Gomen nasai minnasan! I used the wrong thingy for Shirimasen! This is the same story, but with a title! Read and review, onegai?
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I don't own Gundam Wing, but I really wish I did! Just imagine all the things I could make the guys do…::goes all dreamy eyed:: Gundam Wing doesn't belong to me. It and all it's hot guys belong to whoever made it. ::gets sad:: Even though I wish I were getting paid for this, I'm not ::sigh:: Blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda, you know the rest, don't you?
Warning: AU, 1x2 (that's Heero loves Duo, for all you ignorant people out there), mild language (I tried to blank it all out, but if I missed some, gomen!) Oh yeah, I almost forgot! This fic talks freely about homosexuals, so if you're not comfy with that little tidbit of info, you better just go away right now.
Enough of the boring stuff! Let the fic commence!
The Future Gundam According to Me
By Jenika
Character Profile
Name: Akira Maxwell-Yuy
Gender: female
Height: 4', 11 ¾"
Age: 14
Date of birth: October 12, AC 202 11:29 p.m.
Eyes: Large, Persian blue/violet (eye color changes with moods)
Hair: Straight, dark-brown. Worn down to shoulders
Family: Duo Maxwell (Daddy) and Heero Yuy (Dad)
Ethnicity: Japanese/American
Favorite Color: Light blue and black
Comments: Hates Pearl (Relena and Dorothy's daughter), Likes to pester anyone who happens to be around her, looks like Heero but acts like Duo, time-traveler-in-training with Cam (Quatre and Trowa's son), likes fights (participating and witnessing)
"I said get away from me!"
Pearl is following me again, annoying the s*** out of me. She, Relena, and Dorothy are visiting, and I have to put up with Pearl for another week! She's only 10, but she's more of a b**** than Relena. I feel sorry for Dad. He has to put up with Relena. That's what I call annoying.
It's AC 218, just incase you were wondering. The war ended about AC 198. I'm not sure exactly when, 'cause I'm not too good at history. If you didn't read the character profile at the top, I suggest you do that right now. Otherwise, you're gonna be very confused.
It's easy to tell that Pearl is related to both Relena and Dorothy. Relena and Pearl are both stalkers. Relena went after my Dad, and Pearl goes after me! Not for romantic reasons, just to annoy me. Dorothy and Pearl both have those weird eyebrows. And all three of them are psychos.
I am getting seriously pissed at Pearl right now, and that's not a good thing. Right now, all I want to do is get away from her. So I do the only thing I can think of at the moment. I time travel.
I'm pretty good at it; I haven't made any big mistakes yet. But then again, I've never tried to time travel when I'm really pissed off. I don't really care, or stop to think about it. I'm too desperate to get away from Pearl.
The problem with my time traveling is that I have a hard time trying to control where I end up. No pun intended. Anyway, I don't know where I'm about to go. I can travel through time, but not space, so I know that whenever I end up I'll still be in the same place that my house was/will be.
I might end up on another colony for all I know. You have to remember we're in space. Things never stay still in space. I won't end up floating aimlessly in space. I don't know why, but that'll never happen. I told you I'm just a time-traveler-in-training. I don't know all the answers.
There's a tickly feeling at the pit of my stomach that tells me that I'm going to go out of being soon. I know that I'm flickering, and I can see Pearl just standing there, staring at me. I bet she doesn't know what's going on. Without warning, I'm plunged into darkness.
"What's a girl doing in the hangar?"
"Is she alright?"
I can hear these voices, but I can't move; I can't even open my eyes. Hearing is the first sense that comes back to me when I travel through time. Now I can finally move a little! When I open my eyes, there are two people staring down at me.
One face is concerned. It's a boy who looks a bit familiar, but I can't place it just yet. He has blonde hair and blue eyes. They're lighter than mine are, and they're brighter too.
The other face definitely belongs to boy too. I can tell, even though half of his face is covered by his brown hair. The eye I can see is green, and he looks totally expressionless. This guy looks even more familiar than the blonde does.
Then it clicks. It's Uncle Trowa and Uncle Quatre! I don't believe it! They aren't really my uncles 'cause they're not related to either of my parents. I just call them that.
"Uncle Trowa? Uncle Quatre? What happened?"
"How do you know our names?" Uncle Quatre's eyes are really big.
"Did you say 'Uncle'?"
"Hai… What year is this?"
"AC 195. Why?"
"Woah! I blew myself all the way back to the war years! Yes! I might be able to see some real fighting!" I'm too excited about seeing some fighting to answer Uncle Quatre.
"What do you mean?" this time Uncle Trowa was asking the question.
"Huh?" I'm still kinda off in Laa-Laa Land. "Oh! Two questions first. Where am I?"
"The L4 colony."
"Doomo. Are the other guys here too?"
"… Hai…" Uncle Quatre seems really suspicious, but I guess he sees some resemblance between me and either Heero or Duo.
"Great! Can you go get them so I can explain at the same time? It's really complicated, and I don't want to have to explain it more than I need to."
Uncle Quatre still looks kinda suspicious. The important thing is that he goes to get the other pilots. I really don't want to explain my story any more than I have to. Every time I travel, I have to explain who I am and when I come from. It's really annoying.
I don't have to worry too much about changing history, because I can erase the memory of my visit. That's the thing about time travel that I do best. Before you can travel, you've got to learn how to erase the memory of yourself and your visit from the minds of the people you met. That's my favorite part.
