Just a little note. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed my stories.
It really means a lot to me, especially if I'm going to be a writer. So
thank you! Thank you so much! Oh yeah, a visual palm-pilot (I don't think
it exists) is like a mini-TV screen/database. You can talk to people and
check up on your schedule.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????? (I would also like to thank the question marks) ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????
Melina woke up at the un-godly hour of eight, due to the annoying beeping of her visual palm-pilot's alarm. She groaned as the sunlight that peered through the transparent blinds of the windows hit her eyes. She hissed at the sudden change in the light. Sitting up, she clutched the white linen top sheet of her futon to her bare chest, and blinked her eyes a few times to adjust to the sunlight. Because it was summertime, the days and nights were scorching hot, even in a one of the cloudiest cities in America. Melina felt no shame in sleeping bare when she lived all alone.
"Damn, damn, and double damn," she muttered. "It's too early to be up. Why did this thing beeping at this hour?" She had completely forgotten that the rosters were going to be up at nine.
The palm-pilot beeped again, flashing the message 'Incoming Call' every few seconds. After Melina pressed the 'Answer' button, a picture of Doctor G flashed into view.
"Good morning Melina," he said in his usual grouchy tone of voice. "Did you forget where you are supposed to be today?"
"Doctor G!" Melina said, startled. She struggled to cover herself completely. "I-I'm not dressed."
"It doesn't matter," he snapped. "All that matters is that you remember where you're supposed to be today. You do remember, right?"
"Umm..."
"Don't hurt yourself Melina," he said after a minute.
"Hah hah, very funny," she replied. "I remember, but I can be there between the times of nine and noon."
"We need you here now," Doctor G said. "You need to help greet the guests and show them their Gundams."
"Do I have to?" Melina asked, almost crying due to lack of sleep.
"A certain pilot will be there that is just dying to see you."
Melina tried not to blush. Maybe it's good that I'm getting up early. She thought. Maybe I should use that nice smelling body wash in the shower... She giggled.
"What's so funny, Melina?" Doctor G asked.
"Nothing Doc," she replied, a little pink. "I'll be there in a half an hour."
The screen went black. Melina groaned. "I don't want to get up. Not even for the Shinigami..." She slammed her head into her pillow, and then got up to take a shower.
Hardly anyone was at the hanger when Melina arrived. Heero was off in a corner working on his laptop, Quatre and Trowa were working on the roster's final calculations, and Wufei had not even arrived. She scanned the area for Duo. She had somehow missed him while she was looking around. He really stood out that morning, more than normally. Melina wondered why he had his head against the wall, his body leaning away from it. He wasn't moving.
Slowly, she made her way to where Duo was resting. She noticed that he wasn't resting his head. He was sleeping. Melina stared at the comatose pilot. How anyone could sleep like that was a mystery to her. She carefully poked his shoulder, and jumped away. When she realized he wasn't going to wake up, she playfully poked his shoulder again. And again. And again.
This is fun! She thought.
As Melina moved her finger to poke him once more, Duo's hand shot up and grabbed her wrist. She squeaked and tried to jerk her wrist away from his death grip, but Duo wasn't letting go.
"Does it amuse you to poke me this early in the morning?" He growled, glaring at her with blood-shot eyes.
"Yes, it does," she said nonchalantly. "I'm always amused when I poke people."
He slowly began to bend her wrist backwards. "Well, being poked doesn't really amuse me, okay? I didn't get a very good night sleep. I have a massive hangover. I am up at seven in the fucking morning. I am not in a good mood, got that?"
Melina cringed in pain. "Stop it Duo," she cried, "you're hurting me!"
Quatre and Trowa looked over to see what was wrong. Heero paid no attention.
Duo snapped out of his rage and stared down at Melina, whose face was stained with tears. God, he didn't mean to hurt her that much! He quickly let go of her wrist and began to apologize, but she had run away before a word could escape his lips. He watched her disappear into the hanger.
Melina sat next to Hellspawn, cradling her left hand against her chest. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve to clear them of tears.
"Baka," she muttered to herself. "You should have known not to mess with a Gundam pilot, no matter how nice they are."
