Kyuki::pulling a very reluctant authoress behind him:: Come ON Shinju!
Shinju: No! I don't wanna write! Give me back my CD player and let me listen to Papa Roach in depressed peace!
Kyuki: . Your testing my pacifism! ::drags her in::
Shinju: Do I look like I care?! No one liked this fic! Why go on?
Kyuki: People DID like your fic, Shinju. You got reviews...
Shinju::sparkly eyes:: Really?
Kyuki: Yeah... ::points to desk where a few papers sit::
Shinju::runs over and looks at them all:: Wow! Arigotu minna-san! You sure know how to make a fangirl feel wanted!
Kyuki::rolls eyes:: Ah-huh...
The Disclaimer!
Shinju Meg Uchuno doesn't own Gundam Wing. The teachers spoken of in this chapter are Shinju's real teachers ( I'm too lazy to make up original teachers! ) and they own themselves. She also doesn't own any products or TV shows or whatever else spoken off. She's a 15 year old girl, for Gods sake! She doesn't have that kinda money! ( Oh, thanks Kyuki. ) Shinju hasn't lived in NYC since she was 9 which was... ::counts:: 7 years ago, and she doesn't live there now so bare with her. Her memory is slightly foggy. The school in
the chapter is made-up, it doesn't exist! Okay? Okay...
Shinju: I'd like to give my most honorable thanks to the people who reviewed this fic and made me realize that it didn't fully suck! Arigotu Claude Yuy, Ekaterinn, p-chan, solitarydragon96, skratchkitty, sm00thy31 ( who's review I especially adored! ), Anime Princess, Black Rebellious, God of Death's Little Angel, Indy, Jesse Reib, Zenovia Aisling, and lastly tigerofthewind. You rule minna-san! Thank you so much!
Kyuki: Such nice people. ^_^
Shinju: I know! This chapter is dedicated to all of you! Now, let's get this started!
Kyuki::sighs:: And to think, you were depressed a few seconds ago...
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Luck and Fame
Chapter Two: School Daze
Amazingly enough, Duo arrived at school without harm. He had lost Wufei and
Heero in the crowded New York City streets. He smirked to himself as he made his way up the school steps and through the big double doors. Whistling, he made his way to his locker but stopped dead in his tracks when he got there. Heero and Wufei stood in front of his locker, looking about ready to kill. Duo gulped.
" Hi guys! " he said, waving. Heero grunted and Wufei narrowed his almond shaped eyes.
" Maxwell... What in the name of Nataku were you thinking?! Signing us up to be in some kind of... boyband?! " Wufei shuddered as he yelled. " It is an injustice against me and everyone else! On behalf of everyone, I demand you take our names off the list! "
" Sorry Wufei. " Duo said, pushing them out of his way to get to his locker. He
quickly spun the combination and opened it. On the door were pictures of the mobile suit Heero had drawn for him. It was called Deathscythe. He loved it. A few summers ago the five of them had gotten together and created what they called 'Gundams'. That was the collective name of all their mechs, named after their apartment building. That samesummer Heero had started to draw a manga and post it on his website. It was called 'Gundam Wing' and featured the five teens ( and some other people in the apartment building ) in a war-torn AU world. Heero's site hits had gotten so high, he was drawing kiribans more then mechs! Duo ginned thinking about that last chapter Heero had recently posted, and grabbed his science book.
" What do you mean 'sorry'? " Wufei asked, his voice filled with controlled anger.
" Well... ya see, once you sign up you can't drop out... " he reluctantly said. In a flash, Heero had grabbed Duo's collar and slammed him against the locker.
" Omae o korosu! " he hissed. It was almost degrading to think that he, Heero
Yuy, would perform in some stupid boyband. He raised a fist and Duo shut his indigo eyes, bracing himself. The punch never came.
" Oh Heero! " a female voice shouted from the corridor. Heero paled.
" Oh, God no. " Duo opened one of his eyes and then the other one. A girl with
honey blond hair tied up with two braids trotted over. She had blue eyes and a happy grin on her face. Duo could of swore he saw hearts in those orbs. The girl wore a white tank top and a pink skirt with white knee socks. Heero let go of Duo and turned his deathglare to the girl.
