Fatimah is 17, Xiu is 15, Yong Soo is 19, and Maddox is 13. Ten years before present times...
Sometimes He Did Say It
There was a part of Fatimah which was happy she was returning to Singapore. Four years away was such a long time. So far away. But while there was that enthusiasm, there was also plenty of her which was dreading her departure of Hearth.
"What am I going to do there? It'll be boring compared to Hearth!" Fatimah demanded, holding Maddox to her as if he were a stuffed animal. Maddox did not approve, but there was no escaping the iron grip which reminded him of Yao.
"Help," Maddox said, quiet voice swallowed up by Fatimah's sleeves.
"You could stay here!" Yong Soo said immediately. Xiu looked hesitant.
"Don't you miss your family?"
"Yeah, but it is not as if we do not talk all the time still anyway," Fatimah shrugged. "I just... never did as much with them as I have done here. Sure I'm learning, but I'm having fun."
"Help?" Maddox repeated.
"This is not 'goodbye forever'," Xiu reminded her. "You're just getting to go home. You can always come back."
"Xiu," Yong Soo poked at her. "Stop talking."
"No," she stuck her tongue out at him, quickly retracting it when he pretended he was about to lick it. Both her and Fatimah went 'ew', referring to Yong Soo in just every word known how he was a dirty old man. Or a dirty young man, neither of the girls were that picky. Maddox, thoroughly annoyed, finally slipped out of Fatimah's grip and moved over behind Xiu, grabbing his stuffed red panda and wrapping its tail around himself five times.
"It just doesn't seem like four years!" Fatimah exclaimed.
She had said that two weeks ago. Fatimah had to hide her tears because she was not the type of girl who cried, goddammit!
She was not ready to go.
Still, what was there to do about it? Fatimah was going home. She had to tell everyone, arrange everything... all of this stuff which was getting in the way with her enjoying her last month in Hearth. Not that Hearth did not seem to have its own plans in making certain she still enjoyed herself.
"Oh hey there Fati! A little help?"
"Get out of it yourself," Fatimah said with a grin, watching as Yong Soo dangled upside down. "You knew Maddox put that there, why'd you step in it?"
"I didn't!" Yong Soo protested. "I totally didn't! It was Young Sil!"
Fatimah did not believe him because Yong Soo always blamed his mistakes on his older brother, just as Young Sil blamed his mistakes on his younger brother. It was a waste of time to believe everything they said about each other.
"I'll tell Xiu you couldn't make it," she said as she began to walk toward the Vargas restaurant. Yong Soo struggled more and hit his face into the tree. Fatimah decided she would probably return soon to make certain he had gotten down. Yong Soo with all of the blood rushed to his head was a bad thing, his brain would not be able to take it.
"Seven days," Xiu sighed, staring down at her plate. She had not touched any of her food, while Fatimah had basically inhaled hers. Xiu had long since decided on commenting. "Time just flies by when something big is about to happen."
"No it doesn't!" Fatimah laughed, waving it off with the hand which was not attached to the arm propping her head up on the table. "Time does not work like that. I think you just feel it's going fast because summer is going by quickly and you have your last year of school coming up."
Xiu frowned. She actually had not been thinking about that. It made it worse. "I'm not cut out for school."
"Are you kidding?" Fatimah blinked. "With your good marks?"
"Memorization and regurgitation, that's what I'm good at."
"I beg to differ," Fatimah snorted. Then again, it was a little annoying to be told that by the younger girl who was better at mathematics than she. And Fatimah was good with math.
"Maybe not... but none of it interests me very much," Xiu continued. "You know that. I want to focus on something for my future."
"What is with the sudden interest in the future?" Fatimah asked, confused. "You have plenty of time to figure this out."
"No. Not really."
"I can't believe you're going to be gone!" Feliciano suddenly said, popping up from who knew where and nearly giving Xiu a heart attack. The younger Italian hugged Fatimah, tears streaming down his face.
"Why is everyone crying? Jeez!" Fatimah exclaimed, torn between hugging the poor man back and pushing him off. She opted for the former, because it meant she could hide her eyes in his shoulder and no one could see her blinking as quickly as she was.
"Muhammad's going to go back to being the creepy guy who stays in his house all the time except when he is bothering Yao!" Feliciano went on to say. Fatimah blinked again.
