Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ A Shot at Normalcy: University Life? ❯ The Second Letter and the Boarding House ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: - I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the other anime series. I write this purely for my amusement and for the entertainment of others. I earn just about $0 every time some one reads this. ^_^

Note: This chapter is named as "The Second letter" But let me inform you that there is no letter, whatsoever in this chapter. I am calling it the second letter because; the 2nd chapter was called the first letter. There is an important e-mail in this chapter though. (You would have already guessed that if you read the earlier chapter, ^_^) and this chapter is about 10 pages long.

Chapter 4: The Second Letter and the Boarding House.

The month after the examination went by pretty well for Heero. He had managed to get a part time job at a shooting range. He taught people how to shoot and handle a gun and the rest of the things associated with shooting including how to clean your gun and how to load bullet cartridges. The pay was OK but this was not what he wanted to do. Actually, he had never really thought about a part time job, until he met Duo at the university. He was glad he had a job nevertheless, it would add to his savings. He needed money.

It was July 31st and he had just come back from his day's work, or should we say his afternoon's work. He went and sat down in front of his laptop. He had mail. He thought it must have been one of Dr.J's mails. He was surprised to find that it was a mail that confirmed his admission to the university; he had been accepted to the programs that he had applied for. He was surprised and happy. He had forgotten about the results of the entrance examination. He was starting in fall and his boarding had also been approved. He had to go to the university on 1st September to get his room at the boarding house and settle down before actually starting university on 5th September.

He had one more month to get ready. He would have to inform his employers that he would be leaving within a month.

________________________________________________________________

"So I hear you are joining University Duo."

"Yes, the results of my entrance examination should be coming in soon," Duo replied to Howard, while still fixing something.

"Hilde called."

"What did she say? When did she call?"

"While you were out for lunch. Said something about the results. Could they be your results?"

"Maybe, I'll go home and check my mails."

"Its time to leave anyway. You can finish this tomorrow."

Duo was only too glad to leave.

He went home and opened his mailbox. Yep, it was regarding the results all right. He had made it, but he could not apply for a scholarship. His marks were not that high. But he had made it to the university and he was happy about it. He too had to go to the University a few days earlier in order to get his room. He decided to call Hilde.

He managed to get her on vid phone this time. She was home.

"So babe, did you get in?"

"Yes, I did. What about you hotshot?"

"Yep I did. Tell me one thing; are you planning on staying on campus?"

"Yes. I filled out the forms online. They approved."

"So should we go there together like last time?"

"Sure, why not?"

"And are you doing anything tonight?"

"No, why?"

"Because we are going out to celebrate. It's a date. 8 o'clock. I'll pick you up." He flashed a thumbs up sign, winked and signed off.

________________________________________________________________

"Hey Trowa, when do your results come in?" Catherine asked Trowa.

"They should be coming in today or tomorrow." He just shrugged her off.

"Are they sending you a letter again?"

"No, they said they would e-mail me. I was going to go and check them right now."

"Be back in time for the performance though."

He nodded and left.

No surprises here. He did have a mail from the university people. And he had been accepted for both the courses that he had applied for. He had also been accepted for boarding. He went back to his trailer. He was well on time.

"So, did they say anything?"

"I have been accepted. I'll be leaving on September first. I have shuttle reservations to make."

"Good. But don't forget us." She wished him luck.

All of a sudden, he went to her and gave her a bear hug.

"You are the only thing that I have close to a family, don't even think about it," and when he said these words, he meant it.

"Oh Trowa!" she patted him on the shoulder. "I was only joking. And best of luck for the future."

"Thanks, we still have another month."

"I'll come to visit you there."

"Sure thing!"

________________________________________________________________

"Hey Amber! I made it. They accepted me!"

"Of course they would. So are you still planning to stay on campus?"

"Yeah! I've wanted to live there since the day I saw that place."

"Are you sure if you get landed with a room mate who has mood swings, you won't be exhausted?"

"I never thought about that!"

"I think you should rent an apartment and live there."

"No way! All my friends are living on campus. I want to be with them. I think I can handle the problem of a room mate."

"How?"

"Get a single room." He smiled at her.

"You said they did not give you the choice."

"I could always try."

"Who would have thought that you could be so stubborn?" She sighed.

"So you going to start convincing people for me?" he asked her expectantly.

