The Legacy of the Rose
By: Ammendiana
Chapter 5
Mariemaia and Antonia returned to the table as Mariemaia cradled her injured hand gingerly. Milan made a small noise of sympathy, and Alex looked worried. Mariemaia smiled at them and sat down, looking at her clean tray. Alex must have gotten me another one. "Thank you, clean tray angels."
Antonia gave a small smile and Milan giggled, while Alex shot out of his chair and bowed grandiosely. "I am happy to serve, madam."
"Sit down before you embarrass yourself," Mariemaia grabbed his arm and pulled him down into his seat again. Alex smiled like a goof and pulled a strand of her loose hair.
"That's not fair! I'm injured!" She hit him as well as she could with an injured hand, and he laughed as he dodged and deflected her blows, which were becoming less and less hard as her laughter increased.
Milan and Antonia looked at each other and smiled.
Mariemaia and Alex stopped play fighting and Mariemaia was just unwrapping her sandwich when she looked at her watch. Ten minutes before the first bell, and she and Milan had to go all the way across the huge building. She showed Milan her watch, and Milan said, "We had better get going.
Mariemaia looked at her lunch tray, "Damn it! Now what am I going to do?" She growled irritably.
"Ask Uncle Quatre if you can eat it in class."
"Will he let me?"
"Oh, I'm sure he will." Milan looked at Alex expectantly, and when he didn't move she said, "Well, take the trays."
Alex looked at her with an arrogantly doubtful look on his face, "I'm not your serving wench."
"Hello? I've got wheels and Mariemaia is kind of injured. Don't be rude!" Milan took on a condescending tone.
"I'll take them," Antonia said, but as she bent over to grab them, Alex took them up quickly and said grumpily, "I'll do it."
Mariemaia could hear him grumbling to himself as he walked away.
"Come on, Marie, let's go talk to Uncle Quatre about taking you to the nurse...and eating your lunch." Milan started to roll away, and Mariemaia held her sandwich and water as she followed.
Antonia grabbed her arm, "Remember, I invited you to Heero and Relena's anniversary. I'll tell Aunt Relena and get you the information. Don't worry about it."
"I won't. Thanks and see you, Antonia."
"Call me Tony."
Alex walked by, saying a quick goodbye before he left for his next class. It was in the practice fields. 'Armed combat', they called it.
The walk to Quatre Winner's classroom was farther from the cafeteria than any of their other classes. As they traveled down the labyrinthine corridors of the school, Mariemaia was extremely grateful that Milan knew the school so well. Even with her good sense of direction, Mariemaia would have been lost in the endless maze of twists and turns. Milan was quiet, as if she was thinking about something that had troubled her for a long time.
"A penny for your thoughts, Milan," Mariemaia said as she switched her slick water bottle from her damp right hand to the long fingers in the left and wiped her hand on her pants.
"Hmmm? Oh, it's nothing," Milan turned towards Mariemaia and said tartly, "I think my thoughts are worth more than a penny!"
"Oh, ok. They're worth at least a nickel."
"Damn straight they are," She turned away, her face regaining that pensive look.
"Come on, tell me what you're thinking about," Mariemaia urged.
Milan sighed. "I was thinking about Rick and Alex."
"Really? What is it with those two?" Mariemaia asked.
"It started a long time ago...it's a long story."
"We've got a long way to walk."
"Good point. When we were all kids, Richard and his sister, Octavia, were pretty much the leaders of our little group of kids. You know how it is."
"Actually, no, I don't." Mariemaia had had very few friends in school and no siblings or cousins.
"Alex didn't really like Rick lording over him, which, in Alex's defense, he did do an awful lot. As he got older it started to get really bad. Alex didn't like Rick, Rick didn't like Alex. It went on for years, until one summer. Rick and Tavvy were staying with us. Rick got together with Alex's best friend, a pretty girl named Circe."
"Who names a girl Circe?" Mariemaia asked with distaste.
"Crazy people. Going on, Circe fell absolutely head-over-heels for Rick, and when he dumped her, she was heart broken.
"Now, up until this point, Alex and Rick were at least able to be civil, but when Alex found out, he hunted Rick down."
"Was Alex in love with this Circe?"
"No, but they had been friends since forever."
"Oh, go ahead."
"Alex found Rick in our living room, and he asked him to come outside."
"I see where this is going."