"That's true," Xiu said, the fact suddenly hitting her. "Before you showed up I did not even know he lived there." Strange, through Fatimah's staying at the man's house she had gotten used to him. As used to Muhammad as one could get. Xiu liked him a bit better than Yao. Yao was a little too weird to her. Muhammad said it was because she was Chinese and did not listen when she corrected that she was from Taiwan. Weird.
The door opened and the three of them glanced over to see Yong Soo enter, stumbling about and missing their table by the entire length of the room and falling on his face.
"Lunch please..." he gurgled from the ground.
Xiu looked concerned, but Fatimah simply took some of the food off of her plate. Feliciano gave her another hug before going over to check on Yong Soo.
"What do you want to do?" Xiu asked her. Fatimah thought about it.
"I... I'm not certain. I haven't thought past the 'going back home' part," she admitted, leaning back in her chair. "Where's Maddox? Do I have to extract him out of his house? Or out of Arthur's house?"
"How often have you had to do that lately?" Xiu asked. Fatimah opened her mouth, shut it, then thought about that as well.
"Not often. Huh... I guess I just got used to thinking of him as the introverted twerp. Alongside the extroverted twerp." Which was Alfred, of course.
"He's not really that introverted anymore," Xiu smiled, thinking back on it. "It is probably all of your fettering him out that did it."
"No," Fatimah scowled, doing her best to hide the red that suddenly stained her cheeks. "Probably because he was always a conniving brat with a cold shell."
"What are we talking about?" asked Maddox, sitting next to Xiu. Xiu had the grace to blush, but Fatimah just narrowed her eyes at him.
"None of your business, you weren't here for the beginning of it. You get to miss out, mini-me."
As usual, Maddox just stared at her and was not bothered by her attempt at antagonizing him.
"They were talking about you," Yong Soo said, crawling into the chair next to Fatimah. Both girls were about to protest when he continued. "And me."
Ah, he had not heard them then. "You wish," Fatimah shook her head.
Xiu concealed her giggles. "Just about how you both were late."
"And about how we were late!" Yong Soo went on to say. Fatimah sighed.
"That's what she said!"
The four of them went quiet. Maddox's lips twitched as he lowered his head, hair covering his face. "That phrase is so old school, Fatimah."
"Like Yao?" Yong Soo asked.
Fatimah knew she was making a strange noise. Xiu had her mouth physically closed shut with her hands. Maddox's head disappeared below the table.
"That's what Yao said!" the four of them exclaimed before three of them burst into laughter and Maddox sunk completely under the table.
While none of them said it, for some reason their tally started there.
"Finally leaving? 'bout time. Go be annoying somevhere else."
Fatimah drew herself up to her full height, which was still seventeen centimeters too little to make any sort of impression on the German. "At least I do not have to worry about someone tainting awesome there, as no one else bothers to lie about their self-worth like certain people here."
Gilbert frowned, eyes narrowing in on her. "You know vhat dis means, right?"
"Oh?" she asked, a bit sweeter now because it meant she could cover up her laughter. Gilbert was so easy to rile. Fatimah wondered when people were actually supposed to become adults in this town. She had hoped to find out.
Gilbert chose one of their many competitions, and surprise surprise, it was one of them that he had won the last time they had done it. "All-you-can-eat."
"That's what Yao said."
He hesitated. "Vhat?"
"On your tab again, Muhammad's not footing me for the Vargas' bill again," Fatimah grinned. "Unless we make Xiu cook for us again?"
"Hell no!" Gilbert shook his head. "Ve make Ludwig cook for us."
"I don't want wursts," Fatimah shook her head. She did not mind them too much, but she sickened of them quickly. There was only so many of those she could eat in a row before her stomache protested. Gilbert could breathe the stuff. Which was why he won last time. It was cheating, really. "Let's get Kiku."
"Stop vith de Asian choices," Gilbert demanded, leaning over and ruffling up her hair. Immediately she protested, shoving his arm off with all the strength she could muster.
"Then you pay for everything I eat," she went back to their first choice.
"Dat's vhat Yao said."
Fatimah snorted before she could stop herself, covering her mouth and nose with her hands. It was unintentional, but she figured if she could get half the town to say this before she left she would have made her mark. A stupid mark, yes, but a mark that Maddox would have to work really hard to beat.
"I dought I heard you right," Gilbert said, leaning down to look her in the face. "Ant in context... you're really creepy, Fati. Really creepy."
"You said it!" she protested.
"You said it first!"