"I'll try lil' bro, I'll try." She got up and ruffled his hair.

"So when are you leaving," she turned back and asked him.

"I'll be leaving on the first of September. Should get going now. Bye" He waved at her and left the room.

________________________________________________________________ < p> It is needless to say that the month was uneventful. All four Gundam pilots were busy with their lives and were getting ready to join university. So let's just proceed to the date of September 1, when our heroes join University.

____________________________________________________________ ____

We now switch our scene to the Boarding house a.k.a Building #3.

Duo had entered the lobby of the building with his luggage. Hilde followed soon after. He went over to the reception desk, at least which was what it appeared to be. It would most likely be the register desk.

"Hello, name's Duo Maxwell. Could you tell me which room I am supposed to be occupying."

"Just a sec," was the gruff reply.

"Okie, dokie."

He only received a frigid glare as a reply.

"Room #609, 6th floor. Here are the keys." The man handed him the keys and called for a person to help Duo with his luggage.

"Thank you, Sir." Duo took the keys and was starting off towards the elevator, when the man spoke up again.

"Would you please sign here? And I hope you know that you might have to share your room with a stranger," the man informed him.

"Yes, I know that. And who may I know are you?" Duo asked the man. He was definitely irritating.

"I am the registrar and the Dean and am in charge of this boarding house. My name is Ronald Blackwell. You might call me Mr. Blackwell or Sir." He then turned to Hilde who was watching the exchange silently. "Your name, please, Miss?" He asked her. He was much more courteous to her.

Ohhkay! Now he had to deal with a troublesome Dean, with whom he was already not on good terms. He was wondering who his room mate would be. He was hoping it would be some sociable person, someone like him.

"Hilde Schbeiker," she told him with a slight smile.

"You have your room on the 6th floor, too. Room # 621. And you will have to share your room too, as it is a double room apartment. Here are the keys."

"Thank you," she had taken the keys, signed the register saying that she had agreed to take the room and was now the resident of that particular apartment and was turning to leave when Mr. Blackwell spoke to her.

"Are you sure you don't need any help with your luggage, Miss Schbeiker?"

"No, thank you. I can manage."

He smiled at her and looked at Duo with dislike.

The two headed towards the elevator.

"I don't like that guy one bit," Duo said to Hilde the moment they got into the elevator.

"Oh c'mon. He is not that bad," She replied with smile. She knew what Duo meant.

"He does not like me one bit and I don't think there is any reason for that, do you?"

"Don't worry about him, we have rooms on the same floor, isn't that good?" and she landed a kiss on his cheek. He wasn't expecting it. He turned around and held her, when the elevator, ting-ed to a stop. She freed herself from his embrace and said, "We are here."

They got off on the sixth floor. The floor was really, really big. It would at least be 200 metres from one end to the other or maybe even longer. Now they had to find their rooms. Her room was easy enough to find, it wasn't far from the elevator. She opened the door and turned to him in the doorway.

"See you later."

He held her and they kissed for a long time. When they finally broke for breath, she was the first one to speak. "Go find your room, or are you planning to kick my room mate out?"

"Could I do that?" He asked her mischievously.

"Better not or that Blackwell guy will kick you out."

"Damn him."

"Bye, find your room. And meet me later." She shut the door and he was left standing outside.

Now he had to find his room. It was right at the end of the corridor. Well, almost at the end. He opened the door and he stopped in the doorway.

"Hooohleeeeeee!"

His room was Big! It was bigger than his apartment back home, and totally furnished. He looked around the place. This place had a living room complete with a television, a kitchen and two rooms with closets and study tables, and a bathroom. So he and his room mate, whoever that may be, would have to share one bathroom. That would be a little bit of a problem. He went in and checked the kitchen. The kitchen had a refrigerator, but unfortunately, it was not stocked up. Next he opened the kitchen cupboards. They were stocked up with little odds and ends, that would most probably last him for a week at the most and then he figured he would have to either buy things for the kitchen or go someplace else to eat. He was still looking through the kitchen cupboards when he heard the front door open. It must be his room mate. He peeked out of the kitchen door and he received the shock of his life. His room mate was none other than Heero Yuy.

"Hey there," he waved from the kitchen and grinned at his friend.

Heero just looked at him for a while and then a smile crept on his face. Apparently he had received a shock as well.

