HotD04

[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 4

Meilin rolled out of bed early the next morning before the sun had even risen, as she was already accustomed to waking up before dawn. She cursed softly as she tripped over something in her still unfamiliar room, and then slowly made her way towards the door. She slowly poked her head out the door and looked both ways. Seeing that it was clear, she made her way to the bathroom . . .

"You remind me more of Wufei as every day passes, Meilin," Doctor O stated. "You will be ready to leave for Earth by the end of this week."

"Master O, why is it that Wufei has such a rigorous schedule," she asked, looking over the Shenlong pilot's profile. "I know he was training himself as a soldier, but he didn't leave time for anything." She stood and looked out the window, towards Shenlong. "It seems that Nataku is his only means for a piece of mind."

"In his heart, I feel he believes that the only place for a soldier like him is in the battlefield," he replied. "Anything else makes him feel inadequate."

"That's sad," she commented, turning back towards her sensei. "That state of mind is probably what got him into the situation he's in. Doesn't he realize he has someone who cares about his well being? Doesn't he know that I care? That is perhaps the only difference between him and I. I know people care about me. When did he forget?"

"Then that is what we must show him again, Meilin," Master O said. "And you're right. You and him are not too dissimilar. Both of your clans share similar values."

Meilin snorted. "Our clans! Had it not been for our clans, we would have had each other," she exclaimed, anger growing in her voice. "He would not have suffered the cruelty of war alone. We could have supported each other; fought side-by-side."

"Meilin, you're letting anger cloud your thoughts," Doctor O began, placing a hand on her shoulder. "His rigorous training is due to the values of his clan. He holds them in highest regard; which is exactly why you must perform all his daily rituals. The other pilots will get suspicious, if you don't. Do you understand?" She nodded her head, and bowed to her sensei . . .

Meilin splashed cold water on her face, washing away the lasting remnants of sleep. "It's time to get this mission underway officially," she thought as she wiped her face off with a towel. Trying to keep as quiet as she could, Meilin went back to her room to change.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

An hour later, Meilin returned to the guest house after her morning jog, right as the sun began to rise. She grabbed the things she would need for her guise, and went into the bathroom to take a shower. Stepping out of the shower ten minutes later, she stood in front of the mirror and wiped off the glass surface with her towel. She quickly brushed her chin-length black hair, and pulled it back into a ponytail. She put on her undergarments, and then looked into the mirror, her reflection staring back at her . . .

"You want me to do what," Meilin demanded, looking at Doctor O in shock. She looked down at the outfit she wore, which she had borrowed from Wufei's wardrobe, and then back at him.

"There's no way getting around it, Meilin," he stated. "You have a woman's figure. You've got to flatten your chest, or else you'll give away your cover."

"And how am I supposed to do that," she asked calmly, though her flushed cheeks betrayed her embarrassment.

"Here," he replied, tossing her a roll of medical tape. "Go and tape this across your chest and rib cage. Wrap it as tightly as you can bear it. Then come back out here, only without the outer jacket."

"I can't believe this," she muttered. She looked back at Master O and frowned slightly. "I'll do it, but only because it's for Wufei." She sighed, and then went back to her room. When she came back out, she had on a black tank top, which contrasted with the white bandages and pants. "Well," she asked, standing stiffly.

"It will do for now, Meilin," he replied after studying her. "There's nothing that can be done about your small waist, but you will need to keep your chest wrapped at all times. You will also need to be careful not to let the others see the bandages, for it will raise their suspicions . . ."

Meilin sighed as she finished wrapping the tape around herself, and pulled a tank top over her head. The tape had taken some getting used to, and at first left her sore, but she had gotten used to it. She took the voice mechanism and put it in place, then looked at her reflection. "There has to be a better way to hide it than wearing high collars," she said. It still surprised her how much her voice actually did sound like Wufei's. She shrugged it off and pulled on the rest of her clothes.

Leaving the bathroom, Meilin put the rest of her things in her room, and closed the door behind her. She made her way to the kitchen, and looked around in annoyance as she saw the room. It was relatively clean, however there were a few dishes in the sink, and the floor needed to be swept and mopped. "How am I supposed to make anything in a kitchen like this," she mumbled. Taking off the outer jacket she wore and hanging it on the back of a chair, she walked over to the sink and filled it for dishwater. After she had done the dishes, she found the broom, dustpan, bucket, and mop.

Before long, the kitchen had been swept and mopped, and Meilin looked around with a satisfied smile on her face. "Now, for breakfast," she stated, putting her jacket back on. She took the things she would need to cook out of the pantries and refrigerator, and got the pots she would need to cook the meal. She let her instinct take over as she began to cook. Leaving the pot to simmer the vegetables, meat, and rice, she filled the tea and coffee pots with water, and put the coffee grounds in the coffeepot. Returning to the stove, she put the vegetables and meat into one pot, and stirred it absently after she seasoned it.

"What are you cooking," Duo asked, looking over her shoulder and causing her to jump.

"Duo," she exclaimed. "Don't sneak up on me like that! You scared me," she yelled at the braided pilot in Chinese. Duo looked at her confused, and she sighed.

"Wufei, man," he stated. "I don't know what you said, but I didn't mean to scare you."

"Well, you did Maxwell," she snapped. "Wait, you called me Wufei."

"You called me Duo," he retorted with a lop-sided grin. "You sure are jumpy lately, Wu-man."