Uncle Trowa is just staring at me. It makes me kinda nervous. I'm not used to being scrutinized so heavily. When I finally see Uncle Quatre coming back with the other pilots, I'm very relieved.
I'm also very happy. I get to see my parents and their friends when they're my age, and there's no Pearl. That's the best part. Dad, Daddy, and Uncle Wufei don't look very much different now, except for the fact that they're only about 15.
Dad's hair is dark brown, like mine, and it's hanging in his eyes. His eyes look just like mine when mine are blue. The most noticeable thing about him is his black spandex shorts. Dad wears green tank tops like the one he's wearing now, but he never wears spandex. He usually wears jeans or something.
Daddy's hair is in its traditional braid, but the braid is shorter now. His clothes are all black, and they look a bit like priest clothes. I've never seen Daddy wear black before; he usually wears bright colors. Daddy's eyes are a sparkling amethyst.
Uncle Wufei still looks the same in AC 218 as now. His black hair is a little bit longer later, but otherwise he's exactly the same. Even his manner is the same. Arrogant.
Uncle Trowa looks a bit different in the future. It's mostly the eyes, or eye, as the case may be. Now they don't have any emotion, but later I know they will. When you look into Uncle Trowa's eye in the future, you can see love for Uncle Quatre and Cam. He loosens up a bit, and shows more emotion. I think it's the same for all the pilots.
Uncle Quatre just looks younger and shorter, that's all. His blue eyes show what he's thinking, and he doesn't hide his emotions very well. Dad gets mad at Uncle Quatre because he shows his emotions.
Dad and Uncle Quatre have bonded in the year I come from. Dad's become more sensitive to Uncle Quatre. Every one has sort of gotten a bit more relaxed, and I think that's partially because of the kids. Me and Cam, any way. I think Pearl just makes everyone tense again.
"So who are you?" Uncle Wufei stays the same all right. Always rude.
"My name is Akira, but you can call me Aki or Kira, whatever. I'm 14. I come from the L9 colony and-"
"Wait a minute. There isn't an L9 colony." Daddy has this confused look on his face.
"I know. You didn't let me finish. I come from the L9 colony in AC 218. I'm a time traveler."
"So you come from the future?" Daddy is still curious, just like me.
"I guess. Oh yeah. I almost forgot the most important thing of all." I can't keep the grin off my face. "I'm your kid."
"What?!" Everybody yells.
"I'm your kid. And yours too, Heero." I wait while everyone pulls themselves off the ground.
"You guys aren't the only ones who have kids. Quatre and Trowa have a son named Cam. Relena and Dorothy get together and have a daughter, Pearl.
"Those three are staying with us right now, and that's why I was traveling. Pearl was annoying the s*** out of me, so I just left. You can't blame me; the kid's such an annoying little b**** it's scary. She's only 10 and already she's just as bad as Relena.
"Anyway, that's why I'm here. I really don't want to go back yet, even though you two are going to be way pissed. I'm not really supposed to travel without telling someone when I'm going. But I don't care. I'd rather be yelled at by you than have to spend another minute with Pearl. So can I stay here for a while?"
I know I've got just about the sweetest face on right now. I can look like a little angel when I want to, but I can also look real tough. I picked up the 'angel face' from Uncle Quatre. Whenever he wants something, he just puts on that face, and almost nobody can resist him. I've picked up the 'tough look' from my dad. When Daddy or me start to bug him, Dad just puts on that face and we stop.
"I guess so. If you really want to."
"Sugoi! Where can I stay?"
"You can stay with me. If what you're saying is true, I'm your future dad. And I've got a couch, and I know Heero doesn't." Daddy grinned at Dad, who just rolled his eyes.
" 'Kay. Where do you live?"
"Not too far. 'Bout two blocks."
"Sugoi. I'm tired. Trying to keep Pearl away and time travel really tires you out."
"Right. I'd better get Aki-chan to my place before she falls asleep on her feet. Jaa ne."
"Sayoonara minna-san."
Daddy's questions are getting really annoying. We're almost there, according to Daddy, but you should never trust his sense of time. It's way off. Well, Daddy's been asking me about what life is like in AC 218, and what Dad is like, and what he's like, and on and on and on. I can't wait until we get inside and I can go to bed.
"So what's Cam like?"
"He's really nice, like Uncle Quatre, but he looks like Uncle Trowa. He's my best friend, and we live in the same house."
"The same house?"
"Hai. You, me, and Dad all live with Quatre, Trowa, Cam, and whichever servants Quatre has over there."
"So do all of us live on the L9 colony?"
"Mostly." I don't have much more energy that I can use on talking.
"Okay, we're here."
I didn't even notice that we'd arrived. I'm way to tired to care about anything but sleep.
"You want the couch of the bed?" Same Daddy. No manners.
"Whatever's closest."
"That would be the couch."
"Sugoi." I know I sound like Dad, but I'm tired. "Oyasumi nasai."
"No!"
I'm awakened by the sound of my own voice. It was a dream. I usually don't dream, but when I do it's either really nice or really bad. This was a bad one. I never remember what happens in these dreams; all that's left is the fear.
The darkness of the strange room is oppressing, and I want Daddy. He's the one who comforts me after a dream while Dad stands in the doorway. Daddy's not really here, so I have to settle for the next best thing. Duo.
