Okay, this one's pretty short, so I'm going to have to supplement by talking a lot. Pretty much all you need to know for this one is that Wufei is about to marry this extremely ethnic Thai woman named Phailin who's taught Wufei several lessons on respecting women (if you want a total background, read Chap. 4 "Don't Call Me Nataku"). She's insisted on marrying in the village of her birth. Heero is married to Relena, they have a daughter named Akiko and another one on the way, and Duo is married to a new character named Sophie and she's pregnant too.

This segment's got a bit of heavy swearing, just a fair warning. Again, more Duo bashing, but other than that it's pretty tranquil and peaceful. For the pilots, they can finally stop thinking about the oncoming war for a while . . .

AC 206: The Change Time Brings (Part IX)

Thai-ing Knots

"God DAMMIT!!" With a metallic crash that echoed across the hangar, Duo lost his wrench. "That HURT!"

Quatre and Trowa snickered, which, unfortunately, also echoed loudly.

"Look what that piece of shit fifty-cent wrench did to my finger!" Duo yelled at them, showing them. Quatre wisely stopped snickering when he flipped them off with the bloody digit. "It's not fuckin' funny!"

Trowa doubled up, unable to help himself.

"You've got a death wish, buddy," Duo growled, stomping off to find a bandage, cursing a blue streak

"What the hell was that?" called Wufei from the control room. "Did Maxwell lose something again?"

"And it took his fingernail with it!" responded Trowa, still giggling.

"Don't see what's so funny about that," Wufei muttered. "That is not fun."

The old base at Samut Sakhon, on the southeast coast of Thailand near Phailin's village was full of spare motors and tools, but the fifty years of abandonment had left most of them unusable. The only thing Duo's stubbornness to repair Deathscythe-RB before an engineer noticed the warped armor had earned him was half a dozen trips to the first-aid cabinets and an immobile gundam.

Wufei heard Duo's swearing down the hall and turned around to see Phailin close the door. "I was going to go for a walk," she told him. "Do you want to come?"

Wufei stood up and stretched. He'd been at the control panels for hours, for all the good it had done him. The base's computer had been totally destroyed when the base was forcefully abandoned half a century ago. "It'll be good to get out of this stuffy place for a while."

"It's only more humid out there, you know." She hooked her elbow through his.

"But it's fresh humidity. We can go out and walk by the ocean."

"You like the ocean, don't you?"

"There wasn't a proper body of water within several million miles of where I grew up. I didn't see the sea until I was fifteen."

"Touché."

"How far is the village from here?" he asked after a moment.

"About a mile down the road. We could go now, if you want."

"You think ten days' warning is too much, do you?"

"Not at all. My mother alone could prepare an entire festival given a week and some rice flour." Phailin smiled. "She'll love the challenge."

"Right or left?" Wufei asked as the came to the dirt road. They turned left, walking on the edge of an ocean inlet. Offshore, an old-style fishing boat hauled in a catch. The jungle overshadowed them, thick and lush, tropical and filled with heady perfume. It felt good to be away from the city. He could see the smoke rising from village fires. Out on a point, a small peninsula, Wufei spotted Heero and Relena down by the water. What bliss.

A quarter of an hour later, two children and a dog with a stick came running. The older one, a boy by his dress, cried out happily.

"No, you can't be . . . Chai Son? You can't be my brother, he was shorter!" She hugged him delightedly. "And if it isn't any other than his ever-present shadow, little Mikan?"

"My name's Jason!" Shouted the boy, his English unaccented, as opposed to his sister's more ethnic pronunciation.

"Chai Son suits you better [Chai Son means "Mischievous One" in Thai]. Wufei, this is my half-brother Jason."

"Wufei? That's Chinese. What expedition have you been on to drag a Chinese man here?"

Phailin laughed again. "The village is not far. Jason, run tell mother I'm here."

"How many siblings do you have?" Wufei asked, wondering. The boy looked about eight.

"Three, all half-brothers. Jason's the oldest. My father died when I was fifteen— a Chang we gave shelter to murdered him. That's part of why I hated your clan so. My mother married an Englishman, but he left when Michael was born two years ago. He just . . . abandoned us."

"That's terrible."

"He was a despicable man, cruel and heartless. I hated him so. I'm actually the one that drove him out, just don't tell my mother." Phailin looked at him. "Village life is not easy. I lived most of my school years in Bangkok at a private live-in school. I had earned a scholarship from the church in the village, though I never believed in Jesus. It's the only reason I'm not still living here."

"My story's not too different, you know. Oppressed but bright student grabs an opportunity by the throat kind of thing."

