"Don’t you just admire my ability?" -Duo Maxwell
"Here, hand me that ice pack..." Sally instructed, reaching towards it while holding a hand to her husband’s side. He groaned a bit, but remained unconscious, as she placed the ice on his broken ribs, trying to reduce the swelling of the hit he had received. I felt terrible. I had hurt him badly, all because I just wanted to find out about those damned Gundams! They had caused way too many problems for me...I started to wonder whether or not I should continue my search for the remaining pilots. Screw public school, I didn’t belong in the outer world. I caused too much pain. Too much suffering.
"Do you think he’s going to be alright?" I asked, eyes filling with tears as I stared down at the Chinese man, biting my lip. ‘Please be alright, please be alright, please...’
"Unh...Sally? Where’s Sarah-san?" You can’t understand how happy I was to hear those words. He grabbed his head, squinting, and stared up at us, mouth upturning when he saw me. Trying to sit up, he grimaced, reaching for his side and two broken ribs, only to be pushed back down by his wife.
"Stay there, you have broken ribs and are in no condition to be moving anytime soon." she commanded, eyes narrowing when he scowled at her. "Stay. Sarah, watch him, please. I have to go make a run to the store for some more ice packs and the right stuff to fix him up. He doesn’t move from this spot, okay? Bye." She started to leave, then turned back, adding, "And if he gives you any trouble, don’t hesitate to whack him one. Sometimes it’s the only way to knock some sense in his head."
Wufei watched his wife leave, muttering what sounded like, "Injustice..." every once in a while, then sat up against the wall, looking me over.
"Wait, she said..."
"I’m fine. I’ve had much worse."
I sat down, defeated. I already knew this man to be stubborn, and him not even listening to his wife about his own health confirmed my suspicions. Sighing, I looked at him, shirtless, and started to apologize. "Sempai, I’m really sorry about..."
"Don’t. I am proud of you. You beat me. You deserved to." He looked up at me, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face. "Now...what was it you wanted to know?" A million questions swarmed my mind, but knowing that I had to meet the other pilots, I decided to focus on what the Gundams meant to each individual person affected by them, not just what they were. I knew Father wanted me to know that, not what they were, but he wanted me to figure it out on my own.
"What did the Gundams mean to you?"
He sighed, that classic smirk of his running across his features. "What did they mean to me? They meant a way to achieve peace and justice. At least, they were supposed to mean that. All they ever seemed to bring was death and pain, though. They were built to protect, yet they only knew to destroy. My Gundam was my best friend, the only thing close to a human I could stand to be around for more than twenty minutes at a time. Nataku, named for the Chinese hero with the utmost idea of honor and justice, was my tool for showing the world justice. It was there for me when others wouldn’t be, and it helped me get through the world we were living in at the time...continuous wars between dishonorable and heartless people. When Quatre called for all them to be destroyed...I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Nataku was my best friend. I couldn’t destroy it. Most people failed to see that, to see the camaraderie between the pilots and their Gundams. I think they thought they were just there for us to kill. I don’t believe the world was ready for the Gundams...and I don’t think the Gundams were ready for the world."
I continued to ask him questions, most of them vague as I had what I wanted, until Sally returned from the store. I sat back as she reprimanded him for sitting upright, and proceeded in bandaging and fixing his broken ribs the best she could, then demanding that he rest. My mind couldn’t leave the last thing he had said about the Gundams...‘I don’t believe the world was ready for the Gundams...and I don’t think the Gundams were ready for the world.’ That statement seemed so true it sickened me, without even having talked to the other pilots. I saw now why Father had kept me away from this for all my life, and why Mother had made the absolute effort to keep this topic from my studies, as it was too deep and intense for a normal person to understand. And, being the daughter of Heero Yuy, I was definitely not a normal person.
The next morning I left with the directions to the next pilot’s house, Duo Maxwell. Sally saw me off with a hearty hug and kiss on the cheek, and Wufei stood in the background, leaning up against the doorjamb to his room, onyx eyes boring into my soul, and wishing me good luck. I nodded acknowledgement to him, and, to my surprise, received a smile. Mouthing, ‘Thank you.’ to him, I left, heading to my car.
At about noon, I stopped at a restaurant for lunch. Rooting through my bag, I searched for the money I had received from my uncle, and found a small, marble Chess piece, intricately designed. Examining the pawn, I found an inscription on the bottom, all in classic Chinese, and knew it to be from Wufei.
You are only a pawn in life, but if you make it through the hardships and suffering of living, you can become Queen.
I sat in the car thinking about this statement for a long time, until the rumbling of my stomach brought me back to reality. Grabbing a few ten dollar bills, I got out of my car and headed towards the restaurant, shaking my head and smiling inwardly at Wufei’s insight as I shoved the piece in my pocket for safekeeping.
Entering, I looked up at the receptionist. "Only one?" she asked, looking behind me.
I smiled. "Yes, only one."
~*Home*~
~*Back to Fan Fiction*~