"I came first, so I get the choice of my room and I have chosen the one on the right, you can take the one on the left," Duo informed him.

"Ok." Heero left to land his luggage in his room. He could always make Duo change rooms if he did not like his room.

When he came back, Duo was sitting on the couch and had switched on the television. Duo saw him come out of his room and turned to him.

"It's good that we are not strangers. At least we know each other. Living together should not be a problem."

"No, it won't be a problem. I don't mind living with a friend."

Heero proceeded to the kitchen and started the coffee maker.

"So when did you get here?" Heero had come out of the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Just a few minutes before you got here."

"Ok. So what are we supposed to do before The University actually starts?" He asked Duo.

"Dunno, Just make ourselves home, I guess. And make settle our differences if we have any."

"I don't think that should be much of a problem."

Heero turned and went to the window and was looking out. The view was pretty good. Then all of a sudden he received a slap on his back.

"I sure am glad that I landed up with a friend for a room mate."

Heero turned around and looked at Duo.

"So am I, Duo. So am I." Duo would have to pay for that slap sometime soon. He smiled at the thought. He was glad too that he was going to share his space with Duo and not some stranger. Living with Duo was fun. Not a dull moment. Life would be interesting here.

________________________________________________________________ < p>"Hello sir."

"Your name please."

"Quatre Raberba Winner."

"Ah, Mr. Winner…you had a special request?"

"Yes, I was wondering if I could get a single room for myself," Quatre asked Mr. Blackwell nervously.

"Oh Sure. Your elder sister, Miss Amber called just before you came in."

"Did she?"

"Yes and she explained your situation to us. We will be glad to help you Mr. Winner."

He could always count on his sister. Nothing was impossible for her.

'I wonder what she did this time. Must have bribed him, I guess,' He thought. 'Or maybe, she threatened him with something.' This thought made him laugh.

"You have a room on the 6th floor. Room #603. Here are the keys. Do you need any help with your luggage Mr. Winner?" The Dean was talking to him.

This interrupted his train of thoughts. "No thank you, I'll find my way." He took the key and started off towards the elevator.

He found his room without much trouble. It wasn't far from the elevator. He had thought that his single room would be just that, a single room suitable only for one person. But when he opened the door, he couldn't believe his eyes. By a single room, these people meant a one bedroom, hall, kitchen apartment. Having a big sister sure made things easier for you.

He decided to make himself home. When he was all settled down. He decided to see what was in stock. He had just gotten off from a long shuttle flight and he was tired and hungry. He went to the kitchen and checked out the supplies. There were quite a few things and he could probably scrap up something to eat. He would have to eat outside. He was not much of a cook. Even when he was fighting in the war, he had people do take care of these things. Now, either he had to learn how to cook or spend an extra few bucks on food. Oh well, he would think about it later.

He fixed himself a sandwich and sat down on the couch. He wanted to meet his neighbours. But he did not know if people were there in the rooms nearby. He decided it would be better to wait till the next day. He also wanted to find out where his friends were. He could ask the Dean about them, he seemed eager to help.

________________________________________________________________ < p>Trowa entered the Boarding house pretty late during the day; his craft was delayed during departure. He went to the register desk and cleared his throat. The Dean, Mr. Blackwell looked up and looked at Trowa as though sizing him up.

"My name is Trowa Barton and I applied for boarding at this place."

"Let me check the Register."

After Mr. Blackwell was done checking and all the formalities were taken care off he turned to Trowa.

"You have been allotted a room on the 6th floor, room #610. I hope you know you will be sharing your room."

"Yes, I am aware of that."

"Then here are the keys Mr. Barton. Are you sure you do not need help with your luggage?"

"No, thank you, Mr. Blackwell. It was nice meeting you."

Trowa left towards the elevator and the Dean smiled to himself. A nice young man, he thought to himself.

Trowa got off on the 6th floor and waked towards his room. Incidentally, it was the one next to Duo and Heero's room. He did not know this though. He went and opened the door to room#610. If he was surprised he did not show it.

"Seems my room mate is already here," he said eyeing the luggage at the door of the room at the right.

"Shit!"

This word was said by a female voice and came from the kitchen area.

"So my room mate is a girl," He smirked. And he closed the door with a slight bang in order to notify his room mate of his arrival.

"Oh Hi!"

A face peeked out from the kitchen door and his expression changed immediately to that of surprise and disbelief. Her expression changed to mirror his.

