Chapter 11
By: Shanchan
Fic by: Shanchan and rinoastar
The ten teens were on the bright yellow school bus, and Hinoko was driving them to the scientist's lair. Even though the colony wasn't extrememly large, it was still large enough to need 18 hours to get from the airport to the scientist's lair.
Hinoko ranted as she stared at the boring natrual resources mine, "I don't see why Grandpa had to give Hiiro the original mission! I mean I'd have done just as well! It's SO unfair!"
"Well, it'd be kinda weird for you to be my roommate!" Duo said under his cap.
"And why, pray tell, would I have to be your roommate?" Hinoko asked.
"Duo, you're such a baka! She wouldn't be you roommate since she is a girl!" Hiiro muttered.
"Hai! I guess you're right Hii-chan!"
"And why didn't Grandpa make you get a liscence?" Hinoko directed another question at Hiiro.
"It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out!" Serena, who was sitting three seats behind Hinoko, cut in.
"How would you know?" Hinoko retorted.
"Well, if you actually pay attention to what others say you'd know!" Serena replied haughtily.
"Right. Whatever!"
"Well, Noko-chan, I do recall Duo saying Hiiro drives like a maniac! So even if he got a liscence, it'd be taken away from him in less than two days. What's the point in that?" Serena pointed out.
Hinoko sighed in exasperation. Why can't that blabber mouth just shut up and let the perfect soldier handle her questions? Afterall, he does know how to talk. Then again, Trowa was even more quiet than Hiiro. Quatre was somewhat open, but no where near as talkative as Duo. As for Wufei, Hinoko didn't know what to think of him. He seldom talked, and when he does, it usually end up being an insult to females. Possibly out of all the boys he was her least favorite! "Serena, go talk to Shimei or something! I'll tell you when it's your turn!"
"No thanks, it's more fun buggin' you!" Serena said smiling.
That made Duo giggle. The Silverman girl may be near perfect and quite rude at times, but she was a lot like himself. Of course, he prefered to bug Hiiro. Then again, she didn't know Hiiro very well, did she?
"Hmph!" Hinoko decided to ignore Serena until it was Trowa's turn to drive. She didn't want to get mad at the half American and try to kill her before the mission ended.
"Well, looks like she gave up!" Serena really hated how bossy Hinoko got sometimes. Sure, it's nice to know she didn't have to worry about oversleeping, but to be forced to get up at eight for no reason was NOT something she enjoyed.
"You know, you shouldn't be so hard on her," Elizabeth said as she walked up to Serena and sat down beside her. She wanted to be able to see Shimei better for her picture and at the same time talk to Serena.
"Hey, she deserved it!" Serena rushed in to defend herself.
"Maybe you think so, but she was raised that way! It's not her fault!" The sympathetic girl told her friend.
"You're right, and I'm planning on having a nice little chat with her grandfather on how to raise her! God dammit, you just can't turn people into machines. I mean, look at her! All she does is boss people around and tell us what to do! She's gotta have some life of her own outside of her grandfather! I've seen her true self before and I liked that Hinoko! I don't like this one though!" Serena told Elizabeth as she glanced over at the other girl's sketch pad.
Elizabeth was an awesome artist. Just an hour into the trip and she had already finished drawing Duo, Hiiro, Quatre, herself, and Hinoko. She was working on Shimei. Serena watched as the artistic girl's slender fingers softly sketched an outline for Shimei's eyes. Then she started drawing in the pupils. Every bit of shading done seemed to fit perfectly. When Shimei's eyes were finished, Serena let out a soft whistle. Elizabeth had captured the young martial artist's pride, sorrow and determination in those eyes. The eyes seemed intense, but not so much that you were frightened by them for they also held a friendly look underneath. Serena was a good artist herself, but she was no where near the caliber Elizabeth had obtained.
"Wow! That's so good! Is that the one you owe her?" Serena asked her friend.
"No! I'm just working on this one for fun! I'll draw one for you two later. This one is for my gundam."
"What do you mean?"
"I want to post this picture of all of us on my gundam to remind myself who I'm protecting when I fight. It'll also remind me I'm not alone in this world and that there are others that actually understand me," Elizabeth told her friend.
"But we don't need you're protection!" Serena argued.
"Yes, but my other friends do. I drew this picture because you're my friends. I want to remember how you guys look for the rest of eternity."
"Hm... that's sweet," Serema said softly. Then she added to herself,"I wish I could draw like that!"
"Would you like me to teach you?" Elizabeth offered the other girl.
"Sure, why not! That way I won't have to bug Hinoko!" Serena told her friend.
"Do you need paper?"
