Masqued: Mm, you're average disclaimer. I'm re-posting this with a different summary, because I figure it should just be a one-shot since unless it demanded demanded demanded, I'm not going to continue it with different chapters of the other pilots. And even if I do, I think I'll simply just put the other pilots with different titles, which is another thing I'm changing about it. Enjoy. (:
Title: Our Meadow
Rating: PG
Summary: What If ficlet. One-shot. 5/Meilan. Meilan wanted to see WuFei's meadow. WuFei wanted her to live passed seeing. Dramatic Romance.
WuFei looked out of his gundam's open window and saw his wife floating through the void space. Her breathing was soft and nearly soothing, but short and sharp as well because of her lack of body strength. Turning her tired and lazied expression upward, she gazed up at him through the plexiglass of her helmet.Comfort melted in her eyes as her scarred face simplified to a look of child innocence.
"Meilan!" WuFei yelped, leaning on the edge of his seat as he gazed at her. From his chest, he could feel emotion drain down and drop into his stomach. Knots of worry tied themselves within his body as a gentle quiver of fret emitted the Chinese pilot's lips.
"WuFei.." She muttered, the smile on her face miniscule. Unawareness kept her expression mellow, and softly narrowing eyes dropped further. WuFei's resentment turned bitter-sweet as he licked his upper-lip, attempting to aid his dry mouth.
"Hang on, Meilan.." He muttered, crawling back up onto his seat, fists tightly clenched over it's controls. He was preparing to catch her in the palm of his gundam's hand when he heard her weary voice climb in through the small connection they had.
"M-My name is Nataku.." She whispered, her voice straining to be heard with the lack of strength behind it. The muscle's of her face tensed and loosened as she continued speaking stubbornly against the will of her body.
"...That's right, you are Nataku. I'll never call you Meilan again.." he shut his eyes in thought, reflecting on the moment. A choice had been made on both of their parts, and the choice itself was admirable - just, if you will. Admirable and just in the eyes of a boy that needed to be shown those two through the careless actions of a stubborn warrior.
"G-Give me some credit.. I.. protected your.. meadow," her voice broke through the silence, grabbing his immediate attention. Suddenly, his eyes shot open and he glared down at her, watching her body drift into the palm of the gundanium hand. She smiled up again and his face grew tense at the foolishness of her words.
"Y-You fool.." he hissed. His eyes burned through the eyes of the gundam, but she could not see them.
Reflecting again, he froze. Heavy eyelids sank as his eyes shut in thought. A tiny smirk of admiration and affection twisted over his lips then he re-opened his eyes, slowly drifting toward the colony they'd both been fighting to protect.
Silence passed for a few moments, but was broken when the pained and throbbing voice of Meilan projected in a response.
"So.. please.. take me to that field of flowers.." she whispered. His eyes welt up to tears. She was truly Nataku, the strongest. In those very spacious and rare moments, he found the love for her he barely knew possible. She wanted to see the flowers of his meadow, the one she so bravely fought to protect - for him.
He would take her to the meadow, as she wished - but not until he was sure enough that she would live passed seeing those blossoming flowers. He wanted her to accept him as her husband and be able to live with him as they should - happily, with their meadow.
'Our Meadow'. He liked the ring of it as it volleyed itself in his mind. Yes, from that point on, it was their meadow, and would always remain so.
Paramedics hastily took Meilan into the hospital, aware of what she'd suffered and also aware of how long it had been from the time she had begun to suffer. They feared for her strength, and needed to get her into the finest care of her direct need as soon as possible - WuFei made sure.
Her Grandfather's short and plump form waddled down the small hallway that led to her room, WuFei by his side. The two had been talking in the lobby with each other; more accurately WuFei was one-sidedly complaining against the Alliance.
The doctor gently slid the door open, allowing the two into the room. She was recuperating quickly and was laying on a bed, respirator hooked to her body. Both WuFei and her Grandfather watched from afar until they had reassured themselves it was all right to get closer. Her Grandfather walked to the side of her bed, looking down affectionately. WuFei stood against the wall beside her.