She took off her glove to check for any damage. She had injured her wrist the previous year in a motorcycle accident, and it had not yet fully healed. Sometimes, even turning a wrench too much could cause her wrist to hurt. Gingerly touching it, Melina was pleased to find Duo had only bruised the outside and hadn't caused any internal damage. It would be inflamed for a few days, and she would have to wear her brace, but other than that, it was fine.
Melina slapped herself, realizing she had cried over nothing. Gundam pilots don't cry, she thought. I was silly to get worked up over something so small. But she couldn't forget the wild look she saw in his eyes, the need to kill. He seemed so different from the kind, smiling Duo she had met yesterday. The one who had.she pushed those thoughts out of her mind and climbed to the cockpit, determined to make a few minor adjustments to her only friend.
Anita Chon, dressed in her navy blue and white school uniform, wearily sat at her kitchen table while her caretaker made her breakfast. They just had to make the tryouts on a Sunday just to put the rosters up on Monday. Didn't those stupid doctors know Monday was a school day? She groaned as her caretaker put a piece of toast and butter in front of her. She scowled at the older woman.
"Be thankful you're getting that," the woman scolded. "But if you don't want it, you can go to school hungry."
Anita banged her head on the table. Stupid school, she thought. Life would be so much better if it wasn't for school.
The only thing that made her happy was her Rottweiller, Fluffy. The dog in question bounced into the room, strands of drool pouring out of his mouth.
"Fluffy!" shrieked Anita, throwing her arms around his thick neck. He was her best friend, her only friend.
After Alliance members had murdered her parents five years ago, she had no one in the world, except for the kind caretaker who had graciously taken her in. It was only last year that she had rescued a six-week-old puppy from a gang of street urchins. The puppy, later named Fluffy, was unnaturally small and gangly with a drooling problem and Anita took a liking to him immediately. Fluffy became very possessive of Anita, and allowed no one to get close to her. It didn't bother Anita; she had more enemies than friends and an attack dog was a good asset to have.
"Fluffy," the caretaker snapped. "Out of my kitchen now!"
Fluffy growled at her and pressed his body against Anita's legs. Anita stroked his fur, sighing. If she went to see the rosters, and she got in, would she ever see Fluffy again? Would the Doctors allow her to take him along? Fluffy licked her kneecap, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"I got to go to school now, Fran," she muttered, her eyes shining with tears. "I'll see you later. Come on Fluffy." Dog in tow, she slipped on her shoes and headed out of the house. They came to the crossroads sooner than Anita had expected. Normally, Anita would take the right road and head off to school, leaving Fluffy behind. She looked to the East, towards the rising sun and the distant Gundam hanger. The small, encouraging whuff from Fluffy helped make her decision. Smiling brightly, she looked down at her friend.
"Come on Fluffy, let's go."
Michelle Bussayabuntoon was already up and dressed by the time her sister, Joann, was awake.
"Good morning sis," Michelle said heartily.
Joann muttered something Michelle was glad she couldn't hear. It was early in the morning, time for Joann to go to school. It was her last year at the local community school, and the school year was drawing to a close. Michelle had graduated the year before, one of the top students. She was taking a year off after high school to relax and see the colonies before having to go back to school.
"Do I have to go to school today Michelle? I really need to see the rosters."
Michelle finished cooking the eggs. "It's your own fault for trying out. You knew that school would interfere."
"The email said ages fourteen to twenty," she protested. "It said nothing about being in school. I heard that the pilots get to skip school in order to complete their missions."
"It may be true, but you are not yet a pilot."
"Michelle, I really want to do this!" pleaded Joann. "Please, it's just one day of school."
"I'm sorry Joann," Michelle replied. "But I just can't let you. If Mom and Dad knew-"
"Mom and Dad aren't here, are they? They left us to go exploring in space! They abandoned us Michelle!"
"No they didn't!" Michelle screamed back at her sister. "They'll be back soon!"
"Get it through your head! We were abandoned! They hate us!"
"Shut up!" Michelle swung her hand and smacked Joann across the mouth. "Don't ever say that about Mom and Dad," she hissed. "I know that one day, they will come back."
