Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Search for Happiness ❯ Journey to Earth ( Chapter 7 )

It's been two months since the pilots have left, and as each day passed, I was getting more and more anxious for them to come back. Recieving my mission wasn't the only reason that I wanted them to return so quickly. Partially the cause was so I'd be able to see Trowa again. It just didn't seem fair that when I finally was able to see him again, it was if he was torn away from my grasp once more before I even realized what the hell was going on. We have so much to catch up on and now it seems with this war we've been caught up in, we won't be able to get a moment's rest.

I got up that morning more tired than usual. I couldn't sleep for some reason and my thoughts were filled with things that I never really given any consideration before. For example how twisted fate seemed to be that the only way I would have met my best friend would be at the sacrafice of my parents. I went to the sink and washed my face with cold water so as to refresh how tired my face looked. It was then I realized that today the pilots would return! They'd come today around lunch.

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "I'm going to have my mission soon! Yes!" I left my room in lifted spirits and went to the dinning room where the girls were eating.

"Good morning, Rei-san," said Ami.

"Good morning, Ami," I said.

"Well, you seen happier than usual," stated Usagi with a quizzical expression.

"The pilots are coming back today." As soon as that was stated, all fell quiet. The clatter of china and glasses and eating utensils had ceased, with the exception of mine, and all eyes looked first at eachother and then at me. Trying to get rid of the unwanted attention I just continued eating my breakfast as if nothing I said had affected anyone.

"Really?" asked Minako, breaking the silence. "How do you know?"

"I just do. Pass the toast?"

"I have the feeling there's more to it than that," said Makoto, handing the plate of buttered toast to me.

That was all I could stand at the moment. Slamming the plate on the table I rose from my seat, the toast scattering on the tablecloth. "What is with you? Why the hell are you so interested in everything I say and do? If you must know, I have ESP and thus I can hear or see anything I want. Including that conversation you were having two months ago with Dr. J. I suggest that next time you have something to say to me or about me, say it to my face. At the very least you should have the courtesy and courage to do that." With that I dabbed my mouth with my napkin, tossed it on the table, and walked out the door.

`That girl has got an attitude,' thought Usagi.

"I can read your mind too Usagi!" I called. "Oh, and stay away from Heero! He's a pain!"

Usagi sat there with her eyes wide. "How'd she do that?"

Feeling that I much needed to burn off some steam and frustration out on something, I decided to practice my skills in the training room. Quickly transforming into my senshi uniform, I got started. It felt exhillerating to feel the pulsing flames encircle my entire body, manipulating it between my fingers. Intensifying my ki the flames intensed and forming one molten fireball after another, hurled them at the targets at which were incinerated on contact. Afterwards I let my entire body become wrapped in a blanket of fire, meditating on my powers and feeling my muscles contract to the tingling sensation that coursed through my veins. My thoughts were then interrupted by the sound of my watch alarm on the table stating it was noon.

Decreasing my ki level, I headed towards the control panel and stepped on the platform that would lead me straight up to the landing pad. As soon as the last of my ki was gone, I shivered from the unexpected draft that seemed to surround the room. Continuing upwards, the ceiling opened up and I was engulfed in sunlight. Stepping off onto the pavement, I could hear aircraft engines coming nearer. Heero's craft was coming in first, with the others not far behind. Already the landing crew and mechanics were on the sceene to unload the Gundams and put them in the warehouse for repairs.

"Welcome back," I said to Heero as he walked over. "Mission accomplished?"

"Mission accomplished," he said with a faint smile.

Then Duo came over to me and said, "You know Rei, you're not going to last long in that battle zone. You'll get BBQ before you can BBQ them!"

"Funny Duo."

"Come on! Where's your sense of humor?"

"Shriveled up in this heat."

"Heat? What heat?"

"This heat," I said as I lit up a flame in my hand.

"OK! I'm out of here!" he said as he walked off.

"Hey Wufei!" I called. "Whoa! what happened to Shenlong?"

"This battle was a tough one. Nataku's right arm has been smashed. With things the way they are now-a-days, I'm going to have to become a lot stronger so I can fight my best alongside Nataku." He said this with his usual solemn expression as he walked passed me towards the house.

"Hope there isn't too much damage. Permanent damage, that is," said Quatre.

"Tough battle I hear."

"Yeah. I can't wait until this whole thing is over."

"Before it is over, I want to have a go at it."

"Don't worry, you'll get your chance," he said as he walked off. "Just remember though, those who love wars are just as twisted and foolish."

I was just thinking about Quatre's words when I heard a voice behind me say, "Hey, won't even say `hi' to me?"

"Hey stranger! Forgot about you," I said jokingly.

"Very funny," Trowa exaggerated.

I laughed, then said, "Anyways, your mission was a success huh?"

"Your ESP tell you that?"