Someone cleared their throat and the both of them turned around. Ludwig glowered at them.
"Vhy are you both in my house?"
"You said he invited you in!" Fatimah accused Gilbert, who simply looked smug and did not answer. Why she trusted him when it came to his brother though, she had no clue.
Once she told her own brothers about this, face-to-face, they would probably appreciate her more.
"Maddox! What are you doing in my chimney this June?"
"That is what Yao said."
Muhammad rose an eyebrow, but easily pulled Maddox out of his fireplace, absently beating off the soot on his sleeves with the back of his hand. "I bet Yao says plenty of things like that, he has you to deal with."
"I was competing with Alfred. What time is it?"
He could easily see that the time did not matter. Alfred was much louder than Maddox and it did not matter whose chimney he would have tried to climb into, someone had probably already found out he was there. Whether they removed him themselves or whether they called Arthur to tell him where his son was at did not matter. Alfred was out of running a long time ago.
"Winning time," Muhammad grinned at him. "You missed Fatimah, she's been gone all morning."
Maddox stayed quiet for a little bit before he answered. "She missed me, I was here when she left."
Muhammad laughed. "You are going to be in a talking to from Yao, young man!" he warned him cheerfully, quite willing to take Maddox himself to hear Yao scold him. Yao was absolutely terrible at scolding anyone, let alone Maddox, let alone when he knew Muhammad was in the vicinity, let alone when Muhammad made audible comments about his own speech.
"That is what Yao said."
The repeat of the earlier statement let Muhammad know that this was a phrase now and Muhammad was in the know enough to discern where it was derived. "Which one of you started it this time?" he queried.
Maddox almost looked confused, but covered the expression quickly. "Yao."
"Did he?" Muhammad laughed at the obvious lie. "How did he do that?"
"By being old."
Well, that was true enough. "You know plenty well I'm older than him."
"That is what Yao said." With that one stressed word, Muhammad had no doubt that Yao actually had said it. "He will not say by how much."
"Because that would admit how old he is!" Muhammad grinned again. "And you should know better! Never ask a woman her age!"
Maddox opened his mouth, seemed to forget he was about to say something as he thought about it, then looked back up at him. "That is what Yao said."
Muhammad sighed. This was getting old, fast. Unlike himself, who just felt old at the normal pace. "I know you know what you are doing, Maddox."
"That is what Yao said."
"You are annoying.
"That is what Yao said."
"Yes," Muhammad agreed, picking Maddox up by the back of his collar. "It probably is."
The next moment saw Maddox being thrown out the front door. He rolled down into the road, then turned and began to roll down the road. Muhammad watched him go.
He realized Maddox was intentionally being as annoying as possible, probably to keep him from taking him to Yao. Muhammad would have to remember to tell Yao that. It would both irritate his friend and relieve him. It was about time Maddox was able to plan ahead.
Even if it was to be even more annoying.
"What is wrong with Fatimah?" Arthur asked Xiu, the girl in question simply having collapsed on his couch.
"She won an all-you-can-eat contest against Gilbert," Xiu said, the idea obviously distasteful to her. Arthur did not think much of it either (why would Fatimah want to risk being sick for the rest of her days here?) but knew better than to find it distasteful. Rather, he found it hilarious. After all, Gilbert had lost. He might not have eaten as much, but it meant he would be in worse condition.
"She might as well pack another victory under her belt before she goes."
Xiu gave him an expressionless look, likely stating how much she disproved. Arthur ignored it however and went over to Fatimah. "What brings you to my house? Do you need anything?"
"No," Fatimah stated implicitly, as she always did. "Actually, we were curious about all the soot outside."
Arthur sighed, parental instincts immediately making certain he could still hear the shower upstairs. "Alfred had the bright idea to climb up some chimneys." Not that Arthur was stupid. He knew exactly who's bright idea it was. He loved Maddox, dearly, and it was nicer to see him doing things than being so introverted, but Yao needed to reign the child in just a little. It appeared he was a child of two extremes.
"Who's chimney?"
"Roy's." The bastard gave him a boost up too. Arthur was really getting sick and tired of law enforcement enforcing bad behavior. How his brother's ever managed the job was becoming increasingly more sketchy. "I suppose, considering where you came from, you don't want any tea?"
A muffled laugh came from Xiu. Fatimah looked annoyed for a second. Then she said something rather odd.
"That's what Yao said."
Xiu laughed some more.