Joann stood up from the table. "Yeah, right Michelle. Keep telling yourself that." She quickly walked to the front door, gathering her things as she went. "See you at the hanger." She slammed the door.
Michelle collapsed in a chair. It had been five, no, six years since she last saw her parents. They were both archeologists, sent out on occasion to excavate new sites for colonies. But six years ago, they were sent out to discover new space farther away from the colonies, closer to the other planets. Michelle and Joann had been told that their parents would be back soon, and they wouldn't even miss their parents.
They were wrong.
Everyday, the sisters prayed for the safety of their parents, drifting somewhere in space. Every so often, an e-card was sent to them, but it never said much. Just the usual, "Hi sweethearts. How are you two doing? Daddy and I are fine. We'll be back soon. Love, Mom and Dad." It would usually include a photo of a nebula, a supernova, or another galaxy. But nothing more.
She wrapped her slim fingers around her mug of tea. "Maybe Joann is right. Maybe Mom and Dad are never coming home." She looked out the window at the rising sun. Patches of dark blue could still be seen amongst the glow of the sun and the dew on the trees could be seen in the glitter of first light. It was a beautiful day. "Maybe I should go to the rosters. Who knows, maybe I'll see Mom and Dad again if I become a pilot."
Draining the last of her tea, Michelle decided to take a chance, and departed to the hanger.
Winona loved her parents with all her heart. She would do anything for them. And her parents loved her. Her father would give her anything she wanted: a car, a horse, or the latest entertainment system. And her mother gave her undying love. It was unfortunate that they could only give her these things when they weren't involved in their own lives.
Winona's mother, once a prestigious doctor, had, over the past few years, become an alcoholic. She would stay in her boudoir all day long, drinking scotch and reading the latest Vogue Magazine. Occasionally, Winona would join her, to talk, to play games, to, in short, be with her mother. But at times, Mrs. Reagan couldn't even recognize her daughter. The large quantities of alcohol had damaged her brain. At times, she would be sober, and she would cradle Winona in her arms and talk with her. Just talk. That was all they needed to do. All Winona wanted to do.
Her father, a well-paid lawyer, was rarely at home. He was either at the office, or some shady hotel, sleeping with his secretary, a busty redhead named Shelly. The only times Winona did see her father was in the mornings, at dinner times, and we she visited his office. He was very kind man, but the only love he could offer was in his gifts. She knew he loved her, but his work and his secretary demanded more of his time each day. But each night, after he had drunk two martinis and read the newspaper, he would creep into her room, and tuck into bed.
It was at those times, as well as during holidays, when she really saw her parents together, laughing like they did when she was still a small child. Winona had vowed when she was young, to never leave her parents until college. But today was different. This time, if she made it, she would have to leave.
"Mommy?" Winona crept into her mother's boudoir. "Mommy, I'm leaving now."
Normally, at this early in the morning, Winona would be leaving for school. She was dressed in her neatly pressed plaid skirt and crisp white blouse, to fool her mother. She hated to take advantage of her, but this was important. "Mommy, I have to go to school."
"All right Sweetheart," her mother, drowsy with drinks, muttered. "Come give Mommy a kiss goodbye."
Winona smiled warmly and wrapped her arms around her mother's fragile frame. If all went right, this would be the last she would ever see of her mother for a long time. Tears formed in her eyes. She kissed her mother on the cheek, but never let go. She didn't want to. But she made a commitment, and had to fulfill it.
"Mommy, I might not come back," she whispered into her mother's ear. "I might have to leave for a long time."
"Okay Sweetheart. I'll see you after school. And be sure to give your father a hug before you go."
Her poor mother. Driven half insane because of her constant need to drink. Her father hadn't come home last night, but her mother didn't need to know. Winona nodded and gave her mother one last kiss goodbye. "I love you Mommy." She ran out of the room before she changed her mind to stay.
"Just watch Mommy," she said to herself as she ran down the street, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "I'll make you proud of me, and then you, Daddy, and I can live happily together once again. If being a Gundam Pilot can help right our lives, then I will gladly become one."
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????
