
I think we're well into the thousands now, if you tried to count everyone. My son Hono was supposed to be working on attempting a family tree, but I don't envy him the job. Or the accompanying headache.
Moving on ...
When I was ten years old, I met the love of my life ... And hated him on sight.
"Gee, thanks."
Duo paused, leaning over to kiss his husband. "It's true," he pointed out, then paused, frowning. "And *stop snooping*, damn it!"
Heero Son and I met under some rather 'unusual' circumstances, and discovered we had some things in common. Unfortunately, he thought I was an idiot, and I thought he was an arrogant prick.
But people change over time, and Heero and I fell in love. We married young, but we've never regretted it! Well ... There was *one* time when we split up, but we haven't had - okay, we haven't split again since. And every couple has their arguments.
Heero of course brought his own mess of relatives into the nightmare. His dad Goku: a very sweet, goofy, loveable sort of guy. His mom Chichi who is ... Well, she and I don't get along real well. She had expectations for Heero, and they didn't exactly include me. I love his brothers, though. His older brother Trowa even married my cousin, Quatre (Uh, one of Sano's kids), who's like my best friend. A few of our kids are inseparable. And his twin, Goten, is a lot like their dad, but more laid back. He's a record producer; ironically, the band that got him started, Destined to be Arrested, has two of Quatre's younger brothers, Matt and Yamato, as their lead singers. (And yes, the band name is appropriate.)
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, my Himura genes and Heero being a twin himself (and the fact that we've got a *fantastic* sex life), we've ended up with nineteen kids of our own. Yes, I said nineteen, and no, I'm not miscounting anyone. Okay, there is a *logical* reason behind this! It just involves a lot of multiple births ...
First up there's Kari, who's Heero's little angel. She's the perfect daughter and big sister, and we couldn't have asked for a better child. She's got a heart of gold and she loves to help people. She got married herself a few years back (much to Heero's dismay)
Duo ignored the grumbling beside him.
to Kurt Wagner. Kurt is a very funny guy with a serious self-confidence problem due to some birth defects he has. But he treats my girl like a princess and makes her smile, and he's always there for her. No matter how much Heero hates him on principle.
Of course with Kari being the perfect child, we sort of should have seen the rest of them coming.
Next we had the first set of twins, Yuki and Hono. Yuki is ... well, I love my daughter, but she's not exactly social. Or nice. Or tactful. More like blunt, rude, and brooding. Hono's the only person who can get through to her when she's in one of her 'moods'. She married a very friendly, cheerful girl named Mai, who happens to be a street fighter. I don't know how Mai manages with Yuki, but I'm thankful for her every day.
Hono is the artist of the family. And man, is he an artist. Paint, sculture, chalk, clay, marble ... you name it, he can turn it into artwork. His favorite method is painting, and he somehow has the ability to produce these fantastic three-dimentional paintings. He's actually not allowed to paint on any of the outer walls of the school anymore; he once camaflagued a wall so well people kept walking into it all day. And with just paint, no less! Hono married Maxfield Stanton, who's the local police commissioner now. He's devoted and spoils my little boy, and being that Hono's one of the few kids Heero hasn't claimed, I'm happy to know he takes good care of him.
There was movement beside him, and Duo looked up at his husband challengingly. "Go ahead. Try and tell me you haven't claimed most of our kids."
Heero started to say something, stopped, and scowled, muttering under his breath.
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
Chiriko is painfully shy, and just about the sweetest kid you've ever met. And of course, Heero's spoiled him rotten, too. Chiriko actually met the man of his dreams at four years old - our friends' son Tasuki - and tried to marry him. They've never looked at anyone else since. We gave them permission to *officially* get married a couple years ago, namely because Chiriko was so desperate. His best friend Mimi (Trowa and Quatre's little girl) even planned the wedding for them. And even now, those two are still hopelessly in love.
Now here's where the fun begins. Heero and I actually managed to have our own multiple sets of quadruplets - and *not* on purpose. They've been a nightmare and a half, and we love them to pieces.
