Disclaimer: Don't own GW.

Warnings: Don't try this at home. All stunts were done by professionals

with expert equipment. There is no accountability when performing said stunts in disregard of these warnings.

Reviewers: Thank you very much for your great feed-back. I am sorry, but the sequel will have to wait; some parts are in the rough-draft, but at the moment, I've got too many other plot-bunnies running to concentrate on Being Normal. In the beginning, it was intended as a one-shot, anyways, so you will have to be patient…

A/N: This is the uncut version, the one that didn't make it to the contest. Recently, I reread both the cut and the uncut version, and I thought the uncut one was the better one. If you still want to read the version that made it to the contest look for it at mediaminer(dot)org, same pen-name.

Being Normal

He didn't give all of his attention to Li's happy ramblings, but she was too self-involved to notice. Maybe it also had to do with the fact that Wufei had long ago perfected a mask that made him seem normal, just another teenager amongst hundreds of them. No, it didn't consist of an emotionless façade like a certain someone's face; it rather was his best attempt at fitting in into a society of youths who had only heard of the war in the news.

He displayed the same careless happiness, the same petty thoughts and actions that only had meaning because they had never had to fight for their lives. It was a shallow world he lived in, and to blend in with the crowd, he had to pretend to be as shallow as them.

His mind was able to keep up some absolutely non-intelligent small-talk with his girlfriend next to him while most of his attention was surreptitiously focused on his surroundings. They were not quite yet in the bad part of town, but close enough that he felt the need to watch out for dark figures loitering in even darker alleyways. The houses of this urban jungle were just a touch away from looking shabby, and the people behind the brightly lit windows knew better than going out into the darkness to investigate anything out of the order.

So he had to keep an eye out for both of them because nobody would think of coming to help if they were attacked.

His current girlfriend Li though wasn't concerned about any of that. She was happily ensconced in her own little world where her boyfriend had just taken her out for dinner and was escorting her home again because she had pretended to be oh-so-afraid of the darkness. Which she probably should be, considering the rough neighborhood they were walking through, but she didn't seem to be able to sense the aura of danger surrounding the darker places where the dim lights provided by sparely set street lamps did not reach.

Li indeed didn't notice any of her boyfriend's tension. The evening had been very nice with pleasant conversation over delicious food, and she had thoroughly enjoyed herself. Chang Wufei was a great boyfriend to have, making her wonder why he was still on the market. None of his previous girlfriends had lasted longer than two, three months at the most, but none of them had been able to give her a real reason why they had broken up, saying some weird stuff about growing apart.

In one subject though they were unanimous: Chang Wufei had never slept with them, and only one or two of his girlfriends had been kissed. Innocently, with next to no tongue involved. Perhaps that was the reason why it hadn't worked before, because Wufei had problems with giving physical attention that went beyond simple friendship. But she had sworn to herself that she would not be deterred by that, that she would be the one to get Wufei out of his shell.

Not necessarily because of his body (ok, she admitted it to herself, his appearance certainly was no hindrance, as smooth and strong as he appeared with a slender, muscled frame that was a little bit on the thin side), but mostly because of his quick wit that unexpectedly threw in sarcastic remarks that had never failed to make her laugh. Ok, ok, his handsome features definitely were a bonus. And together with his polite personality, he was grade A boyfriend material. Why though hadn't he been taken before?

Well, she shouldn't think about that question too much, because that was what had given her this chance, and she swore to herself that she would not give up such a catch easily.

Looking around, she saw that they were nearing her home. Wufei was quietly walking beside her, an arm slung across her shoulders. When she had first returned the gesture by slinging an arm around his waist, he had almost flinched, but now he seemed to be quite comfortable with it. It was a pity that his nicely fitting pants had no rear pockets, because that would have given her a reason to …

Well, anyways, his waist felt good, too, and she happily leaned her head on his strong shoulder, feeling secure in his embrace although the neighborhood they were currently walking through did nothing to encourage such feelings.

Looking up at the sky, she was a little bit sad that you couldn't see the stars because the bright lights of the city outshone them by far. Suddenly, there was a tiny streak of silvery gold across the sky.

"Look, a shooting star," she breathed into Wufei's ear.

He raised his head. "Where?"

"There, above that roof."

