All the Pretty Colors
"Come on Wufei!" A hand grabbed his arm as he was pulled quickly from reading his book, almost dropping his glasses. "Hurry Wufei. It's the first day of spring."
"Where are you dragging me off to now?"
"Don't be so sour. It's not good for your stress level." He was continuing to be pulled out of his house and into the street still being tugged at to move faster. After a while he noticed he was being pulled to her favorite spot.
He smiled softly and continued to allow her to drag him along.
"Wufei can you see them?" A giggling girl ran through the field of flowers. "Can you see all the pretty colors?" Wufei sat softly in the blooming field not watching the flowers but rather the joy across Meiran's face.
She pointed at several flowers close to where Wufei was sitting. "That one is red." She giggled softly and pointed at one, stating, "That one is not nearly as pretty as the others. It's yellow" She continued to point out her favorite colors, naming them, but Wufei simply listened watching her face smiling.
"What is your favorite color Meiran?"
"Green, because it's everywhere. Then I like Blue because it is the color of the sky. My least favorite is pink because that is a girly color."
"But Meiran, you're a girl."
"I'm a woman warrior." She stuck her tongue out at him.
She laughed again looking at the flowers, "Can you see all the pretty colors Wufei? Aren't they beautiful?" Wufei watched her face and smile of happiness.
"Yes, I can see the colors Meiran. They are beautiful."
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"WUFEI!" There was a loud knock on his door. "FEI. It's Breakfast Time!"
Wufei's eyes fluttered open as he stared up at the ceiling. The door was thrown open and Duo peeked in. "Hey, breakfast you." He glanced around the room sticking his tongue out. "I don't know how you could possibly stand seeing only black and white in your room. Honestly it would be so depressing all the time." Duo shrugged and closed the door after leaving.
Wufei lay still for a moment before curling into a sitting position on his bed. It had been a dream again. Only a memory. That was when we were six years old. He sighed softly and proceeded to the bathroom to take a shower. Standing under the jets of water he sighed to himself. "I guess I better watch myself. After all if Maxwell is this eager to get me up he must be planning some sort of prank." Finishing his shower he dried off and head out into the hall.
Quatre and Trowa were currently out on at mission. They had been gone for three days already. Usually Duo was getting antsy after three days with no action. Heero, Wufei and Duo were currently all occupying the small safe house.
Walking into the kitchen he began making tea. Duo was sitting at the table next to Heero stuffing his face with waffles being his normal extremely perky and energetic self. Wufei stopped a shudder from running through his body. What a Duo Maxwell could do on a sugar-high from syrup.
Sitting at the table he sat starring at his tea. Heero spoke up from behind his laptop and coffee, "We have to run a diagnostics check on our Gundams today." Wufei nodded in acknowledgement.
"I checked mine yesterday, so I don't need too." Duo nodded happily a glint in his eye. Wufei didn't like it.
"If you did something to my Gundam this time, I will kill you." Wufei glared at the braided boy.
Duo simply smiled broadly, "Okay man, Okay." Heero and Wufei walked out to the hangar after finishing their drinks. Wufei heaved a sigh of relief; "Well it looks okay from the outside."
Heero shrugged and continued towards his Gundam to check the computer system. Wufei did the same heading towards Nataku. After running a full system check he concluded that everything was running properly and he actually had no reason to be suspicious at Duo. Heero had finished his testing too and they walked back to the safe house again.
Duo was sitting on the couch a slightly nervous smile on his face. "So how's your Gundam looking?"
"It was fine." Wufei sat on the couch calmly looking out the window. Heero proceeded into the other room to search for missions and check the radio. Duo was looking at Wufei extremely weird.
After a minute of quizzically watching him Duo got up and place his hand on Wufei's forehead, "Are you feeling alright?" Wufei was shocked at the contact.
"Of course I am! Quit being so dumb."
Duo just sat down staring at Wufei.