Rei is the oldest. (For the record, we named her *way* before Mom ever met her Rei.) Unfortunately Rei is ... a very passionate person. She's also a very tempermental person. Firey temper does not begin to describe. How her girlfriend Dominique managed to convince her to move to Russia is beyond me. Heero was crushed: Rei's another one of his babies.
Hotoku, by contrast, is very calm and cool, to the point of seeming downright cold. She's a bit too logical and analytical. Of course, she and Rei can't stand each other almost on principle; their personalities are too wildly different. Put them in a room four five minutes and instant fireworks - and not the good kind. She met a very calm, collected guy and moved in with him. Some place cold, where we don't see her much.
Subaru is a sweet kid, but he tends to get overshadowed by the other three. He's pretty thoughtful, but not organized in the way Hotoku is. More in the future poet sort of way. If he ever gets his mind off his own boytoy, Seishirou.
The youngest of this bunch is yet another of Heero's: Shinji. Shinji is sweet, naivé, and innocently charming to a fault. He also adores flowers; he's grown a massive flower garden in a corner of the school grounds, and spends his time either tending them, breeding new, unique species, or sleeping in the flower beds. Fortunately, one of his boyfriend Kaworu's favorite passtimes is watching Shinji sleep. Namely because it means my adorable, friendly little son has *finally* stopped talking.
It was awhile before we had any more kids, but once we did, they were an instant handful. Daigo and Kira are the other set of twins, this time both boys. Daigo is energetic and always ready to do something, be somewhere. He loves martial arts and trains constantly, always eager to learn new styles. Kira is the calmer, more reasonable one of the two, although his brother's obsession with martial arts sometimes puts a a rift between them. It also doesn't help that Kira's boyfriend is Daigo's rival, Athrun. And Athrun is the sort of guy who while he loves Kira, he also likes to get a rise out of Daigo. It doesn't help that Daigo's own boyfriend, Hirofumi, is a recovering amnesia victim, which causes it's own mess of problems for my boys.
We thought we were done with kids after all that, but apparently we thought wrong. Okay, so one of them was actually *my* fault, but Heero didn't complain as much as he says he did. We had a group of incoming orphans picked up of the streets, and one of them happened to bond with me. Well, actually everyone else kept accusing him of being my clone because we act a lot alike, and I ended up adoring him. So, Heero and I adopted Haru just a few months ago. It's tough going with Haru's abandonment and self-confidence issues, but I'll never give him up; I love him too much.
A few years later, I made the mistake of going to a mechanics convention without Heero, who followed me for the whole purpose of trying to seduce me before anyone else could. I have no idea where that logic came from, but it got results. The biggest one being our second set of quadruplets.
That set is Luke, our firey, tempermental bastard of a child, and I say that with all the love a parent can have for their child. Unfortunately it's true: Luke is a total pain in the ass, well aware of it, and could care less how we feel about that. After him is Erin, who does not believe in humility (or 'dishonesty' as she likes to call it) and has a fascination/obsession with anything that says 'Goddess' on it. That should tell you most of you might need to know about her. Although she has a certain fondness for Haru for some reason; maybe because he tends to indulge her more than anyone else. Then there's Torao, who's broody and anti-social, but in a less violatile version of Luke's temperment. He adores their youngest brother Tobykuma, and will do anything to protect him. Toby's the sweetheart of their group. He loves children, naps, and leasure swimming.
And more recently, we had are third set of four, which I blame entirely on Meiran. They were definitely a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. Messiah is their oldest, and he's a calmer, more arrogant version of Luke and Torao. He's almost ... regal in a sense, I guess you could say. Then there's Yuma, a sweet, bubbly manipulative boy who takes after Shinji a little, but in a more subtle way. After the two of them is the youngest of *my* babies, Mello. Mello has a lot of things in common with me, and it was my job to train him as he was growing up. He also had an accident that left him severely scared and self-consious, so I spend a lot of time smothering him to remind him that the scar isn't as important as the fact that he's alive. The current youngest in the family (and as much as I love my kids, I pray he *stays* the youngest) is Ayume. Ayume left us when he was little for martial arts training and to develop his own special abilities. He came back a beautiful young man with hips to die for and an almost seductive lethalness to him. Apparently he's named himself the 'protector' of his three brothers, especially Mello. In his case though, he's actually strong enough to do it.
