Gundam Wing/AC 1. Chapter 1

Love and Music: Chapter One

Ah, yes it was wonderful to be a senior. Duo Maxwell sighed quietly as he shifted more comfortably in the plush bus seat, the accompanying seat beside him devoid of another human body, but that of a large duffel bag stuffed to the zipper with CDs and magazines. His headphones of a recently purchased MP3 player nestled on the crown of his chestnut head, almost invisible due to his long bangs. He sighed contentedly again as the quiet strains of the Chinese ehru danced in his ears. To Duo, music was the elixir of life. It could energize or calm, anger or inspire, make one joyful or sad. Yes, music too was a wonderful thing. The huge caravan bus was half-filled with high school seniors of Cinqwing Academy and he was looking forward to the long trip to Florida in relative peace. That peace was momentarily shattered as the girl sitting in front of Duo suddenly turned in her seat, throwing her arms over the back, hugging as though it were her best friend. She silently smiled and waited patiently for Duo to unwillingly removed one side of his headphones in order to hear her.

"Still being antisocial, Maxwell?," she teased in her soft voice.

"Define antisocial, Peacecraft," responded Duo, but he too smiled after a moment. He didn't mind so much being interrupted by Relena Peacecraft. At first, she had only been the rich girlfriend of his best friend, but now she was the rich girlfriend of his best friend who loved music almost as much as Duo. Most people only had interest in only one or two types of music with maybe a passing interest in a third, but Duo's range and taste ran across the board and it was rare that he came upon someone else with similar tastes. Relena was one of the rare ones.

"You should really talk with us, join the conversation," Relena was saying. "Trowa is giving a wonderful lecture on how much sun would be enough for us each day, with or without sunscreen."

Duo sweatdropped. "I think I'll pass on that one. Maybe when his mouth gets tired, I'll see what's going on. He can't possibly talk all the way to Orlando."

"You never know. He just might meet someone from the other school who can match his big mouth."

One brow arched curiously. "Other school? What other school?"

Relena looked surprised. "Didn't you know? Oh, that's right. You never did make it to the meeting that morning. Quatre was telling us that another school would be joining us and that we'd be with them the entire week. Apparently we have the same itinerary as they do. It's another private school. McWoodan, actually."

Duo snorted inwardly. McWoodan. Great. A bunch of snobs. Just more of what this bus needs. "Well, McWoodan," he said sarcastically, "can have the front. I'll be back here if anyone needs me." With that, he adjusted his headphones, turned up the volume and closed his eyes.

He opened those same cobalt blue orbs to the discordant sound of loud laughter and people talking all at once, disrupting his nap and his music. He scowled at the sight of McWoodan Academy students eagerly picking seats and seat partners. More specifically, many it seemed were clamoring for the attention of one girl in particular and if not able to gain it, they scrambled for nearby seats around her.

"Tierra! Tierra!," they called out. "Who are you sitting with? Come sit here!"

The girl, Tierra, was smiling, more to herself than anyone else, Duo noticed. Actually, it was more of a smug grin as she instructed one young man on where to place her bags.

"Put them over there with Sy," she commanded in a haughty voice, tossing shoulder length dark hair back from her eyes. The boy called Sy grinned as though he had won something as Tierra slinked her way to him after her "helper" had put her bags down. Duo noticed she never thanked him, didn't even acknowledge him afterwards. He rolled his eyes. Only at McWoodan…., he thought. He scanned the group, all still chattering away with Tierra at the center….all save a few. A small group settled themselves nearer to Cinqwing and several of Duo's friends. Three girls in particular seemed to want nothing to do with the McWoodan group as they talked amongst themselves. They sat together, two in back, one in front. The one in front sat with her back to the McWoodan students as she looked out the opposite window, her profile ignoring the Tierra-based raucous. Her long black hair hung down one side of her pretty face, golden brown complexion like honey with dark almond shaped intelligent eyes, small nose and full lips. He found himself staring, but he was soon jarred from his thoughts by a rather grating and whiny voice calling out.

"Kalial! Kalial!," it drawled out. "Don't you hear me talkin' to ya?"

The raven haired girl turned, sighing and removing an earbud as she did. Duo's brows raised.

"Sorry, Tierra," came the tight and weary sounding voice. "What is it?"

Tierra rolled hazel eyes. "I said, did you pack the stuff I need to sing? Everybody wants to hear me sing."

"You saw me put the whistle in this morning."

"Don't get smart with me." Tierra sucked her teeth, shifting her eyes to the others slyly. "I don't deserve it."

"Yeah, Ka', come on," joined in Sy. "Give your sister a break."

Sisters? These two? Duo's inquisitive eyes darted back and forth between Tierra and Kalial. Tierra was no doubt pretty, wide eyes hazel in color, small nose, her own dark hair shot through with streaks of red, a sensuous mouth with pearl white teeth. She sat, crossed legs in the aisle of the bus, dressed in dark glittery denim and a hot pink shirt that read "Baby" in silver sparkles. It was Kalial, however, who drew Duo's attention. Like her sister, she too was pretty, but in a different way. Where Tierra was flashy in bright colors, too much jewelry and popping gum, Kalial was more subdued, quiet, a gentle beauty with hair of soft ebony waves, reaching past her shoulders, high forehead, those black eyes hard. She shared her sister's nose and mouth, but that was probably all they shared. Kalial wore a teal ¾ sleeved blouse with black slacks, no jewelry save for a simply diamond necklace. Duo was confused. It was obvious to him who should be surrounded by friends…so why was Kalial getting such dirty looks?

Tierra popped her gum loudly as she noticed the second group of high schoolers on the bus. She sighed just as loudly. "God!," she exclaimed. "Why we gotta share a bus with a bunch of lames?"

