Quite
Chatter
Chapter Three; Meiran POV:
Author's Note: Italics
mean remembering the past
Morning came too soon, and I found myself waking up almost at the exact same time that I normally would have woken up when Wufei was actually home. I glared at the clock and realized there was just no helping it. I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep even if I wanted to. Sighing, I got up and went over to my computer. I logged on and found my best friend OL. We chatted for a while, teasing each other, before finally letting each other go. I turned off the computer and got to work downstairs.
As soon as I saw the downstairs sitting room and dining area I was really glad I had gotten up early. Granted, I hadn't been sleeping well lately. With my three jobs, school, and homework I simply just didn't have much time for sleep. It didn't bother me, but lately, I had been finding myself running on fumes more often than I liked. I swiftly got to work cleaning up. It didn't take me very long, seeing as I had other servants under my command, but I didn't just leave it all to them, either. I was no better than them. It was that frame of thinking that had earned me all the other servants respect. While some of them remembered me as the little girl who used to constantly tease their boss's son, they liked me more now that I could see things from their point of few.
I wavered slightly on my feet once I was dressed for school and Kourin, one of the maids under my service, caught my arm. "Meiran, are you all right?" she asked. Her pink-violet eyes shimmered with concern while her newly dyed violet hair seemed to waver in front of me. I was most certainly not all right, but I had no other choice but to go to school. I fought past the dizziness and stood up under my own power.
"I'm fine. I just didn't sleep too well last night. Don't worry, Kourin." Kourin nodded, moving aside, yet I could tell she wasn't happy about it. Mrs. Chang, Wufei's mother, had loved Kourin's odd sense of style, and so she was one of the few who was allowed to be as crazy as she was being. It was rather fun to see what new hair color she'd come in with each week.
"Just take care of yourself, Meiran. We'd all worry if something happened to you." I gave her a tight smile.
"I know. Yet save your worry for Mr. And Mrs. Chang. Their son is still rather impossible and I'd feel better knowing everyone was hoping he'd snap out of his 'King of the World' phase." Kourin laughed softly and nodded.
"Isn't that the truth," Kourin muttered before going off to finish what she had been doing. I smiled and headed off for the front door. As I took the long walk down the halls I found myself remembering the day I had last seen Wufei.
"I don't want to go!" I shouted at age eleven, tears falling from my eyes. Standing in front of me was an eleven year old Wufei, a sword in his hands.
"You aren't taking her if she doesn't want to go!" he said calmly. Wufei and I had been friends and sparing partners for as long as we could remember. Our fathers had always believed that we were evenly matched. It was wonderful to see him this way. It was one of the reasons I cared about him as much as I did.
"I won't leave, Wufei! I can't. He needs me. I'm his rock!" I yelled, glaring at my mother's new husband. He rolled his eyes, but didn't advance. He knew Wufei was deadly with that sword. He'd watched both of us train so many times that he knew it was dangerous to take either one of us lightly.
"I'm sorry, Meiran," a gentle voice spoke up before I was grabbed from behind and held in a hold that I couldn't escape from.
"What! Houren-san, stop! Don't do this. I don't want to go. Please don't make me!" I cried, tears flowing wildly down my cheeks. Wufei whirled to face his mother, in turn, getting knocked out by a light tap from his father in the proper place. It was really sad that pressure points weren't something Wufei or I had learned to defend against yet. Otherwise, we might have had more of a chance. Houren handed me over to my mother while Wufei rested in his father's arms. "NO!" I yelled. I struggled in my mother's hold, but she was just as strong as Wufei's mother. Both were stronger than me.
"Meiran," Wufei whispered in his enforced slumber. I couldn't help it, I cried even more.
I reached the front door right as a dizzy spell hit and I couldn't hold it back any more. I felt myself begin to fall foreword. I was about to kiss the floor and it wasn't going to be pretty. I blacked out as I fell forward and as I did, my last words from that night came rushing to my lips once more. "I love you, Wufei." I then could remember nothing, not even hitting the floor.