Frowning, he tried to make out the 'shooting star' she had seen. He was quite sure that it was anything but a shooting star because the space weather currently was clear, no meteorites that could cause an occurrence like that. And if it could be seen from down here despite the ambient glow of the city, it would have had to be quite a large specimen to shine that brightly.

No, it probably had not been a natural occurrence. "Where did it go?"

She smiled at him. "It came from up there and vanished right where that neon sign of Chuck's Grub is. But it was too fast to make a wish upon. What would you have wished for?"

Giving some non-descriptive answer, his thoughts were focused upon the false 'shooting star'. As the public and the trade space port was on the side of town opposite where the object was heading, it couldn't be a commercial shuttle. But judging by the 'shooting star's incoming vector, its velocity, and its probable flight path resulting from the loss of altitude, it would land about 15 miles to the east. And the only thing of interest in that direction was Preventers HQ. But he didn't want to get his hopes up because it could be next to anybody coming down from space.

Looking inquisitively at the night sky, he almost missed the second whitish-gold streak of color that flitted across the firmament, closely followed by two more reddish ones.

"Oh, look! More shooting stars," Li exclaimed gaily, closing her eyes to make a wish upon them.

He could barely hold back the snort that threatened to slip from his mouth. Shooting star indeed. That had been the inner-atmosphere glow resulting from ion thrusters of small space crafts. If they had still been in the war, he would have said a MS formation, probably a Taurus up front followed by 2 Aries, but nowadays, it probably was a small shuttle escorted by Preventers. He wondered why the shuttle needed the escort of two suits.

Looking back at the street, he recognized their surroundings as close to Li's home. Not much later, he accompanied her through a heavy, metallic door with a lock so pitiful that it would not have taken him more than a few minutes at most to pick it. Maxwell would have probably managed it in 20 seconds flat, but then almost no locks were safe from him.

Then, in front of the elevator to the floor where her flat was at, he said his good byes. Of course, she invited him in, but he politely refused, pretending that he still had homework to complete for the next day. In reality, he had just averted one of her attempts to take their relation to a deeper level than he was comfortable with at the moment.

He wasn't quite sure why so many girls were trying to become his girlfriend, but he didn't discourage their attempts. As the sole heir to the Chang clan, and after Mei Ran's death the Long clan, too, he had the duty do find himself a proper wife and continue the line. Especially now that almost all the clans had been wiped out by the destruction of his home colony. It was what his relatives would have wished, and keeping the promise he had silently given them was his way of honoring their sacrifice.

So after the Eve-wars, he had enrolled in high school, the most normal place for kids his age to be. In the beginning, it had been hard; all the reflexes and memories of war had been so deeply ingrained into his muscles and brain that it had taken him close to a year to suppress them enough that they didn't take over every time he heard a car door slam shut or see a Preventers MS. But with the iron will he was known for, he had managed it, conquering himself a place in normal society complete with all duties to being normal. Like having a girlfriend.

He gave Li a last smile as he declined her invitation. Turning around, he left the building accompanied by the lovesick stare Li was currently gracing him with. She was a very nice girl, someone a normal man wouldn't mind marrying at all. However, something inside him was reluctant to deepen their friendship although his mind knew it was an integral part of starting a relation strong enough to keep them together through wedlock and children.

Well, he was only 18 years old, still enough time to look for the right person if it didn't work out with Li.

The next day, Wufei was walking home from the library, having politely declined an invitation to go watch a movie with Li on the excuse that he had to study, promising to take her on the weekend instead. Well, it was only an excuse insofar that he didn't have to study. He had done it anyways, and as usually, he had quickly lost all sense of time.

It had become quite late, so late even that it already was dark outside although the longest day of the year hadn't been more than two weeks ago. Walking briskly, he took a short-cut to his apartment-building through a small park that was still open despite the late hour. Or perhaps because of the late hour as many couples were fond of taking a romantic stroll through moonlight.

There was a small creek, only waist-high at its deepest places, separating the park into a northern and a southern half. The water that came out from under the earth at the beginning of the park vanished back into the earth once again after it left the park. In such a big city, there wasn't any place left for small creeks. In the park, its width was spanned by several bridges, each more elaborate than the last. And in the earth, it was constrained by thick, metallic tubes that directed its flow to only god knows where.