I feel my way down the hall, but I'm not careful enough. I bang into a table, and hit my toe on something. Then I run into the wall a couple of times. I'm not usually this clumsy. I can usually find my way in a strange, dark house without banging into anything, but tonight I'm disturbed by my dream.
I pause with my hand on the doorknob. I want Daddy, or at least Duo, to comfort me. But I have a feeling I know what lies beyond the closed door. A total mess. Daddy's room is always a disaster area, and that's why Dad refuses to share a room with him.
Slowly, I ease open the door. Luckily, Duo's room is lighted by the moonlight coming in through the window. By this pale light I make my way to the bed.
"Daddy… ano…Duo? Duo wake up." I shake his shoulder until he wakes up –sort of.
"Mmmn?"
"I had a nightmare. Can I spend the rest of the night in here?"
I'm lucky that he's not all the way awake. Otherwise he might have made me go back to the couch. I gently poke him in the side until he rolls over enough for me to climb in beside him.
I'm soothed by the warmth enamating from my future dad. I press my back against his, his body heat warming and surrounding me like a comforting blanket. Slowly I drift off to sleep.
"What's going on?" Daddy's voice startles me out of a sound sleep.
"Nani?" I'm still groggy.
"Why are you in here? I thought you said you'd sleep on the couch!"
"Yeah, but I had a nightmare. You said yourself that I could spend the rest of the night in here."
"Okay, but next time, tell me when I'm fully awake." Daddy stops talking and eyes my wrinkled clothes. " I don't suppose you have any other things. Oh well. You can borrow something of mine." Daddy continues when I shake my head.
He grabs some clothes for himself and tosses me some clothes for myself. Then he walks out the door. The clothes are black, and they look almost identical to the clothes Daddy was wearing yesterday. I slowly pull them on. When I walk out of the room, Daddy's just coming out of the bathroom.
"Morning. I've got a question. Do you love Dad yet?"
Daddy hesitates. "Yeah, why?"
"Curious. I get that from you." I grin.
"I figure that. Heero's not really the type that gets curious."
"Yeah. So what're you gonna do today?" I'm hoping I'll be able to see a battle.
"There's a lull in the battle so I'm gonna go work at the garage. Heero works there too. Trowa works at the circus and Quatre hangs around there too. I have no idea what Wufei does."
"I think I'll go with you to the garage. It would be interesting to see my daddy working on a car." I giggle.
"Just don't call me Daddy. And don't call Heero Dad. Or –"
"I get the idea! I'll just call all of you by your first names."
"Good."
"Hey, if I'm still here, can I come watch a battle?"
"No! If you're at a battle, I'd be distracted." Daddy started to frown.
"Fine I won't beg. Even if you don't, I know what'll happen if something changes history."
"Okay. So, what you want for breakfast?"
"Whatever."
We end up having cereal and orange juice for breakfast. That's probably what I'd get at home if it was Daddy's turn to cook. After breakfast, Daddy and I walk down to the garage. Dad, I mean Heero, is already hard at work, so I don't bother him. Instead, I sit in a chair for a while and watch him work.
When I get bored of that, I go find Duo. He's not doing much of anything different, but Duo has a way of working that's interesting to watch. Heero just works like a normal person, but Duo does something different. He just makes watching him so interesting.
After a couple hours at the shop, I'm bored. I see Heero coming, so it must be his lunch hour.
"Heero! Lunch?" He nods.
"Duo wants me to take you with me. He says you look bored."
"You bet I am! Do you know exactly how long I've been waiting for one of you to get a break? Exactly 4h, 23 min, and 43 sec. That's way too long for me."
Heero almost looks like he's gonna crack a tiny smile! Almost. Unfortunately, he doesn't. I bet Duo can make him smile though.
Heero needs to leave for work, but I'm not ready to stop exploring the mall yet. The mall is about a block away from the garage, so I can find my way back without Heero's help, so he leaves me at the mall.
After going through the mall about three times, I finally tire of seeing all the same shops over and over, so I go back to the garage.
"Duo? What did you do to your hair?!" There's a dark-haired girl running towards me. She thinks I'm Duo!? "Oh. Sorry. I thought you might have been Duo. You're dressed just like him. Why?"
I almost laugh. This girl wonders why I'm dressed like this. I decide to mess with her head a little bit. That's one bad habit of mine. I decide to tell this lady that I don't know who Duo is. That'll cause a laugh, at least from me. I pretend to be confused.
"Who's Duo?"
"You don't know? But you're dressed just like him! Someone might even think you got your clothes straight from Duo's closet."
I can't help giggling slightly. The girl stares at me while waiting for me to explain.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Excuse me." I run off, still giggling. I have to find Duo and tell him what just happened. He won't think I'm being mean or anything.
"Duo!" I see my future father apparently on his break. I run up to him. "Duo!" For the first time I notice the crowd of girls that surrounds him. I don't mind that; I know my daddy is good looking, especially with those violet eyes. What I do mind is that he's flirting with those girls. Anger takes control of my mind.
"Duo! What do you think you're doing?!"
"Ki-chan!"
"Don't call me that! I hate it when you do! And how could you be doing this after what you just told me this morning?"
"Akira..."
"Forget it. You're busy, remember?" I gesture to the girls staring at us.
"Akira, don't talk to me like that. You don't understand." Duo grabs my wrist.
"You aren't my father. I don't have to listen to you!" I wrench my wrist from his grasp.
"Akira!"