"No it can't be!" he whispered to himself.

This was the face of the girl that he saw so many times at his circus performances. The same mysterious person, who left midway but never failed to attend the circus performance for more than a month, was his room mate. He felt a jolt of electricity go down his back and he shivered slightly. Why did he feel that way?

She was the first one to recover. And to his surprise, she smiled and walked up to him and held out her hand.

"So we were destined to meet, won't you say Peirrot the Clown? So you did notice me at the circus then?"

She had withdrawn her hand. He was still standing still due to the shock.

"Yes," He said after a long while, when he had finally recovered. His eyes were hard and cold again. This was highly unexpected. He might have problems living with this girl.

He looked at the girl and noticed for the first time since he had set eyes on her that she was about 160cm tall, she had long shiny black hair that she tied back in a braid, much like Duo's, was well tanned, pretty lean and well proportioned body and she was dressed in a white turtle neck and black straight fit jeans. But the most remarkable feature that made her different from other girls that he knew was the intensity of her gaze. She had intense black eyes. They seemed like endless pools of mystery.

"So I see you have recovered from your little shock. Hi again, my name is Jade. Just Jade." She had held out her hand again and this time he took it and smiled back at her.

"My name is Trowa Barton and yes, I did notice you at the circus." He had completely recovered and was his usual calm and controlled self. 'When was the last time that I was so utterly surprised?' He thought.

"You are pretty good. I have seen you perform." She had now moved into the kitchen and was busy with something. He followed her and was leaning against the doorpost and was watching her every move.

"As far as I can remember, you never missed a single performance of our circus all the while that we were there."

She only smiled. That seemed to intrigue Trowa even more. Boy this was going to be difficult! He did not have trouble understanding people. So why was he not able to understand her actions? Why did she make him feel that way? Why did shivers run down his spine every time she turned and looked him in the eye?

"But why did you leave before the entire circus performance was over?" he asked her, he was still watching her.

She turned and walked up to him and looked up to meet his gaze. He was a good few inches taller than her, almost six to eight inches taller than her. He was still leaning against the doorpost.

"I had my reasons, but tell me one thing. Did I not intrigue you from the very beginning Mr. Barton?"

His eyes widened at her answer. 'How did she know? There's no way she could read his thoughts.' he thought.

She was looking at him with her intense gaze which made him slightly uncomfortable after a while and she finally spoke up.

"Surprised Mr. Barton?"

Yes, he was surprised. All he could do was nod.

She smiled and said, "I'm letting you in on a little secret. I am an empath. I could sense your feelings during your performance."

He smiled too. Now it figures, she was an empath; he would have to be careful around her. Yes, it was going to be difficult.

"Just call me Trowa."

"Ok, Trowa. I already occupied the room on the right; you can take the one on the left. And it looks like we are going to have to share one bathroom."

He was still in the same place, leaning against the doorjamb, and she was busy preparing something. Cooking something, actually. It smelt good. He wondered if he was going to have to cook his own meals or if they could divide their responsibilities. She was speaking to him, but he was lost in his own thoughts. She was now facing him, but he did not see her. He had closed his eyes.

She laid a hand on his shoulder and shook him slightly. Something like a shock went through him at her touch and he was instantly jarred back to reality. He looked at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry, must have dozed off."

She gave him an understanding look and said, "It's Ok. You can go and sleep if you like. I'll have something ready for Dinner. I'll wake you up when I am done. We are going to have to work up an arrangement if we are to live together."

She was right. He was tired, he was hungry and they would have to talk about a few things first before they could make themselves comfortable. He nodded.

"Thanks." He left the kitchen and went towards his room. It was adequately furnished and that's all he needed. He landed his luggage in a corner and flopped down on his bed. He fell asleep immediately.

He was awakened by a loud knocking on his door. He got up groggily and checked his watch. It was 7.30 pm. He had been sleeping for two and a half hours. He went to the door and opened it. Jade was leaning against the wall by the door.

"Hope you had a good rest Trowa. You must have been sleeping pretty deeply. I must have been knocking on your door for almost five minutes now." She was still leaning against the wall and was not looking at him. "Wakey, wakey lazy bones. Dinner's ready."

"Sorry, I guess I was pretty tired. I'll be there in a few minutes. Just give me some time to freshen myself."