" Relena... " He snarled. Relena Peacecraft waved as she walked closer. Relena lived on the 23 floor of Gundam Apartments with her brother Millardo ( nicknames Zechs by everyone ). She was Heero's stalker. She just wouldn't leave the boy alone. Her older brother though, couldn't stand Heero and wanted him to keep his hands off Relena. Not hard considering that he was sickened by the girl. She never got the hint either.
" Hi, Ojousan. " Duo said, trying to be cheerful. He should of been kissing Relena's Steve Madison platforms for saving him from getting punched by Heero. Heero punched hard, he had been trained for it since he was little. The perks of being the son of two army people, Duo guessed.
" It's that Peacecraft-onna... I'm leaving. Bye. " Wufei quietly left. Duo clapped his hand on Heero's shoulder.
" Be strong, my friend. She's only a girl. " he giggled and ran off to homeroom just as Relena walked in front of him.
" Hi Heero! It's so great to see you! How are you? " she asked in an overly-hyper way.
" Hn. " Heero grunted, wishing death to her. She didn't notice the glare he gave
her and continued to chat away. Heero rolled his eyes and cursed himself for his bad luck.
Homeroom went quickly. It was only a short class and everyone was off to their
first period classes. Heero walked alone the halls, glad to be free of Relena. He headed toward the math room and quietly slid into his seat. His teacher, Mrs. Burns walked in after him.
" Ready for the test Heero? " she asked. He nodded. A blond girl with oddly
forked eyebrows walked into the room and took a seat next to Heero. He kicked himself and swore vengeance on whoever had given him such crappy luck. The girl turned to look at him with blue eyes and a grin. She wore a red tube top and a pair of black slacks with a sliver chain linked belt. In her thigh long hair was a headband, holding all but three strands of hair back from her face.
" Hello Heero. " she said in her usual catty voice. Heero grunted. Dorothy Catalonia also lived in his apartment. She lived with her cousin, Trieze Khushrenada. He didn't like Trieze very much, but hated him less then he did Zechs. Dorothy came in as a close second to Relena in Heero's books. He couldn't stand either of them. Just his rotten luck they had to be best friends. The rest of the class wandered in shortly after Dorothy arrived, the slackers showing up just a bit after the bell had rung. Mrs. Burns handed out the test and called for complete silence. Heero sighed with relief. It was an easy test. He was glad. He couldn't deal with something hard at the moment.
After he handed in his completed test he sat down at his desk and laid his head in his arms. He began to think what might of possessed Duo to sign them up for something as ludicrous as a talent show. He sighed and scowled. Today was defiantly not his day.
Second period bell rang and Quatre hurried to his English class. He ran through
the door just as the bell rang.
" Quatre, your late. " informed Mr. Wiegand. Quatre apologized and sat down in
his seat. He had just ran from the other wing of the school to get to this and class and he was tired. Mr. Wiegand stood up in front of the class and turned on the over-head. He started to explain the writing style of Mark Twain and write information down. Quatre quickly pulled out his notebook and a pen, sitting ready at attention to take notes. A sharp poke in the back made him jump and turn around. A girl with short purple hair and laughing blueish-purpleish eyes stared at him. Her name was Hilde Schbeiker and lived on the 12 floor of the Gundam Apartments. She was one of Duo's friends. She had known him when she was an orphan and through the kind help of Duo and his adoptive family she was adopted and her new family had taken residence in the building.
" Sorry to bother you Quatre, but can I barrow a piece of paper? " she asked.
Quatre grinned and nodded.
" Of course you can, Hilde. " he said and tore a piece of paper out of his notebook. He handed it to Hilde who thanked him. He then turned his attention back to the lecture.
His attention didn't last long. Around the time Mr. Wiegand had started to explain Mark Twain's writing alias, Quatre had started to tune him out. He was lost in thought over the actions Duo had taken.
I wonder why Duo signed us up for it without even asking our permission. He is a wild card. He thought, brushing a lock of blond hair from his eyes.
