[Disclaimer]: I do not own the rights to the characters in this fanfic, nor do I claim them. The idea, however, is mine.
Heart of the Dragon
Part 3
Meilin sighed as she traveled through space, making her way slowly towards the Earth. She stared at the laptop on her lap, continuing her studies of the pilots and their personalities. She blinked down at the screen as she studied Heero's stats for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"Heero Yuy will be the first to realize you're not who you claim you are," Master O's words rang through her mind. She shook her head and glared down at Heero's picture.
"Will I be able to fool you, Heero Yuy," she asked his picture. "Or will you shoot me on sight?" She swallowed nervously as she thought of the possible scenario. She allowed her mind to wander until a repeated beeping sound brought her back to the present. She flipped on the view-screen, and the Earth loomed in front of her. "It's just as beautiful as I thought it would be."
"Meilin, do not be nervous around the Gundam pilots," Master O's encouraging words repeated in her mind. "You've studied Wufei's personality just as much as the others. I know you'll find it a little difficult to act exactly as him, but you can pull it off. You must."
"Well, here goes nothing," Meilin said, preparing herself for the task at hand. She pressed the controls to take the Shenlong off of auto-pilot, and began her descent towards Earth.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Duo plopped down on the couch and sighed heavily. "How much longer is it going to take for Wufei to get here," he grumbled. "It's just so boring around here without him. I can't have any fun."
"We both talked to him this morning when we were having breakfast with Ms. Relena, Duo," Quatre replied. "It should only take him a couple of hours."
"I know, Quatre," Duo stated "I'm just impatient right now."
"Well we'll just have to be patient," Quatre commented. "He'll be here soon." There was a knock at the door and Duo jumped up.
"I'll get it," he exclaimed enthusiastically. He ran to the door and threw it open. "Wu-man," he exclaimed. When he saw who was standing on the other side, he sighed. "Oh, hi Relena."
"Hello, Duo," she stated. "May I come in?" He nodded his head, and then stepped aside so she could step in past him. "Thank you."
"Sure," he mumbled. "What brings you by here?"
"I was just wondering if Wufei was back yet," she said as the two made their way towards the living room.
"No," Duo stated. "We're still waiting for him now." As they entered the living room, Quatre looked up.
"Oh, hello Ms. Relena," he greeted. "Would you like some tea? It's just freshly made."
"Yes, thank you, Quatre," she replied. "That would be nice." As he left the room, Relena sat down next to Heero, who was typing away at his laptop. "Hello, Heero." He grunted in response and she looked over towards the pilot of Heavyarms. "Hello, Trowa." He nodded and she smiled.
"Here is your tea, Ms. Relena," Quatre stated, giving her the cup. She accepted it with a quiet thank you.
"When will Wufei be back," she asked, quickly taking a sip of her tea and then setting the cup down on the coffee table.
"He should be back anytime soon," Quatre stated, looking at his watch. "He's at least two hours from Earth, because he said he would be here in a couple of hours."
"Oh," she stated quietly.
"You're going to brave his return, Relena," Duo asked with a raised eyebrow. He laced his hands behind his head and leaned back in the chair he was sitting on.
"Yes, I suppose I am," she replied with a laugh. "But, there is one other reason I came here."
"And what would that be," Duo asked, tilting his chair back on two legs.
"I hope you don't think me too forward, but I have taken the liberty of enrolling you all in school, here, including Wufei," she began. "You would have free room and board, and any fees will be taken care of by the school."
"School," Trowa asked, looking towards her through his hair.
"I have already approved everything, and if you agree to it, you'll be starting with me when the new semester begins at the end of this month," she quickly continued.
"Ms. Relena," Quatre began. "That's very kind of you." He looked around at the others, trying to read their expressions.
"I guess I'm just a little nervous about returning to school, and I was looking for comfort in numbers," she said quietly. "We've all been through so much together. You five are like my safety net, and I hope you see me as the same." She looked at each of the pilots and smiled. "What do you think?"
"Our stay here isn't permanent, Relena," Heero stated, closing his laptop and standing from his seat. "These actions aren't necessary."
"Oh Heero, this is something I want to do," Relena argued, standing as well. "You five pilots put your lives on the line without a second thought, and you helped to bring a peace between the Earth Sphere and the colonies. Let me do this for you!"
"Ms. Relena, you've done so much for us already," Quatre exclaimed. "We'd be imposing if you were to do anything more."
"I know I may sound silly or selfish, especially to a soldier," she stated. "I want you five to enjoy this reign of peace here, with me. And I believe that here, in the Sanq Kingdom, is the only place you can enjoy that to its full extent."
"We're big boys, Relena," Trowa said. "You can't shelter us from the world."
"Just for the time being," she begged. "Please, would you at least consider it?"
"We'll think about it," Heero said after a long, silent pause. "But we're not promising you anything."
"Thank you, Heero," Relena beamed. "You don't know how much this means to me." She gasped as the foundation of the guest house shook slightly as something passed overhead. "What was that," she asked, confused.
"That's gotta be Wu-man," Duo exclaimed. He bounded off his seat, toppling it over in the process, and ran to the window. "Yep, that's him alright," he stated before making a beeline for the door.
As the Shenlong touched down on the ground, inside Meilin sighed in relief. She leaned back, gathering her thoughts and trying to still her racing heart. "The easy part is over with," she stated. "Now for the hard part."
"Hey Wu-man! Are you going to sit in there all day, or are you going to get out," a voice filtered through, reaching Meilin.