God, I didn't know it was going to be this depressing! Okay, none of this is true! None! I just thought it would make the story more interesting if the characters led difficult lives. I really hope you liked this chapter, cause it took me so long to write. *reads chapter over* God! This is really depressing.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????? (I would also like to thank the question marks) ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????
Melina woke up at the un-godly hour of eight, due to the annoying beeping of her visual palm-pilot's alarm. She groaned as the sunlight that peered through the transparent blinds of the windows hit her eyes. She hissed at the sudden change in the light. Sitting up, she clutched the white linen top sheet of her futon to her bare chest, and blinked her eyes a few times to adjust to the sunlight. Because it was summertime, the days and nights were scorching hot, even in a one of the cloudiest cities in America. Melina felt no shame in sleeping bare when she lived all alone.
"Damn, damn, and double damn," she muttered. "It's too early to be up. Why did this thing beeping at this hour?" She had completely forgotten that the rosters were going to be up at nine.
The palm-pilot beeped again, flashing the message 'Incoming Call' every few seconds. After Melina pressed the 'Answer' button, a picture of Doctor G flashed into view.
"Good morning Melina," he said in his usual grouchy tone of voice. "Did you forget where you are supposed to be today?"
"Doctor G!" Melina said, startled. She struggled to cover herself completely. "I-I'm not dressed."
"It doesn't matter," he snapped. "All that matters is that you remember where you're supposed to be today. You do remember, right?"
"Umm..."
"Don't hurt yourself Melina," he said after a minute.
"Hah hah, very funny," she replied. "I remember, but I can be there between the times of nine and noon."
"We need you here now," Doctor G said. "You need to help greet the guests and show them their Gundams."
"Do I have to?" Melina asked, almost crying due to lack of sleep.
"A certain pilot will be there that is just dying to see you."
Melina tried not to blush. Maybe it's good that I'm getting up early. She thought. Maybe I should use that nice smelling body wash in the shower... She giggled.
"What's so funny, Melina?" Doctor G asked.
"Nothing Doc," she replied, a little pink. "I'll be there in a half an hour."
The screen went black. Melina groaned. "I don't want to get up. Not even for the Shinigami..." She slammed her head into her pillow, and then got up to take a shower.
Hardly anyone was at the hanger when Melina arrived. Heero was off in a corner working on his laptop, Quatre and Trowa were working on the roster's final calculations, and Wufei had not even arrived. She scanned the area for Duo. She had somehow missed him while she was looking around. He really stood out that morning, more than normally. Melina wondered why he had his head against the wall, his body leaning away from it. He wasn't moving.
Slowly, she made her way to where Duo was resting. She noticed that he wasn't resting his head. He was sleeping. Melina stared at the comatose pilot. How anyone could sleep like that was a mystery to her. She carefully poked his shoulder, and jumped away. When she realized he wasn't going to wake up, she playfully poked his shoulder again. And again. And again.
This is fun! She thought.
As Melina moved her finger to poke him once more, Duo's hand shot up and grabbed her wrist. She squeaked and tried to jerk her wrist away from his death grip, but Duo wasn't letting go.
"Does it amuse you to poke me this early in the morning?" He growled, glaring at her with blood-shot eyes.
"Yes, it does," she said nonchalantly. "I'm always amused when I poke people."
He slowly began to bend her wrist backwards. "Well, being poked doesn't really amuse me, okay? I didn't get a very good night sleep. I have a massive hangover. I am up at seven in the fucking morning. I am not in a good mood, got that?"
Melina cringed in pain. "Stop it Duo," she cried, "you're hurting me!"
Quatre and Trowa looked over to see what was wrong. Heero paid no attention.
Duo snapped out of his rage and stared down at Melina, whose face was stained with tears. God, he didn't mean to hurt her that much! He quickly let go of her wrist and began to apologize, but she had run away before a word could escape his lips. He watched her disappear into the hanger.
Melina sat next to Hellspawn, cradling her left hand against her chest. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve to clear them of tears.
"Baka," she muttered to herself. "You should have known not to mess with a Gundam pilot, no matter how nice they are."
