Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.
I wrote this a long time ago, and haven't have the time to look over it. If this is a really trashy fic, I apologize ahead of time. I'm going to revamp it sometime, maybe in the summer. Welcome to the wonderful world of laptops, right?
As it would turn out, all five gundam pilots went to take a look at Amrita. Artax led them walking fast as if he wished not to be there which he most assuredly was thinking, and then Titien brought up the rear a little glad that she didn't have to deal with everyone all by herself anymore.
Upon entering the mobile suit hangar, Artax was crowded by many people holding computer pads, tools, and various other things. Taking control, Artax abandoned the five pilots and Titien and lead the group of scientists nodding and looking over what was presented to him.
"Follow the leader," Titien said ushering the pilots in the general direction everyone else had gone off in.
After a few minutes of walking around, they stumbled onto Artax working hurriedly with the same group that had dragged him off earlier. He was arm deep in wires and keypads probing deeper into the suit's arm. The suit he was working on was unpainted, definitely not his. Seemingly giving up, he withdrew and stepped back. Then he hurled himself into the small space he'd been working in with a solid kick. Smoke erupted from where his foot had landed and he crawled backwards taking a moment to stomp out the flames that had begun to grow on his clothing. Everyone stood around puzzled at his impulsive show of violence. Then a loud, anguished beep filled the hangar echoing off the walls amplifying the sound until it was almost unbearable. As everyone moved to cover their ears, Artax walked towards the sound coming from the entrance hatch of the suit.
The hatch burst open and a limp body flew into Artax who caught it stumbling back a little. He laid out the sopping wet figure and prepped to perform CPR. The boy laid out looked to be around the age of Artax, maybe a little older. Methodically, Artax went about reviving the pilot and was rewarded, or not, when a pair of arms snaked around his neck. He wrenched himself out of the grip wiping his lips of the thick liquid that oozed off of the now grinning pilot who'd been almost dead a few minutes before.
"My…h-hero…" he coughed turning over to expel the remnants of fluid caught in his throat. Artax recovered quickly from the shock of being kissed and hit the youth's back to help. When the pilot was through upchucking, he thrust himself upon Artax., and dazedly strattled the pale youth's stomach. "I've dreamed of this many times. I'm so happy."
"I'm beginning to think you tampered with your suit for this. You could have died, Anthony," Artax said softly pushing the other pilot off of him.
"And how fortunate I am to have someone like you to save me!" Anthony cried stumbling to his feet and proceeding to wrap Artax into a wet hug.
"I'll carry you to sick bay if you promise to do no more stunts like this," Artax said with the other pilot hanging off of him.
"And you'll go on a date with me?"
Everyone watched the scene, the scientists less than pleased, the gundam pilots thoroughly confused, and Titien rolling her eyes.
"Anthony has been pining for the Artax's attention since day one. Don't worry about this, it doesn't happen everyday. Just…often enough to annoy the hell out of everyone," Titien explained.
"Day one?" Quatre asked.
"Artax arrived here about four years ago," Titien said watching Artax hoist Anthony on his back.
"I was under the impression that people that live here were born here."
"He's the only outsider aside from you five. Already, he has become vital to us and some people resent that. Makes you wonder where he was trained, and raised."
"Does anyone know?" Duo asked before Quatre could.
"I'm sure someone does…but it hasn't been made public. Protecting him, maybe," Titien said thoughtfully watching the soggy pair make their way out to sickbay.
"So, our man gets special treatment, eh? Ah…the benefits of being the best," Duo sighed eyeing Heero meaningfully for a brief moment.
"I don't think so, Maxwell," Wufei said turning to leave.
-
"Why name your suit Amrita?" Wufei asked running his palm along the cool, smooth surface of the forearm. He looked a minute at his red reflection, not recognizing himself for a minute. He saw a boy around the age of sixteen with his hair pulled back into a pony tail, his eyes narrow and unforgiving, and he stood ramrod straight like a statue. He quickly looked away, refusing to acknowledge the odd boy he saw reflected in the metal.