I guess I have no choice but to go with it. Maybe it'll be fun...
" Quatre... " Mr. Wiegand said. Quatre looked up, startled.
" Ye...yes sir? " he asked, ashamed he had gotten caught not paying attention.
" Please explain the connection between Mark Twain's alias and steamboats. " he directed. Quatre inwardly groaned and guessed.
Quatre happily walked out of the classroom. His gamble had paid off and he had gotten the question correct. Next he had to meet up with Trowa and go to music class. He met his tall friend at his locker.
" Hi Trowa. " he said as he opened his locker. Trowa nodded at him.
" Hello. " the tall teenager said. Quatre grabbed his violin case out of his locker
and shut the door. They both began to walk to the band room.
" I can't believe what Duo did. " Trowa sighed, shifting his flute case from one
hand to the other. Quatre shrugged and smiled good-naturedly.
" What can we do? Duo will be Duo. " Trowa's one visible green looked at Quatre.
" I guess your right, but the next time he does something so stupid, remind me to try and stop him. " Quatre frowned.
" Trying to stop Duo from doing something is almost as hard as trying to stop an elephant from charging. " Trowa nodded.
" Wish I had an elephant gun then. That would stop him... " Quatre looked up at
his friend in alarm.
" Trowa! Fighting is wrong! " Trowa rolled his eyes.
" I was only kidding, little one. " Quatre laughed.
" Oh! I'm sorry! " he smiled apologetically and walked into the band room.
" Outta my way! Move it! Movemovemovemove! It's pizza-day and no way in
hell am I gonna miss it! " Duo shouted as he ran through the halls, trying to get
to his fourth period lunch. Students and teachers jumped out of the way of the speeding black bullet that was a hungry Duo Maxwell.
" Maniac! "
" Hey! "
" My books! "
" Why you stupid- "
" Young man! "
" Slow down! "
" Detention! " Duo grimaced at the remarks but couldn't slow down. It was everyday that the school sold pizza! He slammed on the breaks at he got to the lunchroom door. Smiling his trademark grin, he walked in. Duo looked around for his friends. There they were, in the lunch line. Duo didn't even bother dropping off his backpack, instead he made his way to them at a pace that would be considered illegal even for a jet plane.
" Oi! Getting lunch without me? " he asked. Heero gave him the dreaded 'Heero
Yuy Deathglare' but he shrugged it off.
" Are you getting in line, Maxwell? " Wufei asked, adding his own glare to Heero's. Duo nodded, making his braid jump up and down, and got in line after Quatre.
" So... what'cha think of my talent show idea? " his four friends turned to look at
him. Two were glaring, one was amused and the other looked as if he could care less. Duo sighed and put his arms behind his head.
" Oh, come on you guys. It'll be fun. I even wrote us a kickass song. " now four
pairs of wide, surprise-filled eyes looked at him.
" You did? " asked Quatre.
" You?! Write a song?! You can't even write your own name correctly! " Wufei
ranted, waving his arms for empathize. Duo blew him a raspberry and Wufei turned red.
" Kisama! " he lunged at Duo but Trowa held the angry Asian back. Wufei struggled against the taller boys grip but couldn't get out of it. He settled for cursing at Duo in Chinese. Heero was the first to speak up after that chaos.
" Why? " he asked in his usual monotone. Duo laughed.
" I wanted us to be different. Do you know how many guys are doing 'Nsync or
Backstreet Boy songs? We're gonna be unique! "
" Your gonna be dead in a few minutes if- " Wufei was cut off by Quatre putting his hand over his mouth.
" Be quiet Wufei. I think it's a novel idea. " Wufei mumbled something that
sounded like 'you what?!' but no one paid him any attention. Trowa looked down at the blond teen and then at Duo.
" Do we have to dance... and sing? " Duo rolled his large indigo eyes.
" Duh, Trowa. That's what boybands do! " the uni-banged boy sighed and was resigned to his fate. Heero thought for a minute, his Prussian blue eyes going over each teen. Finally he spoke.
" We'll do it. " Wufei sputtered and Heero turned his deathglare full force at him.