"Ok, you got only fifteen minutes before I finish off everything on the dinner table." With that she left him. And the surprising thing was that she had not looked at him even once during their whole dialogue. He retreated back into his room and decided on a change of clothes. He changed into a pair of sweat pants and a simple T-shirt. He then went to the washroom and washed his face before meeting his room mate, Jade, at the table.

The bathroom was near the kitchen, in the corridor joining the hall/ living room to the kitchen. He then went into the kitchen and found Jade looking out of the kitchen window.

"Are you all fresh now?" she asked him with a smile.

"yes. The food smells nice."

"Thanks, but don't start your compliments before you taste it." She turned back and came and sat down on a chair. He took the chair opposite to her.

"Help yourself," she told him.

There was fried rice for dinner and vegetables with curry. She started eating and he followed suit. Only when he started eating did he realise how hungry he really was. And the food was delicious. He had second helpings before he was full.

"You truly are an excellent cook," he told her.

"Thank you," she did a mock bow and smiled at him. He was beginning to like that smile a lot. "I don't have anything for afters. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"I find coffee too bitter," he replied in his usual tone.

"I think we can fix that easily enough with a bit of milk and sugar."

"Ok."

A few minutes later she handed him a cup of coffee and got one for herself. She was right, the milk and sugar did seem to take care of the bitterness and he rather enjoyed the bittersweet taste.

She had her own cup of coffee. She went and sat down beside him on the single couch in the living room. There were no chairs. The couch was big enough and they both sat at two ends of it. They maintained a complete silence for a few minutes, each sipping his coffee. Then she spoke up.

"I think we will have to set up some sort of a system, you know, like sharing duties and responsibilities." She was waiting for a response. He only nodded and closed his eyes.

"So where do you suggest we start?" she asked him. And for the first time it seemed as though she was indeed asking for an opinion.

He turned to look at her. "How 'bout you do the cooking?"

She smiled at his reply as though she half expected it. "What will you do then?" she asked him.

"Clean up the place when it needs cleaning?" He offered.

"Done. Just don't bother with my things. I am highly disorganised as a rule."

"Ok."

"And how about being friends, rather than just room mates?" She stood up and took his empty cup from his hands, and put them in the sink.

She came back and winked at him and told him, "Now its your job to clean up."

He scowled slightly and then smiled, she was watching him and she laughed out when he smiled. He liked the sound of her laughter, it was clean.

He got up and went to clean up the sink. When she spoke up.

"Why don't we clean our own dishes after we are done? It will be much more convenient."

He nodded and went to wash his own cup. She had done that for him already. He came back and sat down on the couch and said nothing. He did not know where to begin.

"Stop being so distrustful. I am not going to eat you up," she said to him. She was standing behind him.

"It's not that. I just need time to get used to a few things."

"I understand. So which subjects have you chosen?" She said deciding it was the best line of conversation to choose in a time like this.

"Psychology and Mechanics, what about you?"

"You can call me Jade, and I have been accepted for psychology, and study of emphatic abilities and computer programming. I got into psychology even when I did not apply for it."

"How?"

Their conversation shifted from studies, to how they came to the University and to Trowa's circus performance and Jade's queer behaviour at the circus and the likes, but neither of them wanted to talk about their past. It was almost 10.30 pm when they finally stopped. He found it pretty easy to talk to her. She was the kind of person who you could talk to. He relaxed rather soon in her presence. Jade found it easy to talk to Trowa too and by the end of their conversation, they were laughing together. Living with Jade might not be that difficult after all.

That night he retired to bed, with a smile and a wry feeling in the pit of his stomach. Today had been pretty eventful for him. She was thinking the same in the room next to him. As a matter of fact, Heero and Duo were thinking along the same lines before they retired to bed. Things were going to get pretty interesting around her, with all four Gundam pilots, Hilde and Trowa's new friend on the same floor.

=============================================================

Note: hi again! I hope you are enjoying yourself. I might be able to come up with one more chapter before school starts and then the updates might be less frequent. This chapter is shorter than the last one and I apologise if you were expecting it to be longer. A big thank you to all the people who read this and review. And yes, I plan to make things pretty interesting. Stay tuned for the next chapter. I won't hint what it is. But I hope you find it entertaining. And for all those who are reading it, please review. Reviews help me write better. Love, Devil >:-)