"Actually no, Heero told me. And he was smiling too. Very unusual if you ask me." Trowa laughed. "Another unusual thing; your laugh. It's not that it's bad, it's just you never laugh. And when you do, it's unexpected. When was the last time you laughed?"

"Funny you ask that. Seems to me that I only laugh around you." We were going to the living room.

"Maybe I should be a comedian instead of a Sailor Scout. I'm glad I make you laugh. Tell me something, if I make you laugh now, how were you before I got here?"

"I can't really say, I didn't feel much of anything really. I kept to myself, like you do with the girls. Then you came, this is how I turned out."

I loved to make him laugh. When he does he looks so carefree without any signs that the war was hanging on his mind. His eyes sparkle with such resiliency, much different from the intense focus he usually has that I could just get lured into his steady gaze..so...Wait a minute!!!! What am I thinking?!

"So what you're saying is," I said, "that you missed me?"

"Yes."

"Did you miss me while you were gone?"

"Yes."

This was going too far! I'm not continuing this conversation! I turned away before anything else was said, for I could feel warmth coming to my cheeks. Why and how was I feeling this way? This wasn't like me at all!

We now walked into the living room. The pilots were all sitting on couches or chairs, and we joined them.

"Still training?" Duo asked.

I looked down and realized I still had my Sailor Scout uniform on. "Oh, I forgot I still had that on! No, I was just practicing." I morphed into a black mini-skirt with knee-high boots that laced in the front, as well as a red tube-top with a black leather jacket. Gold hoop earrings hugged my ears and my neck encircled with a few gold necklaces, along with a few gold bangle bracelets. I was just about to ask them about the details of their previous mission when Dr. J walked in with the rest of the girls.

"Welcome back boys," Dr. Jay greeted. "Well, I have a new mission for you. You will all go to Earth and be stationed at a school. Just because you're on a mission, it doesn't give you the excuse to miss out on your studies. Now, I'll give you all a laptop so you can see all the missions I will assign you. Above all, use your code names! You'll be leaving today at 6:00 P.M. so I suggest you all start packing. Be at the launch pad on time." he said as he looked at Usagi.

"What?" she asked trying to look innocent.

"He doesn't have to tell you what!" said Minako.

"She's not on time, is she?" asked Duo.

"Not on time! If you give her a watch she'll just say, `Uh, is this eatable?' "

"Minako! I'm not that stupid!"

Duo started laughing and Usagi slapped Minako upside the head.

"By the way, nice meatballs, Usagi," said Duo still chuckling.

"Oh no, not you too! I already get enough from Mamoru! These are pig-tails and they sure are better than a boy wearing a braid!"

Duo glared at her and said, "Don't talk about my braid!"

"Well, don't talk about my odangos!"

"They are so immature," said Ami.

"Not to mention, weak," said Wufei.

"Hey Rei, where are you going?" asked Trowa.

"Didn't you hear Dr. J? We're leaving at six to go to Earth. I'm going to pack, and I suggest you all do the same," I said and went to my room. I started packing. After I was finished I went out to the balcony where my two black-birds were waiting for me.

"Well, you two," I said, "I'm going to Earth for a while. Don't worry, though, I'll come back. I have no other place to go to, but here." The birds looked at me as though they understood what I was saying, and nuzzled their heads under my hand.

I looked out and just stared into space. It was finally happening. We would be going to Earth and I'll have the opportunity to fight. The only thing I wasn't looking forward to was the school. As if Oz wasn't distracting enough I now had to deal with hundreds of kids in masses, pushing and shoving eachother all into one big discombobulated mess. That wasn't the only thing that concerned me. After many years, I was going back to Earth...back home...and I-

"Rei! We're leaving in 15 minutes!"

"What! Oh shit! I'm coming!" Quickly, I grabbed my laptop and suitcase, and ran out the door with Trowa.

"It's not like you to be late, Rei."

"Well excuse me! I had no idea it was that late!"

We go to the shuttle where Dr. J was waiting for us.

"Good luck, the both of you," he said.

"Thank you doctor. Thanks for everything," I said short of breath. I went in and saw everyone sitting on one side of the shuttle talking.

"You're late, Rei," said Minako.

"Yeah, even I was on time," said Usagi.

"You girls call me Rei-san, not Rei," I said and sat on the far side away from them. How many times did I have to repeat myself to these people?

We left the colony and was soon in space on the way to Earth. I was looking at the Earth. It was beautiful, the way I always remembered it when I last saw it. I remembered Dr. J words, `Never forget how beautiful the earth looks from a far.' But in my eyes, was that world truly beautiful? Why should it, being that was the very place I was...

"What are you doing here by yourself?"

"Trowa, you worry too much," I said as I turned to face him.

"It's my job to worry about you."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

I laughed. "Trowa? What happened to you when Dr. J brought you to the space colony?"