" All of us. " he said firmly. Wufei narrowed his eyes but finally nodded. Quatre
and Trowa let him go. Duo took a step back, hoping that the Chinese martial arts expert had forgotten about killing him.
" Injustice! " he said.
" I'm sorry. That's not on the menu. " a voice behind them said. Wufei turned
around and saw that he was first in line to order his food. Heero had already gotten his. His eyes went wide with surprise and embarrassment and his eyebrows rose high on his head.
" I'll have a slice of pizza. " he mumbled and the lunch lady handed him a tray. Duo behind him snickered and Wufei felt himself go red.
The ponytailed boy looked at Duo's plate. Three slices of pizza, a large fry and two Pepsi's. He shook his head in disgust and looked at his more sensible lunch. A slice of pizza, a small fry and a Green Tea Snapple. Quatre had a salad with an Iced Tea and Trowa had a hamburger, large fry and a milk. Heero, who had already paid, had gotten a slice of pizza and a Sprite.
" You eat to much Maxwell. It amazes me that you can even push your fat butt
down the basketball court. " he commented as he handed the cashier his money. Duo ginned. The braided wonder was the star player of the school's basketball team.
" I have a fast metabolism, so sue me. " he said, waiting impatiently for Quatre and Trowa to pay for their meals. As soon as Quatre had paid, he slapped a few bills of the table and bounced off to the groups table. He took off his backpack and sat down, eagerly biting into a slice of pizza. Quatre, as usual, started the conversation.
" So... Duo, where'd you get the inspiration to write a song? " he asked, eating a piece of lettuce. Duo chewed thoughtfully for a few seconds and then swallowed.
" Taking your dear, sweat time with this, aren't you?! " Wufei asked sarcastically as Duo opened a Pepsi and chugged some of it down. With a satisfied 'ah...' he spoke.
" Well, I was watching MTV and the idea came to me during TRL. It's amazing
what looking at Destiny's Child and Janet Jackson dancing will do to your mind. " Heero groaned.
" Duo no hentai! " Duo's smile fell off.
" Hey! I know what that means! " he said angrily. Heero sweatdropped.
" That's the point... " Sensing another fight about to break out, Quatre asked
another question, hoping to stop the fight before it started.
" Duo! Um, do you know what we'll have to do for this? What dance moves we'll
need? " Duo nodded, eating a french fry.
" Course I do, Quatre! Wufei and Trowa will help me out! " Everyone's eyes went to look at Trowa and Wufei. Trowa still had half his burger in his mouth and Wufei was chewing a piece of pizza. They both gulped and looked at each other.
" Not good... " they said at the same time, turning to look at Duo, who was
stuffing his face with his second slice of pizza.
Wufei huffed out of the lunchroom, going to his 5th period history class.
Maxwell! Baka! Boybands are for the weak! Chang Wufei is far from weak! Oh,
Nataku... what has Yuy gotten us into?! Just because I can do martial arts, the idiot thinks I can dance! Injustice! Chang Wufei does not degrade himself by shaking his backside for a bunch of weak onnas! he thought as he slid into his seat at the back of the classroom.
My Ancestors must really be against me today... he cursed. See if I light any
incense for you people! Wufei was taken out of his thoughts by the teacher walking in, late, as always.
" Hi guys! Sorry I'm late... " Mr. Rohrer said as he put his briefcase on his desk. The class stopped their talking and settled down for note talking. Mr. Rohrer pulled out the over-head and put the notes up. Wufei and the rest of the class began to copy it down as he explained about what they wrote.
" The battle of Vicksburg was a big turning point for the Union in the Civil War
because it allowed them to capture the Mississippi river from the Confederates and start to use the Anaconda plan... " he started. Wufei took notes, listening to everything the teacher said while thinking of a suitablerevenge for Heero, because he had made them all agree to follow Duo with his insanity.
Getting that Peacecraft onna to call him, or giving her his websites URL
might be a good punishment. Justice must be served...