Artax walked upon the length of his mobile suit's shoulders with a computer pad in his hand, "Amrita was the cup of the gods from which they drank their wine…I read a book once, called Amrita."
"You read a book about the cup of the gods?" Wufei scoffed.
"No. I read about a woman."
"Named Amrita?"
"No. I believe the name was a metaphor for her life's experiences."
Wufei shrugged and decided that pacing around the mobile suit wasn't going to help him understand anything any better. The mobile suit had a definite style to it similar to the new gundam models. Its design was thin and accented. No other mobile suit could compare with its exterior design. It had seven black slit eyes, an animal like head with grille's on the snout, long fingers and limbs, and a sleek figure like a cat's. The suit seemed to somehow resemble its pilot.
-
The rest of the day went by like a textbook, in and out of every room imaginable save for the last stop of the day where Wufei had to wait around again for close to two hours. Artax emerged from the room looking very tired as if he'd fall asleep if he sat down.
-
Back at Artax's home, he left Wufei at the door and came back with a book. It was old but in impeccable condition. The title was, Amrita.
"I think it'll…help you realize things…" Artax said running his hands through his hair. Slightly surprised, Wufei accepted it examining the cover, an Asian woman's face with yellow tears set against a green backdrop.
"I'll return it when I am through with it…"
-
Back on Earth, Relena sat in her room with an illness that had taken her shortly after the pilots had left. She sat in bed with her mini-laptop idly checking her mail and browsing websites. Then she happened upon the date, and realized that the pilots should have made it to the colony by then. Almost frantic, she grabbed the phone next to her bed and dialed in for colony L1 where the war faction rep resided. Her stomach turned in knots as she waited for a pick-up.
After a little while, a deep, hoarse voice picked up, "What on god's earth do you want?"
For a minute, Relena was without words. She'd woken him up and almost regretted calling. "Have the pilots contacted us yet?"
"No, give them a week…at least. Rest your pretty little head. I'm sure they're fine," Mr. Adih mumbled followed by the click of the receiver.
Relena didn't hang up her own phone for a few minutes out of shock for his tone. But then again, he was partially asleep, so she could excuse it.
She lay back on her dark blue sheets, that she'd chosen for the color's resemblance to Heero's eyes. She'd been a little upset when she'd bought it that the other side of the sheets and comforter were violet. Now, she fondly thought that the two colors complimented each other and would not sleep with any sheets other than the ones she lay on now.
Please…come back safe to me…Heero, she prayed before she slipped into slumber.
-
It had been about four days since the pilots had arrived at the covert colony. Everyday seemed a repeat of the other. On Friday, the day that Artax was supposed to have off, he got a call for work to make up for how loose his schedule was since he took Wufei in. Now, it was Sunday, Artax's other day off and Wufei was very curious to know how it'd be. They'd woken up as early as any other day probably due to conditioning, and were eating breakfast.
"So…you get today off, right?" Wufei asked not bothering to look up. His guardian's expression and posture didn't change enough to warrant his attention away from his food.
"Yeah," Artax replied getting up from the floor table already finished.
"What do you do on these days?"
"I work with the children and I read," Artax replied, his words mingling with the flow of water as he washed the dishes. The mention of reading was a like a mental slap in the face to Wufei who had repeatedly forgotten about the book that he'd been lent.
"You work with children?…I haven't seen any around here."
"They live in a different sect. I like them…" Artax said trailing off becoming lost in thought.
Wufei spent a few minutes thinking about what Artax must have looked like as a child, how he might have acted. It became a little depressing when his mind conjured up an image of a child with flaxen hair combed out of his eyes sitting by himself, away from all the other children his age.
"What were you like when you were a child?" Wufei asked stacking his dishes.
"What do you mean?"
"…How did you act?"
"I was obedient," Artax said with a little reluctance.
Wufei set his dishes in the sink and began scrubbing them. He looked at the boy next to him and his blank stare. He had retreated back into himself leaving his body to carry out normal life robotically. What could have been so bad to make him this way? His manner and poise rivaled Heero's soldier persona.