"Nope got some in my bag!" Serena said as she stood up and grabbed the bag from the seat infront of her. She then pulled out a 30-paged sketch pad that had a cover decorated with muticolored bug stickers, metalic blue pen, and five highligher colors. As Serena flipped over the cover, Elizabeth noticed Serena had done some simple drawings in pencil. Serena turned to a blank page and then dug out a few pencils and an eraser from her bag. Then she turned to Elizabeth, smiled and said, "Ok, ready!"
Elizabeth spent the rest of Hinoko's shift and all of Trowa's shift to teach Serena how to draw.
"Oi, baka! It's you're turn now!" Hinoko called to Serena at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
"Ok, sheesh! Just because I'm allowed to drive doesn't mean I have to do it for three hours!" Serena said as she stood up and put her stuff into her bag. "Well, how do I drive this thing?"
"You mean you don't know?" Hinoko asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Serena glared at Hinoko.
"You do have a learner's permit, right?" Hinoko asked, surprised.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can drive!"Serena responded.
"Didn't you learn?"
"I was kidnapped by G two days before the class was to start!"
"So you don't know how to drive?"
"Yep! But you could always teach me since you're miss perfect and all!" Serena said sarcastically.
"Fine! Sit down!" Hinoko ordered Serena to sit in the driver's seat Then she spent 15 minutes telling her how to do everything. "Got it now?"
"Think so! I'm not a baka, you know!"
"You sure do act like one!"
"Hey! Stop it with the attitude!" Dominique yelled from her reading. "We're a team, right?"
"Then why don't YOU drive?"
"I don't have a permit or a license! They didn't think Megami needed one!"
"Well, I'll need to talk to grandpa about this little problem!" Hinoko said.
"Why don't YOU drive, since Hiiro can check the E-mail?" Serena asked.
"Me, trust him! Ha! As if! Just because you think he's hot doesn't mean we need to trust him!" Hinoko blurted out.
"Hey! That's not fair to jump to conclusions like that!" Serena yelled.
"Will you two onna damara so I can read my book?" Wufei was getting impatient!
"Fine! I'll drive!" Serena angrily turned her eyes on the road.
"Trowa, make sure she doesn't ruin the bus!" Hinoko said as she plopped down on the back seat and typed away.
"Ok" Trowa walked up behind Serena and kept an eye on her.
Serena's driving was going pretty well after 10 minutes. Everyone had gone back to their original activities. Wufei and Shimei started a conversation involving chi.
"Your book says that chi can be used to form apparition like animal. Is it true?" Wufei asked.
Shimei nodded, "My mom wrote all these books. I remember her showing me when I was really little."
"Can you do it?"
"I've never tried. she died before she could show me how."
"Oh. what did it look like?"
"She said she needed work because she hadn't mastered the technique so it's not perfect yet. When she did it for me, I was ten. It was the day before they died. She made a rabbit. It was bluish white and floated on her hands. I thought it was the most wonderful thing I had ever done and I told her that," Shimei trailed off.
"Hm. That sound interesting. When are you going to try to do it?" Wufei asked. He was really starting to respect his cousin's determination and strength.
"I don't know. I'm going to try when I'm ready."
"Can it be used in battle?"
Nodding slowly, Shimei said, "If you form a small eagle, the talons can hurt people. But it wastes chi and makes you a lot weaker. The only way I will be willing to use it in battle is when my chi level becomes nearly endless."
"That's impossible!" Wufei said.
"In martial arts, if you want something enough, anything is possible!" Shimei told her cousin.
"But limitless chi? How can you attain that level?"
"It is my mother's secret! She knew the path and she told me. Too bad she didn't get to start it," Shimei sighed and stared out the window.
"You miss her don't you?" Wufei asked.
"Do you miss your wife?" Shimei replied in a question. They both fell silent.
"I'm sorry. I do miss her. She knew so much! I really respected her for knowledge in the art." Shimei told Wufei.
"I can see why."
Suddenly the bus came to a screeching stop. Elizabeth screamed and everyone was thrown forward.
"What happened up there?" Hinoko yelled.
"Serena crashed the bus!" Duo yelled back.
"Trowa, weren't you supposed to watch her?"
"I did!"
"Serena! What are we going to do now?"
"Well, it's your own fault! I told you I didn't know how to drive!"
"Baka!"
"Hey!" "Just get off the bus!"
"Sure Hinoko! Do this do that! Can't you NOT give orders for once?"
"Like you could do better? At least I don't crash the bus!"
"Would you two just shut up?" Duo yelled.
Serena glared at Hinoko. The blond glared back.
"Well, isn't miss 'let's use a schoolbus' going to find us another one?" Serena asked after everyone had took their stuff and got off the bright yellow automobile.
"Where am I to find another one?"
"I don't know! It's you're brilliant plan in the first place!"
Shimei sighed as she sat down on the ground and started to read. What are they to do now?