I awoke slowly, my head pounding softly as I slowly focused on the ceiling. I blinked and looked at the soft blue of it and realized I was back in my room. I slowly sat up, feeling dizzy once more before placing a hand on my forehead. I glanced around my room once the throbbing in it stopped and I saw the one thing I had never dreamed of seeing. There, sitting in my computer chair, right next to my bed, was Wufei. I blinked in surprise and couldn't quite believe he was there.
"He's been there since he brought you upstairs," Houren's delicate voice said from the doorway. I looked toward it and felt myself flush deeply. She was the only one who honestly remembered me as the skinny, rebellious, and totally in love child from five, almost six years ago. I ducked my head.
"My lady, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pass out. Forgive me," I said softly, not wanting to wake him up. Houren waved it off.
"Stop it, Meiran. I told you that when it is just us, you may call me Houren." I glanced over at Wufei.
"With all due respect, we are not alone." She smiled and brushed back a stand of hair that had fallen from his ponytail and into his face.
"No, we aren't. But I still consider this out of hearing of the other servants, therefore we are as alone as we need for you to call me that." I nodded, knowing there was no way to argue with her and win. She wasn't a woman someone could win a verbal fight with. It just wasn't done.
"As you wish, Houren." She smiled brightly.
"Good. Now, I'm going to ask you something and I want to know the truth, understand?"
"Of course, Houren," I answered. She smiled and moved over beside me, sitting down beside me on the bed.
"Do you have any idea why you suddenly fell over?" she asked of me. I looked away, knowing I couldn't lie to her. She was my mother's best friend, and in return, she was almost a second mother to me.
"I haven't been sleeping well lately. Add to that I hardly have time to work and I'm normally up late finishing up my homework and I can chalk it all up to overworking myself." Houren shook her head at me.
"Well, that's it. You are going to take a week off from all your work and just relax. You hear me?" I swallowed. While I would love a week's break, I couldn't do it. If I took off even one day of work, I'd fail to be able to pay my tuition for school and thus get kicked out. I couldn't do that. Not if I didn't want to dishonor my mothers last wish.
"I. . .I can't," I whispered quietly. Houren looked at me for a long moment before sighing and placing a hand on my shoulder.
"I know you're working all those jobs to keep your word to your parents, Meiran. I also know that they wouldn't want you to work yourself into an early grave. You've been working for us for four years now and never once asked for a day off. In fact, you aren't really given any either. So I think we can afford to give you a week off with pay. Just call it using some of your PTO hours," she said with a smirk. I blinked.
"PTO?" I questioned. Houren nodded, chuckling softly.
"Yes. It stands for Paid Time Off. It means that for every eight hours you work a day, you earn about half an hour off with pay. Add that all together and needless to say you have quiet a few hours saved up." I sat there, doing the math in my head. Once I figured out the answer for only one year, I couldn't help but feel faint.
"That would mean I earned over ten thousand nine hundred and twenty in my first year here alone," I whispered. Houren's eyes got a little wide herself before she laughed softly.
"I'll take your word for it. Needless to say, those are a lot of hours. So feel free to use seven days worth. Once my husband realizes you have that many built up, he might have a conniption, but that's all right. It's his fault for not making you take any days off in the first place. Mine as well. I should have realized this sooner, instead of letting my eyes fool me. I'm sorry." I swiftly shook my head. It was no one else's fault save my own.
"No, it isn't. It was all my own. I should have realized I could have requested time off myself." Houren nodded and hugged me for a moment. She then stood up.
"I'm going to submit your hours to Ye, so you just rest. Tomorrow, all you'll have to worry about is getting to school." I felt a little guilty, but knew Houren wouldn't let me off otherwise.
"All right." Houren smiled brightly and waved.
