It's My Life
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the characters except for the OCs. Also, I don't own any of the songs.
Dump in water, scrub clean, rinse, and dry. They were working as an assembly line, Sage and Draca carrying in the dirty dishes, Lynn removing any scrapes of food or storing it for later use, then Relena took the dirty dishes and washed then clean, and Adam did all the drying and putting the dishes back where they belonged. With the cook sick and refusing to cause other staff members trouble, the five students took it upon themselves to clean up breakfast. Although, anything the band did was not all work, mostly it was play or a time to sing.
Sage was the person to commence the singing.
"Down at an English fair,
One evening I was there,
When I heard a showman shouting
Underneath the flare:"
Relena saw Lynn cringe as she dumped a plate of half eaten eggs, bacon, and fruit, especially when Adam began to sing with a false British accent,
"Hoi've got a lo-ve-ly bunch o' coconuts.
There they are a-standin' in a row.
Big ones, small ones, some as big as yer 'ead!"
He tabbed Relena's head and she tried to swipe him away with a soapy hand but he ignored her and continued to demonstrate the lyrics with his hands.
"Give 'em a twist, a flick o' the wrist,
That's what the showman said."
Sage made his return to singing with Adam adding his little flourishes after each line.
"I've got a lo-ve-ly bunch of coconuts
(They're lovely!)
There they are a standing in a row.
(One, two, three, four)
Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head
(And bigger)
Give 'em a twist, a flick of the wrist, that's what the showman said."
Finally Draca shouted, "Stop," while giving the twins a scolding glare. "You both know how much I hate that song."
Relena threw Adam a glance from the corner of her eye, she did not even know the song title, where it was from, or how old it was. In short, she did not know the song at all, yet she thought of it as a funny song. It was a song she wanted to hear the rest.
"That was the first song that came to my head, so excuse me," Sage pouted. "You never let us have any real fun around here anymore, isn't that right Ms. Noventa?" He was seeking pity points from their landlady who stood by the kitchen island with her daughter, sipping a mug of steaming coffee.
With a complacent smile, Ms. Noventa decided to smooth over the situation with a song change. "Perhaps you girls could sing Salimar's song, you have never performed it for me before and now would be a perfect time."
The three girls traded looks before shrugging. It was not a bad idea and they were all together, plus they had been working on the song since the wee hours of the morning.
"Okay," Relena agreed, drying her hands with a towel and clearing her throat.
"Me me mimi," joked Lynn, coming by Relena along with Draca to form a horse-shoe shape like a do-wop group from an almost ancient era.
"Shut up," Draca nudged mirthlessly.
Relena snapped her fingers for tempo then began counting it off. "One…two…three…one…two…ready…go."
Draca and Lynn sang their verses well but it sounded off, forced almost. It felt like no one could relax until Relena ended the song while Adam was kneading her shoulders. Cutting off the note too soon, Relena rounded on her friend and slapped his hands away.
"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, not angered but confused as to the motives for her friend's actions.
"Sorry dudette, it's just that you were so tense, actually all of you were so tense, that your voices were strained, almost ear bleeding," Adam explained. "I just thought that perhaps if I helped you to loosen up your voice would sound more pleasant."
Lynn stomped on his foot, causing Adam to start hopping about on one foot. "That was unnecessary."
"He's right though," Sage pointed out, "it was all very forced and you three need to relax, so relax and get into it this time, or I'll start singing "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" again." Draca brandished her fist. "Then start relaxin'." Sage had taken up the accent of someone from Jamaica.
Rolling her shoulders back and doing some stretches to relax her muscles while Lynn began to "head bang," as she had once referred to it as, and Draca briefly walked into the dinner room. Everyone froze and stared at the closed door until there was a distinct shaking of the house as though someone had jumped really hard or had done a cartwheel.
Returning to the kitchen, with a wide smile Draca with her hands innocently clasped behind her back. "So yeah, that was fun. I think I'm ready this time, how about you guys? Ready for one more go?"
Exchanging glances with Lynn, Relena could not help but grin at her friend's newfound peppiness along with Lynn, who was just as surprised by Draca's mood change. "Yeah, we're ready," Lynn answered.