"And now you're calling me Wu-man again," she stated with a glare.

"You called me Maxwell," he said with a shrug, smirking and causing her to throw her arms into the air in frustration.

"You're impossible," she growled, returning her attention back to the pot.

"Good morning. Something in here smells good," Quatre stated as he entered the kitchen. He took a look around, and raised an eyebrow. "Someone cleaned up." He looked towards Duo and Meilin, and Duo pointed a thumb in Meilin's direction.

"Don't look at me," Duo exclaimed. "Wu-man, here, must have cleaned. And he's making breakfast, too."

"That's nice of you, Wufei," Quatre stated, walking over towards the stove to investigate.

"Well, I hadn't planned on fixing all this," Meilin stated. "But I started cooking, and cooked enough for everyone. I guess I'm still used to cooking for more people than myself, so don't take it as my being nice." The trio turned as they heard the shuffling of feet, and saw Trowa standing there.

"Hey, Trowa," Duo greeted.

"Good morning, Trowa," Quatre echoed.

"Morning," he replied, walking to the cupboard and getting a mug. He poured himself some coffee, and then looked at Duo. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I could smell the food cooking down here, so I got up," Duo replied, shrugging. "You know me! Not even the God of Death can sleep through a meal."

"Maxwell, make yourself useful and get some plates and silverware," Meilin stated. She stirred the rice, and then added it to the vegetable and meat combination. She then transferred the meal to a large bowl, and set in on the table. She went to turn the stove off, and returned to the table and sat with the others. "This is all I'm making," she told them. "If you want anything else, you'll have to fix it yourself. There's coffee and water for tea."

"Well, it smells good," Duo said, rubbing his hands together. "It is safe, right," he joked.

Meilin raised an eyebrow. "Do you trust me," she asked with a challenging smirk on her face. Duo shrugged and then scooped some of the food onto his plate. Meilin watched as he brought his fork up to his mouth and thoughtfully chewed. A small, unnoticeable smile appeared on her face as Duo's eyes grew big.

"This is really good, Wu-man," he exclaimed, shoveling more of the food into his mouth. Meilin looked towards Trowa and Quatre, who both had already served themselves, as they nodded in agreement.

"Hmph," she murmured, biting her lip to keep from smiling. She fixed a plate for herself and quietly ate, tuning out the sound of Duo's voice as he talked. She finished and took her plate to the sink just as Heero entered the kitchen. Wordlessly, the perfect soldier went to the cupboard to get a mug for his morning coffee.

"Heero, you've gotta try this food Wu-man made," Duo said with his mouth full of food. He swallowed the food and patted his stomach. "It's really good."

"If you want any, you'd better get it now," Meilin said to Heero. "Maxwell has been eating like that for at least five minutes." She looked at Heero, however he just silently went to the table and sat down. She fumed with anger silently as Quatre took his plate to the sink.

"Thanks again for breakfast, Wufei," he stated. "I agree with Duo. It was very good." He looked over at her, and a worried look passed his face. "Wufei?"

"I heard you," she snapped. "I made breakfast, so I'm not doing any of the dishes." She turned on her heel and practically stomped out of the kitchen.

"I wonder what he was so angry about," Quatre asked as he returned to the table with a cup of tea. "Breakfast went so well. He and Duo actually seemed to be getting along."

"Yeah, it was nice," Duo replied. "Until Heero got here. What did you do to him?" Heero glared at Duo over his mug and silently drank his coffee. "Well, aren't you Mister Sunshine!" Heero ignored the rest of their conversation as he stared in the direction Meilin left.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Later that afternoon, Meilin sat in the cockpit of Shenlong. She had been there since the incident that morning, and hadn't even returned to the house. The other pilots had seemed to be warming up to her, all except for Heero. "Why does he have to be like that," she asked the console of the Gundam. "What a miserable person he is! How am I supposed to get him to help me, if he won't even speak to me?" She rested her arms on the armrests of the pilot chair, and leaned her head back against the headrest. "I'm beginning to understand why Wufei takes such comfort in you, Nataku."

Her head snapped up as a beep sounded from the console. She pressed the flashing button, and Doctor O appeared on the screen. "Greetings, Wufei," he said.

"Master O," Meilin exclaimed. "How ..."

"We are talking on a secure line," he stated, interrupting her. "How is your progress so far?"

"I don't know, Sensei," she replied. "The pilots have all warmed up to me, however Heero hasn't. He's been so cold and off-standish towards me. How am I supposed to get someone like that to help me?"

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself," he replied. "You'll be able to do it."

"It's not as simple as that," she argued. "I think Heero may suspect something, or even know that I'm not Wufei. You don't see the way he looks at me sometimes; like he contemplating something."

"Meilin, calm down," Doctor O began. "It's in his nature to be suspicious. He's a soldier, just as Wufei is. Remember that fact. It's reassuring that you at least seem to have the trust of the others. It will just take more time to earn Heero's faith in you. I want you to contact me again in two days."

"Alright, Sensei," she replied. "I have a question, though. How did you know I was here?"

Doctor O smiled. "It was an instinct, I suppose," he stated. "That, and you somehow triggered the call button when you got into Shenlong." She laughed softly, and he smiled slightly. "It's good to hear you laugh, Meilin. Contact me again in two days."

"Two days," she stated, closing the link. "Two days is what I have to earn Heero's trust."

To Be Continued . . .