"I'll check on you later," she promised before disappearing. I sighed and glanced down at myself. I was still in my uniform, but my hair was lose, flying wildly around my face and shoulder. Brushing it back, I found myself alone with Wufei in my room. MY ROOM. I couldn't believe it. Not even in my wildest dreams did I ever expect this. I sighed and placed my face into my hands. I really couldn't handle this.
"You really shouldn't work so hard," Wufei's voice suddenly said. I jumped slightly and looked over at Wufei, who was sitting there with his eyes open, staring at me. His ebony eyes seemed confused.
"You don't have to worry, sir. I've already been told that I couldn't work, so I won't be working so hard," I said, unable to be as calm as I had been with his mother.
"I never knew you worked for us," he said softly. I sighed.
"I do more than work for your family. Your parents took me in as a favor to my family." He blinked in surprise.
"Took you in? That would mean you. . .but I've never seen you in. . .wait a minute, yes I have! You live here as well!" he exclaimed. I couldn't help but roll my eyes in disgust. He was nothing like the boy I remembered, but I still loved him.
"Can you be any more dumb?" I asked. I then answered my own question. "Oh wait a minute, yes, you can. I do. I live here in the main house. My main job is taking care of you, actually." He looked at me oddly.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked. I sighed, leaning back against the headboard of my bed.
"In other words, oh prince, I make certain your clothes are neatly pressed and out for you when you wake up. I make certain your food is always warm and waiting for you, and I also make certain that your bedroom and your study are always kept neat and picked up. Granted, I do not go into your room, but I do trust Cameron to keep me informed if it is cleaned incorrectly."
"What?" he whispered in disbelief. I rolled my eyes once more.
"You heard me. I didn't stutter. Your mother thought it would be the best job for me, seeing as I told her I wanted to earn my keep here, as well as my tuition to E.R.P.S.G." He stared at me for a long moment.
"Just how many jobs do you have? I've seen you at the restaurant." I looked away from him.
"I have three all together. Here, the restaurant, and the dojo in town." He simply stared dumbly at me. His stare made me uncomfortable. I moved to even attempt to get out of bed, only to find I wasn't even strong enough to fully turn myself while sitting, let alone get up. It was such a shame I liked him so much. It seemed that every time he spoke, something stupid came out of his mouth, prompting me to be rude in return.
"I. . ." he paused and cleared his throat before trying again. "I apologize. . . for my accusation before. . . it was unjust of me to jump to conclusions before knowing all the facts." He gave me a little bow before moving to leave. I sat there dumbfounded before glaring daggers at his back.
"What in the world. . . do you think that's a cure all!" I shouted at him. He stopped, his back stiffening at my words.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I've apologized for my error and was going to leave you in peace." I glared at him.
"Oh, you've apologized all right. Yet you always look at me as if I'm not human! As if I had no heart or soul. That's. . . that isn't something that can be forgiven or forgotten. It hurts." I turned away from him, sniffing softly. This wasn't good. I think I must have hit my head too hard once I passed out. I had no control over my mouth. "Nevermind. Go on and be about whatever you were going to do. Forgive me for my insolence." I heard nothing, not him leaving or his returning to the chair. It made me uncomfortable, but I refused to look at him once more. I heard him sigh right as he placed a hand on my shoulder, surprising me into looking back at him. Our eyes met and locked.
"I'm sorry, I had no idea I was always so rude to you." He looked away then, almost embarrassed. "In all honesty. . .and I mean no disrespect. . .but I hadn't even noticed you until I acquired a fan-girl." I shrugged off his hand, certain my ebony eyes spit fire.
"Its no different from anyone else who looks at the 'Fallen Princess', so don't worry about it," I muttered bitterly. Sometimes I just couldn't understand him. Realizing this, it should show me he wasn't the man for me. So why was it that I cared so much for him still? His eyes suddenly seemed to go wide as he looked at me.