"Just leave me alone! You don't understand at all!" I turn and run, not really caring where I end up, just as long as it's away from Duo.
I'm huddled up on the steps in the rear of the garage. He doesn't understand. If he gets serious with any girl, anyone other than Heero, I won't be born. I won't be who I am now. My gloomy thoughts are interrupted by the back door opening. Someone sits beside me on the step.
"Go away. I want to be alone right now." I don't care if I'm being rude.
"Aki-chan, tell me what happened." I turn. Heero.
"Duo was flirting."
"So?"
"I should have known that you wouldn't get it. If Duo falls in love with anyone besides you, I won't be who I am. I'll be someone totally different!"
"…"
"You still don't get it! Even after I spell it out for you! The future will be changed!" All I get is a blank look.
That's it. I can't take any more. Neither of my future parents understands that if they don't get married and have me, everything will be changed! It may not seem like such a big deal, who you marry, but it is! They already know that they have to get married, and Duo told me that he loved Heero.
I run again. I have absolutely no Idea of where I'm going. I just run. I run until I can't run anymore. I find myself out side of some big tents. There are people all around, but I don't notice. Even after I can't run anymore, I keep walking. I'm not looking where I'm going, and I bump into someone.
"Daijoubu desu ka?" The voice is male, and familiar.
"Quatre-san?"
"Aki-chan, what's happened?" Quatre is genuinely concerned, and I cannot stop my tears.
"They don't understand." I can't get out much more than that. I stand in the middle of the crowd with Quatre trying to comfort me. Eventually, Trowa finds us, and takes us into his trailer.
"What happened Aki?"
"Duo and Heero don't understand."
"What don't they understand?"
"That if they don't get married the future will be changed." I've calmed down now, and I have no tears left.
"But they love each other, don't they?"
"That's what Duo told me this morning, but I just saw him flirting with a bunch of girls."
"He probably doesn't want anyone else to know he's gay." Trowa says something I should have realized a while ago, but was too angry to think rationally.
"You're probably right, but I don't want to spend another night with either of them. I'd go back home, but Pearl, Relena and Dorothy are still there."
"You can stay with me. I have plenty of extra rooms that you can stay in." Quatre still looks concerned.
"Arigatoo gozaimasu Quatre-san."
Later, at Quatre's place, Quatre calls Duo to let him know that I'm staying with him. Duo wants to speak with me, but I tell Quatre that I don't want to speak with him yet. Maybe tomorrow.
Before leaving, Trowa bends over to give Quatre a quick kiss on the cheek. I'm still upset, so I almost don't notice. Almost.
Quatre leads me to my room, a spacious one across the hall from his. I think he's loaning me this room so he can keep an eye on me. You know, make sure I don't do anything stupid.
I collapse onto the bed, not really looking at my surroundings. Quatre stares at me for a moment, then turns and leaves, closing the door behind him. I'm so tired, but I don't know if I'll be able to sleep with out having a nightmare or something.
I try to sleep, but sleep won't come, so I reflect on what happened today. What Trowa said was true: maybe Duo just didn't want any one to know that he prefers boys. Still, he didn't have to flirt with those girls!
I don't expect him to go around kissing Heero in public. I realize that they aren't deeply in love yet. Anyway, Heero despises public displays of affection, even in my time.
Tomorrow, I'll tell Duo that I'm sorry for yelling at him. I'll apologize to Heero too. Now that I understand why Duo was flirting with girls, I know that I overreacted. I don't expect Duo to come out and say that he's gay, I just don't want him to flirt with girls. At least, not much. If he suddenly stops flirting, people are going to think something's wrong.
I wonder just how much in love Trowa and Quatre are. They seemed pretty involved to me. I mean, Trowa wouldn't kiss just anyone! But then again, I was the only person around, and Trowa probably thought I was too out of it to notice that quick little kiss.
I wonder if Wufei and Sally are in love yet. I doubt it though. From what I've seen of him, Wufei still thinks that women are weak and he can't associate with them. He probably treats all women like dirt because of Meiran. Wufei still misses his first wife in AC 218. Sally comforts Wufei, but I know that nobody could ever even try to take Meiran's place.
Eventually, I get so tired that I just can't keep my eyes open. I close my eyes and wish for sleep. I'm still afraid of what I might dream, but it's too late. I can feel myself slipping into the dark waters of sleep.
I dream again, and the dream shakes me out of sleep. The fear from my dream lingers, but it's not as bad as the fear from the previous nights' dream. This fear is a background noise, not strong enough or bad enough to take center stage.
It's morning already, so I must have been up to at least midnight. My dreams always force me awake after a few hours, even if the dreams are good. The sunlight streaming through my window strikes the light pastel bedspread, making me squint.
I stumble out of bed and out the door. I'm still in the clothes Duo lent me, as my other clothes are at Duo's apartment. Quatre's door is closed, so instead of opening it and walking in, I press my ear against the cool wood.
Quatre's even breathing is quiet, but I can hear it even through the heavy wooden door. I'm not at all sleepy because I'm used to getting only a little sleep. I'm not a morning person, but I don't want to try to sleep again. Instead, I decide to explore Quatre's mansion.
As I start walking, I realize just how huge this house is. I'm not sure about this time, but in AC 218, Quatre owns a mansion on all 9 of the colonies. He lets us stay in anyone we choose.
