The Scavenger Years- II: Breaking Ties
By: Chibi Acky
Disclaimer: once again, I do not own Gundam. Let's all pity me.
(((((((((((((())))))))))))))
I woke up that morning with a throbbing headache and a sore body. At first I thought I was still in a dream world, until reality came crashing back down on me in the form of a coconut. I remember not even feeling sorry for myself; after all, I'd most certainly been in worse situations than the one I was in. Afterall, I'd survived countless assasination attempts, my brother, my past, the war, and suicidal Gundam pilots, so what could a few days on a deserted island do to me?
A lot, it appeared.
I reached up and made another slash, hoping that I hadn't missed a day in my slumber. My ankle was killing me, and it took most of my strength to pull off my boots as it was swollen and ugly as a bruised apple. I pulled myself up on my knees, cursing my body for being so slow and weak. I managed to get to the edge of the island where the sand met the water, and I stuck my foot in; wincing as the salt seeped into my mangled body. And even though my calm demenor and my fatique, only one thought crossed my mind.
Whatever would I do about clean underwear?
==================
The ocean water seemed to numb her ankle slighly and using the materials around her, she made a makeshift split for her arm and ankle. The palm tree had graciously spared her two whole coconuts which she slammed against a rock to crack open. She felt like a primative animal as the juice flowed down from her mouth and onto her neck and clothes. She leaned back against the same palm tree.
"What am I going to do?" She shut her eyes, trying to shield them from the burning sun.
"Great, If I don't die of starvation, or being eaten by some wild creature, I fall victim to skin cancer. Quite pleasant, really." She muttered, pulling herself up.
It was the first time that she had really gotten a good look at the island. The dense jungle foilage seemed to hide most of it's treasure, and in the sky above, a flock of birds flew overhead. She figured that she might as well get the exploring part over as she stumbled through the untamed land.
-------------------------
"YOU FOOL! It's A!"
The little man on the television said proudly, "B. And that's my final answer, Regis."
"Ohhhh... I"m sorry the correct answer was A."
"YOU IMBECILE! I told you! I told you!" Heero fell off the bed in frustration. Shaking his head he returned to his seat.
"Having fun there, Luke?" Scott, Heero's roommate, burst into the room with his usual enthusiasm. His curly blonde hair drooped into his eyes.
"No." Was the curt reply.
"What was the question?" He inquired ploping himself down next to Heero.
"Which Gundam sucessfully destroyed the last threatening piece of debris falling from the battleship Libra?" Heero repeated the question.
"Oh, that's easy! It's that Tallgeese Gundam!" Scott seemed so confident, and Heero felt like killing him.
"No, it was Wing Gundam." For the life of him, Scott couldn't figure out why his friend looked so upset.
"Oh..." Scott paused, "Wouldn't it have been great to see a Gundam in action?"
"No."
"I'd *kill* for a piece of one! That would be *so* cool!" Scott's comment made Heero thing of the shoebox under his bed filled with small pieces of Wing Zero he had salvaged after the Mariemaia incident.
"Why would you want something like that? The Gundams were tools of destruction." Heero just kept staring at the televison screen as a commerical for some sort of "Wonderball" came on. (*AN: *sings* Oh I wonder, wonder, what's in a wonderball! Muwahahahaha!!*)
"Still upset over the Vice Foreign Minister?" He leaned down close to where Heero was leaning against his dorm bed, "Yes you are!" He pinched Heero's cheek like a grandmother.
Heero had his hand around Scott's neck in the next instant, "Don't. Do. That."
"O...k...aaaaayy!" Scott gasped as Heero set him down. Scott rubbed his neck, "Sheesh, quite touch‚ today, aren't we?" Heero was about to make a comment when someone began to pound on the door. He stood up briskly, leaving Scott staring at his back.
"Hello, Heero."
"Who's Heero?" was Scott's instant question.
"Sally. Wufei." He nodded in their directions, "It's been a long time."
Wufei grunted while Sally smiled warmly, "Yes, it has... who's your friend?" Heero stepped aside, giving Scott a full view of Sally and Wufei's Preventer uniform.
"Luke... why are there Preventers in our dorm...?"