That's my family - or at least the short version. The list keeps going, but that's pretty much the immediate section. Although I've probably missed someone somewhere.
Now this brings us to what I actually do for a living.
Not long after Kari was born, Hotohori Suzaku, my brother Nuriko's husband, came up with a vision.
"Is that what we're calling it? Ow!" Heero rubbed his side, glaring as Duo removed his elbow.
He got together a group of friends and family members to start a school. And not just any school: Everwood Schooling System. Essentially, we started out as a reform school. We take in kids from juvenile detention centers, freshly picked up off the streets by the cops, or just living in bad circumstances with 'special' needs.
The school itself is actually on an island in the Atlantic Ocean, a few hundred miles from Florida. We're really about where you'd consider the Bermuda Triangle to be on a map. Ironic, considering how many people come here and end up never wanting to leave.
To start at the top of the staff, our school principal is Nakago Seiryuu, an old friend of me an' Heero's. He's the most anal retentive tight-wad you'll ever meet, and I say that with love. He's also the one who enforces the rules around here, brings in the new students, and handles all the legal mumbo jumbo. He's really not as bad as he pretends; he's a big old softy under that 'I shall smear you under my thumb' tight-ass German exterior.
The vice-principal is previous idea-man Hotohori. Hotohori is pretty much the perfect counterpart to Nakago; relaxed, laid-back, and friendly. Not to say he doesn't have his own strict side, but it's not constantly on guard the way Nakago's is. It's a lot easier to get Hotohori to take a break and have some fun.
Their shared secretary is Yui Hongo, also coincidentally Nakago's girlfriend. Yui's a sassy bitch who can go toe to toe with Nakago and win - and probably the only person who can. But she's a real sweetheart when she wants to be, and a lot of the students call her 'mom'. She keeps Nakago, Hotohori, and the rest of the office staff in line. That would include Julie Fujitaka, who's sort of the receptionist/other secretary (she's my dad's cousin ... somewhere along Grandma Anna's side, I think), my daughter Yuki who's our forever-stressed accountant, and our two school psychiatrists, Nickolette Kaiba and my previously mentioned bastard brother. Nickolette's an overly analytical super-genius (no joke), and the daughter of one of my many cousins. On the other side of the professional spectrum, Nuriko is calm and mothering, the sort of person who tries to get you to cry on his shoulder so he can tell you it's okay. I don't know how they've managed to keep everyone here mostly sane just between the two of them.
Okay, moving outside the office ...
Considering the sort of kids we have here (And the fact that my dad and a few others here *are* former assassins), we have a security crew to keep the kids in and other people out. It's run by the
Duo paused, frowning and tapping his pen against his chin. "Heero? How would you discribe Meiran?"
"She's Meiran."
He frowned.
infamous Meiran Chang. She's a very caring woman at heart, but she's also got a very powerful voice and a gift for intimidation. *Nobody* fucks with Meiran. Her main crew consists of Touya Kinomoto - incredibly bored former business man who loves kids and fighting (not necessarily in that order), Fujitaka - cheerful former ex-con that I can't remember if he's ever given us a first name, and Aki Fujitaka - eldest son of said convict and a former student who just didn't feel like leaving when he graduated. They're the immediate underlings to Meiran, and help keep all the regular security guys in line.
Then we have our immensely popular Medlab, or medical building. Basically, the nurse's office. It's run by my uncle Sano Himura, who we all refer to as 'The Best Doctor in the World'. No joke; he can find health problems you never even knew existed just by looking at you. Plus he's a kick-ass chiropractor. Working under him is our other doctor, my cousin/best friend/brother-in-law Quatre Son, who also teaches our first aid class. Quatre's the sweetest guy you'll ever meet, but unfortunately he knows it, and how to use it to his advantage. He's a bit too understanding of how people work sometimes ... We also have a sort of back up doctor, Miko Yutaka. He's Sano's apprentice. We don't see him that often because he actually lives in Japan, but he's a big help whenever we do need him. He's got Sano's uncanny 'I see that dislocated disk' sense, but he's not as tactful as Uncle Sano is; he'll just walk up and fix you whether you like it or not. Our nurses are Sano's wife Aunt Galaxia, who's a bit scary sometimes - she's one of Dad's former assassin friends. Then there's Quatre's sister Usagi, who's just as sweet as her brother, but in a gentle 'you'll do it 'cause I know what's best for you' sort of way. Kind of a combination of Sano and Galaxia, which is actually really scary now that I think about it. She also teaches our Humanities classes.