"My dear Meilan.." Her Grandfather whispered, then laid his hand on top of her own. Her body shook gently as she responded to the touch outside that was other then all the technology she was now accustom to. Pulling herself up to a sitting position against her pillow, she glanced at her Grandfather with a similar gaze to the one he had given her.
WuFei, feeling an extreme amount of sincerity in his heart for what he was about to say to her Grandfather, pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning against and turned, facing her Grandfather, eyes lowering to meet his. A short stare mounted between the two, and WuFei felt as though the elderly man already knew what he was about to inform of him of.
"Her name is Nataku." She took a short breath in appreciation to what he'd said. Slowly, she tilted her head from looking at her Grandfather to gaze up to her husband to be. A gentle smile found its way over her thin lips and she brought her eyes to meet his, exhaling in an almost responsive way to his statement.
WuFei leaned closer to her bed and she could feel his warm, caring hand being placed on her cheek, reassuring her of his significant love for her. Her cheek nuzzled into the warmth of his hand affectionately as his thumb rotated up and down over her cheek bone. Her Grandfather watched in pleasure and surprise, knowing that this much affection would not have been shown had the call of duty not been provided.
"Have you accepted him as your husband, dearest?" he whispered, his voice scratching for more projection as it did so. She chose not to gaze elsewhere but on her beloved, zooming into his eyes and forgetting momentarily the question that had been asked of her by her Grandfather.
"Yes, Grandfather. I have," her voice, faint and wistful, caught WuFei, her Grandfather, and herself off guard. It seemed angelic the way it was spoken and she could not contain the amazing glow of jubilance that radiated off her face as she replied to the question honestly. Responsively, and taking authority in the situation as well, WuFei leaned over the edge of the bed and softly pressed his lips against hers. Short, sweet, and the first loving kiss that was presented between the two. Neither knew of a better way to end a bitterly sweet day of new beginnings.
Meilan turned her eyes up further and examined his face, attempting to memorize every line once he'd pulled away from the kiss. Olive, amazing skin; almond black eyes; raven hair that was pulled in a tight ponytail; she awed at his own radiance, even if at the moment it was rugged and messy by the given circumstances. His scent teased her nose as she wafted it mentally toward her. She'd fallen in love because of the ferocity of his cause and she wanted to soak in as much as she possibly could of her new found life-long interest.
His thoughts weren't far from her own at the moment. His eyes had first been met with hers, but were now scanning the rest of her face. Perfection seemed to fit right as a collective word in his mind. Perfection, radiance, excellence. Those were words that he could barely imagine, and they were all coming together in the beautiful creation of Meilan. A wave of conviction road over him - why hadn't he noticed it before? Why had it taken a battle for life and the right to it to make him so aware of something so magnificent?
It was almost like time froze for the both of them as they stayed, gazing upon each other in their new found infatuation. He didn't want to leave her side, and she didn't want to rest incase of missing anything, or waking up and being struck with a rather far-fetched realization that she had only been imagining such an amazing gift.
But they both knew very well that the gift they'd received, each other, was of fate and chance in one.
Hours passed and WuFei finally fell asleep at her side. The chair he was in was uncomfortable, and he would have rathered a bed similar to hers, but he knew he couldn't bare not being by her side. An uncomfortable, uncushioned chair was his only refuge. Besides that, he had been informed that she would be well enough to leave in the morning.
And in the morning, they did just that. She awoke early to find that WuFei was already awake and had brought them both a small breakfast meal, both consisting of only nutrition and nourishing ingredients. The meal was quick, and was done in silence as they both contemplated trying to comprehend their current state. Meilan was the first to break the ice.
"WuFei, take me to your meadow," she whispered. That had been the last thing she'd said to him in space, and she seemed rather persistent about it. Then, his thoughts of the earlier time in space zoomed through his mind and raced to his current thoughts, causing him to pause and gaze upon her.
"Our meadow," he replied softly and leaned up, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. She smiled and looked up at him, her eyes narrowing as she did so.
"Our meadow." With that, she crawled off the side of the bed and into a small wheel chair, waiting for WuFei to roll her out of the small room she'd been in and down the hall, back into the freedom of the world she'd suddenly come to love so much.
After a small amount of papers to sign to let Meilan leave officially, and a short stop at their current residence to reassure her Grandfather that she was all right and would be with WuFei, they walked to the field, Meilan in WuFei's arms, enjoying the feel of her side pressed against his chest, and of her arms around his neck.