Cinqwing students turned and eyed the brash young speaker, disdain clear in their eyes and Duo saw her falter slightly, but then her friends laughed rudely and chimed in with their own remarks about the "lames". Tierra sat up straighter then, the confidence back on her face. Duo was horrified at the girl's behavior.

"Who is that awful girl?," came a quiet comment from behind him.

"I don't know, Dorothy," responded another. "Just ignore them. It's only McWoodan."

He noticed how Kalial silently turned her back to her school once again. He didn't realize he was staring again until sharp dark eyes met his. He started, she didn't. Instead she smiled softly and lifted a hand in a friendly wave. His surprise disappearing, he smiled back. He thought about getting out of his seat and going over, talking to her, hearing what her voice sounded like, but then she said something to her friends and slid down in her seat, disappearing from view. _Maybe later_, he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After a while, Duo became restless. It hadn't been a full hour since picking up McWoodan, but he was already bored. He looked over at the young Chinese boy sitting across from him, silently reading a thick book, eyeglasses perched on his nose.

"Hey, Wufei! I'm lonely! Keep me company until the end!," he teased.

Chang Wufei gave him a sideways glance and just shook his head. Duo laughed.

"Just joking, guy. Any cds I can borrow?"

The boy sighed without looking up. "Why don't you read for once, Duo? Ii wouldn't kill you to pick up a book."

"You never know, now do you or don't you?" THe scowl on Duo's face dissolved into a grin as he was handed a large CD holder. "'Preciate it."

"I'm sure."

As Duo flipped through the massive collection, he failed to notice the slender young woman in blue he had been watching before standing in the aisle next to him.

"**That** is a very good book."

His head shot up at the sound of her voice. Kalial was smiling down at Chang, who was staring almost agog. "You know this book?," he asked.

"Oh sure." She laughed quietly. "I've read this more than a couple of times. It's my favorite." Her face held tenderness as her eyes scanned the pages. "Very moving even if it was fictional. How are you finding it?"

Duo had never read the book, but he could see Chang was impressed and it took a lot to impress Chang Wufei. "Would you care to sit down? This could take a while."

Holding out one hand, he gently assisted Kalial into the seat while he himself scooted over to the empty seat next to the window. Already a small smile was forming on his usually serious face. "I do like it so far. I've been trying to get some commentary on it, but no one I spoke to had read it. It's difficult at some parts, but overall it's quite an interesting read."

They began to discuss the matter animatedly, too animatedly for Duo's taste. He wasn't a book person, only reading when it was required. He would rather listen to a book on Itunes than actually pick one up. Turning back to his music, he lowered the volume so he could still hear Kalial's voice.

"May I ask you something? And please don't think me rude," he heard her say.

"Go ahead."

"Are you Chinese?"

Black eyes widened along with Duo's. Not many could differentiate one Asian from another, thus lumping them all together. "Why yes, I am actually."

Kalial smiled. "Ni hao."

Chang snatched off his glasses hurriedly. "You speak Chinese?"

His voice raised loud enough to alert the rest of Duo's friends, including Kalial's. The two girls shifted in their seats and turned, one a dark mahogany skinned girl, the other a light toast. Both were very lovely in Duo's eyes, but Kalial had his attention. A blonde haired boy popped his head over the seats in front of Chang, questions in his bright blue eyes. Another boy sitting next to him, his brown hair styled straight and long over one side of his face, suddenly turned around completely to look into Kalial's face. Duo saw Relena peering over her own seat, curious at to what was going on.

"I'm not fluent, I'm afraid," Kalial told Chang, fully aware of her new audience and giving a nervous smile. "I haven't had as many lessons as I would have liked before meeting you."

Chang's face softened as she spoke. "Ni jiao shen me ming zi?"

"Wo shi Kalial Morgan."

The response came so quickly Duo thought she was just being modest when she said she wasn't fluent. "Wow. You're good," he broke in.

Dark eyes focused on purple and he felt a tug at his heart. "Thank you," she replied. She took him in fully as she smiled. "May I ask your name?" Wow_, Southchester does have some very cute guys, _she thought.

"Maxwell Church, but you can call me Duo."

"It's very nice to meet you, Duo, and…..?" She turned to Wufei.

"Wufei. Chang Wufei." Then he did something Duo had never seen him do. He took one of Kalial's hands in his and held it gently, kindly, as though she were a friend instead of someone he just met. "Wo hen gao xing neng gou ren shi ni."

Kalial's brows furrowed as she attempted to translate in her head. "I told you that I wasn't very good at it yet, but I know someone who is." She leaned into the aisle. "Hey, Lei! Come here!"

The toast complexioned girl popped her head over the seat. "What's up, Ka'?"

"Come here for a minute. I have someone you need to meet. Kaelyn sleeping?"

The girl looked down. "Knocked out already. Hold on. Here I come."

She seemed to be stepping over something before coming out into the aisle and headed towards them. Dressed in the bohemian style with a flowing pecan colored skirt, fitted tank, braided sandals and bangles everywhere, the almond shaped eyed girl flopped down in the empty seat beside Duo, the only available seat there was. "Greetings, greetings," she said genially with a wave to everyone. "I'm Lei."

"Lei, this is Wufei. I told him I was still working on my Chinese and there was something he said that I didn't catch. Care to translate?" She turned to Wufei to explain. "Lei is half-Chinese. She's really my tutor when you get down to it."

Wufei looked over at Lei, intrigue all over his face. "Oh, ok. Well, what I said was 'Wo he gao xing neng gou ren shi ni'."

Lei looked at Kalial and rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Ka'. That's basic. He said it was nice to meet you. Don't you remember anything, girl?"

Kalial laughed. "I try." Glancing up at Duo, she smiled. "It's nice to meet you both."

Duo smiled back, a blush reaching his cheeks. _What a pretty girl_, he thought. "Oh, uh, hey, why don't you meet the rest of the gang," he suddenly said. "This is Trowa." The brown haired boy gave both girls studious looks similar to Wufei's and didn't smile, but wasn't deterred from extending a hand to them. Duo rolled his eyes as he watched Trowa continue to study both of them. "That's Quatre." The blonde was more responsive.