As Wufei had to cross the park from east to west, he didn't have to cross the creek, rather walking along its shallow waters. Suddenly, he thought he had seen a familiar figure leaning at the guard-rail of one of the bridges that was solid cement except for a small tunnel where the creek ran through. A second look that strained to pierce the darkness proved that what he had seen was correct. And then, he knew why he had declined to go to the movies with Li.

Purposefully, he headed for the lone figure, secure in the knowledge that the other would see and recognize him. When he came closer, the head turned towards him, but otherwise there was no sign of recognition although the other probably had identified him long before he even had made a move towards the bridge.

Three feet in front of the other man, he stopped, carefully keeping out of the other's personal space. Letting his eyes wander over the other's body, he took in the bedraggled appearance, the exhausted slump, the noticeably thinner limbs, and the bags under the eyes that were visible even in the dim light that was barely enough to dip the bridge in a mockery of illumination. The eyes themselves though were as hard and focused as ever, never hinting at the other's emotions, and the face…

Although Wufei had perfected reading every fraction of facial movement the other provided, he wasn't able to get a measure of what was going on behind that stoic mask he was presented with.

They were staring at each other for a long time until Wufei finally broke the silence.

"Yuy."

The Perfect Soldier nodded once, briskly. Nothing more had to be said because both knew what that single name expressed. 'You look like hell', 'Why did you come here?', and even 'Glad to see you're still alive and kicking', as Maxwell would have said. But for the two of them, only one word was necessary.

Then the unthinkable happened. The ever distant Heero Yuy was leaning towards him in a smooth movement, extending an arm around his shoulder, and drawing them together until their faces were only inches apart. With the casualness of the gesture, Wufei didn't find time to protest, and when Yuy closed the rest of the remaining distance to engage their lips in a one-sided kiss, he wasn't able anymore to mouth his astonishment.

What had happened to the killing zone around the Perfect Soldier, the area around Yuy's finely honed body that was so sensitive that an invasion of it was tantamount to putting one's life on the row?

Wufei was so thoroughly shocked that his normally rigorously disciplined mind shattered into a thousand fragments which consisted of irrelevant impressions like the one hair in Yuy's unruly mop that was even more unruly and standing up perpendicularly to the general flow. Or absolutely irrational associations like if the city hadn't been so bright, they could have seen the stars glittering above him, showing them as a romantic couple that was kissing on a bridge beneath the open firmament.

Gradually regaining his wits, Wufei was starting to struggle in the secure embrace he was held. The still irrational part of his mind was suggesting that it looked like he was enjoying the kiss and rubbing against Yuy, but he ruthlessly shoved that thought away into the absolute trash department of his brain. Even before he was fully in control though, he felt the hairs on his neck rise and his shoulders tense with the hidden knowledge that somebody was watching them with the intent to do them harm.

Now struggling in earnest in face of potential danger, he almost missed the slight shake of Yuy's head that was still glued to his mouth. With his enhanced senses, the Perfect Soldier had most likely sensed the danger a long time before Wufei, so the fact that he was continuing the kiss was probably part of some plan Wufei had not been informed of.

Warily, Wufei followed Yuy's lead, but he was taken by surprise once more when Yuy suddenly let himself fall backwards, the guard-rail in his back doing nothing to stop his descent, tipping him over instead to make him plummet head first into the creek. And Wufei with him by default because of the iron grip Yuy had around his shoulders.

With a heavy splash, they impacted on the surface of the creek. Yuy had somehow managed to turn them during their fall so that they landed on their sides instead of head first, and luckily, this was one of the areas where the creek was indeed waist high. Which might have been Yuy's plan all along, but something didn't seem quite right with Yuy.

Then, his mind registered the gun shot that had sounded a split second before the beginning of their fall, and keeping his head down, he quickly checked an almost unresponsive Yuy over for any injuries while dragging him through the water to reach cover under the badly illuminated bridge. The dark streaks running down his face didn't look good, and if he wasn't completely mistaken, Yuy's arm was injured, too.

Leaning Yuy's nearly limp body against one of the rough wall and keeping him there with his own body, Wufei quickly ripped a few stripes off his shirt and applied a rough field-dressing to the open wounds. The injury to his head must have been quite bad for Yuy to be out of it for such a prolonged period of time. But at least, he was stable enough to be left alone. He only had to be sure that Yuy didn't drown accidentally in the waist-deep water.

