Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ For All That I Am ❯ Chapter 1
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Alright, here's my second WCxSP fic! I don't know if it's as good as my first. Hopefully, it is! I must warn you, though, Wufei may seem a little OOC. I portrayed him as I think he is under his tough exterior, a kind-hearted, emotional person just like the rest of us. Not too sentimental, though. ^_^ And a BIG thanx to Makoto Yuy, who beta-read this for me(thanks, Makoto!)! N'wayz, enjoy the story! And please please PLEASE review! Thanx!
Angel~
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Gundam Wing, but it sure would make a nice early b-day present! Don't own the wonderful song "For All That I Am". That belongs to the major-cool group, the A*TEENS. Not me, 'k?
For All That I Am
By Angel of Death
A thin carpet of leaves covered the ground, bathed in soft moonlight, rustling every now and then when a breeze blew across them. A lone figure walked slowly through this sanctuary of a forest, the leaves crunching beneath his feet, his pale hands in his pockets, his head bowed. Suddenly, his steps slowed until he'd stopped completely, and he tilted his head up, his deep, black eyes finding their way to the full moon overhead. If another person happened to intrude on his solitude, they would recognize him as 22-year-old Chang Wufei, former pilot of the Altron Gundam. His black hair was bound back in its usual ponytail, but anyone who knew this hot-tempered soldier would be able to easily tell that he was not himself. In his eyes, an unusual display of sadness lurked in the depths, something he never let show unless he was alone. At the moment, he was letting his thoughts wander, not wanting to think about the situation he had gotten himself into. As his eyes found the moon, so did his thoughts. The moon is so amazing when you look at it from Earth. It's as if it's watching over the people, sending it's golden light down in comforting waves, shutting the people's eyes and lulling them into a peaceful sleep . . . Wufei blinked, then a ghost of a smile came to his lips. There I go again, he thought ruefully, Being all poetic . . .
There were three things that no one who'd met him knew about the Solitary Dragon. He held a deep love for but three things. One, music. Even though he never showed it, he was actually a great lover of old Chinese melodies and classics such as Beethoven and Bach. Besides having once been a scholar, he had also studied music when he was very young, and could play the piano like a pro. Two, poetry. He still considered it a weakness, his love for poetry, but at least he didn't deny it to himself anymore. Along with liking to read it, he also enjoyed writing it, and had many stacks of poems stashed away in a secret place where no-one would find them. The third thing was what he considered his greatest weakness, and no-one but he and one other knew about it. At least, he had thought that the other person had known. It appeared she hadn't. The third thing was his love for a person, namely his partner(Ex-partner, now, his mind whispered at him), Sally Po. And the person he had thought had known about it was the woman herself. Now that he thought about it, he had never actually said those three words to her, but she was intelligent, he had figured she knew. Well, he thought bitterly, she wouldn't be gone if she had known, now, would she? He frowned, bowed his head again, and made his way back to the cabin that they had previously shared in the woods, trying to think of a way he could bring her back. Suddenly, it came to him. He rushed into the house, not even bothering to close the door, and sat at his desk, pulled out a piece of paper, and began to write . . .
*****
"Last night I came home too late
And you were there waiting
I know, it's easy to call
I guess I wasn't thinking of you . . .
It's not that I don't care
You should know me better by now . . ."
*****
~~~FLASHBACK(one week earlier)~~~
Wufei stepped out of his black car, which was parked in a driveway next to a hunter-green convertible, grabbing his bag of papers and slamming the door behind him. He wearily made his way up the sidewalk to the cabin he shared with Sally and took a house-key out of his pocket, put it in the lock, unlocked the door, and walked into the house. He took little notice of the fact that the house was dark save one light that was on down the hall, just plopping bag and keys on the kitchen table and getting himself a glass of water. His thoughts were wandering over various things, like the fact that he still had a lot of paperwork to do for the Preventers and it was already 1:15 a.m., when he heard a cold voice behind him that he recognized as Sally's.
"Where've you been at so late an hour?" she said, and when Wufei turned around to look at her, he saw that her face was hidden in shadows, so he couldn't read her expression.
"Working up at the Preventers', unlike someone I know, who had a day off." he snapped, immediately regretting his harshness. But it was too late to take it back, so he dismissed it without even thinking of apologizing. Sally nodded, and Wufei was startled to notice that her hand was trembling.