"Alex attacked Rick outside, and they got into a huge fight. Dad and Heero, who was visiting at the time, had to go out there and pull them apart."
"Ooh, that's bad."
"Tell me about it. They were both in so much trouble. But the clincher was yet to come. When Circe found out, she called Alex and told him she never wanted to talk to him ever again because he had ruined any chance she had to get back together with Rick."
"What a bitch." Mariemaia growled her displeasure.
"Yeah. But that was the last straw. Alex and Rick can't even be in the same room together anymore. And that's the story."
They were nearer to Quatre's room now. Mariemaia dropped her water bottle, and bent down to pick it up when something else crossed her mind.
"What about Antonia and Rick? She doesn't seem to like him either."
"Pretty much the same thing. Antonia fell for Richard, and he left her."
"Quite the little jerk, isn't he?" Mariemaia commented.
"It's a matter of experience. He and Octavia have always been nice to me."
"What kind of person is Octavia?"
"She's just about the sweetest person you'll ever meet."
They entered Quatre's classroom. It didn't have desks or chairs, but benches and tables. There was a large white board on the southern wall, near the door, and posters of all kinds plastered on the walls. A large desk rested peacefully in front of the whiteboard, and large windows that opened and closed like French door's lit the room from the north, so there was never too much cold or heat.
Quatre Winner sat in a chair in front of the large windows, looking outside even though it appeared that he had been reading the large book that lay in his lap.
"Uncle Quatre!" Milan wheeled over to him.
He turned and a delighted smile split his kind and open face that also had the ability to be cold and serious. His platinum blond hair was dusted with silvery white, just pale enough to make you wonder if it was really there. His gray-blue eyes were surrounded by the lines of laughter, pain, and age, and his brow had a light worry line dissecting it. He stood to greet his 'niece', and Mariemaia saw that he was tall and slim, with no sign of the widening stomach that you usually saw in older men. He wore a simple ensemble of gray blue slacks, black loafers, and a button up shirt that was open a few buttons at the top, giving him a relaxed, easygoing look.
Milan reached her arms up to embrace him, and he embraced her with equal warmth. It made Mariemaia happy just to see them.
"Uncle Quatre, this is my friend Marie," Milan gestured to Mariemaia, who looked at Quatre impassively.
Quatre didn't even flinch. He walked up to Mariemaia and embraced her warmly. She was, needless to say, surprised.
"Any friend of Milan's is a friend of mine." He said as he let her go. Then he looked her in the eye and said, "I always knew you weren't a bad kid."
Mariemaia couldn't help but smile. Then she dropped her water again. When she leaned down to get it, Quatre did too, and he brushed her injured hand. She groaned with pain. The pain had only been minor before. Quatre grabbed her hand gently and asked worriedly, "What happened?"
"Hot soup. We were going to ask if I could go and see the nurse. And eat my lunch, since I didn't get to."
"You don't need to go to the nurse, I have a first aid kit. And of course you can eat."
She followed him to his desk, from which he pulled a complete first aid kit. He opened it and pulled out some gauze and a burn ointment.
With gentle fingertips he brushed the thick ointment onto her red hand. Then, equally gentle, he wrapped it securely, but not too tightly.
"Why do you have such a big first aid kit?" Mariemaia queried.
"Some people aren't very diplomatic," Quatre laughed as put it away.
Mariemaia smiled her thanks, then she sat down at the table nearest to
herself to eat. Milan rolled up next to her, on the end of the table, and they sat in friendly silence as Mariemaia devoured her sandwich like someone who hadn't eaten in days.
Milan spoke to Quatre, "We saw Rick and Antonia. Seems we're having a sort of family reunion."
Quatre smiled, "Yeah, I saw Rick earlier. But I didn't know Tony's here."
"They're all here. Zechs, Lucrezia, Treize," Mariemaia smiled, "and even little Aleonore."
"Yeah, Tavvy is here too, but she hasn't dropped by yet. And Marcus."
"Marcus is here? Good, maybe now he'll finish that game of chess with me."
"You two. You're incorrigible," Quatre laughed.
"Yup. And I hope it stays that way, too."
Mariemaia finished her sandwich and asked, "What's all this about?"
"Marcus and I are old rivals. Friendly rivals. He just can't stand it that I can beat him at chess."
"Oh really? I can't stand it, eh? Maybe you're the one who can't admit you cheat."