"Have they contacted the Alliance yet?" Wufei asked to suit the mood.
"No…the political sect is watching Earth news to see whether it is worth the risk. They don't want to expose this colony if they don't have to. They must assess your 'worth' and find out why you were sent."
"We already told you," Wufei stated.
"They don't think that you were told everything you should have known," Artax replied blandly setting the dishes out to dry on the countertop. "What do you think of the Alliance?"
"They are like any other government. 'Made by the people for the people,'" Wufei said sounding a little like a company answering machine.
"You don't seem too impressed."
"I'm not," Wufei admitted.
"Then why do you serve it?" Artax asked looking at Wufei critically.
There was silence for the longest time as Wufei searched for an answer finally landing on one, a lame one, but an answer, "Because I am ordered to."
Artax leaned forward barely brushing his cheek against Wufei's making the Chinese youth's blood burn and his breath catch. His guardian spoke, whispering with his warm breath washing over the Chinese pilot's pale skin, "You must have a better reason." Then he drew back and left the room and a very confused Wufei.
"….A…better…reason…" he echoed wonderingly.
-
The colony's design was so similar to Earth, even the weather. The spring air was laden with dew cooling, even though the breeze was warm. Wufei sat under a sakura tree cradled by the soft earth and papery trunk. The laughter of children barely registered in his mind as he poured through the tear laced pages of Amrita. It was full of so much irony, happy but sad at the same time. It reminded him of himself, but he had no fond memories to call upon. Everything was miserable, and even worse when he thought about them. Ryuchiro had left again, and Wufei couldn't read anymore for the moment. He set the book down and looked around. The sun was abusing to his eyes and he could only make out black blurs.
He blinked a few times and made out the shape of Artax in a mob of small bodies. All the children were eerily fit and lean for kids their age. Even he wasn't so thin when he was a child with all his martial arts training. Little girls and little boys crowded the pale soldier, they cooed and hugged onto him as if he were a teddy bear. A few children wandered off but not too far so that they might spar.
Artax was speaking seated in the grass, and the children let go of him one by one. Those who had been sparring joined the group and lined up. A cute girl that was only as tall as his hip placed her dainty little hands in his outstretched palms. He held them and began walking in a circle with her faster and faster until her feet began to lift off of the ground. Soon, she was above his head, with bell like peals of laughter. Her burgundy curls caught the wind and flickered like fire. The faded, oversized t-shirt she wore flapped in the wind along with her frayed khakis. Wufei was surprised she hadn't thrown up yet and sat enthralled up to when Artax set the child down and took the next one's hands.
He watched them play for a long time. Then the curtain of surreal peace came crashing down when he heard the shouts coming from around the curve of the walk. Artax sat all the children down and they sat in respectful silence awaiting the arrival of the messenger.
A thin girl, with almost no endowments, in bright clothing ran up to Artax with a comp pad, which he took and gave a quick look over. He gave a quick look to Wufei frowning and looking back to the information he'd just been handed. Everyone listened as he spoke and Wufei got up and began to trek over to where they sat. He didn't make it there before his guardian was off running down the way the messenger had just come.
"Don't worry. He'll be back later," the messenger assured Wufei as he approached. Despite the optimism, the Chinese pilot couldn't help the worry growing in his chest. He looked in the direction Artax had left until he felt tugging at his pant leg and found a group of children looking up at him expectantly.
--
The meeting had already started by the time Artax had arrived. He took his seat between Titien and vice commander of operations, Akasi. The Alliance was on the move, and had taken some very aggressive courses of action.
"This is what is airing on televisions all over Alliance space," Dogon stated, the room dimmed and images flashed upon the screen at the head of the room.
A very professionally dressed woman sat primly behind a desk, her short brown hair curled about her face. Her voice was very thick and commanding, "A little over two weeks ago, five heroes from the past wars were sent into space to save us yet again from a new threat. There is a covert colony in this part of space." She pulled up a vid screen and used her index finger to point to the exact position. "The pilots were to send confirmation a week ago that they had reached the colony safe. And make reports on treaty progress. The Alliance has yet to hear from them. Prominent figures in the Alliance like Relena Peacecraft, Ren Bates, and various others fear the worst."