The two slowly meandered over the field, cascading their eyes over it to find a clean spot to sit upon peaceably together. A few birds floated over head, singing their sweet melodies of happiness. The fragrance of flowers was nearly intolerable, yet loveable as it overpowered the two.
Meilan sat beside WuFei, her jacket over her shoulders, keeping her still slightly fragile body warm.
"It's beautiful. I don't think I've ever looked at it like this," her soft voice whispered gently through the wind, just reaching its way to WuFei's ears. His lips curled in a half smile, his closing in a moment to soak in all around him. Unnoticeably, his left arm swooped up and enclosed itself around her shoulder on the farthest side from him, causing her body to fall against his own.
"You'll get to look at it like this more often," was his reply. The mingle of their bodies soothed his soul as they both gazed into the sea of flowers that closed in on them from every side and saturated them with their scent. Affectionately, her head drifted down to his shoulder, where it rested in a stop. He could feel the vibration of her soft humming rhythm over his shoulder and he added his own humming before turning to gaze upon her tired features.
"Not to friendly now," he whispered, gently squeezing her body against his and nuzzling his nose into her hair. A faint chuckle emitted from her lips and she rolled her eyes up to gaze at his profile.
The remained together on the flower bed until dusk, immensely enjoying each others company more then either ever thought possible. WuFei had never been able to love a woman the way he loved Meilan, and the thought of having possibly lost her in the space above wounded his heart. There was a war that was raging and he intended to take part in it, for the protection of his love, his pride, and justice that he now represented.
Cool air chilled the two of them as they walked back to their residence, hand in hand. WuFei had offered his jacket to her twice, but she recommended that if either of them had less then the other in time of need, then it would be discrimination against gender and unjust. He admired her and allowed her to keep her jacket to herself, and his jacket to himself.
"Goodnight." He whispered and took her into his arms. She pushed herself up, propping up on her tip-toes, and softly prodded his lips with her own in a slow, passionate kiss. Their first kiss had been short and sweet, a refreshed start of new life. Their second kiss symbolized their seriousness and their passion for one another.
"Goodnight." She whispered back and rested her head on his chest, gathering the sound of his heartbeat in her head, making sure that the moment was real. His arms remained around her as she did so and they stayed in the position under the moonlight until WuFei was determined to find some sort of sleep.
He kissed her on the forehead and let her go, reassuring her that they would speak in the morning. She embraced his stomach in a quick hug, and they separated ways, going into their own chambers for the night.
(A/N: Sorry, not hot and passionate stuff. I'm not against it, I'm just pro-complete marriage kind of thing. Sorry!)
"Master O... I'll ask you once more. For what purpose did you create Nataku?" WuFei's agitated voice matched his agitated stance. He was growing impatient of his Master's silence and he was at the brink of throwing an immensely raged full fit in the direction of one of the men he trusted most. Gruffly, he stepped forward and gripped the cotton cloth of his Master's lab coat. The material burned his fingers as he rubbed them impatiently.
Propping himself up further to glare at his Master before continuing, taking the man's silence as an opportunity given.
"To drop this colony on earth? You made Nataku for that? How could you? Did you think I would accept that?!" Anger raged over WuFei's face as he tried to comprehend the stupidity of his Masters actions. His fingers gripped harder on the material of his master's shirt and his face muscle's tensed harder, attempting to intimidate the man. "The great Master has agreed to Operation Meteor. Ridiculous! I can't let you make Nataku do such a thing!" He let go of the man's coat and swung it from his grasp angrily, throwing his Master off balance remotely.
His Master caught his balance and continued to stare at WuFei, allowing the younger man to fume all he wanted. His words were what he figured to be chosen carefully, yet he knew however he was to say them, they would offend his young apprentice.
"It's not Nataku. It's the Shenlong," he muttered. Pausing for effect, WuFei's Master glared at his apprentice again, choosing a few seconds to pass before speaking his next statement, which was far from wise. "Forget Nataku. You yourself said it didn't fit to be the guardian of the Long family."