"Wufei, Sally, this is my dorm mate, Scott Holbreak." Heero seemed to be favoring speech today.
"Uh... we have practice... soon, yes, VERY soon." Scott seemed to be uncomfortable around the other two.
"You go on ahead, I'll meet you there." Heero was still looking at Sally Po and Wufei.
"Right, right! It was a pleasure meeting you!" Scott blew through the door, almost knocking the two guests over.
"I get the feeling he didn't like us much, Sally." Wufei let out a strange smile.
"I'm guessing Duo sent you in his place." Heero motioned from them to come inside and take a seat anywhere. Sally nodded, "He was so scared of what you were going to do to him as soon as you heard what happened to Miss Relena."
Heero seemed to wince at the mention of her name, "I guess he's smarter than he looks."
"Maxwell? Smart? I don't think those words belong in the same sentence." Sally smacked him over the head.
"ONNA!"
"MAN!"
"ARGH!"
(AN: *laughs* I put that in all my fics!)
Heero raised a brow at the flustered Wufei, "Why are you here?"
"We're putting together a "squad" to find Miss Relena, and we thought you might be a little more... sufficent in finding her." Sally gave as a weak ending.
"Any leads so far?"
"No." Wufei didn't seem fazed as he let out a blunt reply, "Will you take this one on?"
Heero didn't seem to have to think about it, "Mission... accepted."
A grin lit Sally's face and she pulled out a small package filled with his uniform, "Good, we're leaving in twenty minutes."
+++++++++++++++++
"HOLBREAK! I SAID RIGHT!!" Coach Brackley, coach of the number one football team of the colonies, screamed to his player.
"I WAS GOING RIGHT!" Actually, Scott *had* been going *left*, trying to see if Luke had arrived yet. A thousand questions were running through his mind; why were the those Preventers at their dorm? And why had Heero been so upset over the Gundam conversation?
Out of the locker room to the right side of the bleachers came a man in a Preventer uniform with untamed hair, and a dangerous gleam in his eye. He walked up behind the coach, straightening his jacket.
"Coach Brackley." The coach turned around.
"Luke?" This caught the rest of the football team's attention, and they seemed to stop midplay. "Keep going! You LACKEYS! I didn't tell you to stop, did I?" They didn't go back to playing, but instead the coach found himself backed by all his players.
"Hey Luke... It's not Halloween is it? This is classic! Our freshman quarter back dressed up as a Preventer!" Heero recongised the voice as one of the linebackers.
"I've come to resign from the team. I can't play for you anymore." Heero's voice was stiff and void of any and all emotions as he turned to his coach.
"Wha-?" The whole team seemed to echo the coach's stupor.
"I told you; something has come up and I can't play football for your team." He handed his coach the bag filled with his football uniform.
"Son... you can't be serious! Luke, *think* about it! This is your only chance for a life!" Coach Brackley seemed even more panicked now.
"No, this is your only chance for a winning football team, and I'm walking away from you."
"Luke! Look son-!"
"That's not my name." Heero cut him off.
"What? Luke what are you-?"
"I told you, my name isn't Luke Maxwell (AN: heheheh...)." Heero felt the whole team's eyes on him.
"Then what is it? You've been a mystery since the day you tried out!" The coach threw his clipboard up in the air, and Heero caught it with ease, handing it back to him.
"I have no name. I only go by my code name." Heero's voice became even colder as the entire team, excluding Scott began to crack up. Scott peered at his uniform, "You're a colonel? How can that be, you're only eighteen!"
That shut them up.
"It's a fake I tell you!" Someone cried out.
"Injustice! All this time, the "Perfect Soldier" has played football with these scum!"
"WUFEI!!!" Everyone turned to face the newly arrived couple, "Be nice!"
The coach nearly dropped into a fit of hysteria, "My god, it's Sally Po! He ran up to her, snatching her hands in his, "What a pleasure it is to meet you! What are you doing here?" Wufei looked mildly disturbed at the man's show of affection.
"Have we met...?" Sally cocked her head to the side.
"No! No! But you're famous around here! Rescuing those Gundam pilots!" He was acting like a little boy. And the football team nodded as recognistion dawned on them.