"Phailin!" The whole village seemed to have turned out. Children ran to greet them both. Wufei was offered flowers, candy.

"Friendly."

Phailin gave him a look. "It's what makes our country famous, after all."

"You'd never know it after meeting you."

"I'm not hostile to everyone. Just you."

"My sapphire, look at you!" An elderly man embraced Wufei's fiancé. "It's been nearly a year and a half. What has taken place that has kept you from home for so long?"

"Many things, grandfather, many things." Phailin hugged the old man tightly. "And I have missed you all greatly."

"And who is your companion?" Her grandfather rushed forward and bowed to Wufei. Wufei bowed back.

"His name is Wufei."

"Ah, a souvenir from the former China, no doubt?"

"We met in Beijing."

The old man's eyes glinted, and Wufei saw he was sharper than he looked. "Well then, welcome to our village, Wufei."

"Ah, my blue gem, you come to return to my arms, no?" A handsome man leapt from a rooftop and kissed Phailin. Wufei protested loudly as she wrenched herself away and punched him in the gut, angry. She said something in her own tongue, and several people in the crowd turned to Wufei interestingly.

"What'd she say?" Wufei asked her grandfather.

The man chuckled. "You can't kiss a committed woman. My, very much has changed, hasn't it?"

"Phailin, what is this? An assertive middle-aged woman asked, taking Wufei's sleeve. "He is something new."

"He is whom I am marrying in ten days, Mother," Phailin said quietly.

"He is Chinese!"

"I love him. Why does it matter where he as from as long as I have my deepest feelings all for him?"

Phailin's mother studied him. "You've always been a rare breed, my daughter. Does she suit you, Wufei?"

Wufei suddenly remembered Phailin mentioning a conversation like this one. It was a ritual. As far as he could remember, he was supposed to . . . "She's my world," he said. "I love her with all my heart."

The woman smiled. "Perhaps we should begin to make preparations."

After a hail of congratulations and several envious glances from some of the young men, Phailin took his hand and showed him to her house, one of the more permanent-looking structures on stilts. "You were perfect," she told him. "I didn't think you'd remember."

"I almost didn't," he admitted.

Wufei felt someone pinch his butt from behind. "A fine young specimen if I do say so myself. Where did you find such a handsome young man as this?"

Wufei spun, eyes wide, and came navel-to-face with a little old woman.

"Grandmother," Phailin sighed, "why do you always do that?"

"Ten more days and I won't be allowed to anymore." She tapped her nose. "But I have seen him before, somewhere. On television, perhaps, or in a magazine. What is your surname, young Wufei?"

"Ch—"

Phailin put her hand over his mouth. "Don't play that old trick on him, please, Grandmother. He's not yet familiar with all of our customs."

"The hair is very unique," the old woman continued. "I don't forget these things."

"Then why don't you know who he is?"

She threw her hands up. "You win. I think there's going to be quite a reaction when they find out he's a Chang, though."

"I know. Mother will go into hysterics. Do you have an idea?" Phailin put her arm around him protectively.

The old woman looked at Wufei. "You need to tell them. You need to say why Phailin is marrying you. Why are you, anyway?"

"It's a long story," Phailin said wearily.

"A story? Perhaps that would be fitting for the campfire, then."

"I've told it once already."

"A tale never loses its potency unless told by those unskilled, my favorite granddaughter. Perhaps it would be better understood that way."

"And I don't have to mention his name, either. Brilliant."

"So I don't have to do anything, then?" Wufei asked, his head spinning at the rapid-fire reasoning.

"Except sit there and look honored to be marrying me," Phailin said, squeezing his waist. "Which won't be too hard, will it?"

"Of course not."

"I'll let you get on," Grandmother said, grinning slightly. Phailin showed him around the village for a few hours, introducing him to a few important people and showing him the main mini-shrines around the community. Wufei had lived in Bangkok long enough to know what to do.

Later, Trowa came loping to them behind a group of chattering, pointing children. "There you two are. We've been looking for you all day."

"Trowa, how handy! I was just going to call you guys." Phailin grabbed his arm. You've all been invited to the evening meal. It starts in about an hour."

"You want me to go back now? I just ran all the way here!" The man panted.

"You've got good legs for running. If you can't run two miles I'd say you need to be training more."

"Fine, have it your way . . . Anything special we need to know?" Trowa began to walk back to the road.

"No," she called, "just come as you are." Phailin reached down and squeezed Wufei's butt. It was still a little sore from being pinched. "Jeans are fine."

Trowa rolled his green eyes. "Got ya."

"That was unnecessary," Wufei told her.

She kissed him. "Was it? We've got an hour, and the bath-house is usually empty this time of day."