"Let's try it again," Draca decided.
"Okay, from the top," agreed Sage, ticking off the numbers five through one on his fingers.
Draca started the song with her voice gentle and sweet, rather than her earlier voice that was hoarse from her clearing her throat and shaky with nerves.
"Moshimo ima subete ga umaku nante ikanai
Makesou ni naru toki datte
Hitomi wo tojireba kokoro kara
Sekai ga miete kuru."
While Draca sang, Relena turned to return to her dishes, something to make her relax and not see the audience they had. However, as she turned she noted that Heero had entered the kitchen in blue jeans and a light blue shirt. Seeing him look so laidback had taken Relena back to the point that she would have missed her entrance had Lynn not gave her either an accidental or intentional nudge with her foot.
"In this world when life can be so tough
You must be strong
Just believe in yourself and don't you fear
So open up your mind and close your eyes
Take another look from the other side."
Draca took the lead of the song again,
"Kodoku na yoru demo mayoi osoreru toki mo
Ima wa hitori demo kono ashi de doko made mo
Aruite ikeru hazu dakara."
Still doing the dishes and trying to ignore Heero's presence that would have been unsuccessful had Adam not slapped her across the bum with a towel, "accidentally."
"Just hold on tight hitomi tojita nara
Look inside yourself kagayaki ga aru kara
Yes, subete shinjite hoshii
You can take another look from the other side.
"Just hold on tight kokoro kujikete mo
Reach into your soul ashita ga mienakute mo
Yes, ikiru tsuyosa ga areba
You can take another look from the other side."
"Ai no subete ni deau made...," Draca sang.
Lynn took over singing the verses with a gentle voice that was not over-confident like Draca's but shy yet not hesitant. It was like a stage whisper.
"Kono sekai de ikinuite-iku tame no tsuyosa wo
Anata ni negatte-iru kara
Kokoro no tobira wo hiraitara
Nanika ga miete kuru."
"Just remember you are not alone
So don't you fear
Even though you're miles away
I'm by your side
So open up your mind and close your eyes
I'll be there for you no matter where you are."
"Hoshi no inochi nara nagai kedo itsu made mo
Onaji kono hibi ga kurikaesu wake ja nai
Ashita wa dare ni mo mienai."
"Just hold on tight hitomi tojita nara
Look inside yourself kodou kanjiru kara
Yes, "MIRAI" shinjite hoshii
You can take another look from the other side
"Just hold on tight kokoro kujikete mo
Reach into your soul ashita ga mienakute mo
Yes, chigau sekai ga atte
You can take another look from the other side."
"Ai no subete ni deaeru ya..."
It had been Lynn's solo before going into an air guitar solo that was supposed to take place at that time when they would perform the song.
"Just hold on tight hitomi tojita nara
Look inside yourself kodou kanjiru kara
Yes, "MIRAI" shinjite hoshii
You can take another look from the other side
"Just hold on tight kokoro kujikete mo
Reach into your soul ashita ga mienakute mo
Yes, chigau sekai ga atte
You can take another look from the other side."
"Ai no subete ni deau made..."
With a slight ritard, Relena concluded the song with her first and only Japanese solo with her eyes closed.
"Wonderfully done girls!" Relena heard Mrs. Noventa applaud and the former politician could feel a pleasurable blush beginning to flare in her ears. It was a fantastic comment and it meant a lot to Relena because it was her song, her baby. However, realization soon set in that Mrs. Noventa was the only person praising their performance while Heero and Sylvia were practically silent. Silence was not good, it usually meant a disapproval of some sort.
Being the good friend, Adam noticed Relena's momentarily depressed expression but could not quite guess the cause. Whatever, the cause, he did not care, he just wanted her to be smile and be gay again. With a big grin on his face as he dried the dishes, Adam began to sing in scat, which soon had Relena and Lynn joining in, as he had hoped.
"Zappa-da zoopa-do zappa-da zappa-do-dee-ya," the trio sang in the form of question and answer, Adam doing the questioning and the girls answering.