That was all WuFei needed. The balled fists that he had at his side chose their time and threw themselves angrily into his Master's gut, making a very satisfying grunt come in return.
"Forget? I dare you to say that again!" Silence met the statement of the angered young man, and WuFei leaned forward, eyes narrowed in anger. Gritting his teeth together, he hissed in a very low and distasteful voice in the direction of his former Master. "You're no longer my master.. I'll show you I can fight with Nataku alone!" His voice let out a soft growl of anger and he spit on the ground in front of his former Master before spinning on his heel and exiting.
Even if his former Master had anything to say, it would have absolutely no importance to WuFei. He was sure of it.
"Better go ahead with Operation Meteor then let ourselves be disposed of.. then OZ and the Alliance will realize their own folly," WuFei whispered regretfully. WuFei wasn't proud of Master O, but he knew the importance of Operation Meteor. He intended on taking on the project himself, using Nataku as his guide to victory. He would not allow his former Master's faults cause his fight for justice to cease and wither away.
Meilan's eyes looked on strongly at her husband, soaking in his anger and his judgment on the situation. Her Grandfather looked on with amusement and affection for the young man's ambition, sure of the danger that this sudden change in pace could cause his family and his Granddaughter's love.
WuFei hoped that if he continued, any negativity he expected to be shown would be less. Without meeting either eyes of the two he was accompanied with in the room, he opened his mouth yet again and began to further explore his mind's recesses for the information he was sharing.
"All we have to do is defeat the enemies that need to be defeated!" The anger from his previous fight with his former Master still raged through his veins, causing his statements to seem more anger raged then justice consumed. It bothered Meilan, but she knew where her husbands heart was, and the similarities between her own and his helped her know even better that what he was doing was right.
Although, she wasn't given a chance to tell him her thoughts. As soon as he'd finished his statement, he coolly walked out of the room and into his own, a bag laid out on his bad, quickly being filled with his belongings. She followed him into the room, but only leaned against the wall, watching him move about.
"WuFei-" she began, but the face he gave her when he looked up resembled one more of hurt and pain then of thoughtfulness, pride, and justice. Striding quickly, she took her spot at his side and brought him down by his shoulder to face her, causing him to drop the small amount of clothing he'd had in his hand.
"WuFei," she started again and gazed into his eyes, causing him to stop all moving whatsoever and simply gaze back into hers. "I love you, and I know that what you're about to do may cause it to be harder on me then I let on. But, I want you to know, I am supporting you one hundred percent. I am on your side, fighting for justice and pride, as well as significance, just like you."
Hardly believing in the optomism of his wife's voice, WuFei leaned forward and embraced her, feeling her head nuzzle into his neck affectionately. He kissed the crook in her neck and then pulled away from the embrace.
"I love you, too. Thank you, Meilan," he replied softly. He took her shoulders into the palms of his hands and brought her closer to him, cutting off any gap between the two of them with another passionate, and sweet kiss of pleasure and instinct. She ran her fingers over his neck and up to his hair, pulling the elastic that kept it in a tight ponytail. The waved, raven hair streamed down to the sides of his face, causing his expression to be less tense.
For the last few minutes they spent in the room together, they gazed at one another and made plans of how to stay in touch, although it may be hard to stay faithful to them.
"WuFei.. wait," came a husky voice. Meilan's Grandfather hustled off the temple's steps, waddling over toward WuFei, who had frozen in his walk and turned to face the imposer of his walking. Meilan was standing behind him, watching the two converse.
"Take this with you," her grandfather muttered. The elderly man presented a medium sized black box with brass hinges. Staring at the small box with a puzzled look, WuFei brought his eyes up to look at the elder and stared questionably between the two.
"What is it?" he asked curiously. The possibilities of what the box carried were large, but he narrowed it down as quickly as he could to reasonable possibilities of what the elder would have and be presenting him with. Fear crept over him as he hoped it was nothing of negativity, although he and Meilan both seemed supportive of WuFei's decision.
"If you're piloting Nataku to defeat the evils of the universe, you'll need a few things first." Meilan's Grandfather slowly lifted the cover of the box, allowing it to flop over the back and bob for a few seconds. They both allowed a few seconds of silence to let the object in the box soak in. Before WuFei was a brass two headed dragon, comfortably laying on top of a black, velvet cushion. Shocked and utterly amazed at the amount of value and prestige that this could have, and the lineage that it shared with the Long family irritated his mind.