"Why-Why didn't you call and tell me? I . . . I was worried." she said in an oddly strangled voice. Wufei blinked, taken aback by this sudden show of emotion. In his surprise, his answer took on a harsh sound tinged with non-existing annoyance.
"You needn't have worried about me, Woman, I can take care of myself." he said, frowning. 'Where does this woman get off, worrying about me?' he thought, but was interrupted when Sally nodded.
"That's what I figured you'd say." she whispered, turning away to pick up something on the floor which looked oddly like an oversized briefcase. It took a moment for it to register in Wufei's mind that it was a suitcase. When it did, he quickly tried to figure out why Sally would need a suitcase. There was no plausible reason, unless . . . Wufei suddenly froze when the thought occurred to him, and he immediately looked up and reached out a hand.
"Sal-" Just then, the cloud that had been blocking the moon darted away, letting the moon's rays filter in through the kitchen window to illuminate Sally's face. Wufei gasped when he saw tears streaming from her eyes, painting her face in shining crystals. Until that moment, he had never seen Sally cry. He had assumed she was too strong to cry, like himself. Then, before he could say a word, Sally had walked out of the house and closed the door behind her. The sound snapped Wufei out of his previous trance, and he rushed to the door and opened it in time to see Sally's car disappear around the bend in the barely-seeable dirt road that led to their . . . his . . . cabin . . .
~~~END FLASHBACK~~~
*****
"I am sorry if I made you lonely inside
I am sorry I made you feel bad
What I'm tryin' to say
I'm not always that way
So love me for all that I am . . ."
*****
Wufei put down the pen and flexed his hand, wondering what to say next. He wanted to apologize for so much in one poem, and besides not having much time, he didn't have the faintest idea where to start. He had to find a short way to apologize for a long list of things, and hadn't a clue where to begin. He searched his memory for the things Sally had seemed to get upset over that he never paid attention to. Well, he thought, I guess a good start would be telling her . . . He nodded and, with that decided, picked up the pen and returned to his writing.
*****
"I know, I know I often forget
To say that I love you
And yes, and yes I truly regret
The times I might've hurt you that way
It's not that I don't care
You should know me better by now . . ."
*****
~~~FLASHBACK(two years ago)~~~
Wufei leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, his usual scowl on his face. Women in fancy dresses and men in black tuxedos, like his own, were out on the dance floor, while some were sitting at tables eating and talking. The center of attention was a man and woman were standing in the center of the room with a few friends, the woman with long, sandy-blonde hair and aquamarine eyes, the man with scruffy, chocolate-brown hair and Prussian-blue eyes. Both, amazingly, were smiling and laughing with their friends, the woman wearing a dazzlingly white dress which was obviously a wedding dress, the man wearing a tuxedo like all the other men. The man looked over and caught Wufei's eye, excused himself from the others and gave the woman a kiss on the cheek, then walked over to Wufei.
"I'm glad you could make it, Wufei. Relena and I are very pleased." he said, smiling. Wufei nodded.
"It was a beautiful wedding. Sally said that Relena wasn't nervous at all just before the vows." The brown-haired man laughed.
"Well, I was about as nervous as a mouse when he's dangling above the mouth of a cat, as you well know. And Duo didn't make matters any better, always whispering, 'Heero, you nervous yet? Now are you nervous? What 'bout now, Heero?'" he said, shaking his head. Wufei smirked as he recalled the scene, Heero reaching for his gun repeatedly(which wasn't there, of course), then finally snatching Wufei's katana(which Wufei brought with him for decorative purposes) and chasing Duo around the room, threatening to kill him after cutting his braid off. It had been quite funny, and even Trowa had broken down into laughing fits, along with Quatre and Zechs. Wufei hadn't, of course, but he'd had to try very hard to keep from doing so. Returning to the present, he shook his head in exasperation.
"Yes, Maxwell can definitely be annoying at times." he said. Heero smiled.
"Yes, but that's what makes him fun to be with, most of the time, anyway. Did you and Sally get an invitation to him and Hilde's wedding?" he inquired. Wufei nodded.
"We sure did, and he had some nerve! Can you believe that baka referred to us on the card as "Mr. and Soon-To-Be Mrs. Chang Wufei"!?" he cried, clenching his fist. Heero bit his lip.
"Did he now?" he said, trying not to laugh, and being unsuccessful. He burst out laughing until he nearly cried. Wiping his eyes, he grinned at Wufei.