"What?! This weak onna never-!" Sally wacked Wufei over the head, "Save it for later Justice Boy."
"Onna..." Sally gave him a sharp look that shut him up.
"What can we do for you Miss Po?" The coach seemed eager to please, "Water? Wine? Food? Anything for you!" Sally was a little surprised when she heard the deep growl in Wufei's throat. "Oh, I'm fine sir... I just came for my friend..." She nodded her head slightly towards Heero.
"Who? Luke?"
"Luke? As in Luke Skywalker? My goodness, Heero, you're getting creative with these names!"
"Hn."
"Heero? Is that your name?" Scott spoke up, pushing up to the front of the crowd.
"My code name is Heero Yuy." Heero's voice was quiet, and both Sally and Wufei had to strain their ears to hear it. "After the colony leader?" Coach Brackley inquired. Heero nodded dully.
"Why gentlemen, didn't you know you had a Gundam pilot playing on your team this entire time?" Sally laughed merrily at all the men's expressions.
Heero was not happy.
No one was suppose to *ever* discover his alter-identily, and now this woman... He did what came naturally to him:
"Omae o korosu." Heero held a gun up to her head.
"Yuy, don't you dare." Wufei looked away almost in a red hue as Heero raised an eyebrow, "And Wufei, out of all of us, I thought you were the most serious." Heero remembered the words Duo had told him Wufei had said.
"She's my partner, after all."
"So I guess you wouldn't mind if I told them all you were the pilot of the Altron and Shenlong Gundams?" Heero spat out angerily.
"KIIIIIISSSAAAAAAAAMMMMAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Wufei made a lunge for Heero, but Sally caught him by the back of his uniform and pulled him back. "I'm sorry for having to pull Colonel Yuy out in midseason, but he has been assigned to the task force searching for Vice Foreign Minister Darlian. We'll have him back before the season is over!" The coach was in tears, trying to hug Heero, "Don't go! PLEEEEEEAAASSSSEEEEE!" His voice echoed in Heero's mind.
Heero! Promise you won't leave without saying anything! Hadn't she begged him not to leave too?
"You can't leave! You're scholarship will go down the drain and you'll be another military bum with no education! I can't- I WON'T let you go!" He fumbled with ideas, "I'll disgrace you! I'll let the whole world know you're a Gundam pilot!!"
"Disgrace me all you want, nevertheless, my hands already have the blood of thousands on them." He uncharacteristically raised any eyebrow, "Would you like to be added to that list?"
He raised his gun again and there was an echoing click as the safety lock came off and he leveled it at his coach's head, "Anything that proves to be.... and obstacle to the mission... shall be prompty... eliminated..." His cold, iron voice forced everyone back at least a foot.
"Now THAT'S the Heero Yuy I know." Wufei muttered.
"Hey... ah, Lu-Heero, thanks for rooming with me, buddy. I guess it's okay that you didn't tell me that you were a Gundam pilot, part of the Preventers, a colonel, and have inside conections with the Vice Foreign Minister... but hey, when you find the girl, be sure to bring her back and visit!" Heero allowed his roommate to give him a "manly" hug, showing off the most emotion Sally and Wufei had seen from him put together.
As he turned to leave he threw a small package towards Scott, who caught it with ease. He opened it, his dark brown eyes studied the metal feathers with great interest.
"That was the biggest piece of Wing I could find after the salvaging crew had cleared away what was left of it after I crashed into Brussels." He nodded to everyone, and Scott managed to give a small wave through his tears of joy.
"Thanks Heero! And don't forget to come back and visit!"
"Hn."
_________________________
After my first walk through the island, I realized that I hadn't even covered half of it. That began to worry me; if the island was so big, how would anyone find me? Inside and under the thick canopy it was hot and humid, and I felt disgusted with the layer of dirt covering me.
There was no food.
There was no fresh water.
There was only the jungle and myself, the naive little girl, and I figured that it would be a hard fought battle.
--------------------------------
WAIIIIIIIIIIII! I'm done with another part! Please be kind to me and review! It's no more than two inches below, and it doesn't take more than two minutes! Pwease?
luvs and hugs
Chibi Acky
By: Chibi Acky
Disclaimer: once again, I do not own Gundam. Let's all pity me.
