The ceiling was really very interesting at this time of night. One could barely make out the individual tiles as they furred and blurred in the lack of light. It made counting them very hard. As there were about 72 of them, it was easy to lose count.
Meiran was counting them for the third time.
Obviously she couldn't sleep. Indecision was warring in her mind and she couldn't rest while her course of action was unsecured. Choices gnawed at her mind every time she closed her eyes and she was as tense as a coiled spring.
She knew where her husband was.
Oh, she'd discovered that he was alive soon after she'd had that horrible moment aboard her shuttle all those years ago. But after such a close call and after the destruction of the colony she had realized that it was foolish to chase him. Not while a war was going on and not while he could be destroyed before her very eyes. She couldn't let herself catch him only to watch him die. Besides, he would have chided her on being so weak as to chase him and to waste her time. So she had given up her search, found someplace to live, and tried very hard not to watch the news reports that might detail his death. She really didn't want to know.
But she knew he was alive and knew where he was right now. She really hadn't meant to find out but with the Gundams out of the news and the government being so steady now, she had started to tune into the news again. She hadn't thought to see a special on the Preventors with him right in the forefront.
She wanted to see him.
"Meiran, are you or are you not a warrior?" she asked herself angrily, sitting up and letting the bedclothes finally fall in their twisted agony to the floor. "Warriors confront their problems head on."
She slid open her dresser drawer and took out the upside down photo of WuFei from its hiding place-the only such photo she kept.
"But...you looked happy. I can't destroy that for you." She muttered to herself. "Not even for me."
She put the photo back and closed the drawer again.
Well, confronting things nearly head-on would work too, wouldn't it?
"Ms. Chin?"
"Please, call me Mary." Meiran smiled brightly behind her fake glasses and makeup, patting her upswept hair in a nervous gesture.
The man in the khaki Preventor uniform smiled back. "Mary, my name's Ardon Kain. I know we'll be able to work together wonderfully." He adopted a less formal tone. "Some of the guys are kind of intense but you learn to get along with them, so don't let it bother you."
"What do you mean?" she asked, curious.
Ardon suddenly looked a bit uncomfortable, as though he was wishing he hadn't said anything. She thought perhaps he was the type to think without speaking and let anything out. She resolved then not to tell him anything she wanted kept secret, but she had never been one to confide much in others anyway. Perhaps that was why she and WuFei had always argued so much, neither understanding what the other wanted.
"Well...just...some of the guys were really involved in the war, you know?"
She wanted to keep him talking, extract every crumb of information from him and find out exactly what he meant but she knew that wouldn't work. She had learned perhaps a little of patience from not chasing her husband. She had learned that not everything had to happen all at once. So she didn't reply to her new partner's comment and let him change the subject, seeing the relief in his face.
"Well, I suppose I'd better take you on the grand tour then." Ardon brushed his strawberry blonde hair from out of his eyes and held open his office door for her.
"Hey A.K.! You givin' the newbie the tour?" A bright chipper voice called out.
Meiran turned to see a young man no older than herself with an impossible long braid trailing behind him and a cheerful have-at-em grin on his face.
"Yup. Mary, meet Duo Maxwell. Duo, meet Mary Chin, the Preventor's newest agent."
"You gonna do all the introductions and everything?" Duo asked, one eyebrow raised. "'Cause we could use some more girls around here and Heero's always scaring them off."
"Err...no, I wasn't." Ardon looked a little unnerved and Meiran scoffed that any one man could be so dangerous or intimidating. After all, Preventors were supposed to be strong, were they not?
Duo snickered. "See ya round kids." He turned and meandered away. Somehow Meiran got the feeling that he wasn't heading toward his office or any other form of work. Duo Maxwell seemed be one of those types to get work done without ever being seen actually doing it.
"Don't mind Duo. He has a strange sense of humor." Ardon said, looking back nervously at Meiran. "Calls himself Shinigami half the time. But I suppose he and his buddies are entitled to be a little weird."
Meiran waved a hand dismissively. "I would not let a one mere man distract me from my goals."
Ardon shrugged and started to lead her around the building, pointing out various rooms and structures.
"And lastly, we have the training room." Ardon said, opening the heavy door for the both of them to enter. His voice echoed a bit as it met the high ceiling of the room.
She peered under his arm, not yet stepping foot into the room. She could see mats set out and a door that led off into changing rooms but what caught her attention was the man using the floor space, the white practice uniform, the studied grace and precision of movement, the antique heirloom katana, the black hair held back in a stiff ponytail, the severe expression of concentration on the face she hadn't seen for so long.
Abruptly she became aware if the curious stare from her new partner as she did not enter the room with him but stood staring in the door.
"Ah...should we go in? We don't want to disturb him." She covered.
Ardon's face cleared of that questioning look. "Oh no. It's ok. Preventor Chang's just finishing up. See the computer sign-in on the door there?"
"Oh." Hesitantly she stepped through the still open door and resolutely ignored the face that she'd longed to see for so long. She was strong and she was not going to give into her weak desires and womanly wants just because she was seeing him again.
"He's really good." Ardon said softly to her. "I've never seen anyone else do what he can with that blade."
Meiran shrugged. "I don't fancy swords that much." Which was true, she'd always fancied hand to hand combat. Not that she'd held up so well against her husband in that field either.
"So, what made you decide to join the Preventors anyway?" Ardon asked casually, his tone one of friendly, idle curiosity.
She watched WuFei bow to an invisible partner and make his way over to one of the benches to collect his towel.
"Justice." She said. She hadn't meant to say that, hadn't meant to say anything that might lead WuFei to even look at her but the words just slipped out.
You're only here to see him. To see if he's happy. To see how he is, you fool! You're so weak! She berated herself. Still, when WuFei's eyes flickered right past her without seeing her she felt her heart plummet down to her toes.
"Uh...ok." It was clear Ardon didn't understand what she meant but she didn't care to enlighten him. "We'll go out those far doors there so I can show you the other equipment." They began crossing the room, passing by the bench where WuFei was now gathering up his water bottle and katana sheath, his towel slung around his shoulders. As they passed, he looked up to meet them both with his stern gaze.
"Do you really think Justice exists?"
Inside she quailed at those words, at those sharp eyes that had spoken such scornful and similar words so long ago.
"Justice exists only for one's convenience...A battle grounded on such a thing is pointless." He had said then.
"Yes." She said fiercely. "I do." And she dared him to contradict her.
His expression didn't change. "Good." He started to walk away but just before he slipped out the door, he spoke again without turning around. "You'll do well here."
Meiran was left staring speechlessly at the door he'd disappeared through.
Alright, now I'm going to answer some questions I got. Someone asked why Meiran didn't die when the colony was destroyed. If you remember, those were two separate events. The colony was attacked while Meiran was piloting the Gundam and was injured, and according to the manga, died. However, the attack was canceled because Treize liked the idea of a Gundam fighting to protect the colonies. The colony was destroyed later in a different battle when WuFei went back to visit. All clear?
Anyway, I hope you liked and haven't forgotten about me and this little story. Please review!