"Would I be signing my own death warrant if I said that it was me who came up with the idea of doing that?" he asked, eyes twinkling. Wufei gaped at him.
"Y-you!? You were the one who did it!? I don't believe this!" he cried, too surprised to be angry, yet. Heero nodded, trying to smother the grin that threatened to engulf his face and infuriate even further the now-murderous Gundam pilot, whose hand was hovering near his katana. Suddenly, his face turned serious, reminiscent of his former self.
"You know, Wufei, you really should swallow your pride and get on with it." he said, crossing his arms over his chest. Wufei cocked an eyebrow, giving him a quizzical look.
"What do you mean by that, Yuy?" he inquired, curious. Heero sighed.
"I mean get on with the whole thing. Believe me, it's definitely NOT good to wait too long. Nearly cost me my life, and I don't mean physically." By then, Wufei was really puzzled, and was also getting frustrated.
"Would you please tell me what you mean!?" he said through clenched teeth, starting to get nervous. What could Yuy possibly mean? Did it have to do with Sally? Wufei's running thoughts were interrupted when Heero frowned.
"You know what I mean, Chang. And you'd do well to heed my advice, or you may lose your last chance with her." he said, turning around and going back to his new wife and friends. Wufei frowned. 'What does he mean, 'lose my last chance with her'? Is he talking about Sally?' He snorted. 'Yeah, right. She's a great partner and all, and she has to be the strongest woman I know, not to mention being quite intelligent and brave with exceptional looks, but that doesn't mean . . .' He stopped, and his eyes widened, then he shook his head. 'What am I thinking? Of course there's nothing to what Yuy said! Nothing at all! It's not like she has a weird effect one me . . .' Feeling considerably better, he stood and walked over to the punch table to get a drink. Just then, Sally walked in with Noin. She was wearing the same sky-blue dress all the bridesmaids were wearing, but for some reason, Wufei thought she looked prettier in it than the others. As he walked over to her with some punch, he realized belatedly that his heart was pounding . . .
~~~END FLASHBACK~~~
*****
"I am sorry if I made you lonely inside
I am sorry I made you feel bad
What I'm tryin' to say
I'm not always that way
So love me for all that I am . . ."
*****
Wufei put down the pen again and reached up to rub his eyes with a weary hand. He looked over at the clock on his desk to see that it read 1:15 a.m. He smiled mirthlessly. It's been exactly one week since she left . . . he thought sadly, then shook his head. I really have got it bad. I'm stooping down to actually counting the days . . . he shook his head again, and his eyes somehow found their way to a picture frame about a foot away from his hand. He reached out and picked it up to bring it closer to him, and he smiled fondly at the memory it brought back. The picture was of him and Sally, just after Duo had started a food-fight in the Preventers' cafeteria, and he and Sally were covered in food. She had just thrown a pie at him, and was laughing her head off and his frustration while he shook his fist at her with a red face, barely able to conceal the grin that threatened to come out. Duo had taken the picture as blackmail, and had tried to use it the very next day. Wufei remembered chasing him all over the Preventers' HQ, and ending up in Sally's office with Duo hiding behind Sally while Wufei tried to get around her to cut off Duo's braid. Duo had made some remark about where he was being the safest place for him 'cause Wufei wouldn't dream of hurting Sally, with infuriated Wufei even further while making poor Sally laugh until her sides ached. Unfortunately, Wufei thought, I haven't managed to forget what happened that evening . . . His head shot up with sudden inspiration, and he put the picture back down while picking up his pen. This would be the verse that would mean the most to him, if not Sally.
*****
"True, I may defend the things I do
Though I know, deep down, I've done wrong
But when the heat calms down it's you
That keeps me going on . . ."
*****
~~~FLASHBACK(four months ago)~~~
"I don't care whether what he did was 'dishonorable' or not, it was 'dishonorable' of you to handle the situation like you did!" Sally yelled, her fists clenched at her sides.
"You'd have been at least tempted to do the same if it had been Noin!" Wufei countered, in the same position as Sally, positively spitting fire.
"No, I wouldn't! I'd've just laughed it off without a second thought! I'd've known that my friends are more important than my pride and some stupid picture!" Sally yelled, her face getting even redder than it had been. Wufei blinked. He had never seen Sally this angry before, especially over such a common occurrence. After all, he and Duo fought all the time, and she'd never gotten so worked up over it before. Not wanting to continue the fight, he relented. But not after a parting shot.