Heero charged into the room. "Quatre and Trowa need reinforcements now." They both bolted up from their seats in hot pursuit of Heero. Running to the small hanger they jumped into the cockpits and fired up the systems. Heero was the first to take off, followed by Wufei then Duo. All three were heading to a battle fifty miles south of their current safe house.
Arriving at the battle eight minutes later the three Gundams pounded into the ground. After the Oz reinforcements had come, Trowa and Quatre were having difficulties. Trowa had run out of ammunition two minutes ago and Quatre was busy defending him at all costs.
Heero's voice broke over the COM channels. -- Trowa and Quatre head to the safe house. We'll finish things up here. --
Quatre's voice, riddled with stress, responded -- okay see you soon--
There were about 30 mobile suits left. Things wouldn't be too hard. That was just ten for each of them. They proceeded to destroy the mobile suits one after another. For some reason when Wufei came after the mobile suits their pilots seemed to hesitate before they were destroyed. Wufei was mystified. No one just pauses in the middle of battle. It just wasn't a sane thing to do. The forces also seemed to bear down on him first as if he might be an easier target. Didn't matter anyways, they would all be dead soon. After twenty-two minutes they were done. Flying back home they landed and began walking back into the hangar of their safe house.
Opening the hatch of their mobile suits they hopped out and came down to the ground floor. Wufei was the last one in the hangar and down. Quatre was waiting with Trowa by his side. Duo and Heero already waiting there next to them.
As Wufei walked closer he noticed a look of shock on Quatre's face. "Wufei! What did you do!"
"What are you talking about Quatre?" He looked at his Gundam everything seemed normal.
Quatre was still in shock. Trowa's face was not his usual expressionless face, instead it have a look of pure puzzlement. Duo was just smiling.
Quatre's voice still had shock in it when he spoke next, "Your Gundam is Bright PINK! Like neon flamingo colored PINK!"
Wufei's eye narrowed not even looking back at his Gundam with his deadly glare, "What did you say?" His voice was monotone and dangerous.
Quatre just stared back at Wufei; "It's bright pink, where the green used to be." Wufei was rigged, standing perfectly still, face with no expression at all. He walked forward stopping in front of Duo. Duo just smiled broadly. "I was wondering how you could have missed it this morn-" SMACK.
Wufei had his hand still curled into a fist, and proceeded to walk out of the hanger silently as Duo hit the ground. There was a red swell rapidly forming on his cheek after being punched across the face by Wufei. He faced the ground and spit blood out of his mouth.
Wufei walked strait up the stairs into his room. Slamming the door shut.
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"Wufei! Wufei! You have to hurry!" Meiran squealed at him, "They're going to destroy the field of flowers! They're going to destroy all the pretty colors!"
Wufei sat on his chair; he was 13 now, already well initiated into his training. "They are just flowers Meiran."
"NO! They are our flowers! Why don't you stop being the stupid scholar you want to be and be a warrior! It is a privilege to be one!" Wufei turned back to his book.
Meiran stamped her foot, "Why won't you defend all the flowers?"
"They mean nothing to me. I don't see the colors anymore."
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Wufei heard the pounding on the door. It was Quatre again, probably Trowa doing the pounding for him. "Wufei please come out. It's not healthy for you to be up here by yourself."
Silence
"Wufei come on get out of the room! You need to eat at least!"
There was once again silence to his yelling.
"Forget what Duo did for a little, while and just let us in! Please Wufei."
There was silence again and Wufei could hear the soft walking of two pairs of foot steps down the hall. Forget what Duo had did? Never. How could I?
Quatre came down the stairs again followed by Trowa. Duo and Heero looked up to see if Wufei had come down. They received only shaking heads though.
Duo smacked the pillow of his couch again; "It has been three days already. THREE DAYS. He has to be starving himself up there." Duo sighed frustrated, "Wufei has never been so pissed about something like this before. Sure he yells at me and threatens me, but he has never actually hit me before." Duo's face was bruised still though major swelling had gone down.
Quatre sat on the couch dejectedly. "I don't know what's wrong. We told him you washed it off an hour after he locked himself in his room but he didn't respond at all. It's a good thing you used water based paint, but this time I think you went to far Duo."