(((((((((((((())))))))))))))
I woke up that morning with a throbbing headache and a sore body. At first I thought I was still in a dream world, until reality came crashing back down on me in the form of a coconut. I remember not even feeling sorry for myself; after all, I'd most certainly been in worse situations than the one I was in. Afterall, I'd survived countless assasination attempts, my brother, my past, the war, and suicidal Gundam pilots, so what could a few days on a deserted island do to me?
A lot, it appeared.
I reached up and made another slash, hoping that I hadn't missed a day in my slumber. My ankle was killing me, and it took most of my strength to pull off my boots as it was swollen and ugly as a bruised apple. I pulled myself up on my knees, cursing my body for being so slow and weak. I managed to get to the edge of the island where the sand met the water, and I stuck my foot in; wincing as the salt seeped into my mangled body. And even though my calm demenor and my fatique, only one thought crossed my mind.
Whatever would I do about clean underwear?
==================
The ocean water seemed to numb her ankle slighly and using the materials around her, she made a makeshift split for her arm and ankle. The palm tree had graciously spared her two whole coconuts which she slammed against a rock to crack open. She felt like a primative animal as the juice flowed down from her mouth and onto her neck and clothes. She leaned back against the same palm tree.
"What am I going to do?" She shut her eyes, trying to shield them from the burning sun.
"Great, If I don't die of starvation, or being eaten by some wild creature, I fall victim to skin cancer. Quite pleasant, really." She muttered, pulling herself up.
It was the first time that she had really gotten a good look at the island. The dense jungle foilage seemed to hide most of it's treasure, and in the sky above, a flock of birds flew overhead. She figured that she might as well get the exploring part over as she stumbled through the untamed land.
-------------------------
"YOU FOOL! It's A!"
The little man on the television said proudly, "B. And that's my final answer, Regis."
"Ohhhh... I"m sorry the correct answer was A."
"YOU IMBECILE! I told you! I told you!" Heero fell off the bed in frustration. Shaking his head he returned to his seat.
"Having fun there, Luke?" Scott, Heero's roommate, burst into the room with his usual enthusiasm. His curly blonde hair drooped into his eyes.
"No." Was the curt reply.
"What was the question?" He inquired ploping himself down next to Heero.
"Which Gundam sucessfully destroyed the last threatening piece of debris falling from the battleship Libra?" Heero repeated the question.
"Oh, that's easy! It's that Tallgeese Gundam!" Scott seemed so confident, and Heero felt like killing him.
"No, it was Wing Gundam." For the life of him, Scott couldn't figure out why his friend looked so upset.
"Oh..." Scott paused, "Wouldn't it have been great to see a Gundam in action?"
"No."
"I'd *kill* for a piece of one! That would be *so* cool!" Scott's comment made Heero thing of the shoebox under his bed filled with small pieces of Wing Zero he had salvaged after the Mariemaia incident.
"Why would you want something like that? The Gundams were tools of destruction." Heero just kept staring at the televison screen as a commerical for some sort of "Wonderball" came on. (*AN: *sings* Oh I wonder, wonder, what's in a wonderball! Muwahahahaha!!*)
"Still upset over the Vice Foreign Minister?" He leaned down close to where Heero was leaning against his dorm bed, "Yes you are!" He pinched Heero's cheek like a grandmother.
Heero had his hand around Scott's neck in the next instant, "Don't. Do. That."
"O...k...aaaaayy!" Scott gasped as Heero set him down. Scott rubbed his neck, "Sheesh, quite touch‚ today, aren't we?" Heero was about to make a comment when someone began to pound on the door. He stood up briskly, leaving Scott staring at his back.
"Hello, Heero."
"Who's Heero?" was Scott's instant question.
"Sally. Wufei." He nodded in their directions, "It's been a long time."
Wufei grunted while Sally smiled warmly, "Yes, it has... who's your friend?" Heero stepped aside, giving Scott a full view of Sally and Wufei's Preventer uniform.
"Luke... why are there Preventers in our dorm...?"