A new clip began. Three people seated around a table, two men and one woman. They all looked over notes as they talked. The man furthest to the right with the red blazer talked first, "War heroes, the gundam pilots, have been taken prisoner by colony 666. Alliance is preparing to declare war on the covert colony that is located…"
The clip cut off and Dogon clasped his hands together in front of himself on the table. "There is more, dozens more and they are multiplying like rabbits. We sent a hailing message to the Alliance earlier in the week after checking the gundams over. They have not returned our message, and this is why."
Erriji nodded and looked to the three guardians, "Today, a new task is set before you. You must find out as much as you can about the Alliance as possible through the pilots. Do not scare or threaten them. Coax it out of them, it may take a while, but whatever you can extract will help us all in the end."
Bijoe frowned, "So…we can't just send them back."
"That'd be foolish. They are the cause, thus they contain the cure. And it would only serve the Alliance's vices if we send their pilots back. It would be showing them that we fold under the slightest weight," Titien explained.
"So…it'd be like…'threaten me and I'm your fool'…" Bijoe almost whispered rubbing her fingers together.
"Exactly," Dogon said. "'Never negotiate with terrorists.' That's what the Alliance is…a large group of terrorists. We must treat them accordingly for now."
Akasi nodded and stood up from the table, "We trust you to do your best." Everyone else stood as well and left, all except for the three guardians.
"Good luck," Titien said and gathered some papers from the table before leaving.
Bijoe took that as her queue to leave as well and she did quickly to hide her nervousness. Artax looked at his wristband then around the room that was in an organized sort of disarray. Discs littered the oak table, and some comp pads were left behind as well. He took it upon himself to get it into some kind of order before taking his leave.
--
Everyone had long gone home by the time Artax returned to the park. Wufei's attention was sprung into action after being bored with staring at the green turf around him for hours on end. When the messenger girl had left, forgetting that he was a potential danger to anyone, he had entertained thoughts of running off and wreaking havoc all over the colony just to show that they couldn't rein him in like some sort of an animal. Then he dropped all those ideas thinking about how sad Artax, his guardian would be and that he'd been accorded every freedom he should have expected and more seeing as how his position in this foreign place was less than creditable. So he sat and waited under the cypress tree inspecting his hands, shredding grass, meditating, and whatever else he could think to do alone.
When his guardian did show up around sundown, it felt like a thousand years had passed when it had only been a few hours. He was so tempted to jump out of joy and command Artax's attention that he stayed frozen in place sitting among mangled blades of grass and leaves and his mouth was set in a frown of indifference. For some reason, it never came easy to him to express himself correctly. When he felt something, he often expressed the opposite emotion.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" Artax asked when he was within hearing range.
Wufei shrugged and joined Artax's careful retreating figure.
--
They walked for a while in silence. Wufei looked around at the wild foliage all weaving in and out of any crevice it could fit. It was completely different from what he was used to. Artax walked the bike looking about sedately.
"Where are you from?" Wufei asked finally tired of the silence.
"It's not important," Artax replied quietly.
"What is important?" was the cross retort.
"Resolution of conflict."
"Ofcourse…" Wufei mumbled.
"What do you think of it? The Alliance."
"I don't think much about it. The Alliance is like any other government," Wufei lied.
"Corrupt, you mean?" Artax stated more than asked.
Wufei frowned and didn't speak.
--
"What's wrong?"
"Every time I see him, I get the feeling that I should know him. The…aura…sadness is so familiar. It's frustrating."
"It'll come to you. You just have to wait for when it decides to show itself."
"You're right…thank you."
--
"Do you have a picture of Artax from when he first came to the colony?" Quatre asked Bijoe while he picked at his food. It was nothing like he was used to, but he'd live.
Trowa gave him a questioning glance before smiling a little remembering their conversation from the night before.
"There should be some in file," Bijoe said not bothering to look up from her bowl of rice. "Why?"
"I'm just curious."