She took off her glove to check for any damage. She had injured her wrist the previous year in a motorcycle accident, and it had not yet fully healed. Sometimes, even turning a wrench too much could cause her wrist to hurt. Gingerly touching it, Melina was pleased to find Duo had only bruised the outside and hadn't caused any internal damage. It would be inflamed for a few days, and she would have to wear her brace, but other than that, it was fine.
Melina slapped herself, realizing she had cried over nothing. Gundam pilots don't cry, she thought. I was silly to get worked up over something so small. But she couldn't forget the wild look she saw in his eyes, the need to kill. He seemed so different from the kind, smiling Duo she had met yesterday. The one who had.she pushed those thoughts out of her mind and climbed to the cockpit, determined to make a few minor adjustments to her only friend.
Anita Chon, dressed in her navy blue and white school uniform, wearily sat at her kitchen table while her caretaker made her breakfast. They just had to make the tryouts on a Sunday just to put the rosters up on Monday. Didn't those stupid doctors know Monday was a school day? She groaned as her caretaker put a piece of toast and butter in front of her. She scowled at the older woman.
"Be thankful you're getting that," the woman scolded. "But if you don't want it, you can go to school hungry."
Anita banged her head on the table. Stupid school, she thought. Life would be so much better if it wasn't for school.
The only thing that made her happy was her Rottweiller, Fluffy. The dog in question bounced into the room, strands of drool pouring out of his mouth.
"Fluffy!" shrieked Anita, throwing her arms around his thick neck. He was her best friend, her only friend.
After Alliance members had murdered her parents five years ago, she had no one in the world, except for the kind caretaker who had graciously taken her in. It was only last year that she had rescued a six-week-old puppy from a gang of street urchins. The puppy, later named Fluffy, was unnaturally small and gangly with a drooling problem and Anita took a liking to him immediately. Fluffy became very possessive of Anita, and allowed no one to get close to her. It didn't bother Anita; she had more enemies than friends and an attack dog was a good asset to have.
"Fluffy," the caretaker snapped. "Out of my kitchen now!"
Fluffy growled at her and pressed his body against Anita's legs. Anita stroked his fur, sighing. If she went to see the rosters, and she got in, would she ever see Fluffy again? Would the Doctors allow her to take him along? Fluffy licked her kneecap, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"I got to go to school now, Fran," she muttered, her eyes shining with tears. "I'll see you later. Come on Fluffy." Dog in tow, she slipped on her shoes and headed out of the house. They came to the crossroads sooner than Anita had expected. Normally, Anita would take the right road and head off to school, leaving Fluffy behind. She looked to the East, towards the rising sun and the distant Gundam hanger. The small, encouraging whuff from Fluffy helped make her decision. Smiling brightly, she looked down at her friend.
"Come on Fluffy, let's go."
Michelle Bussayabuntoon was already up and dressed by the time her sister, Joann, was awake.
"Good morning sis," Michelle said heartily.
Joann muttered something Michelle was glad she couldn't hear. It was early in the morning, time for Joann to go to school. It was her last year at the local community school, and the school year was drawing to a close. Michelle had graduated the year before, one of the top students. She was taking a year off after high school to relax and see the colonies before having to go back to school.
"Do I have to go to school today Michelle? I really need to see the rosters."
Michelle finished cooking the eggs. "It's your own fault for trying out. You knew that school would interfere."
"The email said ages fourteen to twenty," she protested. "It said nothing about being in school. I heard that the pilots get to skip school in order to complete their missions."
"It may be true, but you are not yet a pilot."
"Michelle, I really want to do this!" pleaded Joann. "Please, it's just one day of school."
"I'm sorry Joann," Michelle replied. "But I just can't let you. If Mom and Dad knew-"
"Mom and Dad aren't here, are they? They left us to go exploring in space! They abandoned us Michelle!"
"No they didn't!" Michelle screamed back at her sister. "They'll be back soon!"
"Get it through your head! We were abandoned! They hate us!"
"Shut up!" Michelle swung her hand and smacked Joann across the mouth. "Don't ever say that about Mom and Dad," she hissed. "I know that one day, they will come back."
Joann stood up from the table. "Yeah, right Michelle. Keep telling yourself that." She quickly walked to the front door, gathering her things as she went. "See you at the hanger." She slammed the door.