"Duo was right. You are good, both of you," he said brightly. "Do you speak any other languages?"

"She's the language freak," said Lei, gesturing to Kalial. "Wants to be a translator for the UN one day. I just speak Chinese."

"Well, I'm working on the Chinese," said Kalial, nudging her friend good naturedly. "But I do speak Japanese much better. I'm also working on Italian, Spanish, Russian and French. I would definitely like to study more."

"Have you thought about Arabic?"

"Yes, but unfortunately, there's not much I can do with it. There's really no one around to teach that." Kalial sighed. "It sounds so interesting, too. Hard, but interesting." She looked back into sea blue eyes. "Do you know of anyone who could teach me?"

Those bright eyes shone like diamonds. "I would be happy to teach you."

Kalial looked shocked as she realized what Quatre just said. "You? You would teach me?"

"Why wouldn't he?," Trowa finally spoke up. "He is Arabian. It makes sense, doesn't it?"

He sat, turned in his seat, legs and arms crossed, eyes closed as he spoke in his usual abrupt manner, his hair hanging in his face. Kalial and Lei looked at him and Lei narrowed her eyes.

"Hey, chill out, love. She didn't realize it, that's all. Ease up, baby."

Trowa's eyes snapped open, caught off guard by the endearments. His cheeks reddened slightly and he looked away. Duo would have liked to have bitten Trowa's head off for trying to embarrass Kalial, but he decided to ignore his friend and engage the lovely girl in conversation.

"So you're into languages, hm?"

Kalial grinned at him. "Lei, switch." In an instant, she was at his side. "Yes I am. I find them fascinating." Looking over her shoulder to check on Lei, she saw that her friend and Wufei were engaged in conversation, in Chinese from the sound of it. She smiled. _She'll be_ _fine. She always is_. Focusing on Duo, she leaned back in the seat. "You're all very sweet. Is all of Southchester like you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Love and Music: Chapter 3

"Southchester?" Duo was confused.

"Yes. This is Southchester, right? We were told that we were sharing the senior trip with Southchester High."

"You were." Heads turned to look at Quatre curiously. "I think that originally you and Southchester were going together, same itinerary and all that, but there was a change. We're Cinqwing Academy."

"Oh!" Kalial was pleasantly surprised. "I've always wondered about your school. Me and my friends ended missing the basketball games against you."

"What, you don't like basketball?," spoke up a new voice. Another brown haired boy with his much shorter than Trowa's looked over his shoulder at Kalial. A blonde was in his lap, looking over at them and very comfortable from the looks of it, but with a friendly smile on her face.

"Basketball? Well, I…I mean, we like it well enough, but we were always caught up with-"

"Kalial!"

Tierra's grating voice cut through Kalial's response like a knife. "Come back up here. They want me to sing."

"Could you do that later?" The short haired boy gave Tierra a cold Prussian blue stare. "We are in the middle of a conversation."

Tierra gasped in shock as others looked to her to see how she would reply. "No one was talking to you, lame," she finally sputtered. "I was talking to my sister. Kalial! The whistle!"

Duo wanted to curse the girl for acting so childishly and he had no doubt that the rest of his friends felt the same judging by their expressions of disgust, but his thoughts were momentarily halted by Kalial's rising.

"Please excuse me," she said quietly, eyes on Tierra. "Just for a moment."

"Ka',no," pleased Lei, grabbing her wrist. "She does this all the time. Would you ignore her for once?"

"You and I both know how loud she can be if she doesn't get her way," Kalial whispered. "It's easier this way sometimes."

Lei was displeased, but said nothing more. Duo, having heard the exchange, reached out gently. "Come back when you're finished," he offered. "I want to talk some more. I mean, I would like to talk some more."

Her smile gladdened him. "Me too. Thank you. I'll be back, Duo."

She went back to her seat, rummaging in her bags while ignoring whines and pleas for her to hurry up. Finally she stopped, holding what Duo recognized as a penny whistle, an Irish instrument that Duo had last heard playing in accompaniment with Charlotte Church. _This should be interesting_, he thought. _Not too many people I know can play one of those_. He wasn't disappointed.

The first notes were clear and sharp, high pitched and with a sound that memorized anyone listening. He nearly missed Tierra's singing as he stared and watched Kalial play. Her dark eyes were closed as she played, sitting perfectly still as she focused. Looking around, however, Duo noticed most of the McWoodan students and a few of Cinqwing too with their eyes on Tierra as her soprano rose and fell expertly. She sang with her hands on her heart, shamelessly flirting with Sy to the lyrics. _She's a good actress_, he thought disinterestedly. He tapped his best friend on the shoulder.

"I don't get it, Heero," he said in a low voice. "If they're sisters, why be treated so…badly and not do anything?"

Heero smirked. It was just like Duo to whine about something he hadn't taken the time to understand yet. Heero watched Kalial carefully. He too had heard the whispers between her and Lei and wondered if the obviously more mature sister had had enough of trying to work with Tierra and play along until better circumstances, i.e college, came to her. He gave his friend no answer, deciding to wait for more information, more scenes to be played out between sisters. Relena was dozing softly in his lap, as she was lulled to sleep by the peaceful sounds of the whistle, his fingers interlaced in her honey blonde tresses. He wasn't too surprised when she spoke.

"Don't worry about it, Heero. I'll help you out."

His smirk changed to a softer genuine smile and he took more of her hair possessively. Heero suddenly became aware that the music and the singing had stopped. McWoodan was now cheering madly, clapping loudly, stomping hard.

"Tierra, you can really sing, girl!"

"That was great, really, for real!"

"Will you sing again later?"