" Me llamo es Trowa Barton. Es el... es el... oh shoot. " Trowa said as he forget
the speech he was supposed to have memorized for his Spanish 2 class. He had lost his place, and he was only past the first sentence. He disliked Spanish. He forgot to much of the vocabulary to do very well in it. He sighed. Why did he have to write a speech and then memorize it in Spanish and then present it?
" That's okay, Trowa. Try again. " his teacher, Mrs. Summerville said. Trowa
gathered his courage and tried again.
" Me llamo es Trowa Barton... Es el estudienta de- " he went on, trying to remember what he had memorized. As he spoke, three thoughts crossed through his mind.
Thank God I have good pronunciation... Thank God this is isn't worth a lot of
points... Thank God for Babblefish...
Duo walked to his science class. He didn't want to go to class, but cutting was out of the question. He could still remember how his mother had lectured him on the importance of a good education while his father prayed for him. He rolled his eyes. The math test he had just taken last period had been hard! He sighed and shifted his backpack to the other shoulder.
I bet Mr. Perfect aced it. Duo thought acidly. Heero had always been good at
math. Speaking of Heero, Duo's thoughts began to wonder to the way he and his friends had acted in lunch.
They were over reacting... besides, I can't afford cutting class again. I have to
keep my grades up so I can play ball. The thought as he walked into the room, his mind returning to the thought that he'd started with. He sat down in his chair near the window, hoping the shapely blond that sat next to him wasn't absent. Instead of the blond, Trowa's step-sister walked in.
" Hi Duo. " she said, taking the seat in front of him. He smiled and offered his own greeting.
" Yo, Cathy. Why are you here so late? The days almost over. " he asked. Catherine smiled.
" I had a dentist appointment. "
" Oh. I see. Keeping those pearly whites...um, pearly? " Catherine giggled at Duo's comment.
" Something like that. "
" Quiet everyone! " Mrs. Pallis, there teacher, called from the front of the room.
Attention came slowly and Mrs. Pallis stood waiting for them to shut up. When everyone did, she walked over to the TV.
" Since we're going to be starting a new unit tomorrow, I thought I'd show you a
preview today. " she said.
" What's the new unit? " a kid in the back asked.
" Didn't you listen yesterday when I explained everything we'd be doing for the
next few weeks?! "
" Um... no? " Mrs. Pallis sighed.
" Plant reproduction. " she answered. Duo, and the rest of the class groaned.
Oh man... how lame! Snooze-fest! he mentally complained. Mrs. Pallis ignored the groans and switched on the TV, turning on the VCR to start the movie.
" Hit the lights! " she ordered. A student in the back jumped to attention and ran to turn them off. Mrs. Pallis rolled her eyes at his overly-enthusiastic manner.
Boring! Damnit! Plant reproduction?! Well... maybe I can catch the zzz's I missed last night. Studying didn't help one bit for that math test. Duo laid his head on the desk and went to sleep.
" Move it Winner! Those who can not complete the mile run are weak! " Wufei
shouted as he, Duo, Heero, Trowa and Quatre tried to run the mile. They were all dressed in the school's gym class uniform which was a pair of blue shorts and a white short-sleeved shirt with blue trim. Quatre lagged behind the group, sweat mixing with his blond bangs. Heero was well in the lead, followed closely be Wufei and Trowa. Duo was trying to be nice and stay behind with Quatre.
" Go on Duo. I'm fine... " he said as he jogged along.
" You sure Quat-chan? " he asked. Quatre smiled.
" Yeah. Go on without me. I'll catch up. " Duo shrugged and nodded. He was soon fighting for the second place with Wufei, who was sputtering about the injustice of it all. Trowa looked over his shoulder at the blond. All the guys were very physically fit, some more then other's though. Heero had army training thanks to his parents. Duo was a basketball player. Wufei did martial arts and he did gymnastics. Quatre didn't do any school sport. The green eyed teen felt slightly sorry for him. Trowa's attention was pulled away when he heard a fight up front. He turned to look.
" Itai! My braid! "
" Justice is served! "
" Take this you justice-loving bastard! "
" Ah! Damn you, Maxwell! Dishonor!