Michelle collapsed in a chair. It had been five, no, six years since she last saw her parents. They were both archeologists, sent out on occasion to excavate new sites for colonies. But six years ago, they were sent out to discover new space farther away from the colonies, closer to the other planets. Michelle and Joann had been told that their parents would be back soon, and they wouldn't even miss their parents.
They were wrong.
Everyday, the sisters prayed for the safety of their parents, drifting somewhere in space. Every so often, an e-card was sent to them, but it never said much. Just the usual, "Hi sweethearts. How are you two doing? Daddy and I are fine. We'll be back soon. Love, Mom and Dad." It would usually include a photo of a nebula, a supernova, or another galaxy. But nothing more.
She wrapped her slim fingers around her mug of tea. "Maybe Joann is right. Maybe Mom and Dad are never coming home." She looked out the window at the rising sun. Patches of dark blue could still be seen amongst the glow of the sun and the dew on the trees could be seen in the glitter of first light. It was a beautiful day. "Maybe I should go to the rosters. Who knows, maybe I'll see Mom and Dad again if I become a pilot."
Draining the last of her tea, Michelle decided to take a chance, and departed to the hanger.
Winona loved her parents with all her heart. She would do anything for them. And her parents loved her. Her father would give her anything she wanted: a car, a horse, or the latest entertainment system. And her mother gave her undying love. It was unfortunate that they could only give her these things when they weren't involved in their own lives.
Winona's mother, once a prestigious doctor, had, over the past few years, become an alcoholic. She would stay in her boudoir all day long, drinking scotch and reading the latest Vogue Magazine. Occasionally, Winona would join her, to talk, to play games, to, in short, be with her mother. But at times, Mrs. Reagan couldn't even recognize her daughter. The large quantities of alcohol had damaged her brain. At times, she would be sober, and she would cradle Winona in her arms and talk with her. Just talk. That was all they needed to do. All Winona wanted to do.
Her father, a well-paid lawyer, was rarely at home. He was either at the office, or some shady hotel, sleeping with his secretary, a busty redhead named Shelly. The only times Winona did see her father was in the mornings, at dinner times, and we she visited his office. He was very kind man, but the only love he could offer was in his gifts. She knew he loved her, but his work and his secretary demanded more of his time each day. But each night, after he had drunk two martinis and read the newspaper, he would creep into her room, and tuck into bed.
It was at those times, as well as during holidays, when she really saw her parents together, laughing like they did when she was still a small child. Winona had vowed when she was young, to never leave her parents until college. But today was different. This time, if she made it, she would have to leave.
"Mommy?" Winona crept into her mother's boudoir. "Mommy, I'm leaving now."
Normally, at this early in the morning, Winona would be leaving for school. She was dressed in her neatly pressed plaid skirt and crisp white blouse, to fool her mother. She hated to take advantage of her, but this was important. "Mommy, I have to go to school."
"All right Sweetheart," her mother, drowsy with drinks, muttered. "Come give Mommy a kiss goodbye."
Winona smiled warmly and wrapped her arms around her mother's fragile frame. If all went right, this would be the last she would ever see of her mother for a long time. Tears formed in her eyes. She kissed her mother on the cheek, but never let go. She didn't want to. But she made a commitment, and had to fulfill it.
"Mommy, I might not come back," she whispered into her mother's ear. "I might have to leave for a long time."
"Okay Sweetheart. I'll see you after school. And be sure to give your father a hug before you go."
Her poor mother. Driven half insane because of her constant need to drink. Her father hadn't come home last night, but her mother didn't need to know. Winona nodded and gave her mother one last kiss goodbye. "I love you Mommy." She ran out of the room before she changed her mind to stay.
"Just watch Mommy," she said to herself as she ran down the street, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "I'll make you proud of me, and then you, Daddy, and I can live happily together once again. If being a Gundam Pilot can help right our lives, then I will gladly become one."
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????
God, I didn't know it was going to be this depressing! Okay, none of this is true! None! I just thought it would make the story more interesting if the characters led difficult lives. I really hope you liked this chapter, cause it took me so long to write. *reads chapter over* God! This is really depressing.