Duo sniffed unbelievingly. No comments for Kalial? No words of appreciation or thanks, not even from her own sister after all that screeching she did? He watched Kalial silently put her whistle away, then turned to her sister. Tierra acknowledged her with a smug grin on her haughty face, and then looked away to chat with Sy. Sy glanced back at Kalial who gave him a slightly disgusted look as she looked on.

"Hey, Kalial."

She swung around, dark hair flying as dark eyes found amethyst. Duo's kind smile froze her for a moment and she stared, having been lost in her own thoughts for a moment, then she began to notice how handsome he was with those deep purple eyes, fair skin, beautiful brown hair long and braided and white white teeth. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at him. _So cute…._

"You did a great job playing. I really enjoyed listening to you."

"Really? That's very kind of you, Duo, thank you."

Without looking down, Duo shoved his bag under the seat in front of him, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "Come on back here. Sit with me."

She wasted no time in doing so, smiling just as big and trying to maintain a lady's grace.

"Hello," she said as she sat down.

"Hello." He couldn't stop thinking how beautiful she was, the color of a lioness with tawny brown skin and those eyes, large and rimmed with thick lashes. He noticed that they weren't black at all like he first thought, instead they were a deep rich chocolate brown. They focused on him so intently he was in danger of losing himself in their warm depths and staying there forever. "You have gorgeous eyes."

The comment was out of his mouth before he knew it, but he didn't regret it. She looked down shyly at his words. "You have beautiful hair."

The red tinted his cheeks as he scratched his head sheepishly. "Thanks." He searched for something else to say. "You know, it's really cool that you speak Chinese. Chang's been trying to teach me, but I don't have a knack for it."

"Oh, don't say that. Maybe it's just the language." Kalial looked over at Wufei who was back in conversation with Lei. "No offense, Wufei."

"None taken."

Kalial turned back to Duo. "What I mean is you could probably speak another language quite well, you just have to figure out which one it is. Take my friend, Kaelyn, for example." She looked over in the direction of her seat. "She's still asleep, but she started out taking Spanish, you know, like a lot of people, but does better in Russian now since she switched."

"Oh, well, I see. I never thought of it that way. Maybe…you could teach me sometime?"

"Me? Teach a language?" She looked unsure. "I don't know, Duo. I'm still learning myself. I'm not that good at some, not as good as I'd like to be."

Duo frowned. Where did her confidence, that sparkle, go to so quickly? "I don't care what you teach me," he suddenly said. "Just as long as you're here."

Kalial stared. _What a beautiful man_, she thought. _Inside and out._ "Are you always so….kind?"

Her words nagged him. "Shouldn't I be?," he asked quietly. "You're an obviously intelligent woman with many talents. On top of that, you're gorgeous. People should be kind to you, Kalial. Why not get back what you give yourself?"

By the look on her face, he could tell the information, while not new, was refreshing to hear. She looked towards the front, towards her sister, towards Sy, and then sat back. "Why,Duo….I do believe you've made me speechless."

"I hope not," he teased. "I'm still waiting to hear all about you."

She laughed and for the remainder of the bus ride to Florida, they talked.


	4. Chapter 4

Love and Music: Chapter 4

Arriving in Florida at the hotel, Duo did his best to stay at Kalial's side. McWoodan students seemed enthralled with Tierra, all the girls doing their best to room with her. He watched Kalial as females streamed past her and her friends….A flash of anger? Pity? But then she turned and smiled at him, thanking him for helping with her bags. Kaelyn had finally woken up and greeted him, a mocha complexioned girl with dainty glasses perched on her baby face. She looked so young, yet her eyes seemed to hold so much wisdom. She was small, petite, smaller than Kalial, dressed casually in jeans and a shirtdress, with a big smile and friendly greeting for all, including Trowa. Duo thought he saw an interested look come across his friend's face, but wondered if he imagined it.

"Alright," said Lei. "Room assignments. I got 4B."

"Me too," said Kaelyn.

"Oh wait, you're kidding. I got 6B." Kalial looked shocked as she read her assignment paper. "That can't be right."

"You're with us?"

The small group turned to see three senior girls staring at Kalial in disbelief. "I thought Tierra was rooming with us, not you."

"Hey, Sara, put a sock in it, will you?," Lei snorted. "You were always the tactless wonder, weren't you?"

Sara and the other girls actually looked miffed that Kalial, not Tierra, would be their companion, making Duo furious.

"You know, Kalial, I don't think Relena's room is full. Her dad put her up in one of the nicer suites on the upper levels. Why don't you stay with her?"

"Do you really think she'd let me?," asked Kalial, amazed and stunned at the offer as the other girls stopped and stared. The upper levels meant bigger rooms and much better service for those who were willing and could pay.

"I didn't know Southchester could afford such extravagance," said Sara.

"We're not Southchester. We're Cinqwing," Quatre corrected her.

The revelation left the girls speechless and they raced off to tell the others. Duo could only imagine what they were saying. "It's Cinqwing, the school with the rich kids! The really rich kids!" He shook his head. What problems would arise now that everyone knew who they were?

"Kalial, I don't mind at all if you come with me," spoke up Relena as she walked to Kalial's side. "I would be delighted if you would. All of you could really."

Lei and Kaelyn exchanged glances. "Lei and I will be fine where we are," said Kaelyn. "We'll be by to visit though."

"Are you sure?," asked Kalial.

"Girl, we're alright," scoffed Lei. She flipped her hands dismissively. "Don't worry about us. Worry about yourself."

Confused at her friend's words, but trying to find the meaning, Kalial smiled at Relena. "Alright. We're roommates now, I guess."

"Wonderful. And you'll be happy to know that some of Cinqwing is on that floor with me, Duo and Wufei included. Here. Hand me a bag."