Mariemaia and Milan turned at the same time, and a tall, chestnut haired man stood in the doorway, half his face veiled in shadow. But she could just make out the turned up corner of his mouth.
Milan shouted with shocked anger, "I do not cheat, Marcus! You just can't win against me!"
"Can't win against cheaters."
"Oooooohhhhh!"
Marcus came out of the doorway, and Mariemaia saw that his face was an almost exact duplicate of Trowa's, except that it didn't have the same polished, impassive look. His features were more rugged, and his eyes were greenish blue, like the sea. His wavy dark hair brushed his shoulders gently and a smile was on his full lips.
"Hello, Marie." Marcus said, and Mariemaia used every bit of her will power trying to keep her mouth from dropping open. It did so anyway.
"Um...hello?" Mariemaia was more than a bit confused.
"I ran into Rick in the hall. He told me that Milan was heading here after lunch, and that she was hanging with the, as he put one of the 'most beautiful women he had ever seen in his entire life'. Since I don't see any other life-changing-ly beautiful women in this room, that must be you."
"Well, isn't that sweet." Mariemaia's tone had more than a little sarcasm in it. Marcus smiled, Milan choked and spluttered, protesting that she was quite pretty, thank you very much and goodbye, and Quatre fought to keep his mouth from curving upward. He failed.
Marcus looked at Mariemaia's hand, "What happened?"
"Hot soup."
"I know what you mean. Those soup cups are pure evil."
The lunch bell rang, and kids began to file into the classroom.
Quatre's class seemed to restore Mariemaia's sense of peace and well-being, as if by being near such a peaceful and sincere person one could almost regain a sense of comfort. Mariemaia envied Octavia and Richard, and wished herself that she had had a father like Quatre, someone who would actually have been there.
But there was no use in mulling over the past long gone. She was lucky enough to have someone who had cared about and for her after the events that had so changed her life and the lives of those who she was surrounded by.
She and Milan left Quatre's class for Wufei's so called "unarmed combat". Alex was there when they reached the room. As they walked in, the first thing that Mariemaia noticed was the quiet, concentrated atmosphere of the place, which also smelled faintly of incense. The windows were huge, and spanned three of the four walls of the square room. Thick, semi-soft padding cover the middle of the floor, and benches lined two walls. There was also a balance beam in one corner and an unassuming door that she supposed lead into the dragon's lair. Mariemaia dreaded and anticipated this meeting at the same time. She didn't know how she would react to seeing the man who had killed her father and served her. Would it be hatred and anger or forgiveness and acceptance? She would have said the former without a doubt the day before, but Sally's speech had seeded strong doubts into her convictions about Wufei Chang.
All of the students sat in silence, and Mariemaia wondered why they had such a reverential aura around them. Maybe they had heard stories about Wufei Chang. He was, after all, and famous man, but so were all the other Gundam pilots.
She shrugged her mental inquiries away, figuring that if there was something special about Chang, she would find out soon enough.
She checked her watch and saw that it was only thirty seconds until the bell rang. She wondered where Chang was.
The bell rang and at that second, Wufei Chang emerged from his lair.
His raven black hair was shorn short, like a Roman legionnaire, and rather unlike the style she had seen him wear in the years when he had served in her army. His almond-shaped, tilted black eyes were framed in fine lines, and he carried his svelte body with the unconscious grace of a wild cat stalking its prey. His mouth looked as if it had rarely had the occasion or inclination for a true smile, and the set of his shoulders and positioning of his feet suggested that he was a man who rarely retreated or admitted defeat. He wore a pair of soft, baggy black silk pants and a black silk jacket that was tied with a white silk belt. The jacket was parted until it reached his waist, showing his smooth and well muscled chest and abdomen. Everything about him reminded Mariemaia of a predator. A panther.
He looked at his students with a gleam of contempt in his eyes, rather like that of a drill sergeant. Mariemaia was suddenly very glad that she had Quatre's class before this one, so at least she would be relaxed before she came here. But she also relished the challenge that was promised in Wufei's bearing, and she knew that she would never be bored here.