I wrote this a long time ago, and haven't have the time to look over it. If this is a really trashy fic, I apologize ahead of time. I'm going to revamp it sometime, maybe in the summer. Welcome to the wonderful world of laptops, right?
As it would turn out, all five gundam pilots went to take a look at Amrita. Artax led them walking fast as if he wished not to be there which he most assuredly was thinking, and then Titien brought up the rear a little glad that she didn't have to deal with everyone all by herself anymore.
Upon entering the mobile suit hangar, Artax was crowded by many people holding computer pads, tools, and various other things. Taking control, Artax abandoned the five pilots and Titien and lead the group of scientists nodding and looking over what was presented to him.
"Follow the leader," Titien said ushering the pilots in the general direction everyone else had gone off in.
After a few minutes of walking around, they stumbled onto Artax working hurriedly with the same group that had dragged him off earlier. He was arm deep in wires and keypads probing deeper into the suit's arm. The suit he was working on was unpainted, definitely not his. Seemingly giving up, he withdrew and stepped back. Then he hurled himself into the small space he'd been working in with a solid kick. Smoke erupted from where his foot had landed and he crawled backwards taking a moment to stomp out the flames that had begun to grow on his clothing. Everyone stood around puzzled at his impulsive show of violence. Then a loud, anguished beep filled the hangar echoing off the walls amplifying the sound until it was almost unbearable. As everyone moved to cover their ears, Artax walked towards the sound coming from the entrance hatch of the suit.
The hatch burst open and a limp body flew into Artax who caught it stumbling back a little. He laid out the sopping wet figure and prepped to perform CPR. The boy laid out looked to be around the age of Artax, maybe a little older. Methodically, Artax went about reviving the pilot and was rewarded, or not, when a pair of arms snaked around his neck. He wrenched himself out of the grip wiping his lips of the thick liquid that oozed off of the now grinning pilot who'd been almost dead a few minutes before.
"My…h-hero…" he coughed turning over to expel the remnants of fluid caught in his throat. Artax recovered quickly from the shock of being kissed and hit the youth's back to help. When the pilot was through upchucking, he thrust himself upon Artax., and dazedly strattled the pale youth's stomach. "I've dreamed of this many times. I'm so happy."
"I'm beginning to think you tampered with your suit for this. You could have died, Anthony," Artax said softly pushing the other pilot off of him.
"And how fortunate I am to have someone like you to save me!" Anthony cried stumbling to his feet and proceeding to wrap Artax into a wet hug.
"I'll carry you to sick bay if you promise to do no more stunts like this," Artax said with the other pilot hanging off of him.
"And you'll go on a date with me?"
Everyone watched the scene, the scientists less than pleased, the gundam pilots thoroughly confused, and Titien rolling her eyes.
"Anthony has been pining for the Artax's attention since day one. Don't worry about this, it doesn't happen everyday. Just…often enough to annoy the hell out of everyone," Titien explained.
"Day one?" Quatre asked.
"Artax arrived here about four years ago," Titien said watching Artax hoist Anthony on his back.
"I was under the impression that people that live here were born here."
"He's the only outsider aside from you five. Already, he has become vital to us and some people resent that. Makes you wonder where he was trained, and raised."
"Does anyone know?" Duo asked before Quatre could.
"I'm sure someone does…but it hasn't been made public. Protecting him, maybe," Titien said thoughtfully watching the soggy pair make their way out to sickbay.
"So, our man gets special treatment, eh? Ah…the benefits of being the best," Duo sighed eyeing Heero meaningfully for a brief moment.
"I don't think so, Maxwell," Wufei said turning to leave.
-
"Why name your suit Amrita?" Wufei asked running his palm along the cool, smooth surface of the forearm. He looked a minute at his red reflection, not recognizing himself for a minute. He saw a boy around the age of sixteen with his hair pulled back into a pony tail, his eyes narrow and unforgiving, and he stood ramrod straight like a statue. He quickly looked away, refusing to acknowledge the odd boy he saw reflected in the metal.