Yong Soo pointed at the house in question before Xiu could even ask what he was doing. "Look over there!"
Her eyes, having already followed his finger in the direction it was pointing, let alone needing to be told what to do with the gesture, closed for a moment as she sighed. "It is a house."
"That's what Yao said!" Yong Soo threw his hands up in the air. Xiu had been about to scold him for it, when she realized that Yao must have said that to him. "But that isn't what I'm pointing at."
"Yes, someone is moving in," Xiu shook her head, wondering how it was she was able to deal with the man one on one. At least Fatimah could hold her own with him most of the time. And Maddox... was Maddox. "I know."
"He's actually here today!"
"He... what?" Xiu gasped, standing up. "Then what are we doing here, watching his house! We should not be here!"
"Why not! We should tell him hi!"
Before Xiu could stop him, Yong Soo had gotten out of the bushes and crossed the street to the front door. Xiu was not certain who this was, nor did it really matter. She did not know if this person had even met anyone else in Hearth before, but Yong Soo was definitely not the person that anyone here would want to meet a newcomer first.
She ran after him. He was knocking on the door. Xiu shut her eyes.
And tackled him.
The door opened and the man looked out, eying his front yard with confusion. Xiu covered Yong Soo's mouth.
Then he looked down at his bushes and at the two of them. "Can I help you?"
Xiu's face burned. Quickly she got up to explain herself, welcome him, anything, but all she could do was stare at her sandals. Yong Soo got up next to her with sticks in his hair. "Hi!"
"Am I going to have to worry about kids messing up my yard?" the man asked bluntly, pulling a cigar out of his pocket and sticking it in his mouth.
"No, sir, no!" Xiu squeaked.
"That's what Yao said!"
Not only was Xiu mortified, but now she was annoyed. She was certain she rambled something about the fact she would keep an eye on Yong Soo, that Yong Soo was not really as bad as he appeared, and a general 'welcome to Hearth' before she ran off, Yong Soo's wrist firmly in hand.
Oh, she would never be able to face that man again.
"What are you doing up there?" Fatimah asked.
"That is what Yao said."
"You know you are going to overuse that joke and it will not be funny anymore," Fatimah snorted as she began climbing up the tree. She made it to a branch nearby where Maddox was sitting, watching the young teen as he stared dully out at the nearby houses. "You could come down. I..."
I will be gone on Friday.
"I'd rather keep an eye on you," she scowled at him, reaching over to ruffle his hair. Maddox quickly scooted away out of her reach. He did not say anything, not looking at her. Fatimah found herself first paranoid, then softened. "...Maddox?"
"I had a sister once, I think," he said, awkwardly, hugging his red panda. Like how he used to be. When she had first met him, both new to Hearth. A little boy named Kong who did not want to see anyone, clinging to Yao's legs as if he were his only anchor to the world. "I like to think she was like you."
Fatimah froze, face flushed.
"...when I am feeling particularly masochistic, that is."
"I-idiot!" Fatimah exclaimed, pushing him off the branch. Maddox either was not expecting it, or did not move fast enough to catch himself. So he hit the ground. Fatimah almost was concerned, but because Maddox did not move at all, she relaxed. "Nice try, mini-me!"
He rolled away.
One water gun fight gone awry later, Yong Soo, Xiu, Fatimah, and Maddox found themselves hiding in Yao's flowers. Maddox would have climbed up the house if it had not been for Yong Soo hitting all of them with water and his hair was now clinging to his eyelids. Xiu would not have been involved if Alfred had not told Gilbert that she was the one who told Fatimah to hit him in the back of the head with a stream of water. And, finally, they had lost their sanctuary in Arthur's house because they were sopping wet.
"We're going to have to do this when I come back," Fatimah said. Then, as if something had hit her, she burst into tears.
"Hey, Fati! Woah!" Yong Soo said, trying to hug her. She shoved him away.
"You're wet!"
"And now you are more wet," he pointed out, hugging her anyway. His big sleeves practically plastered themselves to her shoulders. It was so ridiculous, Fatimah was able to recover herself.
"We... will do this when you come back," Xiu said.
"Especially if it is winter," Maddox's small voice added.
"And we shoot each other with hot water!" Yong Soo agreed.
"No," Maddox continued. "Cold water. We can all die of pneumonia."
"Shush," Xiu pressed a finger against Maddox's lips. Maddox pulled back slightly, once more trying to get his hair out of his eyes so he could see.