"Welcome. You have now entered Hell," were Wufei's beginning words, and it did not get any better, "Do not expect to be treated nicely in this class. It is not here so you can chat with your friends, or goof off, or play. This class is here to teach you what to do in the event that you are left to fight with only these," he held his hands outward in front of him, palms faced away from his stone face, "and these." He gestured to his feet. "But, most importantly, this," he pointed to his temple. "Your brain is your most important asset in a hand-to-hand fight. A stupid opponent has no sense of strategy or timing, no matter how well trained he or she," he said that rather grudgingly, "is."
A woman with red hair walked out of Wufei's office and started to take roll. She called out each of there names in turn. The roll sheet was long and it took her awhile to get to Mariemaia's name.
"Underwood, Lylia."
"Here!"
"Une, Marie!"
"Here!" Mariemaia shouted, her voice full of command that it rarely had, making it rich and full, powerful. Wufei turned and looked at her, his face seemingly impassive, but her could see the surprise that affected his raven eyes and warrior bearing. She gave him a look of challenge, and he looked at her, his face unchanging, until he inclined his head, a movement so imperceptible that she thought she imagined it.
The woman finished and left. Wufei spoke, loudly and clearly.
"Miss Une, could you please come here?"
Mariemaia looked at him like he had disobeyed a direct order. Milan gave her a worried look, and Alex a puzzled one. But Mariemaia stood, shedding the skin that she wore as Marie Une and embracing the cape she wore as Mariemaia Khushrenada. Her bearing was regal as she walked up to Chang.
"Miss Une, are you trained in martial arts?" He asked neutrally. Mariemaia wondered where this was going.
"Yes."
"Do you think you can beat me?" He asked less neutrally now, with the slight lilt of someone who needed to prove something to someone else.
"I don't know."
"You don't know."
"I will not presume to say I can, but I will not belittle myself by saying I can't."
"Would you like to try?"
She looked him in the eye and said, "Yes, I would."
"Take off your shoes then. And fix your hair."
Mariemaia's face registered no surprise as she took off her shoes and socks, stretched her stiff muscles, checked the bandages on her hand, and braided her hair into a single, thick braid down her back.
Wufei stood there, staring at her. She knew he was trying to make her nervous, but she wasn't going to let him. She ignored him as she lay down, placed her hands next to her head, and did a backbend. Then she, just to show off, lifted herself into a handstand from that position with the ease of someone well trained, then folded herself over to stand on her feet.
"Are you ready?" Wufei asked as he eased into a fighting position, obviously telling her that it didn't matter whether she was ready or not. She did not acknowledge him, but settled into her own fighting position.
Wufei rushed her, but she did a back handspring with ease and avoided him. Then she took the offensive by rushing him and launching herself into a jump kick. He dodged, but barely, and aimed a high kick at her back. He just missed as, instead of landing on her feet, she tucked and rolled on the mat, then launching herself onto her feet.
Wufei aimed a round house at her head, but she drop kicked him, knocking him off his feet. But as soon as Wufei caught himself and tried to do the same, Mariemaia had already flitted out his range. He launched himself off the mat and into the air for a two footed jump kick, but Mariemaia stood her ground and, grabbing his legs, she kneeled down and slung him over her shoulders, onto his belly on the mat.
He gasped for air and rolled over to rise once again, but Mariemaia was ready for him, and, with a right side kick to the chest, a right backhand, and a drop kick he was down once more. But not out.
Mariemaia attempted to do an overhead, downward kick that would imbed her foot in his chest, but he grabbed her foot and pulled her down, and, launching himself up, he tried the same maneuver, only to find that she had rolled away and was up again. He seemed enraged and charged her, but she saw that the rage was only a facade meant to scare her into making a mistake, so she ignored it. Wufei aimed a punch at her, but just as he reached her, she grabbed both his arms and fell backward, flipping him completely over her body and leaving him again on his back, gasping for air. She flipped herself up like a whip again and watched him do the same.
They reverted back to their original fighting positions, and she went for him this time, running towards him to make him think that she was going to tackle him, but then dive-rolling at the last minute, unrolling herself to her full body length and taking out his legs. He fell as she continued to roll, and the bell rang. They rose and bowed at each other. This was why the students respected him so; he was an honorable fighter.
"Class dismissed." Wufei panted. The class applauded and left quietly.
Mariemaia stayed. "Who do you think would have won?" She asked quietly.
Wufei looked at her, "I don't know."
Mariemaia nodded. "Me either."
"You're good. It was nothing personal, you know."
She gave him a blinding smile. "You're not so bad yourself."