"Now, all of a sudden?"

"When you suddenly became the world's greatest lover, you should've known I was going to take advantage of it. Besides, you smell like computer dust."

~~@[~*~]@~~

"Chatalerm, dammit, you weren't invited!"

The overly-muscled, overly-handsome man that had set Phailin off earlier smirked. "Ah, but it is a public bath-house, after all." He slipped into the water. "And I daresay I'd be protecting your self, my precious gem."

Phailin, buried to her chin in the steaming water, glared at him. "I'm not a virgin, if you must know. Wufei, get me a towel."

Wufei climbed out of the bath (carefully, so as Chatalerm couldn't see) and retrieved two white towels from the nearby stack. He held one over the water so Phailin could stand without revealing herself and they made their way to the other empty bath. "I suppose we'll have to lock the doors this time," she said.

"What is with him?" Wufei asked her, securing the door behind them as Phailin went to check the other.

"He . . . was supposed to be betrothed to me. Our families thought we'd be the perfect couple, obviously destined to have beautiful offspring, but I begged my grandfather to terminate the betrothal because I couldn't stand being in the same room with him. The village girls swooned over his looks and his skill, but I returned to my village in the summer learned, with new ideas about the world. I'd learned about my ancestry from that school, and refused to settle for someone so womanizing. He still won't admit we're not going to marry."

"Why not?"

"Traditionally, the only way a woman can be freed from her betrothal is by another man that she wishes to marry. I received many applications, but in light of the selection I elected to fight him myself. I defeated him, but he still believes that I cannot sever our arrangement because I was a girl. He's probably going to end up fighting you, Wufei. And it looks like he's gotten stronger."

"I can take him. I wouldn't dare let myself lose if it means losing you." Wufei discarded his towel and climbed into the water.

Phailin walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "He's built more sturdy than you. He's much wider and much stronger, Wufei. I've fought him. I know."

"But my technique is very similar to yours. A brute like that won't be able to move as fast as me."

"And he knows it. One blow could knock you out cold."

He hooked his arm around her waist. "I'll be careful. In the meantime, we've lost ten minutes."

* * *

The entire village sat at the square. Many of them had their own private family bonfires, but Phailin and her guests sat with the village officials (the leader who just happened to be her grandfather— Why not?). Members of both sexes served the food, Heero noted, and it was extremely spicy.

They all neglected to mention it, however, to let Duo find out for himself. With his injured finger, he was having trouble with the chopsticks. Embarrassed, he asked if they had forks. The braided pilot finally had to resort to his wife. Sophie laughed, put her arm around his shoulders, and hand-fed him. Duo took advantage of the situation as only he could. He did, however, almost choke on the hot food. "Very funny, guys," he said, chugging water, eyes watering. "Especially you," he advanced on Sophie, who shoved another chunk of the delicious chicken into his mouth.

After dinner, the village of a few hundred gathered to hear Don't Call Me Nataku. Near the fire, Phailin leaned against Wufei, allowing him to put his legs around her. The guests, unused to such a cultural setting, were quite surprised at the gesture, but no one else seemed disturbed in the slightest. The only difference, insofar as they could tell, between the version they had heard and the village rendition was that Phailin never mentioned Wufei's name. It was basically Phailin redeeming a lost soul— one who happened to be a Chang.

"By what name may we call this Chang, should he come seeking your village, granddaughter?" Her grandfather asked. "How disappointed he will be when he finds you've taken a husband!"

Phailin looked at him, her face bemused. "Oh, I would not say so, Father of the Village. His name is Chang Wufei, and he is going to be my husband!"

The audience, which had played a large part in the telling of the story, erupted in startled discussion, and Trowa realized that it was the perfect way to reveal Wufei's identity without causing instant hatred at his surname. Wufei had been made out as the hero who'd overcome a great burden. Trowa had sensed the audience falling in love with the Chang of Phailin's story. She is brilliant, he thought.

"Chang Wufei the pilot?" Someone called out, causing more exclamations.

Our fame has reached this far? thought Relena as Phailin introduced her and the others. After a moment of gawking, however, the celebrities went back to being just guests. Heero was actually at ease about being known this time around.

**********************************************

See, it's short. The next one's longer, and much funnier. Duo complains to Sophie and is given an interesting idea. He throws Wufei a bachelor party at a nearby bar. There are some hilarious drunk-scenes, and a little contest to see which of the five pilots will remain conscious to take everybody home (Heero bet Relena it'd be him). Also, Quatre reveals a long-time secret to Trowa. The next chapter of AC 206: The Change Time Brings: "The Bachelor Party".