It was exactly what Relena needed, especially when Adam got her to start sway a bit to their own tempo while her hands worked automatically on the dishes. This was something Relena could only expect from people like Adam, Lynn, Draca, and Sage. None of the Preventers or her war-time friends could easily change her moods and make her lighten up with a silly song.
During their singing, Relena heard the phone rang somewhere within the kitchen and it ceased all singing. Sage answered it and then he quickly pulled the phone away from his ear for everyone to hear someone yelling on the other line.
"Um…uh…Heero, I think it's for you," Sage told the ex-pilot as he hurriedly handed the cordless phone to Heero. Everyone watched with interest, especially Relena. It could not have been Shun-li since Relena hadn't called her yet about disappearing from her job and planning an escape route for Adam and the others when they get arrested.
Relena was no idiot, she knew Heero would find out that 'Salimar Reigns' was really Relena Salimar Darlian-Peacecraft, it was only a matter of time. Then when he found out she knew he would arrest her four friends and accomplices to try to get information out of them. Information like where her new whereabouts are. So, who was calling Heero and for what reason?
"I wonder what that is about," Lynn voiced, after Heero left the kitchen with the phone.
"No idea, I'll go find out," Sylvia volunteered.
Unconsciously, Relena tightly gripped the knife she was cleaning and scrubbed at it furiously. She almost stabbed Adam's hand when he tried to take the knife away from the former politician.
"Whoa there dudette, I know that I can be annoying but stabbing my hand is going just a wee bit too far to make me shut up," Adam pointed out, making Relena blush with shame. She just could not believe that she had almost stabbed one of her friends.
Muttering an apology, Relena handed the knife to Adam and picked up a spoon to wash instead, something that she could not unintentionally harm Adam with.
Laughing a bit to lighten the atmosphere, Adam dried the offending knife, "Don't sweat it girl." Leaning closer to her ear, Adam whispered, "I'm sure Sage or Draca is listening in on Heero's conversation or Heero and Sylvia's conversation to find out who had called soldier boy. Don't you worry about it honey, he doesn't know who you truly are yet."
"Let's hope he doesn't find out for a while still. I still want to spend a day with Quatre at Six Flags and then go stay with Frankie for a while." In fact, Relena was looking forward to spending time with her biological cousin who she almost never knew existed, but she was just as anxious to meet up with Quatre for the first time in over five months.
"You will, I'll make sure of that," promised Adam with a wink.
He was always so dependable and unbelievable, Relena just had to smile. "Thank you so much Adam."
True to Adam's word, Draca had indeed overheard the conversation between Sylvia and Heero, and was more than willing to report the good news of Heero's skipping town to go to Japan, upon Lady Une's orders. This news relieved Relena as Lynn drove her to the airport in the dead of an Italian night. She was on her way to meet Quatre in Illinois and with her was only a mini backpack to carry her cash and credit cards, and any other personal items she might need, like a change of clothes.
"So you don't think the suspenders and tie are too much?" she asked Lynn. Normally Relena did not doubt her fashion sense but this was Quatre and she did not wish to scare him away too much with her newly acquired look.
Lynn was laughing and it made Relena feel even more sheepish about her clothes.
"I mean I could always go without them, but then my pants might fall a bit too low for my comfort level and show my underwear or worse, my ass crack," Relena muttered, trying to get her friend to stop laughing at her expense. It was not working quite as well as Relena had hoped as Lynn continued her bursts of laughter and giggles.
Feeling her cheeks heat in embarrassment Relena opened her to offer another suggestion. Why was Lynn laughing so much instead of giving her advice, or at the very least, a straight answer? This was so frustrating.
"Sorry Lena, I laugh in kindness, truly. You just make it sound like this is your first date with a guy by yourself, you're acting like a high school student with no experience," Lynn laughed. When she heard no agreement or a small chuckle from Relena, Lynn got nervous. "This isn't your first date, is it?"