Duo and Heero had been staying with Quatre and Trowa when both Quatre and Duo announced that they would be with child soon. I can just imagine what it looked like. Heero and Trowa trying not to show that they were surprised, and Duo and Quatre staring with their mouths gaping like landed fish.
Well, since Duo and Quatre were both going to be pregnant, they decided that they would just stay at Quatre's mansion on L9. Cam and I were born only hours apart. I was born at 11:29 at night, and Cam was born at 2:56 the next morning.
We grew up together because my parents didn't want to leave just then. We've still living with Quatre, Trowa and Cam. Cam and I have a lot of things in common, like us both loving the night and playing jokes on people. It's funny, because Cam doesn't act or even look too much like either of his parents.
Cam doesn't look anything like Trowa, despite the brown hair and green eyes. That's probably because Cam's eyes are always, always sparkling with mischief. He wears his hair short, and out of his face. Cam isn't quiet, but he is kind. He has Quatre's love of animals, but he longs to see a war, just like me.
If Cam gets into a fight, he always wins. He doesn't mind hurting other people, unless he knows them. I think he'd make a great Gundam pilot, but all the Gundams were destroyed with the ending of the war.
To me, it seems that Cam is more like my parents than his own parents. He likes to play jokes on people, like Daddy. He never looses in a fight, like Dad. Cam likes to fight, or at least watch them. This isn't like any of the Gundam pilots, because all of them wish that they didn't have to kill all those people. My parents don't mind wrestling though. I've often come home and found them wrestling on the floor.
I snap out of my trance. While I was thinking, I kept walking. Now I'm in a totally unfamiliar corridor, with no idea of how to get back to my room. I have visited Quatre's L4 mansion before, but I usually stick with someone else, preferably Quatre.
Wandering around, I wonder how late people sleep around here. I hope they don't sleep until 10 o'clock, but maybe I'm just up really early. It's a possibility; I never wear a watch.
I strain to hear any noise, but the thick carpet would muffle any approaching footsteps. Cam loves his mansions because of the thick carpeting. It muffles his already quiet footsteps so he can sneak up on practically anyone in the house. The only ones who can sense Cam's approach are Trowa, Dad, Daddy, and myself.
Finally I hear some activity. It sounds as if from around the corner, and I follow the noise. Rounding the corner, I come face to face, or rather face to chest, with Rashid, one of the people who look after Quatre.
In AC 218, Rashid lives in Quatre's L9 mansion, so I know him really well. He was the one who took care of Cam and I when our parents were busy. That must have been a big job, because Cam and I were very into mischief, even as babies.
"Rashid!" I threw my arms as far as they would go around my old baby-sitter's waist.
When I looked up at his face, I couldn't help laughing at the expression on Rashid's face. He had absolutely no idea who I was. I released my hold on his waist and stepped back.
"Rashid, I'm Akira. Did Quatre tell you about me?"
"I-iie. Quatre-sama mentioned no Akira to me."
"Oh! Well, my name's Akira, and I'm…"
I'm not sure how much to tell Rashid. Surely he knows Quatre and Trowa are lovers, but does he know that Duo and Heero are lovers also? I decide to make something up, just incase Rashid doesn't know. I don't want Duo or Heero getting mad at me for reveling their sexual preference.
"I'm Duo's friend, from when he ran around with Solo's gang."
"Is Duo-san here?" Rashid's looking around, as if expecting to see Duo right now.
"Iie. Ano… He sent me here because I have no other place to stay. I've already met with Quatre-san, and he doesn't mind letting me stay here for a while."
Rashid nods his head. I'm very relieved Rashid bought my story. Now I just have to worry about the other guys telling Rashid the truth. Rashid would be very confused, and annoyed. If there's anything he hates, it's lying.
"Do you need help getting to the dining room, Akira-san?"
"Ano, Rashid? Could you just call me Aki or something?"
"H-hai."
"Arigatoo. Would you help me find the dining room?" Rashid nods his head again, then walks past me. I follow him.
"You want to know how I knew you were Rashid, don't you." This is more a statement than a question.
"Hai. I was wondering…"
"Duo described you to me. He told me that you're one of the nicest people here." This isn't too much of a lie. Rashid is one of the nicest people at home.
In the dining room, Quatre is sitting at the table. He's already dressed, but I'm still in Duo's clothes. Quatre makes no comment and motions for me to sit at the table with him. After Rashid leaves, Quatre turns to me.
"After breakfast I'm taking you to get some clothes."
I giggle. I know I look awful right now. My dark brown hair in still tangled from sleep, and Duo's clothes are wrinkled. They're uncomfortable too. I'm still not used to this style of clothing, and can't wait until I can get into some jeans and a T-shirt.
After breakfast, Quatre takes me to the same mall where I had lunch with Heero just yesterday. He buys me two tops and two bottoms.
One top is a sky blue turtleneck with no sleeves. I have one just like it at home, and it's one of my favorites. The other top is exactly the same, but it's in black. I can't help it. My fashion sense is stuck in a rut.
The first bottom is a pair of black jeans. The other is a denim skirt. It's not really long, but not really short either. Just long enough so I can brush the hems with my fingers. About mid-thigh.
After buying my clothes, Quatre orders me to change into one of my new outfits. Well, maybe not orders, but asks me to anyway. I change into the light blue shirt and black jeans. I have a thing for sky blue and black together. Like I said before: my fashion sense is stuck in a rut.