Usagi's husband is Mamoru Kinomoto - Touya's younger brother. He's not a real morning person though, so he only works nights. He's a great guy, friendly and helpful, and completely wrapped around Usagi's finger. But hey, as long as they're happy ... They're a little lonely now that the nest's empty; their triplets, Rini, Hotoru, and Saffire just moved out a few months ago. Don't know much about the girls, but I hear Saffire's working on writing a book. Best of luck to him.
Like I said before, Quatre married my brother-in-law Trowa. Trowa's a friendly, relaxed guy with a bit of a goofy side. And he's *constantly* flirting with Quatre, the perv. He teaches our woodshop class. Between him and Quatre, they've got seven kids: T.K., Suboshi and Amiboshi, Mimi, the adopted Winry and Mitzie, Mewt, who was born at the same time as Daigo and Kira, and their newest trio, Dino, Toni, and Near. And like I said, our kids have paired up. T.K. and Kari are close, Mimi considers herself Chiriko's protector, and Daigo and Kira are always calling Mewt their triplet. Quatre and I have always sort of liked how close our kids are, and Trowa and Heero just seem to think it's funny for some reason.
Our advanced English teacher is Heero's best friend and Meiran's husband, Wufei Chang. Wufei's a very serious, proper, uptight sort of guy, but it comes with being raised as the prince of China. His older sister Nataku took the throne, but that didn't stop him into turning into an arrogant snob. Well, to be fair, he's calmed down a lot since working at Everwood; he rules the spitball battles in his classroom. He and Meiran have their own hefty brood: my brother Nagi's husband Shaoran, who they adopted years ago, Laguna - the current emperor of China, Lee and Meilin (Lee runs a night club and is his mother's baby boy, while Meilin is Daddy's little girl except that she loves to dance, and currently works as a uh, 'exotic' dancer in her brother's club, which Wufei ain't so thrilled about), Tasuki - my Chiriko's husband since childhood, Plex and Platina, the twin street kids they adopted who happen to be friends of my Haru, and *their* trio, Hagi, Ethan, and Jing. Their Trio combined with Quatre and Trowa's trio, and our last quartet to make one big group of trouble. They're talking about space ships lately too, and it's starting to worry me ...
Beginning English is taught by Roy Mustang, who's sort of new around here. He wasn't exactly a family friend when he started, but he's taken a huge load of Wufei, who used to be our *only* English teacher. He's a funny guy who keeps things organized and under control. I'm not sure, but I think he may have something going on with one of the graduating students, Edward Elric. He's the only person Ed really listens to besides his baby brother Alphonse, but since Ed's just barely over age now, no one's really been eager to bring it up.
My dad Kenshin teaches our self-defense classes, with help from Aya Fujitaka. (Younger brother of Aki, son of Fujitaka and Julie ... yeah, more relatives. Plus Aki and Aya have a younger brother, Gojyo, who's still a student.) Dad's pretty traditional about his classes - he still teaches swordwork with a katana, and Aya only encourages him. But they do provide a safe, healthy outlet for some of our kids who need to work out their aggressions. Plus the kids only see Dad as a big goofball except for when he's teaching, so they absolutely adore him. And while Aya's sort of scary and kinda intimidating, the street kids who come here all respect him enough to stay in line when he's around.
Advanced Physics is a class we just added recently. It's run by Gohan Son, Heero's cousin. Gohan's a nice, friendly guy outside of class, but from what the students whisper apparently he makes Nakago look like a saint during lessons. He doesn't take any crap, and he only let the best students take his course.
"Gohan is *not* that strict," Heero grumbled beside him.