Straining his eyes to take in every little bit of illumination, Wufei thought he had seen something to the center of the tunnel. Moving closer while helping Yuy along, he was relieved to see that his eyes had not misled him as there was a single stone against the wall barely reaching out of the water. Propping Yuy against it, he made sure he wouldn't slip away if he should loose consciousness.

Now where had that shot come from…

He was stopped by one of Yuy's hands flickering across his left arms in one of their codes.

One person. After me.

And suddenly, everything fell into place for Wufei. The kiss on the bridge was a way to give his attacker the perfect chance, and the fall into the water had been too controlled to be anything but the result of extensive planning. Yuy had planned to stay out of sight in the water until his assailant, who certainly would come down to make sure he was dead, was within range, and then take him down.

Nodding that he had understood, Wufei melded into the shadows to prepare the trap, leaving Yuy's almost limp body propped against the wall of the tunnel. Yuy didn't protest, although probably had not calculated that he would be out of commission with a bleeding head-wound and a probable concussion. Luckily it was so dark that noone further than 3 feet away could discover Yuy's injured form.

Wufei flattened himself against the opposite wall, all but invisible in the dim lighting. He was doing what he should have been doing at the first sign of danger. Perhaps Yuy would…

A deep breath to bring his body into harmony, centering him, riding out the wave of adrenaline in his system, making his ki flow freely and unhindered through his limbs.

Another deep breath, and together with the calmness spreading through him, his thoughts concentrating in a way he had desperately missed without even realizing it.

An absolute focus lowered itself over his mind, boosting his senses to a state that could only be described as hyperawareness, and his muscles were prepared to react at the slightest bit of information.

Then, the wait began.

There. Footsteps. Heavy, fast. Direction: South-West.

Rustling of a jacket. Probably carrying a big, hand-held weapon.

Crouching low into cold water, his head barely above the surface, Wufei slid noiselessly to the south-western end of the bridge, hiding himself in one of the deep shadows there.

Settling down.

Waiting.

Ki flowing warmly through muscles so that they didn't grow stiff and unresponsive from the coldness.

Footsteps. Now on the paved trail leading up to the bridge, still very fast. From the sound of it heavy boots with steel caps, probably a man, 170 pounds plus.

Waiting –

Footsteps becoming more wary. Rustling of a jacket as if looking around.

Careful steps on the stones leading down to the creek. Jacket brushing slightly against the side of the bridge. Too experienced to come into direct line of vision. Instead a slim barrel sliding around the concrete corner, two feet away from his head.

Assault rifle?

Waiting for the right moment to strike –

Waiting –

Suddenly a small splashing sound from Yuy at the other side of the bridge, the man's focus shifting up, and then –

In an explosion of water and concentrated muscular strength, Wufei shot through the surface of the water, with one hand blocking the barrel of the rifle – away from Yuy -, with the other delivering a hard upper-cut to the man's chin. No efficient kicks possible because of waist-high water. Instead follow-up with punch to the gut, then quick search for - …

There. A hard upward jab to the backside of the arm, then a hard grip to the inside of the elbow, running his hand downwards, and the man crumbled heavily as he lost consciousness.

Expertly, Wufei caught the other's head beneath the chin in a one-handed rescue grip, the assault rifle in the other, keeping both of them out of the water.

Waiting. Listening for pursuit and other signs of danger.

Long minutes trickling by without any sounds beyond the wet gurgling of the creek and the slight rustling of the wind, occasionally interrupted by a tiredly tweeting bird. No one left.

Seemed as if Yuy's information had been right.

Gradually, Wufei relaxed the focus that had tinted his perception of the world into a black-and-white caricature of important and unimportant.

Another deep breath in and out, and he reluctantly let go of the iron control he had exerted over his ki, his hyperawareness dimming until he once more was left stranded in an almost dark world.

"Yuy?"

A heavy grunt answered, and a black shape started moving with the currents. Swearing softly, Wufei quickly followed with the dead weight of their unconscious assailant still plastered against his body. Apparently, Yuy felt the need to prove that he was strong enough to make it out on his own. But the fact that Yuy was going downstream, the way of least resistance, was showing that his injuries were bothering him more than he wanted to admit.