"Wait. . . 'Fallen Princess'? . . . Long? Is that you?" he questioned, looking at me closely then. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that, angry. I was certain the fire flared hotter now.
"My God. . .you just noticed?" I laughed bitterly for a moment. "Someone give the boy a cookie." He went silent, uncertainty in his gaze. "What's the matter, upset to find your once playmate and sparing partner reduced to this?" I asked darkly.
"No. . . that's not it," he said softly. I crossed my arms over my chest, knowing it was the best I could do in my condition.
"Then what?" I questioned, wanting an answer.
"It's just something that probably wouldn't matter any more," he finally answered. I glared.
"Meaning you just don't want to discuss it with me."
"Meaning I don't know if it still applies," he shot back. I growled low in my throat. I hated it when he got like this.
"Would you just say it already. I'll admit you've got me curious as all hell now." He glowered at me suddenly.
"You're exactly the same, you know that. Vastly infuriating and. . . . grr!" he growled, his composure finally shot. I couldn't help but smile. I loved breaking him from that oh so proper shell he always wore.
"Did you think my fall from grace would change that?" I asked with false sweetness.
"Did I say I did?" he asked in return. If he didn't stop answering a question with a question, I'd have to hurt him, being ill or not.
"No." I smirked suddenly, knowing how to get to him. "I can still perform better at the sword kata than you."
"Here I thought you'd disappeared from the face of this world and then all of a sudden I find we've been living under the same roof for the past four years. . . and. . . did you just challenge me?" I couldn't help but smirk. Leave it to him to be a little slow on the uptake.
"There'd be no challenge. You still lack the one thing I don't in the kata. You lack love. You do it because you must. I've always done it because I love it. There is no way you could win."
"I see. When you are better, we shall have to see who is better." I couldn't help but deepen my smirk, tilting my head as I looked at him.
"I've been watching you and you haven't improved. While I, on the other hand, have been beating the best in the class." He smirked a little then, his eyes sparkling.
"Well, what do you expect when my only sparing partner left me?" he asked. I couldn't help but sigh.
"I've never left, you idiot. I've always been looking after you." Wufei raised an eyebrow at that. I then heard myself mutter softly: "You never take care of yourself." He suddenly smirked a knowing smirk. It unsettled me. "What's that for?" I asked.
"I know something you don't know," he answered. I blinked.
"What's that?" I asked. He had reverted to childish taunts and I had to admit I loved it.
"Has anyone ever told you your eyes sparkle when you're angry?" he asked, changing the subject.
"My friend Clare said I'd burn someone with them someday," I answered with a smile. He laughed a little at that.
"I'm inclined to agree," he admitted, bowing to me. "But you should know, the Dragon Clan is immune to fire." I found myself looking down at my hands.
"You have nothing to worry from me, sir. I need my jobs too badly to burn you," I grumbled beneath my veil of hair which had fallen foreword to cover my face.
"Well, maybe we can work something out regarding that," he said after a moment of silence. I glanced up at him, my hair still part way in my face. My eyes narrowed in mistrust.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked.
"Well, as you can tell, I'm in need of a sparing partner. Perhaps something can be arraigned for you to take that position." I tried not to laugh.
"Spar with you? I'd lose all my skill within two days of doing it," I joked. His ebony eyes glared darkly at me.
"Arrogant onna," he growled, stomping toward the door.
"Stubborn dragon," I shot back. He whirled to me, glaring some more.
"At least I know my flaws," he snarled.
"And I didn't deny mine," was my come back. He threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.
"You're infuriating!" he yelled.
"And you love me for it," I said, teasing. He sighed.
"Unfortunately," he answered. Without another word, he had stomped off, out of my room and as his foot falls echoed up the stairs near my door I couldn't help but feel my jaw hit the floor. Had he just admitted something neither one of us had been expecting? If that was the case, then I'd really have to have a chat with him later. For now, it was bed rest until I could get better.