When I come out of the bathroom with Duo's clothes in a bag, I find Quatre waiting by the water fountain. When he sees me, he eyes widen. I cock my head to the side.
"Nani?"
"Ano…You look…really nice."
"Yeah, yeah. I know my fashion sense is kinda… weird, to put it nicely."
"Iie! You really do look nice! I was just shocked, that's all!" Quatre has 'that look' as I call it.
His blue eyes are wide and pleading, and there's something about him that makes you want to give into him, to do anything to make him happy again. It's no wonder that Trowa got married to Quatre. All Quatre has to do is give Trowa 'that look', and Trowa does whatever Quatre wants him to do.
"I don't think so. At home, I'm known as the girl who has absolutely no fashion sense. Actually, I dress like this because Pearl is considered to have great fashion sense, and I don't want to be anything like her!" This makes Quatre laugh. "It's true! I don't like Pearl, and anything to do with her is just…uck! That's one reason I dress like this. The other reason is I like it."
"Well, you're going to get a lot of attention from boys now. Around here, people will think you're really cute, in a mysterious sort of way."
We're still standing near the water fountain. I look around and notice that the boys are looking at me more than before. Boy, Cam wouldn't like that. It's not that he's romantically interested in me, at least I don't think so.
Cam just gets kind of… possessive or something. At home, whenever someone starts to look at me like that, Cam glares at them. I think it's because I'm like his sister, and he's feeling protective of me in a brotherly sort of way. But I could be wrong.
"Well, arigatoo gozaimasu Quatre-san. I'm going to go to the garage and talk to Duo. I think I owe him an apology."
"Do you need help getting there?"
"Iie. I had lunch here yesterday. Sayonara Quatre-san." I walk toward to exit nearest the garage.
"Duo!"
I walk up to the braided boy, fully aware that he's been flirting again. It doesn't bother me though. At least, not much. When I reach Duo, I notice that his amethyst eyes hold anxiety and another emotion I can't identify. He looks worried, and sorry.
"Hey Akira" Duo says a bit meekly.
"Hey. Duo, can I talk to you alone for a minute?"
"What ever you can tell Duo, you can tell us too. Right girls?" One of the girls Duo had been talking to steps forward. She looks really pissed.
Duo looks kind of nervous. I think he thinks I'm going to start yelling at him again. I can't help thinking that he should really know me better. I mean, he is my future father, and I don't look angry at him or anything. Anyway, Duo grabs my arm and pulls me out of the girls' hearing. He lets go my arm quickly and fidgets, playing with his braid like a little boy.
"Gomen nasai, Duo-san." I slightly bow, causing Duo to blush faintly. "I know I overreacted, and I apologize. I didn't mean anything I said yesterday. I was just really shocked."
"I…ano…nani?" I giggle. Duo apparently doesn't know what to make of this. Here he is, expecting me to yell at him again, and I start apologizing.
"Gomen nasai, Duo-san. I overreacted yesterday. I don't mind if you flirt with girls, but I just need you to do two things. Not flirt really seriously and remind me that you and Heero are…well…you know."
"Hai." Duo eyed me up and down. It makes me nervous. "I know one way to keep those girls from wondering if there's anything wrong with me, even when I don't flirt with them."
"N-nani?" I'm half-afraid to know, but curiosity overcomes the fear.
"You pretend to be my girlfriend."
I knew it. I just knew that Duo would have to come up with something like that. Me, pretend to be his girlfriend?! I can act, but not that well!
"Nanda!? Are you out of your mind? I can't do that! I'm not that good an actress!" I wail.
"Then you better learn. Nobody but the other guys knows the truth, right?" I nod. "Then it's perfect! You pretend to be my girlfriend, and then I won't flirt. And you'll know that I really love Heero, because it would just be weird if I fell in love with my own daughter!"
"Fine." I sigh. It makes sense. I'll just go with the story that I told Rashid in the morning. I just have to call the others to tell them of our little scheme. It would be awful if one of the guys came and blurted out the truth.
"Sugoi!" Duo grabs my arm again and gently pulls me over to the flock of girls staring at us. "Hey, I want all of you to meet my old friend Akira."
"Old?! You're older than me!" I cross my arms over my chest.
"What I meant was that we've been friends for a long time! I didn't mean you're old Aki-chan." Duo has a pleading look on his face.
"Yeah, I know you didn't mean it."
"Exactly who are you?" It was the same girl from before.
"Just who Duo said I was. Akira."
"Don't be a smart-ass. You know what I mean." The girl looks really pissed again.
"I do?" I open my eyes really wide and put on the 'angel face'.
"That was a good one Aki-chan!" Duo starts to laugh and claps me on the back. The girl stalked off.
"Okay, okay. I met Duo when I was 7. You were 8, yeah Du-chan?" He nods and the remaining girls look curious. "We both ran with the same gang for years. Du-chan and I got into tons of trouble together." I start to giggle.
"Yup. When the gang broke up, I didn't think I'd ever see Aki-chan again, so when I saw her the other day, it was a total surprise." Duo wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
"It was a surprise to see you after all those years." Now I'm getting into my role.
"Well girls, I think we should leave Duo and his friend alone." One girl glares at me then stalks off. Duo notices and his grip tightens.
"Whew. I'm glad they're gone." I let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Yeah, me too." Duo lets go of my shoulders.
"Well, I'm going to find Heero and tell him about our little plan. I also need to apologize. After the argument with you, he tried to find out what happened. I totally blew up at him too."