Later, sitting on the balcony of Relena's suite overlooking the city as the sun set, Kalial finally felt content. She sighed while sipping cold bottled water, wondering what to wear to dinner. McWoodan and Cinqwing would eat together in the hotel dining room for this first night to hopefully acquaint themselves with one another more. _I wonder what_ _Duo's favorite color is_, she thought, discarding clothing options as she mentally and physically went through her suitcase. _Maybe purple….oh, I could wear that dress I bought a while ago….it matches his eyes._ She smiled as she thought about the boy with the braided hair, his dazzling smile, his charm, his laughter, his gentleness. _It's been a while since I_ _felt interested in anyone since….._ Kalial shook her head. _Nope. Won't revisit that memory. _Holding up the slender cut, off the shoulder dress to her in the mirror, she turned this way and that, momentarily losing herself in simple daydreams of Duo telling how beautiful she was tonight, how gorgeous she was….of Sy apologizing….. _Get a grip,_ _Ka'_, she thought. _Not going to happen._

"What a lovely dress."

Kalial spun around. "Oh! Relena!"

The blonde girl grinned her apology. "I didn't mean to startle you. I just came back from seeing the boys. Somehow they've managed to cram themselves into two rooms, the five of them in rooms built for two each, can you believe it? Boys. I'll never understand them."

Kalial laughed with her. "You are dating the one named Heero, right? Such a strong name." She gave a shy glance over to the other girl. "It is nice to see such happiness between two people."

"Yes, either it's a romantic relationship or not, I think."

"What do you mean?"

Relena took her time collecting her thoughts after seeing the quick flash of pain in Kalial's eyes. Her gut told her the relationship between Tierra and Kalial was not how sisters should be and she could tell Kalial didn't want to talk about it. One took while the other gave, but there was something much deeper than that. One took out of obvious jealousy while the other gave out of pure love. It was startling to Relena to see such mannerisms in blood kin. Watching them on the motor coach, she waited, hoping for some sign of affection from Tierra because surely she cared about her sister, right? But the petite soprano did nothing remotely kind, not even thanking Kalial for providing her music. The blonde girl looked up at her roommate, choosing her words carefully.

"You and Tierra don't have a very close relationship, do you?"

"A close relationship? We….." Something in Relena's blue eyes made her stop. _She knew. They all did. And why wouldn't they? Tierra's so…. _Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "Tierra and I are sisters and sisters sometimes have a duty to each other. Tierra's just not the affectionate type, that's all. She's…she's just not that way."

_Nor is she the well mannered type_, thought Relena, but said nothing. She walked over to Kalial, smiling as she smoothed out wrinkles made by Kalial clutching the fabric in her suddenly tight fists. She noted the excuses Kalial made for her sister, but ignored them. _Perhaps when the time was right, she'll talk_.

"Yes, this is a lovely dress. You'll look so pretty in it. I've called Lei and Kaelyn to come up and spend time before dinner. Now, let's find some shoes for tonight."


	5. Chapter 5

Love and Music: Chapter 5

Kalial walked the quiet parking lot in anger, her heart constricting in rage and pain. Her dress of violet silk flounced around her slender legs, as she slowly paced, raven head down, barely seeing the ground through hazy tears.

"Oh, Kalial, what an ugly dress," she could still hear Tierra saying. "Why on earth would you buy such a thing?"

"I think it very pretty, Tierra," she had responded as calmly as possible, taking a seat at the table. She began to rethink her decision to sit with McWoodan tonight. She and her friends had thought to sit with Duo and his group when she caught sight of Sy's uncharacteristically sad face. Trying to squelch old feelings and reach out in a friendly manner, she told Kaelyn and Lei that she would sit with him tonight.

"Let me catch up with you after dinner?," she asked Duo. "Allow me to talk with a friend."

"Of course," Duo said gallantly, not quite understanding, but holding his tongue until Kalial saw fit to speak of things past.

Kalial noticed that Tierra sat between two other young men, laughing and flirting with them both, paying no heed to Sy. "Hello, Sy," she greeted warmly.

Sy had looked up in surprise at a smiling Kalial and smiled warily back. "Oh, hey," he replied, taking in her appearance. "Yeah, that's a cool dress. Nice on ya. Very nice."

"Thank you, Sy." Watching his countenance cloud over, she plunged forward. "Oh, have you made your decision about college next fall? I heard that you were struggling between three schools, is that true?"

"Who told you that?," he asked in alarm.

"Oh, you know," she laughed. "Word gets around quickly in McWoodan."

"Yeah, yeah, I guess it does." He glanced over at her, remembering. She didn't seem to be trying to start a fight, maybe she just wanted to talk. Liked she used to with him. "Yeah, the schools," he began slowly. Another glance, then he faced her fully. "I've been wanting to talk to someone about that."

She smiled. _Same old Sy, never asking for help until you nudge him a bit._ "Maybe I can help."

His eyes brightened. _Same old Kalial, always there._ "Great!"

And listen she did. Sy talked for most of the evening, airing his grievances, occupying Kalial's ear and her attention, neither one noticing Tierra's frequent glances, her attempts to garner Sy's own attention, or her anger steadily rising as he ignored her. Everyone within earshot, including Cinqwing, turned at the sudden sound of her voice.

"Just what do you think you're doing, Kalial? You better not be talking about me over there! Don't think I don't know, don't see what's going on!"

"What?" The confusion was evident on Kalial's face. "Tierra, what are you talking about? Sy-"

"Shut up! Shut up! Just go away!" Tears suddenly formed in Tierra's eyes as she found momentum, running away with her story and the fact that she had an audience. "You've always tried to come between me and my crushes! How could you! You're no sister!" Tierra's cries soon turned into wails as friends rushed to her side, giving Kalial angry glances on the way. Sy joined them, trying to calm her down as Tierra threw herself into his arms. Kalial turned to Lei and Kaelyn who were watching in shock, Lei with her head in her hands, fed up with the younger girl's theatrics. Kaelyn looked over to Kalial, just as confused as Lei at Tierra's outburst. Suddenly Kalial banged her fist hard upon the table, her patience run out. She stood up from the table quickly, walking out the door without a backwards glance. Duo rose from the table, ready to go after her, but Kaelyn grabbed his sleeve.