Finally out from under the bridge, Wufei quickly dragged the unconscious man out of the water towards a sitting Yuy and slipped out of his soaking wet shirt. Drawing the slender ceramic knife he always carried with him, he cut his shirt into sturdy stripes and bound their assailant, manhandling him not too tenderly into a recovery position. Then, he turned his attention to Yuy who had produced a cell-phone from seemingly out of nowhere and was currently phoning Preventers HQ.

"… unconscious, weapon secured. One witness, completely trustworthy. Send someone to pick us up at Morner Creek Park, second bridge from the east."

Before Yuy could hang up, Wufei acquired the phone with a simple grab that Yuy would have never fallen for if he had been even close to his normal health. Holding it to his ear, Wufei started talking to whoever was on the other side of the phone.

"And send the doctor Yuy is too stubborn to ask for."

Checking Yuy's injuries over once again in the slightly better light, he kept up a running commentary into the cell phone while rewrapping them. "Bullet wound clean through right biceps, humerus partially fractured, laceration on the skull, probable concussion."

Seeing Yuy's slightly unfocused gaze trying to glare at him, he corrected. "Make that a concussion for certain. No major veins or arteries nicked, bleeding under control, but possible infection by prolonged stay in dirty water. Perpetrator unhurt except for massive bruising to chin and stomach, unconscious for the moment."

A professional-sounding voice acknowleged. "Copy that. Doctor and two agents on their way for pick-up at Morner Creek Park, second bridge from the east. May I ask who I am talking to?"

"Chang Wufei."

"Mr. Wufei, we would be very grateful if you could accompany the pickup-team to Preventers HQ."

Frowning at the phone, he shook his head although the person on the other end of the line could see neither. He was not keen on seeing all those people again who would no doubt start pestering him to join their agency. He had refused their invitation once after the war in favor of the silent pledge he had made to his ancestors, and he would do so again. "No. Ask Yuy for confirmation."

Handing the cell phone back to Yuy, he rudely dealt the other a glare that said 'you better not contradict me'. Yuy tried to match it with one of his own, but in his currently concussed state, he couldn't compete, having to resort to growl into the phone.

"Chang's retrieval for witness program unnecessary. Clearance alpha-three-dash-seven. Yuy out."

Without waiting for a reply, Yuy ended the conversation by flipping the cell shut and awkwardly putting it back into a sealable plastic bag with only one hand. So that was the reason why the phone hadn't short-circuited.

Tiredly putting down the rifle he had acquired from their attacker, Wufei kept a tight watch over said man. He should be unconscious for several hours, but one could never be careful enough.

He didn't quite know how to start a conversation with Yuy after that awkward kiss. Instead, he busied himself with disassembling the assault rifle to study it a little bit closer. Well-kept, well-oiled parts, very new, 5.5 by 45 mm caliber. Capable of dealing quite a bit of damage. Flip-up rear-sight, folding night sight with various luminous insert. Probably accurate to a distance of 300 feet at night. During daylight a range of up to 1400 feet. Throwing Yuy a quick glance, he saw the inquisitive posture.

"A slightly modified AK-47 Kalashnikov. Downsized for better handling. Probably Israeli design," Wufei answered the unspoken question.

Keeping Yuy also under close surveillance because of his concussion, Wufei finally asked the question that had been bothering for quite some time now.

"So, care to tell me what all that was about?"

A slightly defocused look towards the knocked-out, heavy-set man on the ground. A small pause as if thinking of what to tell. Then: "Addam B. Lynson. Accountant for a small company on L1, member of a radical gang promoting terrorism as means of gaining political attention. Half a year ago, there was a razzia on the gang after insider information had leaked out to Preventers."

Wufei nodded. Half a year ago, Yuy had come to earth fresh from an undercover mission. The facts fit.

"Revenge?"

"Took him the whole six months to find me. Thought it easier to let him find me than search him out myself. That way there'll be charges filed against him based on real actions. Attempted murder. No way the judges will let him go."

Eyebrows drawing together in a half-frown, Wufei studied his fellow ex-pilot more closely. He was pale, but that was normal with the blood-loss. However; Yuy was talking unusually much. A side-effect from his concussion? Trying to prove his suspicion, he asked:

"What date is today?"

Again a very long pause. In fact, it was so long that Wufei feared that Yuy had fallen asleep, a bad sign when coupled with a concussion. Just when he wanted to go and wake Yuy up, he heard a quiet "Tanbata."