" 'Kay. Good luck. You'll need it."
"Heero? Can I talk to you for a minute?" I carefully approach Heero, not wanting him to attack me.
"Hn." He turns around to face me. There's a little shock in his face for a nanosecond, then it disappears.
"Gomen nasai, Heero-san. I didn't mean to blow up at you yesterday. I was just really upset at the time." Heero doesn't reply and his expression doesn't change. "I apologized to Duo and told him that it bothers me when he flirts with girls. He understood and he came up with a plan."
"If it bothers you, why don't you leave?"
"One word. Pearl." Just the sound of her name sends chills down my spine. "I'm not going back home until she leaves. Cam already told my parents that I'm traveling, and might not be back for a while. He knows that when I don't come home at night, I'm probably traveling."
Heero raises one eyebrow, not halting his work. He's probably wondering what I meant when I said 'come home'. Maybe he wonders if Cam and I are like, together.
"All of us kind of live in Quatre's mansion. Cam and I are just friends, that's all. He's like my brother."
"Hn."
"You won't believe what Duo came up with. He want's me to pretend I'm his girlfriend." Heero almost cracks a smile at the expression on my face.
"He wants you to say you're his girlfriend?"
"Hai. Eeto… We were in Solo's gang together when we were little, and now we're really happy to see each other after all these years."
"Okay then. I suggest you tell the other guys too."
"Hai. Hey, can I borrow your cell?"
Heero pulls out a cell phone from the jacket around his waist. Before I can ask for Quatre's number, Heero tells me. I call Quatre and explain the situation quickly. I can tell he's trying to hold back laughter. After telling Quatre to shut up, I end the call. Heero tells me Trowa's number and I repeat my little speech. Then I do the same with Wufei.
"Arigatoo Heero-san. Jaa ne." I run to find my 'boyfriend'.
"Oi, Du-chan! O genki desu ka?" I found Duo working on a car. He was actually under it, but I recognized the long braid. While asking my question, I pull Duo out from under the car by his ankles.
"I would be fine if you didn't pull me by my ankles!"
"It's better than pulling you out by your braid." I'm in a teasing mood.
"True. I'm off work in 15 min. You wanna wait?"
"Sure!" I plop down next to him and watch as he goes back under the car to work.
15 min later I'm walking home with Duo's arm around my shoulders again. It's not too bad; Daddy often does this at home. What I'm not used to is everyone staring at us. But it's true.
People we pass stare at us when we pass. I'm not sure why. At home, nobody even looks twice at homosexual couples. It's actually very common to see same sex couples walking down the street. There are a good number of boy/girl couples too, so I see no reason why people should stare. Duo and I look like a normal couple to me. ::Shudder::
~~
We've finally reached to apartment and escaped the stares.
"Why were those people staring?"
"They probably thought we made a good couple or something. Either that or they thought I was a girl. Love between two people of the same gender isn't easily accepted right now."
"Well, AC 218, there's lots of same sex couples. It's not considered weird or disgusting."
"Right. At least Heero and I can be open with our feelings and not be considered weird."
"Just to tell you, Heero doesn't really show his emotions. Except when he's with you, me, Cam, or one of the former pilots, he's just like he is now."
"I wish he could be more open about how he feels, but I guess that's impossible." Duo sighs. "Emotions just get in the way of the missions. Heero's told me that more than enough times."
"He's right, I guess. If he admits that he loves you, it'll be a weakness. Heero is still big on emotions being a weakness at home. He'll even slip into Perfect Soldier mode every now and then."
"Will he ever be able to get past the training Dr. J gave him?"
I shake my head. That I don't know. I really hope he will be able to let his emotions out someday, but I'm not sure he'll ever be able to do that.
Well, nobody suspects that I'm not really Duo's girlfriend. Other than the Gundam pilots, everybody thinks I came to this colony to visit my 'boyfriend'. Almost everything is the same. None of the pilots got any missions. At least not Heero, Duo, Trowa, or Quatre. I'm not too sure about Wufei. I haven't seen him since my first day here.
Tomorrow, the family of psychos goes home. Then I can go home myself. I'm just gonna be pretty wiped out from wiping everyone's memory. Doing all that magic tires me out. I'm really going to need a nap when I get home.
I'm kind of both sad and happy. I want to go home to see Cam and them, but I don't really want to leave the people here. Now Quatre, Trowa, Duo, and maybe Heero are my friends. I mean real friends, not just acquaintances. Catherine is like a big sister to me.
Because there's nothing to do at the car shop, I'm spending most of my time at the circus. At least over there I can watch the shows or help Trowa or Catherine. They're teaching me some neat skills in return for helping them with their chores. I like showing off what I've already learned. Watching Catherine's, Quatre's, and even Trowa's faces for reactions is fun. They're always so surprised that I can do these things so well.
At home, sometimes Trowa teaches Cam and me some moves from when he was with the circus. Daddy and Dad teach us a little fighting skills, but not much. They say it's just for protection.
Today at the circus, Trowa and Catherine are practicing Catherine's knife throwing. Quatre is the only one in the bleachers when I arrive. By now, the ring master's seen me so many times with Trowa, Catherine, and Quatre, that he doesn't even ask for identification any more. The identification is the hard part. Quatre gave me a card that says I'm with him, just in case someone ever asks for identification.
Anyway, Quatre isn't watching Catherine throw her knives. He hates seeing sharp knives heading for Trowa. I go over to help distract his mind.