"Leave her. For just a moment, leave her be."

Now Kalial walked unsteadily, her mind in turmoil. towards her_I'm not a sister? How could that possibly be? What did I do that was so wrong? After what she's done, how can she say that to me?_ Kalial pressed her hands to her head, trying to stop the furious pounding as Tierra's words reverberated in her ears.** You're no sister!…..You're no sister!** She could feel her knees growing weak, no longer able to hold her up and she began to sink to the ground. She never made it. Strong arms caught her around the waist, refusing to let her fall.

"No," the deep voice rumbled. "Don't you dare lower yourself to the dirt. You are much better than that."

The dam burst then, the sob breaking from her throat. "Oh, Wufei," she moaned, leaning against him. "What did I do wrong?"

"You? You have done nothing wrong, Kun-liu. I have watched, we all have watched you and Tierra ever since meeting you and it is obvious that the fault lies not with you. Do not believe otherwise."

"I just don't understand. I don't understand at all. I love her so much, I do. She is my sister, the baby. I've tried to be there, to support her and her singing, through everything she's wanted to do." She turned to look at him, nearly breaking his heart with her torn expression although he kept his face blank. "Did I not give enough?"

He sighed as he led her back towards the hotel, one arm still around her waist, one hand in hers. Understanding was coming, the anger proved it, but she still wanted to believe in the younger girl. "No," he answered. "It seems that you gave too much."

He took her back to Relena's room, always watchful of Tierra or any other McWoodan student, but they saw no one. He suggested that she and her friends stay with Cinqwing for the rest of the trip. It was obvious that Lei and Kaelyn wanted nothing to do with their own school if it wasn't mandatory and Kalial needed time to think, needed time away from Tierra.

"You didn't eat very much at dinner," he observed. "That boy was talking so much, apparently about himself, that he didn't notice. Why don't you come with me and Lei?" He suddenly blushed as he realized what he said. Kalial smiled and he coughed nervously. "I mean, with the rest of us? Duo will be waiting. He said he would. We'll treat you to something."

"Oh, Wufei, that's kind, but you don't have to."

Wufei crossed his arms, looking stern in his clean white linen. "Change. Come with us."

She nodded quickly, seeing there was no room for argument with Chang Wufei.

"Coming."


	6. Chapter 6

Love and Music: Chapter 6

"Kalial!"

Upon seeing her approach with Wufei, Duo broke away from the group and rushed over, startling them both by taking her in his arms, but he didn't let go and she didn't protest. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Pleasantly surprised by such sincere affection, Kalial quickly assured him that nothing was wrong. "I'm…fine," she told him truthfully, happy to be near him again. "Everything is fine now."

"Good." Duo sighed. "From now on, you're staying with me….I mean, with us." The rest of the group joined them and it didn't escape Kalial's notice that her best friends were keeping mighty close to two particular members, Lei with Wufei and Kaelyn with Trowa. She raised an eyebrow at her bespectacled friend who just looked away with a shy smile. Duo crossed his arms as he laid down the law. "You just shouldn't be with people who don't care about you. I mean, really! People who act like that ought to be shot."

"I second that," chimed in Lei. Wufei nudged her in mock protest and she just shrugged her lean shoulders. "What? Trust me, if you knew her, you'd be right in line with me."

Wufei sighed. "Duo, don't be so melodramatic," he broke in. "You either," he admonished Lei. "Kun-liu knows we'll look after her. There's no need to shoot anyone."

Kalial looked over at the slight variation in her name. She was aware that Wufei had reverted to his native language when calling her Kun-liu, she just didn't know what it meant. Maybe she'd ask Lei later….if she wasn't busy with the man himself. Standing there by Duo's side, watching her friends interact with new, Lei teasing Wufei at getting a nickname of her own, Kaelyn sweetly pushing back Trowa's hair to look into his eyes, Relena and Heero nearby talking with Quatre, she felt safe, strong, whole, as though nothing or no one could touch her. _There is so much I don't know, that we don't know about these gentle people, and yet here they are willing to protect me. I must do all I can_ _for them. How strange_, she thought as she sneaked a peek over at Duo who caught her looking and winked, making her laugh. _Only this morning I would have gone to the ends_ _of the earth for Tierra….now everything feels...different, changed._ She smiled as she slipped one hand inside of Duo's and squeezed as the group headed back to the rooms. _I kinda like it._

"So? So? When do I get my own nickname?," teased Lei as she ran ahead of Wufei, then turned to face him while walking backwards. "Come on….surely you have a name for me."

"How about my little Ping?"

"My little duckweed? Get serious." Lei rolled her eyes. "I could always call you "Xiao gou". "

"Oh, I'm a puppy now?" Wufei flew at her, grabbing her at her sides and tickling her, causing her to shriek with laughter. The two tangled themselves in each other, not caring who decided to open doors or come around the corner. Soon they stopped, looking into each other's eyes silently, exchanging messages too deep to be expressed so soon. Wufei took her hand in his and led her outside to the hotel pool where they lounged together in an empty chaise.

"Lang-e."

She looked over at him, pleased that he gave her a name of her own, a name that only he would call her. "Xie xie." Studying him, she was inspired to do the same for him. "Wang-fu."

They smiled at each other, still not ready to exchange true thoughts and feelings, but knowing that they would once the time was right.

"Ni de fa xing hen piao liang."

"Really?" Lei touched her hair shyly. "You really think it looks beautiful?"

"I'm not going to lie to you."

Her arms wrapped around him and he held her tight. "Oh, Wang-fu, what am I going to do with you?," she said teasingly.