"Wufei, Sally, this is my dorm mate, Scott Holbreak." Heero seemed to be favoring speech today.
"Uh... we have practice... soon, yes, VERY soon." Scott seemed to be uncomfortable around the other two.
"You go on ahead, I'll meet you there." Heero was still looking at Sally Po and Wufei.
"Right, right! It was a pleasure meeting you!" Scott blew through the door, almost knocking the two guests over.
"I get the feeling he didn't like us much, Sally." Wufei let out a strange smile.
"I'm guessing Duo sent you in his place." Heero motioned from them to come inside and take a seat anywhere. Sally nodded, "He was so scared of what you were going to do to him as soon as you heard what happened to Miss Relena."
Heero seemed to wince at the mention of her name, "I guess he's smarter than he looks."
"Maxwell? Smart? I don't think those words belong in the same sentence." Sally smacked him over the head.
"ONNA!"
"MAN!"
"ARGH!"
(AN: *laughs* I put that in all my fics!)
Heero raised a brow at the flustered Wufei, "Why are you here?"
"We're putting together a "squad" to find Miss Relena, and we thought you might be a little more... sufficent in finding her." Sally gave as a weak ending.
"Any leads so far?"
"No." Wufei didn't seem fazed as he let out a blunt reply, "Will you take this one on?"
Heero didn't seem to have to think about it, "Mission... accepted."
A grin lit Sally's face and she pulled out a small package filled with his uniform, "Good, we're leaving in twenty minutes."
+++++++++++++++++
"HOLBREAK! I SAID RIGHT!!" Coach Brackley, coach of the number one football team of the colonies, screamed to his player.
"I WAS GOING RIGHT!" Actually, Scott *had* been going *left*, trying to see if Luke had arrived yet. A thousand questions were running through his mind; why were the those Preventers at their dorm? And why had Heero been so upset over the Gundam conversation?
Out of the locker room to the right side of the bleachers came a man in a Preventer uniform with untamed hair, and a dangerous gleam in his eye. He walked up behind the coach, straightening his jacket.
"Coach Brackley." The coach turned around.
"Luke?" This caught the rest of the football team's attention, and they seemed to stop midplay. "Keep going! You LACKEYS! I didn't tell you to stop, did I?" They didn't go back to playing, but instead the coach found himself backed by all his players.
"Hey Luke... It's not Halloween is it? This is classic! Our freshman quarter back dressed up as a Preventer!" Heero recongised the voice as one of the linebackers.
"I've come to resign from the team. I can't play for you anymore." Heero's voice was stiff and void of any and all emotions as he turned to his coach.
"Wha-?" The whole team seemed to echo the coach's stupor.
"I told you; something has come up and I can't play football for your team." He handed his coach the bag filled with his football uniform.
"Son... you can't be serious! Luke, *think* about it! This is your only chance for a life!" Coach Brackley seemed even more panicked now.
"No, this is your only chance for a winning football team, and I'm walking away from you."
"Luke! Look son-!"
"That's not my name." Heero cut him off.
"What? Luke what are you-?"
"I told you, my name isn't Luke Maxwell (AN: heheheh...)." Heero felt the whole team's eyes on him.
"Then what is it? You've been a mystery since the day you tried out!" The coach threw his clipboard up in the air, and Heero caught it with ease, handing it back to him.
"I have no name. I only go by my code name." Heero's voice became even colder as the entire team, excluding Scott began to crack up. Scott peered at his uniform, "You're a colonel? How can that be, you're only eighteen!"
That shut them up.
"It's a fake I tell you!" Someone cried out.
"Injustice! All this time, the "Perfect Soldier" has played football with these scum!"
"WUFEI!!!" Everyone turned to face the newly arrived couple, "Be nice!"
The coach nearly dropped into a fit of hysteria, "My god, it's Sally Po! He ran up to her, snatching her hands in his, "What a pleasure it is to meet you! What are you doing here?" Wufei looked mildly disturbed at the man's show of affection.
"Have we met...?" Sally cocked her head to the side.
"No! No! But you're famous around here! Rescuing those Gundam pilots!" He was acting like a little boy. And the football team nodded as recognistion dawned on them.