"Hi Quatre!"
"Hi Aki! O genki desu ka?"
"Genki desu. You?"
"Same."
"Why do you sit here at the practices when you know Trowa's gonna have knives thrown at him? I know you hate it."
Quatre shrugs and looks down. "I like being here for him, even if he has knives thrown at him."
"Okay. Whatever. Tomorrow I'm leaving."
"Nanda?!" Quatre snaps his head up so fast I wonder why he doesn't get whiplash.
"I'm leaving tomorrow. Relena and co. will be gone by dinner, so I'm going back home too."
"Are you going to come back?"
"Maybe. But you won't know me. I'm going to have to erase all your memories of me and my trip. So even if I can get back to this time, none of you will know who I am. Anyway, Dad's probably going to kill me when he sees me. He doesn't like it when I travel with out telling him."
Quatre is silent. He's watching Trowa and Catherine, who are now practicing the tightrope. My vision drifts up there too, but I don't really see them. My mind is on how much I'm going to miss all my friends here.
After they're done practicing, Trowa and Catherine come to sit with Quatre and I. That's when Quatre tells them that I'm leaving tomorrow. Trowa is just AC 195 Trowa: silent. Catherine, however, looks sad and her eyes start to tear up. She throws her arms around my neck.
"Why? Don't you like us?"
"Of course! I just miss Cam. And -and my parents." I'm sure Quatre and Trowa notice how my voice trembles on the last sentence.
"But you'll come back, right?"
"If I can, but none of you will know who I am, because I have to erase your memories of me. Part of the rules. Anyway, I'm probably dead meat when Dad finds me. He really doesn't like it when I travel without telling him."
"But you've still got one more day!" Quatre looks all happy again.
"Do Duo and Heero know?" Trowa stares at me with his eye.
I shake my head. "Not yet. I'm going to tell them later today."
"Okay. In the mean time, how about I teach you some new tricks?" Catherine seems anxious to get onto a less sad subject.
"Sugoi!"
Catherine shows me how to throw a knife. I've been begging and begging her to teach me how to do that, but Catherine's never let me touch her knives before. After an hour of practice, I can finally throw a knife and make it stay on the target. It's much harder than Catherine makes it look. Good thing Trowa isn't being the target thing. He'd be impaled by my throws.
"Aki, I think you should head to the garage. I think Heero's shift is almost over." Quatre calls from the sidelines.
" 'Kay. Doomo!"
I throw one last knife at the target. Then I thank Catherine for teaching me and leave. I have to tell Heero at work, because I don't want to tell him over the phone, so that only leaves the garage. I'll just have to be careful that no one hears, because I'll have to explain about wiping everyone's minds.
Walking along the sidewalk to the garage, I get the feeling I'm being watched. There's a prickly feeling in my back, like someone's trying to burn holes through me with their gaze. I ignore the feeling.
The garage is just up ahead. I can see Heero putting away his tools while being pestered by Duo. I smile.
"Hey! How you guys doin'?"
I get a normal response. Heero just looks at me with no expression on his face. Duo grins and gives me a perky 'great'.
"Good. I've got some bad news though. I'm leaving tomorrow."
"… And… what's bad about that?" Duo tries to turn the situation into a joke.
"I'm probably never going to come back. Even if I do, you won't know me because I have to erase your memories about me. All of them." That bit of news made Duo more solemn.
"Hn. Why are you telling me? You still have till tomorrow."
"I might not see you tomorrow. I'm going to be busy all day, getting ready for time travel. I have to be totally concentrated to make it work. I have to get to a certain time and erase the memories of lots of people."
"Why? Why are you leaving? Aren't you happy here?"
"That's the problem! I'm too happy here! I don't want to leave, but I really miss everyone back home. Even though you guys are 15 year-old versions of my parents, you just aren't the same. I miss my parents, but I don't want to leave you guys either." I hang my head.
"Well, I guess we should get back to the apartment." Duo sighs and slings an arm around my shoulders like before. "Heero? You wanna come?"
"Hn." Heero shrugs and turns to walk in the direction of the apartment building. Duo and I follow.
When we reach the apartment, Duo unlocks the door. All along the walk there, I felt like someone was watching me or something. I just ignored the feeling though.
Heero enters and sits on the couch right away. Duo heads to the kitchen while I sit on the couch beside Heero. Duo comes back with Coke and hands a can to me and Heero, and opens the last for himself. The silence stretches between us. I decide to break it.
"You know, there's a possibility the time travel might not work."
"Nanda! You mean… you might be here for longer then?" Duo looks all hopeful.
"Hai. Sometimes, my time travel doesn't work right. I'm only an amateur."
"Hn." Heero snorts when Duo throws his arms around my neck.
"Well, I need to get some sleep. I have to be well rested for what I need to do tomorrow." I frown. I'm not sure where I'll sleep if Heero and Duo stay up on the couch.
"You can sleep in my bed."
"If you can find it." Heero surprises both Duo and I with his remark.
"Doomo. Oyasumi and sayoonara."
I hug Heero and Duo, but only briefly. I know well enough that Heero hates any shows of emotion. Then I head to Duo's room for a restless night's sleep.
To Be Continued…
A/N: I know I didn't add much, but I was busy! Gomen if I offended any of you. I'm kind of stuck again, so it'll be a while until the next part, if anyone cares. Review, onegai?