" What? No injustice this time? "
" Injustice! "
" There ya go. "
" No, there you go! " Trowa turned just in time to see Wufei push Duo into the
oxers the track members used in practice to leap over. He feel in a heap, cursing and making them all fall on top of him. Wufei laughed and jogged off. Duo narrowed his eyes and flipped him off. Mr. Kelly, their gym teacher, ran over to check if he was okay.
" I'm fine! Don't worry! " he grumbled as he got up.
" Are you all right?! " Quatre yelled up to him. Duo waved, signaling he was fine. Trowa had to grin to himself. Wufei and Duo had always slowed their friendship in that why. Making fun of each other, fighting and all that stuff was just how they expressed a type of camaraderie with each other. The hyper braided one and the hot tempered ponytailed one had acted like that for as far back as Trowa could remember. He ran past Duo and Mr. Kelly and tried to catch up with Wufei and Heero.
Only 5 more minutes until I can change back into my jeans and 15 until I can go to gymnastics practice. He thought as he got neck and neck with Wufei.
Qautre gulped down some water from the water fountain as he tried to breath
normally. He was out of breath and very parched from running. The guys stood next to him, making sure he was all right.
" You sure your fine, Quatre? " Heero asked. The blond nodded as he straightened himself and wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand.
" Good! " Duo exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. " I have an idea! "
" Oh God, not another one... " Trowa groaned.
" Well, I was thinking that we need to practice for the show. You need to learn the lyrics, the dance steps and we gotta get some music recorded for it! So... how about you all come over to my place after school? " he said, twisting the end of his braid around his hand. Quatre blushed. He tried to avoid Duo's house ever since he had discovered the collection of magazines beneath his mattress.
" Um... how 'bout we use my apartment? It's bigger. " he suggested. Duo laughed.
" Of course it's bigger Quatre! You live in a friggin' penthouse! "
" Yes! All the more room for dancing and such... " he replied. Duo put his hand to his chin in a gesture of mock-thought.
" Hm... sure! We'll use your crib! " he exclaimed. Wufei rose an elegant eyebrow at Duo's comment.
" Crib? "
" To much Dr. Dre I guess... " Duo said with a shrug.
" Okay. Then it's all set. We'll meet at Quatre's. What time? " Heero asked.
" I have gymnastic practice today till 4. " Trowa said.
" Karate till 3 and Katana practice until 4. " was Wufei's answer.
" B-Ball till 4. " said Duo.
" All right. My house at 4:30. Is that okay with everyone? " Quatre asked. He got nods as an answer.
" Make sure you don't forget the lyrics and music to your song, Maxwell! " Wufei said dryly, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. Duo grinned.
" Don't you trust me Wu-Wu? "
" No, I don't and my name is Wufei! " he shouted angrily just as the bell rang,
signaling the end of the school day. Duo took off down the hallway waving.
" See ya later! Ja ne! " he yelled as he ran.
" Why, oh why did I ever teach him Japanese?! " Heero said, sweatdropping. Quatre sighed as Wufei laughed and Trowa grinned.
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Shinju: Another chapter done! Whoo hoo!
Kyuki: Nice Shinju... good chapter.
Shinju: School...::shudder:: I can't wait until summer...
Kyuki: I bet you can't. Poor me, I'm gonna be stuck with you all summer!
Shinju: Is that a bad thing?
Kyuki: Yes considering how much Aspirin I go through.
Shinju::sighs:: Muses, they're never happy unless they can complain.
Kyuki: .
Shinju: Just a side note, minna-san. This fic will NOT have any parings in it. No yaoi, no yuri and no straight parings! None! Well, with the exception of Relena TRYING to date Heero and some TKxMU and ZMxLN. I'm sorry if you were expecting a paring of some kind. I will have a 3x4 song-fic out as next weekend hopefully, so maybe that'll satisfy your hunger for parings.
Kyuki: Remember to review, minna-san! My authoresses ego is very low still! 'Specially since she failed that quiz....
Shinju: O.O! Your not supposed to tell people that! Damnit Souzou!
Kyuki: ^_^ Review please.