Kaelyn stood on the balcony of the room, looking out onto the city, brightly lit, trying to outshine the stars. Trowa watched her from the room, trying to figure out why his heart was pounding so hard. This girl, this quiet, unassuming, intelligent girl was interested in him and for all his own intelligence, he couldn't figure out why. He spent so much time in books or with Quatre that he sometimes forgot that there was another world beyond that. Wasn't Quatre always telling him to find something that interested him, something other than a thick book or trying to find a scathing remark? Kaelyn didn't seem to find his comments surprising in any way, not that any of them were directed at her, of course, Trowa would never say anything less than complimentary towards her. She turned towards him now, smiling in the soft light.

"Come join me?"

He got up, trying to hide his nervousness. Being close to her rattled him. They stood together in silence as he tried to strike up the nerve to talk with her.

"You know, I don't know what it is about you," she began. "I meet you and I can't seem to get it together." Kaelyn's eyes searched his. "Do you always have that affect on females?"

He had to laugh. "I wouldn't know. You're….you're the first to really talk to me on an intelligent level or without running away."

"Running away? Trowa, really. Unless you're making those biting remarks, I can't see why anyone would run away from you."

He heard the sarcasm mixed in with….something else, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Are you going to run?"

She looked at him dead-on. "Are you going to make me run?"

Trowa brushed the hair out of his eyes and shook his head. Kaelyn grinned and held out one hand. He clasped it hard as they continued to watch the city.


	7. Chapter 7

Love and Music: Chapter 7

Kalial spent two wonderful days with her new and old friends talking, laughing, sharing thoughts and ideas. She found good hearts in all of them, intelligence and a strength that she sometimes wished she had. She learned new things, different ways to view the world, situations, people, herself….and she found love. No matter what was going on or where they were, Duo was always at her side. They had late night conversations on the balcony of Duo's room, talking of small things while the others slept, making up for lost sleep themselves by napping side by side on the bus, hands clasped together as the combined groups made their way from place to scheduled place. Kalial also got a new best friend in Relena, receiving comfort and love in an almost sisterly fashion. Relena told her all about Milliardo, Relena's older brother, and how he was looking forward to meeting her once they returned home. For once in her life, Kalial Westkin could truthfully say that she was happy.

"Kalial?"

Duo knocked on the door of the suite lightly. It was late afternoon and he wanted to ask Kalial to dinner, just the two of them. Being around the group all day, he hadn't been able to talk with her like he wanted. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, so many things about her that he wanted to know. How did she get started in music? What else did she play? Did she sing too? Why was her sister such a bitch? He shook his head, determined not to let the thoughts of the younger invade on his time with the elder.

"Kalial?," he called again.

"Come in!"

Entering, he found her on the balcony, enjoying the light breeze. "Hey, Dbabe," she greeted him as he walked out to her.

"Hey yourself." He landed a light kiss on her forehead. "What are you doing out here? Where's Relena?"

"She went to make a call. The reception isn't that great in the room. She may have run into Heero since she's not back yet."

"Oh, alright. Hey, why don't we have dinner together, just you and me? I want to talk with you and with all the college stuff going on at home, I want to have as much time with you as possible."

Her eyes glowed. "Dinner sounds great. What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, let me learn all there is about you." Taking a seat across from her, he leaned over to take her hand. "Tell me about Kalial."

_About me? About what I've gone through, what's happened?_ She looked over at him, wondering how much to tell.

"Let's see, let's start off slowly. Born and raised back home pretty much, never really been anywhere else yet except out of state to visit family. I haven't had any big adventures so far, kind of been locked in my studies lately. Trying to get to the state university."

"What are you going to major in?"

"Psychology. I know Lei thinks I should be a translator with my language studies and all, but I really want to work with the younger crowd, help them with their issues, and listen when they need someone to do so. Something I didn't have much of growing up."

"Because of her?"

She plunged on. "Yeah. Tierra's really a junior, did you know that? A spoiled little girl really. We're both Daddy's girls, but when she wants something, she knows what buttons to press to get him to agree to whatever it is. When she found out about this trip and how it's for seniors only, I don't know what she did, but somehow, she managed to get him to talk the principal into letting her come." SHw was quiet for a moment. "Duo?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to be honest with you. It's because I like you and I want to explore things with you that I'm going to tell you some things that I've never told anyone save Lei and Kaelyn."

"Ok." He edged his chair closer; ready to get to the heart of Kalial's pain. "I like you too, Kalial, and I want to be there for you. You couldn't scare me off."

She laughed, and then her countenance went serious again. "When we were younger, growing up, we were really sisters then. I've always been into music; I even sang some back then. Tierra was the little sister and she wanted to do what Big Sister did, so she started singing too. When she found that she had a voice and a good voice, she started singing all the time. She started getting solos and entering talent competitions, winning, gaining a lot of attention. I stopped singing so much, not because I couldn't compete or because I didn't have a good voice, I think I do, but my love really lies with the instruments. I started playing piano, violin, the flute, was even able to find someone who knew the penny whistle. Tierra liked the attention, who wouldn't, but it did something to her, I think. She became self-absorbed, conceited, a bully to those who didn't have her talents, even at the music school we went to. People started complaining to me about it. I tried talking to her, but she didn't listen. By the time I was in my freshman year, she of course was still at the middle school and she didn't have too many real friends to be with." She sighed and took a breath, ready to bare all. Duo needed to know. If he was going to be with her, he needed to know everything. "Maybe that's why she decided to do what she did. A year without her hanging around all the time was….refreshing. I didn't have to listen to her whining and complaining, putting people down. I met Lei and Kaelyn, we shared the same homeroom. I met Sy then. I liked him, I was interested."