Artax walked upon the length of his mobile suit's shoulders with a computer pad in his hand, "Amrita was the cup of the gods from which they drank their wine…I read a book once, called Amrita."
"You read a book about the cup of the gods?" Wufei scoffed.
"No. I read about a woman."
"Named Amrita?"
"No. I believe the name was a metaphor for her life's experiences."
Wufei shrugged and decided that pacing around the mobile suit wasn't going to help him understand anything any better. The mobile suit had a definite style to it similar to the new gundam models. Its design was thin and accented. No other mobile suit could compare with its exterior design. It had seven black slit eyes, an animal like head with grille's on the snout, long fingers and limbs, and a sleek figure like a cat's. The suit seemed to somehow resemble its pilot.
-
The rest of the day went by like a textbook, in and out of every room imaginable save for the last stop of the day where Wufei had to wait around again for close to two hours. Artax emerged from the room looking very tired as if he'd fall asleep if he sat down.
-
Back at Artax's home, he left Wufei at the door and came back with a book. It was old but in impeccable condition. The title was, Amrita.
"I think it'll…help you realize things…" Artax said running his hands through his hair. Slightly surprised, Wufei accepted it examining the cover, an Asian woman's face with yellow tears set against a green backdrop.
"I'll return it when I am through with it…"
-
Back on Earth, Relena sat in her room with an illness that had taken her shortly after the pilots had left. She sat in bed with her mini-laptop idly checking her mail and browsing websites. Then she happened upon the date, and realized that the pilots should have made it to the colony by then. Almost frantic, she grabbed the phone next to her bed and dialed in for colony L1 where the war faction rep resided. Her stomach turned in knots as she waited for a pick-up.
After a little while, a deep, hoarse voice picked up, "What on god's earth do you want?"
For a minute, Relena was without words. She'd woken him up and almost regretted calling. "Have the pilots contacted us yet?"
"No, give them a week…at least. Rest your pretty little head. I'm sure they're fine," Mr. Adih mumbled followed by the click of the receiver.
Relena didn't hang up her own phone for a few minutes out of shock for his tone. But then again, he was partially asleep, so she could excuse it.
She lay back on her dark blue sheets, that she'd chosen for the color's resemblance to Heero's eyes. She'd been a little upset when she'd bought it that the other side of the sheets and comforter were violet. Now, she fondly thought that the two colors complimented each other and would not sleep with any sheets other than the ones she lay on now.
Please…come back safe to me…Heero, she prayed before she slipped into slumber.
-
It had been about four days since the pilots had arrived at the covert colony. Everyday seemed a repeat of the other. On Friday, the day that Artax was supposed to have off, he got a call for work to make up for how loose his schedule was since he took Wufei in. Now, it was Sunday, Artax's other day off and Wufei was very curious to know how it'd be. They'd woken up as early as any other day probably due to conditioning, and were eating breakfast.
"So…you get today off, right?" Wufei asked not bothering to look up. His guardian's expression and posture didn't change enough to warrant his attention away from his food.
"Yeah," Artax replied getting up from the floor table already finished.
"What do you do on these days?"
"I work with the children and I read," Artax replied, his words mingling with the flow of water as he washed the dishes. The mention of reading was a like a mental slap in the face to Wufei who had repeatedly forgotten about the book that he'd been lent.
"You work with children?…I haven't seen any around here."
"They live in a different sect. I like them…" Artax said trailing off becoming lost in thought.
Wufei spent a few minutes thinking about what Artax must have looked like as a child, how he might have acted. It became a little depressing when his mind conjured up an image of a child with flaxen hair combed out of his eyes sitting by himself, away from all the other children his age.
"What were you like when you were a child?" Wufei asked stacking his dishes.
"What do you mean?"
"…How did you act?"
"I was obedient," Artax said with a little reluctance.
Wufei set his dishes in the sink and began scrubbing them. He looked at the boy next to him and his blank stare. He had retreated back into himself leaving his body to carry out normal life robotically. What could have been so bad to make him this way? His manner and poise rivaled Heero's soldier persona.