"This is Altron, the two-headed dragon our clan has owned for generations," the moment of silence had passed and Meilan's Grandfather gently pressed the box forward, presenting it to WuFei in his direction, waiting for him to take it. "Selling it should help cover the cost of supplies and ammunition." The box soon found its way in WuFei's fingers and he stared, amazed at the gift in his hand. Such a priceless family heirloom, in his possession to further the crave for peace and justice. His emotions competed with one another in ambition to figure out what he was feeling the most toward the gift.
"..Master.." he muttered the reply breathless, still gazing upon the elegance of the two headed dragon Altron in his hands. His eyes dared not to move from it, should it disappear and have been only a figment of his imagination.
"Forgive me," the elderly man responded as if he'd done a waste in trying to further help WuFei's journey against the Alliance. Finally, WuFei brought his gaze up and examined the elderly man with care and respect.
"It is all I can do for now." WuFei's eyes followed the man's waddling figure as it turned and went in the opposite direction. He bowed from the waist and up, staring eagerly at the ground in respect for the kindness shown his way.
Meilan stepped forward and grabbed her husband by the chin, taking his face so that it was focused on her own.
"WuFei..." Hurriedly, WuFei pressed his index finger over her lips and leaning his head closer to hers. He removed the index finger and made a 'shh' sound with his lips, then smirked an approval in her direction.
"Nataku, I'll be fine. My master has made a mockery of Nataku and I need to gain the name back for it." Meilan embraced her husband, wrapping her arms around his neck and digging her chin into his shoulder blade. She needed to feel him for the last time before he left.
"Fight in Justice's name," she muttered into his ear, refusing to allow tears to emerge from her glazed eyes. She and WuFei had found an unbreakable bond of love and affection, and she was so scared to see him leave now that it had just begun to blossom.
Leaning his head down, he nuzzled his nose into her neck, smelling her scent for the last time that he could before the long haul of war raged. They held each other in a close knit conundrum.
"I'll fight in the name of Nataku," he finally promised and pulled his body away from her. Lovingly, his fingers lifted up and over her right cheek, feeling her warmer skin nuzzle into his calloused hands. Her eyes closed and she shakily breathed in the warmth of his hands before she felt it run down her cheek and passed her chin. Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared into his own, firm black ones.
"Goodbye," she whispered as she waved him a gently good bye with her hand and watched him quickly walk down the remainder of the cement steps, turning his head back only once to gaze at her features in appreciation of her love for him. His bag swung over his shoulder and the black box rested in his right hand as he turned and walked into the road.
Watching her husband go pained her, but she waved him one last goodbye, although she knew he would never see it. The last bit of her strength that held back the tears went with that wave and the salty liquid rained over her thin cheeks as she shakily walked back into her Grandfather's home, crawling into her bed and reassuring herself that she would see him as soon as time would allow.
WuFei nestled into his seat in Nataku, now fully donned in the apparel that would be needed for his Gundam's sufficiency. The Gundam itself was in a miniature ball, looming it's way down to earth. He closed his eyes, remembering his last few moments with Meilan and his Master, and then of his former Master and their small fight. Although the latter of them was the least pleasant, he wanted to refresh in his mind, reminding himself that he did have a cause - justice, and he did have a love - Meilan - to fight for.
'Everything will be fine.' He told himself mentally and craned his neck to the side to peer outside into the endless void of space. The inside of his gundam was chilly and he was disappointed in himself that he hadn't brought any form of blanket. The suit he was wearing did keep him warm, but, perhaps if he'd brought a quilt of some sort, it would make departing with Meilan easier.
He took in a deep breath of air and then let out. He needed his few hours before landing on earth to be in sleep, to give him the strength he'd need once he landed. Meilan's face filled his mind and he suddenly felt a flush of reassurance that what he was doing was just, helping sleep come to him quicker and warmth seem closer.
Masqued: And that is all. Average disclaimer goes alone with this, if I already didn't say that. I hope this was enjoyable. I surely enjoyed writing, re-writing, reading and re-reading it.