"Well, for one thing, I was nervous about going to space and was unsure of what to make of the old guy. When he brought me to the base, he taught me how to use my Gundam."

"You were still eight! He taught you to use it that young?"

"Yes. He said that the skills that I was required to learn needed intense training of which needed to be started at a young age, being that I would be able to retain information better as I got older."

We were approaching the earth and its atmosphere. "You'd better get back to your seat."

The turbulence had started to get more violent and I had buckled my seat belt. Surprisingly, Trowa stayed seated next to me and buckled his belt as well. As the turbulance got worse, and I clutched the armrest for dear life. Trowa saw my nervous expression, and he put his hand on my white knuckles.

I looked at him and he said, "Don't be scared, relax."

"How on Earth can I relax? And you're worrying about me again!"

"You know that not worrying about you is impossible so I don't know why you keep insisting upon it," he said as he smiled.

I felt relaxed when he did so. My grip on the armrest loosened as I said, "Very funny," I replied, smiling back.

We were now landing at the airport. Outside our private shuttle were masses of people coming on or off the runway. Such commotion almost made me sick as I took my suitcase and joined the others.

"So where do we go from here?" Usagi asked.

"We take a cab to Crossroads and go to Juban High School," Heero answered.

So we all got in two cabs; girls in one, boys in the other. The streets of Crossroads were so busy. It reminded me so much the day of the crash. It was so similar it was almost scary and definately unnerving. I began to feel paranoid that if we had another crash, I might not survive this time. Fortunately, and to my relief, we got to Juban High safely.

After paying the cab drivers, we went to the registration office. Dr. J had already informed them that we were arriving, so all we had to do was pick up the keys for our dorms.

"Damn!" Duo complained. "When they want us to stay in school, they weren't kidding!"

Quatre came back with the keys and gave them out. "You girls will all be next door to each other. We won't be with you since we're older and are in a different grade. Trowa's the oldest so he won't be with us."

"Poor, Trowa," I joked. "You better behave!"

"That's what I was going to tell you," he said. "Be good now. Don't want you to cause any trouble, right Rei.?"

"That just goes to show you how much faith you have in me. I'm hurt!"

"Don't be, I'll make it up to you later." And with that he took his suitcase, and left.

"Aww! How sweet!" said Usagi.

"Oh what's your problem?" I asked flatly.

"Oh nothing," she said trying to look innocent.

"Hey," said Duo, "after you girls get settled, go to the dressing rooms to pick out your uniforms."

"All right then. I'm going to my dorm," I said. "You girls coming?"

"We're coming," said Ami.

When we got to the dorm building, we went upstairs and into a hallway filled with doors. My room number was 56. Ami's was 57, Makoto's was 58, Usagi's was 55, and Minako's was 54.

Turning the key in the lock, the door creeked open as I flicked on the light switch. The dorm was kind of small. I was more used to the gigantic room I had back at the mansion. There was one small bed in a corner. It was soft, but not like my old bed. There was a window, a mirror, a closet, and some drawers. Nothing fancy, just plain simple.

After we finished unpacking, we went to the dressing rooms. We met the desk clerk and asked for our uniforms. They had only four left, so I had to use a different one. The other girls got long blue skirts below the knees, white shirt with blue collar, blue bow in front, white socks, and black shoes. I had to wear a gray jacket with a black collar and buttons and a dark red scarf around the collar, a black mini-skirt, white socks below the knees, and black shoes.

"Sorry about the uniform. There was a bit of mix-up I'm afraid. You're the only girl who has this so you'll stand out a bit," said the clerk.

"I already stand out," I said, "besides, I like this one better. Do we always have to wear this? Even after school?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Well, thank you," I said as we walked out.

It was late night and I decided to check out my laptop. I turned it on, switched off the lights and sat on my bed. I looked at the blank, blue screen that filled the room with the only light that glowed. Then, a figure appeared. It was Doctor J!

"Dr. J?" I asked.

"Hello Rei-san. I see you've finally settled down a bit. How are the accommodations?"

"I tell you, it's allot different then from what I'm used to. It's so small in here. Oh, well, I guess for now that's life. Dr. J, how can you be talking to me now from the colonies?"

"Satellite communication of course."

"Oh. Go figure."

"Listen to me, this is how you'll be getting you mission information. You must check in here daily. This is important."

"I understand."

"I won't, though, have a mission for you everyday. Things take time. So don't get overanxious"

"A little late for that, I'm afraid. Well, no use trying to rush things I suppose so I'd better go. I've got school unfortunately which by the way was totally unnecessary!"

"It was necessary, it's inconspicuous so it gives you a chance of a more normal lifestyle."

"I prefer it just the opposite thank you."

"Better get your rest Rei-san. Have fun at school." With that the screene went blank.

"Have fun huh?" I muttered while shutting my laptop. "Easy for you to say."

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~*~Lady Pheonix~*~