"But WHY? He has never reacted this badly! He didn't even notice."
Heero got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. Quatre sat quietly leaning against Trowa, Duo tucking his face between his hands. The rain outside was beating on the house souring the mood of the pilots further. Five minutes later Heero emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with food. "I'll talk to Wufei."
Duo looked up from the couch, "He won't let Quatre in. Why do you think he will talk to you?"
Heero simply ignored him and headed up the stairs with the food.
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"Wufei open the door."
Silence.
"If you don't open it I will break it down. It will not be just a threat like Duo or Trowa have tried." On the other side of the door there was a metal click of the deadbolt sliding out. Heero waited for the door to be opened, but that was it. Heero opened the door walking inside and shutting it behind him and locking it. He looked over at the bed and what he saw stalled him for a moment.
Tears were slowly falling their way down Wufei's cheek. His hair was down, staring out the window at the rain. Heero stopped and placed the tray on the bed next to Wufei. He then sat on the bed on the other side of Wufei. There was silence for a long while.
"What's wrong?"
Wufei's lips moved but no sound came out. "Wufei, what's wrong?"
"Nothing" Wufei continued to stare out the window.
"Something is obviously wrong when you are crying."
Wufei glared at him. "You wouldn't understand! Not even if I told you. Besides what do you care?"
Heero just sat calmly in the face of that glare, "You don't know if I'd understand until you told me. You have to eat Wufei." Heero began to grab the soup from the tray.
"I'm not hungry."
Heero stopped moving, "You are going to eat Wufei. Whether you want to or not, even by force."
"You wouldn't dare."
Heero set the tray on the nightstand next to Wufei's bed. Turning slightly he faced Wufei. Wufei continued to glare at him. Heero lunged. Wufei jumped slightly to dodge. Heero flipped over on the bed, but Wufei had sat on top of him and grabbed his wrists. Wufei was smiling proudly when Heero flipped him and himself off the bed. There was a loud thud as they fell. Heero managed to pin Wufei on his stomach. Heero looked for something to tie Wufei's arms back. Finding nothing in sight he pulled Wufei's tank top over his hear and tied his arms together. Heero got up from the floor and lifted Wufei up placing him in a sitting position against the bed's headboard. Wufei sat silently and glared.
There was hurried pounding up the stairs. Trowa's voice came through the door. "Is everything alright?"
"Everything is fine" On the other side of the door the person hesitated before turning around and heading back down the stairs.
Wufei let out a small sigh. That would be very weird if one of the others walked in and saw him tied up with his tank top and only his boxers on, while Heero sat calmly on the bed. Heero lifted the cup of soup up to Wufei's lips, then forcing him to swallow the mixture by holding his mouth shut and gently messaging his throat.
"There I got you to eat. Will you swallow on your own now?"
Wufei nodded slightly shoulders drooping forward. Heero just sat there silently spoon-feeding him because he refused to untie Wufei. After a while Heero stopped and sat staring at Wufei. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing"
Heero gently tucked Wufei's hair behind his ear to see clearly into Wufei's eyes. "Wufei something is obviously wrong. Duo's practical jokes never upset you this badly."
"Why didn't you tell me it was pink! You went and did the same diagnostics checks I did!"
"I figure you would notice something like that on your own, so don't blame me. I wouldn't have been able to tell you anyways. Why didn't you notice?"
Wufei glared, "Untie me and get out Yuy."
Heero tilted his head slightly analyzing Wufei's face, "Wufei are you colorblind?"
Wufei sat there silently looking anywhere else, but at Heero. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"You wouldn't understand. How could you? Maxwell said it himself three mornings ago. It would get depressing after a while seeing nothing but black and white. What he doesn't understand is that it is even more depressing knowing that every shade of gray is a beautiful color that I will never get to see."
"I understand." Wufei shook his head staring out the window, "I couldn't tell you that your Gundam was pink three days ago because I'm colorblind too."