Duo watched her face, how it lightened for a moment, then darkened. _I was right_, he thought. _There was history between them_. For a moment, he felt jealous. Sy was a handsome boy, why wouldn't Kalial have been interested in him? Then it hit him. **Had been interested**, past tense. There was someone else in Kalial's life now, him, Maxwell Church, Duo to his friends. He gripped her hand harder, reminding her that he was still here. She gave him a small smile and continued.

"I had a crush on Sy, to say the least. I thought he was every girl's dream. Every girl in the ninth grade wanted a piece of him. When he started talking to me, showing interest in me, I thought things would be fine. Tierra followed me a year later and that's when things broke apart, at least for me. She took one look at Sy and that's all she wrote." The pain crept back into her voice. "Don't ask me how a sophomore and a freshman got together, but they did. With Sy being so popular and Tierra letting everyone know about her talent, McWoodan thought they were the golden couple. They were IT and I…..I was left behind. Students at McWoodan like being around the "shiny" ones, those that are so great at something that articles or stories of their feats of accomplishment are heard all over the city, that's just the way it is. Lei, Kaelyn and I….we don't get caught up in that. We try not to anyway. We have our own talents, we know that. Lei is going to be a fashion designer one day, I know it. Once she gets into Parsons, it's all over with." She laughed, remembering visiting Lei's room the first time and seeing all her sketches and the mannequin swathed in fabric. "Kaelyn's going into law, she said. I can see her doing that. It would be good to have a honest lawyer for once. Me, I'm going to be a counselor. I love languages, true, but…being where I've been, having no one to really talk to those first few years, I can just imagine what someone else is going through. Lei has an older sister whom she adores and the feeling is mutual, Kaelyn is an only child. They're sympathetic, but they don't understand completely." She looked at him then. "So now you know. You know that I love my sister, but I can't stand her ways. I wish she would change, but somehow I know she won't. My crush on Sy was just that….a crush and sometimes I call him friend. I hope you don't look at me differently now that I've gone and run my mouth."

"Differently? No, of course not. I see a beautiful strong woman in front of me and that won't change. I think talking like this only brings me closer to you and that's somewhere I want to be. I've been stuck with these guys for as long as I can remember and we'll always be friends and always be there for each other, but at some point we have to go our own ways. Chang's way may be with your friend, Lei, Trowa with Kaelyn. Relena and Heero go together, we already know that." He rolled his eyes playfully and she giggled. "Quatre will always be the voice of reason and come to think of it, he may be going into a field like yours when we graduate. He'd be good at it, all the listening he has to do with our whining. My way….my way is with you. That's how I want it to be. When I'm a famous jewelry designer, it'll be because you're my Muse, my inspiration." He reached behind him and pulled something out of his pocket. "I wanted to wait until it was complete, but I'll show you now." It was a sketch of a necklace, a choker, colored to show the different gems of agate and andalusite, the light and dark brown pieces harmonious together. "This is my very first piece that I designed alone. My family is in the jewelry business and sometimes I didn't think that's where I needed to be, but now I know. This proves it for me. Drawing this while I thought of you and your eyes proves it. This is going to be my first gift to you."

Kalial stared in wonder at the paper, utterly speechless by Duo's confession. When she looked at him again, her eyes were full of tears. He smiled and held out his arms. She flew into them, crying now, her heart full of joy. _Yes_, she thought, _I am truly happy. _


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Kalial!"

Kalial's heart froze at the sound of Tierra's voice. Cinqwing and Mcwooden had gone to the water park that day and Kalial had risen from sunning herself with Trowa, Kaelyn and Relena to get something to drink. She was at the concession stand when Tierra approached.

"There you are, come on, I need you," she said without saying hello or asking how she was after yelling at her the other night at dinner. No apology escaped her lips.

"You need me...," Kalial stated cautiously, warily. "What's wrong, Tierra?"

"Nothing," Tierra snapped, hands on her hips. "You just need to come to my room and give me backup music. Tonight at around eight. Just be there."

"Oh, I see." Kalial didn't look at her sister, turning away to receive her drink from the cashier and thanking him. Taking a slow sip, she faced Tierra again. "I...I'm sorry, Tierra...but I can't."

"What?" Tierra's voice was low, dangerous. "What do you mean, you can't?"

"I already have other plans. I said that I would be there and I mean to go. I...I can't be there for you tonight."

Dark eyes glared furiously at her as Tierra failed to comprehend her sister's refusal. "Whatever," she scoffed. "As if you really have plans with anybody. Just be at my room at eight. I swear, you can be so difficult."

Tierra turned and walked away, swishing her hips as she strolled off, confident that all eyes were on her. Kalial did not watch her leave, her own eyes staring down at her hands, watching them gradually blur. Her open palms, turned skyward, became wet with slow tears as the painful and finally unavoidable realization that Tierra was selfish and ungrateful washed over her. The hard part was understanding why. A gentle hand landed on her shoulder.

"You shouldn't cry."

Kalial sniffed loudly, reaching for a napkin holder. "I'm sorry, Trowa. It's just so...hard."

"To understand?" He smirked slightly. "We weren't meant to understand everything in this world. I thought you were smart enough to know that." He was only teasing, she heard it, but Kalial also thought that there was some truth to his words. "So your sister does not understanding the meaning of the words blood or kin or even love perhaps. Maybe...maybe it is best. Maybe it is better that you do not care."

"Trowa!" Kalial was shocked at that. "How can you say that? She is my-"

"Sister, yes, we know. We all know." Green eyes rolled slightly. "However, you know that her treatment of you is nowhere near sisterly. I know. I have a sister as well." Trowa turned to look at her as he leaned against the concession stand counter. He watched her profile silently, seeing the distress on her face and the torn look in her eyes. It was clear what he was saying was painful to hear, but it couldn't be helped. Truths hurt sometimes. "You will be fine," he told her quietly. "One way or another...you will be fine. Come. Let's go back to the others."


End file.

Gundam Wing/AC, Angst, Romance