"Yes, it would be just like you to relinquish your pride without a fight." he muttered. Unfortunately for him, Sally heard. It appeared to be the straw that broke the camel's back.
"You-you-you baka! You care more about your stupid pride than mending a fight with a friend! I can't believe you!" she shouted, her voice sounding a bit hoarse. Wufei, who'd had his back turned to her, turned around in time to see the door to her room slam. He winced at the loud sound, then made his way to his own room. He paused outside his partner's door, on the verge of apologizing, before shaking his head and going on. 'She knows I don't mean it, I don't have to tell her . . .'
~~~END FLASHBACK~~~
A few hours later, Wufei had finished the poem, which ended up as more of a song. His eyes were drooping from lack of sleep in the past week, and there were dark lines under his eyes, which lacked their usual fiery determination. He folded the paper the poem was on, reached into a drawer, and pulled out a tube about the height and width of a jam jar. It was a new device, and only Preventers could use it. No-one but the Preventers knew about it. It was for delivering emergency mail from Preventer to Preventer. You typed in the name of the person, scanned in a picture of them, gave their other statistics, then pushed a button. The device would make itself as small as the item it contained and would find it's way to the person on the receiving end, who has a key to open it. Wufei did all this, and watched as it disappeared into the night, hoping that it would reach Sally.
*****
"I am sorry if I made you lonely inside
I am sorry I made you feel bad
What I'm tryin' to say
I'm not always that way
So love me for all that I am . . ."
*****
~~~Approximately 1 Hour Later, in New Port City, 65 Miles From Cabin~~~
Sally groaned as she was dragged from the realms of sleep by an incessant buzzing noise. She opened her eyes groggily, yawned, and looked around until her eyes fell on the alarm clock beside her hotel bed. 2:15 in the morning!? she thought incredulously. What made me wake up at this hour? Suddenly, she noticed the buzzing noise, and looked over at her window to see a little square box hovering outside. A Preventer mailing device! she thought, standing up and hurrying over to the window in her black T-shirt and shorts. She opened the window, and the little box zoomed in and fell into her outstretched palm. She walked over to a table where her green vest lay, reached into the pocket, and pulled out a key, which she proceeded to put in the lock on the side of the box and turn. The box grew into its original tube form, and she opened the lid and took out the paper inside. This looks like Wufei's paper . . . she thought as she opened it. Her eyes scanned the paper, and as they did, they filled with tears . . .
*****
"For all that I am . . ."
*****
~~~3:30 a.m., Cabin~~~
Wufei sat at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of black coffee and reading a book. In truth, he was drinking the coffee, but he hadn't turned a page in ten minutes. He was trying to think about what he'd do if Sally didn't come back, but he couldn't seem to even think about that possibility. He sighed. I should've told her . . . Just then, the sound of crunching gravel reached his ears, and he stood up, walking over to the window. To his immense joy, a car, namely Sally's hunter-green car, was coming up the road. Immediately, he composed himself and opened the front door in time to see Sally step out of the car in her usual green khakis, green shirt, and dark green vest. Her hair was in its usual two twists, and in hung down on the front of her shoulders. She looked just like she always had, but Wufei had never been happier to see her. He stood on the porch, watching her walk up the sidewalk, until the stood about two feet apart from each-other. Because he was now two-inches taller than her, Wufei was looking down slightly when he met her gaze. They stood there for a few moments in complete silence, the gentle breeze ruffling their hair a little. Suddenly, Sally started crying. At this, Wufei stepped forward to hug her, her head coming to rest on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry . . ." she whispered, her voice barely audible. Wufei shook his head, and leaned back so she could see him.
"No, it was my fault. I shouldn't have been so 'pig-headed', as you so-often put it." he said, smiling. Sally grinned, then, as if on impulse, wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her lips to his, putting all the love she felt into the kiss. Surprised, but pleased, he returned the kiss with equal love. They stayed that way for a few moments before pulling apart. Sally returned her head to Wufei's shoulder and smiled.
"I love you." she whispered. Wufei smiled, as well.
"I love you, too." he replied, the phrase coming easily, now. Hand in hand, they went into the cabin, never to separate again.
*****
"That I am . . ."
*****
The End . . .