"What?! This weak onna never-!" Sally wacked Wufei over the head, "Save it for later Justice Boy."
"Onna..." Sally gave him a sharp look that shut him up.
"What can we do for you Miss Po?" The coach seemed eager to please, "Water? Wine? Food? Anything for you!" Sally was a little surprised when she heard the deep growl in Wufei's throat. "Oh, I'm fine sir... I just came for my friend..." She nodded her head slightly towards Heero.
"Who? Luke?"
"Luke? As in Luke Skywalker? My goodness, Heero, you're getting creative with these names!"
"Hn."
"Heero? Is that your name?" Scott spoke up, pushing up to the front of the crowd.
"My code name is Heero Yuy." Heero's voice was quiet, and both Sally and Wufei had to strain their ears to hear it. "After the colony leader?" Coach Brackley inquired. Heero nodded dully.
"Why gentlemen, didn't you know you had a Gundam pilot playing on your team this entire time?" Sally laughed merrily at all the men's expressions.
Heero was not happy.
No one was suppose to *ever* discover his alter-identily, and now this woman... He did what came naturally to him:
"Omae o korosu." Heero held a gun up to her head.
"Yuy, don't you dare." Wufei looked away almost in a red hue as Heero raised an eyebrow, "And Wufei, out of all of us, I thought you were the most serious." Heero remembered the words Duo had told him Wufei had said.
"She's my partner, after all."
"So I guess you wouldn't mind if I told them all you were the pilot of the Altron and Shenlong Gundams?" Heero spat out angerily.
"KIIIIIISSSAAAAAAAAMMMMAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Wufei made a lunge for Heero, but Sally caught him by the back of his uniform and pulled him back. "I'm sorry for having to pull Colonel Yuy out in midseason, but he has been assigned to the task force searching for Vice Foreign Minister Darlian. We'll have him back before the season is over!" The coach was in tears, trying to hug Heero, "Don't go! PLEEEEEEAAASSSSEEEEE!" His voice echoed in Heero's mind.
Heero! Promise you won't leave without saying anything! Hadn't she begged him not to leave too?
"You can't leave! You're scholarship will go down the drain and you'll be another military bum with no education! I can't- I WON'T let you go!" He fumbled with ideas, "I'll disgrace you! I'll let the whole world know you're a Gundam pilot!!"
"Disgrace me all you want, nevertheless, my hands already have the blood of thousands on them." He uncharacteristically raised any eyebrow, "Would you like to be added to that list?"
He raised his gun again and there was an echoing click as the safety lock came off and he leveled it at his coach's head, "Anything that proves to be.... and obstacle to the mission... shall be prompty... eliminated..." His cold, iron voice forced everyone back at least a foot.
"Now THAT'S the Heero Yuy I know." Wufei muttered.
"Hey... ah, Lu-Heero, thanks for rooming with me, buddy. I guess it's okay that you didn't tell me that you were a Gundam pilot, part of the Preventers, a colonel, and have inside conections with the Vice Foreign Minister... but hey, when you find the girl, be sure to bring her back and visit!" Heero allowed his roommate to give him a "manly" hug, showing off the most emotion Sally and Wufei had seen from him put together.
As he turned to leave he threw a small package towards Scott, who caught it with ease. He opened it, his dark brown eyes studied the metal feathers with great interest.
"That was the biggest piece of Wing I could find after the salvaging crew had cleared away what was left of it after I crashed into Brussels." He nodded to everyone, and Scott managed to give a small wave through his tears of joy.
"Thanks Heero! And don't forget to come back and visit!"
"Hn."
_________________________
After my first walk through the island, I realized that I hadn't even covered half of it. That began to worry me; if the island was so big, how would anyone find me? Inside and under the thick canopy it was hot and humid, and I felt disgusted with the layer of dirt covering me.
There was no food.
There was no fresh water.
There was only the jungle and myself, the naive little girl, and I figured that it would be a hard fought battle.
--------------------------------
WAIIIIIIIIIIII! I'm done with another part! Please be kind to me and review! It's no more than two inches below, and it doesn't take more than two minutes! Pwease?
luvs and hugs
Chibi Acky