"Have they contacted the Alliance yet?" Wufei asked to suit the mood.
"No…the political sect is watching Earth news to see whether it is worth the risk. They don't want to expose this colony if they don't have to. They must assess your 'worth' and find out why you were sent."
"We already told you," Wufei stated.
"They don't think that you were told everything you should have known," Artax replied blandly setting the dishes out to dry on the countertop. "What do you think of the Alliance?"
"They are like any other government. 'Made by the people for the people,'" Wufei said sounding a little like a company answering machine.
"You don't seem too impressed."
"I'm not," Wufei admitted.
"Then why do you serve it?" Artax asked looking at Wufei critically.
There was silence for the longest time as Wufei searched for an answer finally landing on one, a lame one, but an answer, "Because I am ordered to."
Artax leaned forward barely brushing his cheek against Wufei's making the Chinese youth's blood burn and his breath catch. His guardian spoke, whispering with his warm breath washing over the Chinese pilot's pale skin, "You must have a better reason." Then he drew back and left the room and a very confused Wufei.
"….A…better…reason…" he echoed wonderingly.
-
The colony's design was so similar to Earth, even the weather. The spring air was laden with dew cooling, even though the breeze was warm. Wufei sat under a sakura tree cradled by the soft earth and papery trunk. The laughter of children barely registered in his mind as he poured through the tear laced pages of Amrita. It was full of so much irony, happy but sad at the same time. It reminded him of himself, but he had no fond memories to call upon. Everything was miserable, and even worse when he thought about them. Ryuchiro had left again, and Wufei couldn't read anymore for the moment. He set the book down and looked around. The sun was abusing to his eyes and he could only make out black blurs.
He blinked a few times and made out the shape of Artax in a mob of small bodies. All the children were eerily fit and lean for kids their age. Even he wasn't so thin when he was a child with all his martial arts training. Little girls and little boys crowded the pale soldier, they cooed and hugged onto him as if he were a teddy bear. A few children wandered off but not too far so that they might spar.
Artax was speaking seated in the grass, and the children let go of him one by one. Those who had been sparring joined the group and lined up. A cute girl that was only as tall as his hip placed her dainty little hands in his outstretched palms. He held them and began walking in a circle with her faster and faster until her feet began to lift off of the ground. Soon, she was above his head, with bell like peals of laughter. Her burgundy curls caught the wind and flickered like fire. The faded, oversized t-shirt she wore flapped in the wind along with her frayed khakis. Wufei was surprised she hadn't thrown up yet and sat enthralled up to when Artax set the child down and took the next one's hands.
He watched them play for a long time. Then the curtain of surreal peace came crashing down when he heard the shouts coming from around the curve of the walk. Artax sat all the children down and they sat in respectful silence awaiting the arrival of the messenger.
A thin girl, with almost no endowments, in bright clothing ran up to Artax with a comp pad, which he took and gave a quick look over. He gave a quick look to Wufei frowning and looking back to the information he'd just been handed. Everyone listened as he spoke and Wufei got up and began to trek over to where they sat. He didn't make it there before his guardian was off running down the way the messenger had just come.
"Don't worry. He'll be back later," the messenger assured Wufei as he approached. Despite the optimism, the Chinese pilot couldn't help the worry growing in his chest. He looked in the direction Artax had left until he felt tugging at his pant leg and found a group of children looking up at him expectantly.
--
The meeting had already started by the time Artax had arrived. He took his seat between Titien and vice commander of operations, Akasi. The Alliance was on the move, and had taken some very aggressive courses of action.
"This is what is airing on televisions all over Alliance space," Dogon stated, the room dimmed and images flashed upon the screen at the head of the room.
A very professionally dressed woman sat primly behind a desk, her short brown hair curled about her face. Her voice was very thick and commanding, "A little over two weeks ago, five heroes from the past wars were sent into space to save us yet again from a new threat. There is a covert colony in this part of space." She pulled up a vid screen and used her index finger to point to the exact position. "The pilots were to send confirmation a week ago that they had reached the colony safe. And make reports on treaty progress. The Alliance has yet to hear from them. Prominent figures in the Alliance like Relena Peacecraft, Ren Bates, and various others fear the worst."