Duo raised his eyebrows at him. "You asked any of his students that lately?"
Heero's a little biased, considering Gohan *is* his cousin. Their dads, Goku and Vegeta, live in the middle of nowhere in Japan about twenty miles from each other, so all six kids between them grew up together. Trowa and Gohan have always been buddies, and Goten is best friends with Gohan's younger brother, Trunks. Incidentally, Trunks married *my* cousin Raven - one of Quatre's sisters. There's also Bra, Gohan and Trunks' younger sister, but she doesn't keep in touch all that much, so I really don't know her too well.
Another addition to our lovely staff is Yukito, and his occasionally visiting daughter Sakura. Yukito is the Sano of the cooking world. Anything he makes is amazing, like, BEST FOOD EVER beyond words amazing. He's also an expert on nutrition, which is handy, and serves the masses himself when we come through for meals so he can make sure everyone's getting enough to eat. He's kind of a motherhen that way, but he's so sweet and adorable no one cares. Sakura's even sweeter, if that's possible, and rules the dessert world opposite her father. She's charming and adorable, just like her daddy, and her father Touya spoils her *and* Yukito rotten.
"Duo?"
"Hmm?" he asked distractedly, tapping his chin with his pen again.
"You do know that you only have ten more minutes to eat before lunch is over, right?"
He paused. "What?!"
He shot a glare down at his watch. "Son of a - " Scribbling hurriedly, he added some more notes of things to finish before proceeding to inhale his entire platter of food.
Beside him, Heero closed his eyes in disgust. "You are so lucky I love you," he muttered.
****
Zechs-language
Haruka-driver's ed
Haruto-Beginning Science Health
Kazumi-algebra
Burn-electronics
Keith-World History
Hono-music/art
Suboshi-P.E.
Dark Snider-World History
Treize-chemisty
Yoko-beginning math
Michiru-science
D/Yukito-cook
Duo stared down at the old notebook, and the unfinished notes under the only entry. He'd forgotten about it for so long it wasn't even accurate anymore. The book itself had yellowed with age, and his handwritting was barely legible - not that it had been completely perfect to begin with.
Bouncing the baby in his lap almost absently as Jason giggled, he reached out with a fingertip, tracing a rune on the book. It glowed faintly, and slowly began to mend itself until it looked brand new again. The faded ink from his entry was bold again, and the pages crisp and white.
Picking up a pen, he carefully crossed out the names Zechs and Treize from the notes he'd left himself, blinking rapidly for a moment. They weren't gone anymore, but they'd changed so much that even though they were still his friends, things just weren't the same. It was weird trying to make conversation with someone a good twenty years younger than you, no matter how many lives you'd lived together.
Jason began to fuss at the lack of attention, and he bent down to kiss his son's head, closing his eyes.
Eventually he picked up the pen again.
Life goes on, as it always does. My family has grown and shrunk all at once. I lost two of my best friends and several students in a fight that never should have happened, my grandparents to a curse my own children were forced to break, lost my brother to a senseless death, and gained them all back again through the wonders of reincarnation and Fate and Death's ... 'blessings' so to speak. Not that either of them would really call it that.
All of them but Nagi, anyway.
He closed his eyes again, feeling the burn of tears. Nagi was dead, but he *would* return. Eventually. Death had promised. It just wasn't going to happen as fast as they'd hoped. His brother would be back.
He would.
He took a deep breath, reaching up to stroke Jason's hair for a moment and leaning over to check the basinet to see that Alana was still sleeping peacefully. Jason cooed and Alana snored faintly in that cute way babies did, and he smiled as he grabbed the pen to write more.
I was wrong when I prayed that Ayume would remain the youngest of my kids as I usually am, and I'm so greatful for that. Several years ago Heero and I had another set, Aram, Rinda, Kage, and Aori. Aram and Kage are identical twins and opposites in a lot of ways. Aram is sweet, caring, and makes friends easily, while Kage is snarky, cynical, and gets into lots of trouble. The one thing they do share in common is how protective they are of each other and their family. Rinda's my adorable bundle of energy who loves gymnastics. And Aori's my quiet, sleepy little girl with a mind just as brillant as Heero's, who could really care less about anything that doesn't keep her interest. The four of them are struggling to make it through high school without getting expelled (again) and figure themselves out along the way, like all teenagers do.