Wufei raised an eyebrow in surprise, and Yuy took that as his cue to continue. "Japanese Star festival. Based on a Chinese legend."

Now, Wufei was concerned. Had Yuy taken any kind of drugs? Amphetamines? Hallucinogens? "I know the legend. Something about the daughter of the sky king falling in love with a shepherd and making her father so angry that he separated them with an impassable river."

Yuy threw him an undecipherable look. "They were separated by life. But life also gave them the chance to meet every once and again. On a bridge."

Had he heard right? Was Yuy really hinting at what he thought he was? "A bridge of magpies?"

"But they did meet."

Together with the memory of the kiss, this was getting more and more bizarre. It made Wufei feel completely out of his water, so he took resort to sarcasm. "You'd make a fine princess, Yuy, I'm sure of that. Next you'll proclaim me the shepherd, and then we can marry and have many children."

Yuy only looked at him, no reaction visible on the face almost obscured by shadows. Wufei felt the heavy gaze on him, but he consciously turned away to watch the still form bound by his sliced-up shirt. Yuy was concussed. He clearly was not in his right state of mind.

The sound of a heavy car halting not too far away saved him from thinking up a response, increasing their level of alertness considerably. A little bit unsteadily, Yuy got up and retreated into the shadows cast by of one of the trees close-by. Wufei slipped further down the bank towards the body of the still unconscious sharp-shooter, taking the rifle with him.

Flashlights came from one of the entrances to the park, together with three figures and voices.

"… one of Preventers' best agents. Rumor that he's served during the war. We'd better not surprise him, especially now that he's hurt."

Raising his head slightly, Wufei studied the three forms and judged them to be the Preventers' recovery team. He got up from the ground, calling out to Yuy, partially because he didn't know how much Yuy had been incapacitated by his head injury, partially to draw the Preventers' attention to their position.

"Friendlies. Clear to come out."

He busied himself with dragging their unconscious assailant up the embankment of the creek, being more careful about the rifle slung across his back than about the body he was manhandling.

When he had conquered the slope, the agents had found them, the doctor already checking Yuy's bandages with an appreciative sound. One of the agents saw Wufei struggling with the unconscious body and rushed over to help. Seeing the assault rifle slung across Wufei's shoulders, he gave a low whistle, and an even more admiring one when he saw the trussed-up form of their former assailant.

"Quite a job there! Who of you took him out?"

Wufei glared at the agent, making him shut up quickly although Wufei's glare had nothing in comparison to Yuy's when he was in full form. "I trust you are capable of taking over."

With those words, he turned around and left, his shoes squeaking with every step from the unwilling bath he had taken. The agent called after him, but did not pursue him, perhaps because of his orders, perhaps because of Yuy's hissed "Leave him."

Wufei considered himself lucky that he had neither lost his keys nor taken his book-bag with him, but in face of the danger he had just faced, those worries paled into nothingness. Sighing, he wandered towards his apartment. How long would it take him this time to get back to a normal mindset?

The past few weeks had been quite a strain on their relationship, Li decided. Ever since the night of July 7th, her boyfriend had been unusually jumpy, and sometimes, she caught a hard and cold look on his face. He had never told her what had happened during that night to make him stiffen at physical contact all over again. But gradually, under her gentle tutelage, he had lost that skittish behavior. She was just glad that he was becoming her old, sweet Wufei again.

Snuggling deeper into his shoulder, she relished in his scent as he accompanied her home after he had taken her out to a movie, their first real date again after July 7th. Oh yes, he was coming around again, and she would wait for him.

Wufei looked down at his girlfriend who hung onto his left arm, immobilizing it in case of a fight. It had taken him a long time and many nights of meditation instead of dates to bury his warrior personality deep enough to be fit for teenage society once again. But the empty and hollow feeling created by it was hard to deal with, now hat he knew where it came from. The hollowness was spreading, and nothing he could think of made it better.

He didn't give all of his attention to Li's happy ramblings, but she was too self-involved to notice. And he found that he was too tired to feel anything about that. She continued with her petty thoughts and actions which had been robbed of meaning for him. And he found that he was too empty to feel anything about that. He was trying to uphold his pledge to the clans. And for the first time in his life, he found that he was thinking too much about a princess and a shepherd meeting on a bridge of magpies to feel anything about that.