"The perfect soldier. Colorblind?"
"That is why I'm colorblind actually. Professor J thought I would lessen the post-war emotional stress if I was colorblind. He believed that it would decrease post-war emotional trauma, so that I wouldn't associate red with death and blood and bodies of soldiers. So he put an inhibitor on my sight. He said he would remove it once the war was over."
Wufei was in awe. Tilting his head to the side he looked into Heero's eyes, "Do you remember what the colors were like?"
"I can't remember or describe each color. All I remember is that they were very unique and beautiful."
"Master O promised me that as payment for the war he was working on a way to let me see color. An operation if you will. But the problem is that he was working on my colony. My colony is now destroyed."
"What is actually troubling you Wufei? You lived without seeing color your whole life. An incident like this wouldn't make you cry."
Wufei looked down. Heero came to sit down next to Wufei. "Meiran died for color." Heero waited patiently for Wufei to go on. "She came one day begging me to help her save her field of flowers, where I learned all the colors from her. I never actually saw the colors, but the look of joy as she told me each color was, told me how beautiful the color was."
"When she asked me to help she ridiculed me for not being a warrior. She took the suit that was the prototype and defended her field. I was too hooked on the idea that I would be seeing colors for real at the time. After a while I got worried and went after her, but I was too late. She died in my arms, in her pretty field of flowers."
Wufei leaned against Heero sighing at the memory. Heero spoke up softly, "At the end of this war. I promise you will see the color with me."
Wufei looked up into Heero's face, "Is that possible?"
"J will make it possible."
Wufei looked at Heero for a minute longer to see if he was just trying to cheer him up by saying such a thing. He saw no trace of deceit, "I always wondered what color your eyes would be. Duo says they are gorgeous all the time. A beautiful color of blue."
"You will see."
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It was pitch black. The wrappings covering his eyes did not let him see light any more. He could not open them and was being led around by a strong hand. Heero's voice talking to him, "It's beautiful Wufei. You have no idea how wonderful it is. You will be able to see them at the end of this week once your eyes heal from the operation."
Heero's sight had already come back because it was the simple procedure of removing a chip once the war was done. Wufei had been in darkness for two weeks. He was almost allowed to take off his bandage to see what Meiran gave her life for.
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Heero had gone out shopping earlier, currently they were in a car. Wufei couldn't wait to get the bandage off his eyes. "You have ten minutes left Wufei. Just hold on."
The car stopped and Wufei felt himself being lifted out of the passenger side. "Where are you taking me?"
"You'll see very soon."
Wufei was set down on what felt like a blanket. Heero's watch went off signaling that Wufei could take his bandage off.
Wufei felt the slow movements as the gauze was slowly being unraveled from around his head. Light was seeping through the thinner and thinner layers. He had to shield his eyes suddenly when he hit the light. He felt his chin being lifted as his eyes were squeezed tightly shut.
"What color are my eyes Wufei?"
Wufei slowly and determinedly began cracking open his eyes to the light, staring straight into deep colorful eyes. A small whisper of "Blue" as tears were leaking from the corners of his eyes, "So that's what blue looks like?"
Wufei looked around him and gasped. All the pretty colors. They were in a field of flowers. Heero pulled out a color chart, and they spent the afternoon pointing out all the colors and matching them with the color chart to see what each shade was called.
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The sun was blazing though the sky, setting slowly below the horizon. Warm arms began to move slightly around him holding him closer to Heero's chest. "Ne... Wufei?"
"Yes Heero?"
"What's your favorite color?"
Wufei turned in Heero's arms facing him inches apart. "The first color I ever saw. Blue. Deep blue." Leaning down they met with a sweet and tender kiss, the last pink and orange hues drifting from the sky.
/Can you see them Wufei? . . . . Can you see all the pretty colors?"/
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End
Well that's it. I know really pointless. Really farfetched. Sorry. Oh well. Comments appreciated.
See ya soon.! Reviews are craved more then food!
(And that's saying something)
Silver Serpent