"Duo," she thought inwardly with an amused smile. "No, Maxwell," she corrected herself out loud.
"Ah, don't start ignoring me already, Wu-man," Duo whined. "You just go here!"
"Well, he is persistent," Meilin stated with a wry smile. She slowly began to shut down Shenlong and when it was done, she checked the voice mechanism at the base of her throat to make sure it was hidden one last time. "Here it goes." She opened the hatch and then slowly climbed down from the cockpit, landing on the ground with a soft thud.
"Welcome back, Wu-man," Duo exclaimed, throwing an arm around Meilin's shoulders and putting her into a headlock. "How was your trip? Where'd you go?"
"Maxwell, get off," Meilin managed to growl, pushing Duo's arm off of her. She frowned at him with her best Wufei impersonation, and then looked towards the others, who were standing around the yard. Quatre and Relena were standing off to the side near Duo, while Heero and Trowa stood closer to the guest house.
"Welcome back, Wufei," Relena stated, stepping towards Meilin slightly. "I hope your return means you'll be staying for a while."
"Remember, to Wufei all women are weak," Meilin reminded herself, frowning at the thought. She turned towards Relena, and crossed her arms. "It's an injustice that I have accepted hospitality from a weak woman, but I guess it will have to do for now."
"Now Wufei," Quatre protested. "Ms. Relena was kind enough to offer her guest house to us. You should show more gratitude towards her."
"It's okay, Quatre," Relena said. "I'm sure he means well."
"Ah, take it easy Wu-man," Duo exclaimed, clasping a hand on Meilin's shoulder. "Now come on, and I'll show you to your room. It's right across from mine."
"Great," Meilin mumbled, allowing herself to be led towards the house by Duo. As the two walked forward, inevitably closer to Heero and Trowa, Meilin made a mental note to keep her gaze straight ahead. She swallowed nervously, and butterflies danced in her stomach as she and Duo drew nearer to Heero.
"Wufei," Heero said, staring at Meilin intently as she and Duo passed by him. She stopped and turned towards Heero, releasing the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Don't forget to put Shenlong in the hangar." He frowned at her slightly, and she managed to keep a blank look on her face.
"I haven't forgotten about Nataku," Meilin stated, keeping her voice steady. She held Heero's gaze until Duo tugged on her sleeve.
"Come on, Wu-man," Duo whined. She tore her gaze away from Heero and glared at Duo, who laughed nervously.
"I told you, Maxwell," she began. "My name is Wufei, not Wu-man."
"Well how about this," Duo chirped. "If you call me Duo, I won't call you Wu-man!" Meilin sighed and rolled her eyes, causing a laugh from Duo. "I didn't think you could do it ... Wu-man!"
"I'm beginning to see why Wufei is so easily annoyed by him," Meilin thought inwardly, glaring at Duo. He only laughed, and she followed him once again as he led her into the house.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Later that night, in the solitude of her room, Meilin reflected on the night's events. She stretched out across her bed on her stomach and let out a sigh. Earlier, after Duo had showed her to the room, and she had reluctantly allowed him to give her a tour of the house, she had gone back outside to put Shenlong in the hangar. Heero had still been outside, and watched her the entire time.
"He's a lot more suspicious than his file let on," she mumbled quietly. "I'd better be careful around him." She let out a small sigh and closed her eyes, going back to her thoughts.
After she put Shenlong in the hangar with the other Gundams, she returned to the guest house to discover that Relena had sent lunch down to them. The five sat and ate quietly, and then went to do their own things. Meilin had taken the opportunity to explore the grounds, and observe the pilots from afar. The rest of the day passed quickly, and she and the others went to the main house to have dinner with Relena to celebrate "Wufei's" return. After dinner, Duo had persuaded everyone to play a game of charades - with Relena and Quatre's help. Meilin and Heero had reluctantly agreed, while Trowa was indifferent. They had split up into two teams - Relena, Heero, and Trowa on one team, and Meilin, Duo, and Quatre on the other.
"Well, at least Wufei doesn't seem to be the only one with a tormentor," Meilin thought. "I almost feel sorry for Heero." She rolled over onto her back and opened her eyes, only to find a pair of eyes staring down at her. She nearly screamed and somehow tumbled backwards, falling off the bed. She landed on the ground with a hard thud, leaving her staring up at the ceiling. A few seconds later, the same pair of eyes peered over the edge of the bed, down at her.
"Geez, Wu-man, I didn't mean to scare you," Duo exclaimed. "But that's the funniest thing I've seen all day!" He chuckled, and Meilin rose to a sitting position. As she was about to say something, she quickly clamped her mouth shut.
"Oh no," she thought frantically. It dawned on her that when she had changed into a pair of boxers and a white T-shirt that she had found in one of the drawers to wear to bed, she had taken off the voice mechanism. "If I talk without that device, I'll blow my cover!"
"I never thought that there would be a day I'd catch you off guard," Duo mused. Meilin stood and glared at Duo, causing him to smile nervously.
"Comfortable," she thought, annoyed. He was sprawled out on her bed, lying on his stomach. She walked over to the other side of the bed, and pulled him up by his ponytail.
"Ow, Wu-man, that hurts," he screeched. She let go of his ponytail and ushered him towards the door. "Well, good night to you too, then, grouchy," Duo huffed. He turned on his heel, leaving the room, and she closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it.
"I've got to be more careful," Meilin scolded herself. "Or else this will be a lot harder than I had anticipated."
To Be Continued . . .