Glancing at her friend from the corner of her eye, Lynn saw Relena lower her head so that her hair hid her blushing face from view. How Lynn knew that Relena was blushing was by the red tint growing on the former politician's ear.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry Lena I didn't think that…that is to say I thought…" This was not going well. "Aw damn it, I'm sorry. Plain and simple, I am so sorry for my presumptions." Lynn could have slammed her head against the stirring wheel, when had she become an insensitive jerk who bumbled over her words when trying to apologize? "I must be hanging around Sage too much if I can't make a simple apology without stumbling over myself."
She was making a bigger ass of herself, Lynn could just feel it. She could feel that and a blush staining her cheeks. How was she supposed to know that Relena had never gone out on a date with a guy by herself?
"You would have mentioned going on your first date if you had ever gone on one before this thing with Quatre, I'm so sorry that I forgot that you never mentioned dating before. I feel like an idiot," Lynn groaned, slamming her head against the steering wheel while stopped at a red light.
"Don't," Lynn heard Relena murmur. "Don't feel like an idiot, it's not your fault that I've never been on an actual date before. After all, my high school days were cut short and I sort of wasted what time I had." Looking up, Relena gave her friend a reassuring smile that she hoped would calm Lynn's nerves and make them drop the current subject.
The reassurance was not working, Lynn still felt bad about her presumption, but she did not wish to make an endless cycle of her feeling bad making Relena feel bad, then Relena's feeling bad making her feel bad. That sort of cycle was unproductive and would put a black mark on their practically impeccable friendship record.
"You'll look find Relena," Lynn stated sincerely. "Keep the suspenders and tie on and you'll look fine, perhaps even sexy, I daresay."
Relena's blush returned with more vigor. She had never thought herself sexy; attractive at best but never sexy. Being sexy, in Relena's mind, meant a person exuded a sense of sensuality in her body and clothes, something that Relena did not feel she possessed or coveted. Sexiness was a gift and curse, much like being the Vice Foreign Minister except not as large a stressor, so Relena felt she could do without being sexy.
"Thank you, but I think sexy is going too far," she voiced, a humble smile playing at her lips.
Lynn's eyebrow twitched a bit at Relena's modesty since it made her method to make Relena feel comfortable backfire. "Well, if nothing else, I think Quatre might find you good-looking in your new attire," she winked, but her friendly demeanor faded into a business-like seriousness. "So, the plan is to have Draca and I make any last minute revisions to your escape plan, and then you will call us tomorrow at some odd time for plan confirmations. I will hopefully be dropping off your luggage at the airport, if not then Sage will, I trust his driving more than I trust Draca or even Adam's, no offense of course."
"Of course," Relena echoed, rolling her eyes at the obvious sardonic tone.
"So, Adam will be calling up your cousin to make sure someone will be there to pick you up at Mitchell Airport. Everyone else will stay at the Noventa residence in case your pursuer figures out who your doppelganger is and starts asking questions. That's it right?"
Relena surprised Lynn by shaking her head. "Actually, one of Francis' friends is in Verona right now visiting her mother, the details were literally fuzzy due to the static from the storm on Francis' side. Anyways, you will pick me up at the airport and take me to the train station. Now this is the variable part, depending if Heero is back and pursuing me then it is too risky for you to drive us to the airport, so Francis' friend's mother will do it. If Heero's not in hot pursuit then I would like you to drive this friend and me."
Mouth hanging open and eyes darting about, Lynn tried to absorb the information. "Wow," was her first comment, "my head is spinning." Personally, Relena could not blame her friend for finding the explanation confusing, she was confused by it at first as well until Francis had essentially drawn out the entire plan with stick figures and held it up to the vid-phone earlier that day.
"Okay," Lynn spoke up, "I'm still giving you the blasted bag, right? That part is the only thing not changing whatsoever?"
For a moment Relena did not know how to respond then she began laughing.
"What?" Lynn demanded with mirth. "I think that is a legitimate question."
Laughing even harder, Relena nodded in confirmation, "Yes, yes you are still giving me the 'blasted bag.' That part has not changed."
I know some people may think this an odd place to leave the chapter but I don't feel that there is anything else I need to expand upon until later chapters and it wraps up the basic conversation between Lynn and Relena.