By: Shanchan
Fic by: Shanchan and rinoastar
The ten teens were on the bright yellow school bus, and Hinoko was driving them to the scientist's lair. Even though the colony wasn't extrememly large, it was still large enough to need 18 hours to get from the airport to the scientist's lair.
Hinoko ranted as she stared at the boring natrual resources mine, "I don't see why Grandpa had to give Hiiro the original mission! I mean I'd have done just as well! It's SO unfair!"
"Well, it'd be kinda weird for you to be my roommate!" Duo said under his cap.
"And why, pray tell, would I have to be your roommate?" Hinoko asked.
"Duo, you're such a baka! She wouldn't be you roommate since she is a girl!" Hiiro muttered.
"Hai! I guess you're right Hii-chan!"
"And why didn't Grandpa make you get a liscence?" Hinoko directed another question at Hiiro.
"It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out!" Serena, who was sitting three seats behind Hinoko, cut in.
"How would you know?" Hinoko retorted.
"Well, if you actually pay attention to what others say you'd know!" Serena replied haughtily.
"Right. Whatever!"
"Well, Noko-chan, I do recall Duo saying Hiiro drives like a maniac! So even if he got a liscence, it'd be taken away from him in less than two days. What's the point in that?" Serena pointed out.
Hinoko sighed in exasperation. Why can't that blabber mouth just shut up and let the perfect soldier handle her questions? Afterall, he does know how to talk. Then again, Trowa was even more quiet than Hiiro. Quatre was somewhat open, but no where near as talkative as Duo. As for Wufei, Hinoko didn't know what to think of him. He seldom talked, and when he does, it usually end up being an insult to females. Possibly out of all the boys he was her least favorite! "Serena, go talk to Shimei or something! I'll tell you when it's your turn!"
"No thanks, it's more fun buggin' you!" Serena said smiling.
That made Duo giggle. The Silverman girl may be near perfect and quite rude at times, but she was a lot like himself. Of course, he prefered to bug Hiiro. Then again, she didn't know Hiiro very well, did she?
"Hmph!" Hinoko decided to ignore Serena until it was Trowa's turn to drive. She didn't want to get mad at the half American and try to kill her before the mission ended.
"Well, looks like she gave up!" Serena really hated how bossy Hinoko got sometimes. Sure, it's nice to know she didn't have to worry about oversleeping, but to be forced to get up at eight for no reason was NOT something she enjoyed.
"You know, you shouldn't be so hard on her," Elizabeth said as she walked up to Serena and sat down beside her. She wanted to be able to see Shimei better for her picture and at the same time talk to Serena.
"Hey, she deserved it!" Serena rushed in to defend herself.
"Maybe you think so, but she was raised that way! It's not her fault!" The sympathetic girl told her friend.
"You're right, and I'm planning on having a nice little chat with her grandfather on how to raise her! God dammit, you just can't turn people into machines. I mean, look at her! All she does is boss people around and tell us what to do! She's gotta have some life of her own outside of her grandfather! I've seen her true self before and I liked that Hinoko! I don't like this one though!" Serena told Elizabeth as she glanced over at the other girl's sketch pad.
Elizabeth was an awesome artist. Just an hour into the trip and she had already finished drawing Duo, Hiiro, Quatre, herself, and Hinoko. She was working on Shimei. Serena watched as the artistic girl's slender fingers softly sketched an outline for Shimei's eyes. Then she started drawing in the pupils. Every bit of shading done seemed to fit perfectly. When Shimei's eyes were finished, Serena let out a soft whistle. Elizabeth had captured the young martial artist's pride, sorrow and determination in those eyes. The eyes seemed intense, but not so much that you were frightened by them for they also held a friendly look underneath. Serena was a good artist herself, but she was no where near the caliber Elizabeth had obtained.
"Wow! That's so good! Is that the one you owe her?" Serena asked her friend.
"No! I'm just working on this one for fun! I'll draw one for you two later. This one is for my gundam."
"What do you mean?"
"I want to post this picture of all of us on my gundam to remind myself who I'm protecting when I fight. It'll also remind me I'm not alone in this world and that there are others that actually understand me," Elizabeth told her friend.
"But we don't need you're protection!" Serena argued.
"Yes, but my other friends do. I drew this picture because you're my friends. I want to remember how you guys look for the rest of eternity."
"Hm... that's sweet," Serema said softly. Then she added to herself,"I wish I could draw like that!"
"Would you like me to teach you?" Elizabeth offered the other girl.
"Sure, why not! That way I won't have to bug Hinoko!" Serena told her friend.
"Do you need paper?"