"That is what Yao said."
"Shut up Maddox," Fatimah groaned
"That is what–"
"What are the four of you talking about in my garden, aru?" Yao asked. The four of them look straight up at him.
"That's what you said," Maddox said.
Fatimah shot Maddox in the face with another stream of water.
"I heard you finally lost it."
Fatimah turned to look at Muhammad as she continued to struggle closing her luggage. "What?" she asked, confused. He sighed, coming over and sitting down on her bed, nothing on it. The room was so empty.
"What's wrong?"
It took her a moment to respond, snorting. "Um... I'm leaving? Do you remember that little bit of information? Like how the house is going to be very empty and quiet?"
"Don't you dare avoid the subject with me," he said in his good humor, patting the bed next to him. Sitting down next to him, she waited for what he actually meant. If she tried to guess, she would likely be so off base it would not even be funny. Four years and she had no way of knowing what Muhammad was about to talk about. "You want to go home, you do not want to go home... there is a reason about home which makes you not want to return there, not just Hearth."
Fatimah sighed.
"So spill, woman."
It was as if she was a screen. This last week, people could see right through her. Some people pretended not to, others did not even bother. It hurt when they did not though. Fatimah almost wished she had never told anyone she was leaving. If everyone had just treated her like always...
"I won't be able to speak out at home," Fatimah finally admitted. "We do not have this freedom of speech. You don't like something, deal with it."
Muhammad rose an eyebrow. "You're a smart girl. Don't deal. Do something about it."
Which was something she should have thought of a long time ago. Fatimah broke into a smile. "You are awesome. I almost wish you were my father."
"Oh, no you don't!" Muhammad exclaimed, but it was in his usual teasing fashion. Not that it sounded like he was teasing, but Fatimah knew well enough now. "My children don't even want me as their father. I'm terrible at it. I am much better at being the random caretaker for a girl who wasn't even supposed to be here. I like that better." She nodded.
"So do I."
"Good. It means I don't have to remind you to keep in touch. If I did, then I would have to suggest it."
Fatimah swallowed. "No sir."
"Good again! Now give me a hug."
She did so without hesitation. "You are such a sentimental old man..."
"What did you say?"
"I'm glad you liked the joke we played on old man Yao."
The Indian man chuckled, patting her on the back. "Who wouldn't like a trick played on him? And hey, I'm older than him. Watch your language."
Fatimah sighed. Oh, Muhammad was still awesome, but she was very much reminded as to why she would not really want him as her father. "That's what Yao said."
"I am serious, Fatimah."
That sentence made her grin.
Still, the next day she was on a plane and heading back to Singapore.
Fatimah
You should get this e-mail immediately. Because it is the INTERNET. Not sure when you will read it, but you still have eyes I think so it will all work out for you.
I just wanted you to know Hóng hijacked a trip in your suitcase.
Take care of him.
Absently, Fatimah stroked the red panda's long tail.
Notes:
Hóng (紅) = bonus; popular; red; revolutionary
Fatimah actually was part of an exchange program, to go to school in the City, but she ended up in Hearth and stayed there under Muhammad's roof. Oh well, right?
This fit into Hearth so well I am slightly worried about it.
MADDOX IS THE EXACT SAME. Well, that is not true. Nowadays Maddox thinks fast and acts slow. Back in the day Maddox acts slow because his brain was a bit slow. And he actually had some expressions. Maddox had some problems when he was younger. He also had a red panda stuffy, which was the character named Hóng that he last referred to. Xiu made it for him, but messed up on the tail and kept making it longer and longer. She pretended that was on purpose though. Maddox never knew the difference. Neither did Yao, who thought it was absolutely adorable.
Also, he is technically still named 'Kong' at this point, as he is yet to be adopted by Arthur. He took the name about a year before this to annoy everyone. Unfortunately the only person he really annoyed was Yao, everyone else decided to conform to it.
There is also the fact that Ludwig and Lovino are both the same in that their brother's bring people into their houses without asking. With Lovino it makes sense, he and Feliciano lived in the same house for so long. But with Ludwig, as Gilbert lives in a different house, it is really just Gilbert being an ass.
Anyway, I hoped you liked it, ' b l u e y 3 0 6 '!
On another note: you people wanted Maddox after Maddox after Maddox! So the next four chapters are full of Maddox. And Vash. You guys really wanted Vash. Or Maddox. Not certain which you all like more now in Hearth. Wow.