A new clip began. Three people seated around a table, two men and one woman. They all looked over notes as they talked. The man furthest to the right with the red blazer talked first, "War heroes, the gundam pilots, have been taken prisoner by colony 666. Alliance is preparing to declare war on the covert colony that is located…"
The clip cut off and Dogon clasped his hands together in front of himself on the table. "There is more, dozens more and they are multiplying like rabbits. We sent a hailing message to the Alliance earlier in the week after checking the gundams over. They have not returned our message, and this is why."
Erriji nodded and looked to the three guardians, "Today, a new task is set before you. You must find out as much as you can about the Alliance as possible through the pilots. Do not scare or threaten them. Coax it out of them, it may take a while, but whatever you can extract will help us all in the end."
Bijoe frowned, "So…we can't just send them back."
"That'd be foolish. They are the cause, thus they contain the cure. And it would only serve the Alliance's vices if we send their pilots back. It would be showing them that we fold under the slightest weight," Titien explained.
"So…it'd be like…'threaten me and I'm your fool'…" Bijoe almost whispered rubbing her fingers together.
"Exactly," Dogon said. "'Never negotiate with terrorists.' That's what the Alliance is…a large group of terrorists. We must treat them accordingly for now."
Akasi nodded and stood up from the table, "We trust you to do your best." Everyone else stood as well and left, all except for the three guardians.
"Good luck," Titien said and gathered some papers from the table before leaving.
Bijoe took that as her queue to leave as well and she did quickly to hide her nervousness. Artax looked at his wristband then around the room that was in an organized sort of disarray. Discs littered the oak table, and some comp pads were left behind as well. He took it upon himself to get it into some kind of order before taking his leave.
--
Everyone had long gone home by the time Artax returned to the park. Wufei's attention was sprung into action after being bored with staring at the green turf around him for hours on end. When the messenger girl had left, forgetting that he was a potential danger to anyone, he had entertained thoughts of running off and wreaking havoc all over the colony just to show that they couldn't rein him in like some sort of an animal. Then he dropped all those ideas thinking about how sad Artax, his guardian would be and that he'd been accorded every freedom he should have expected and more seeing as how his position in this foreign place was less than creditable. So he sat and waited under the cypress tree inspecting his hands, shredding grass, meditating, and whatever else he could think to do alone.
When his guardian did show up around sundown, it felt like a thousand years had passed when it had only been a few hours. He was so tempted to jump out of joy and command Artax's attention that he stayed frozen in place sitting among mangled blades of grass and leaves and his mouth was set in a frown of indifference. For some reason, it never came easy to him to express himself correctly. When he felt something, he often expressed the opposite emotion.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" Artax asked when he was within hearing range.
Wufei shrugged and joined Artax's careful retreating figure.
--
They walked for a while in silence. Wufei looked around at the wild foliage all weaving in and out of any crevice it could fit. It was completely different from what he was used to. Artax walked the bike looking about sedately.
"Where are you from?" Wufei asked finally tired of the silence.
"It's not important," Artax replied quietly.
"What is important?" was the cross retort.
"Resolution of conflict."
"Ofcourse…" Wufei mumbled.
"What do you think of it? The Alliance."
"I don't think much about it. The Alliance is like any other government," Wufei lied.
"Corrupt, you mean?" Artax stated more than asked.
Wufei frowned and didn't speak.
--
"What's wrong?"
"Every time I see him, I get the feeling that I should know him. The…aura…sadness is so familiar. It's frustrating."
"It'll come to you. You just have to wait for when it decides to show itself."
"You're right…thank you."
--
"Do you have a picture of Artax from when he first came to the colony?" Quatre asked Bijoe while he picked at his food. It was nothing like he was used to, but he'd live.
Trowa gave him a questioning glance before smiling a little remembering their conversation from the night before.
"There should be some in file," Bijoe said not bothering to look up from her bowl of rice. "Why?"
"I'm just curious."