"Nope got some in my bag!" Serena said as she stood up and grabbed the bag from the seat infront of her. She then pulled out a 30-paged sketch pad that had a cover decorated with muticolored bug stickers, metalic blue pen, and five highligher colors. As Serena flipped over the cover, Elizabeth noticed Serena had done some simple drawings in pencil. Serena turned to a blank page and then dug out a few pencils and an eraser from her bag. Then she turned to Elizabeth, smiled and said, "Ok, ready!"
Elizabeth spent the rest of Hinoko's shift and all of Trowa's shift to teach Serena how to draw.
"Oi, baka! It's you're turn now!" Hinoko called to Serena at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
"Ok, sheesh! Just because I'm allowed to drive doesn't mean I have to do it for three hours!" Serena said as she stood up and put her stuff into her bag. "Well, how do I drive this thing?"
"You mean you don't know?" Hinoko asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Serena glared at Hinoko.
"You do have a learner's permit, right?" Hinoko asked, surprised.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can drive!"Serena responded.
"Didn't you learn?"
"I was kidnapped by G two days before the class was to start!"
"So you don't know how to drive?"
"Yep! But you could always teach me since you're miss perfect and all!" Serena said sarcastically.
"Fine! Sit down!" Hinoko ordered Serena to sit in the driver's seat Then she spent 15 minutes telling her how to do everything. "Got it now?"
"Think so! I'm not a baka, you know!"
"You sure do act like one!"
"Hey! Stop it with the attitude!" Dominique yelled from her reading. "We're a team, right?"
"Then why don't YOU drive?"
"I don't have a permit or a license! They didn't think Megami needed one!"
"Well, I'll need to talk to grandpa about this little problem!" Hinoko said.
"Why don't YOU drive, since Hiiro can check the E-mail?" Serena asked.
"Me, trust him! Ha! As if! Just because you think he's hot doesn't mean we need to trust him!" Hinoko blurted out.
"Hey! That's not fair to jump to conclusions like that!" Serena yelled.
"Will you two onna damara so I can read my book?" Wufei was getting impatient!
"Fine! I'll drive!" Serena angrily turned her eyes on the road.
"Trowa, make sure she doesn't ruin the bus!" Hinoko said as she plopped down on the back seat and typed away.
"Ok" Trowa walked up behind Serena and kept an eye on her.
Serena's driving was going pretty well after 10 minutes. Everyone had gone back to their original activities. Wufei and Shimei started a conversation involving chi.
"Your book says that chi can be used to form apparition like animal. Is it true?" Wufei asked.
Shimei nodded, "My mom wrote all these books. I remember her showing me when I was really little."
"Can you do it?"
"I've never tried. she died before she could show me how."
"Oh. what did it look like?"
"She said she needed work because she hadn't mastered the technique so it's not perfect yet. When she did it for me, I was ten. It was the day before they died. She made a rabbit. It was bluish white and floated on her hands. I thought it was the most wonderful thing I had ever done and I told her that," Shimei trailed off.
"Hm. That sound interesting. When are you going to try to do it?" Wufei asked. He was really starting to respect his cousin's determination and strength.
"I don't know. I'm going to try when I'm ready."
"Can it be used in battle?"
Nodding slowly, Shimei said, "If you form a small eagle, the talons can hurt people. But it wastes chi and makes you a lot weaker. The only way I will be willing to use it in battle is when my chi level becomes nearly endless."
"That's impossible!" Wufei said.
"In martial arts, if you want something enough, anything is possible!" Shimei told her cousin.
"But limitless chi? How can you attain that level?"
"It is my mother's secret! She knew the path and she told me. Too bad she didn't get to start it," Shimei sighed and stared out the window.
"You miss her don't you?" Wufei asked.
"Do you miss your wife?" Shimei replied in a question. They both fell silent.
"I'm sorry. I do miss her. She knew so much! I really respected her for knowledge in the art." Shimei told Wufei.
"I can see why."
Suddenly the bus came to a screeching stop. Elizabeth screamed and everyone was thrown forward.
"What happened up there?" Hinoko yelled.
"Serena crashed the bus!" Duo yelled back.
"Trowa, weren't you supposed to watch her?"
"I did!"
"Serena! What are we going to do now?"
"Well, it's your own fault! I told you I didn't know how to drive!"
"Baka!"
"Hey!" "Just get off the bus!"
"Sure Hinoko! Do this do that! Can't you NOT give orders for once?"
"Like you could do better? At least I don't crash the bus!"
"Would you two just shut up?" Duo yelled.
Serena glared at Hinoko. The blond glared back.
"Well, isn't miss 'let's use a schoolbus' going to find us another one?" Serena asked after everyone had took their stuff and got off the bright yellow automobile.
"Where am I to find another one?"
"I don't know! It's you're brilliant plan in the first place!"
Shimei sighed as she sat down on the ground and started to read. What are they to do now?