While he's not exactly my son, they have a 'fifth quadruplet' they've adopted, although he's really their cousin. Uh ... third cousin, I think? Or is it second? Anyway, He's *my* cousin Quatre's grandson, through his daughter Winry and her boyfriend Dean Winchester - one of our students. (Yeah, that story was about as fun as it sounds.) Johnny is trouble and a Winchester/Himura, which is basically two cursed families combined into one con-artist child from hell. He's adorable and funny, and my kids love him like one of their own.
After losing Nagi, I thought I was going to lose part of myself. He's ... well, he's my brother, you know? We weren't even technically related, but he's still like a triplet to me and Nuriko. It hurts knowing he's not here now. I tell myself he'll be back, but it just isn't the same.
I've learned a lot the last few years. And I've learned that I don't really like the person I was without Heero in my life. But losing Nagi brought me two precious gifts that I really shouldn't have had, and I'm so grateful that they're here. My babies, Jason and Alana. Kids from a life I don't remember, from a life without Heero. A life where I was just your average jerk who barely cared about my kids, married to some blond bimbo.
And now ... Now I'm married to a man that drives me crazy and gives me heart attacks every few months with some of the stupid stunts he pulls. But he gave me a family. He loves me so much it hurts, and I'll never, *EVER* not want him in my life. He gave me twenty-six beautiful children who drive me almost as insane as he does, and I adore each and every one of them. He gave me in-laws who frequently worry me are going to end up destroying a planet, if not themselves one of these days. Again.
He's Heero. He's crazy, obsessed with guns and machines and math, a genius, a loving father and husband, and just ... Heero. He's perfect. Not the Perfect Soldier, not now. Just ...
Perfect.
I told Nuriko a few years back that I'd lost this notebook or forgot about it or something. I don't even remember what I said now. I think he got annoyed with me, but that's nothing new. Comes with being *my* brother, after all. I have a certain 'gift' for being annoying.
But I'm glad he made me write it.
I miss you, Nagi. Come back soon, okay big brother?
I love you, Kari. I love you, Yuki. I love you, Hono. I love you, Chiriko. I love you, Rei. I love you, Hotoku. I love you, Subaru. I love you, Shinji. I love you, Daigo. I love you, Kira. I love you, Haru. I love you, Luke. I love you, Erin. I love you, Torao. I love you, Toby. I love you, Messiah. I love you, Yuma. I love you, Mello. I love you, Ayume. I love you, Aram. I love you, Rinda. I love you, Kage. I love you, Aori. I love you, Jason. I love you, Alana. I'm proud of you.
I love you, Mom. I'm so proud to be your son.
I love you, Dad. Thank you for being you. Thank you for making me so much like you.
I love you, Nuriko, Makoto, Squall, Alex, Rei. You drive me crazy. I'll always protect you.
I love you school. I love you friends. I love you students. Thank you for making life interesting. Thank you for giving me a purpose. Thank you for giving me a home.
I love you, Heero. Thank you for giving me *you*.
Ti amerò per sempre.
Daisuki, Heero. Aishiteru, Hee-chan. Zuutto.
愛してる
-(Mate Shiny)-
Duo smiled at the Dragon runes beneath everything. That, more than anything, seemed to sum up how he felt.
Being immortal was hard. Not being human was harder. And being a Time Dragon was impossible.
But all of it, every moment, every pain, every complication and frustration, was worth it. It always would be.
He closed the notebook and tucked it back in the drawer he'd found it in. Looking down at his snoozing son in his arm, he smiled. "Time for bed, kiddo," he murmured, kissing Jason's head again.
****
Years later, when he stumbled across the notebook again, he stared at the familiar handwriting at the bottom of his entry, and smiled.
Aishiteru, Duo. Zuutto.
愛してる
Wo ai ni.
我 爱 你
你 让 我 开 心
-(Mate Shiny)-
I love you, Duo.