Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Band Wars ❯ Prologue ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, it's characters, etc. I don't own any of the songs used in the story EXCEPT for the ones that are the band's alleged originals. I know they may not be any good, but hey, I don't want Joe Shmo stealing what actually is mine. Regardless, enjoy and please post a review….

 

 

The sun hung its head in an almost sluggish but not unusual all-encompassing brilliance. It was a little past noon and in a nondescript warehouse somewhere hot back on Earth five youths were restless.

 

Quatre had purchased the warehouse under a pseudonym and you would not think it because the exterior was drab and seemed to stagnate. However, the inner workings of the building revealed every possible luxury. The little blond Arabian would not allow for anything less, even if they wanted to keep a low profile and avoid the disreputable public. Each boy had his own room and his own privacy and Quatre made sure that their idea to live together after the war wasn't regrettable. This did not however, change the fact that on this particularly humid summer's day the bunch could not help but give in to the depression of boredom.

 

The five of them had congregated in the warehouse's den. As expected, the den was ravishing. For Duo's sake more than anyone else's, Quatre had installed a fifty inch big screen TV and the surround sound system from Hell; Duo was convinced Quatre had sold his soul for it. The walls were of a rich solid rouge hue with gold trim and a beautiful crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. There was a Persian rug strewn across the floor and leather furniture surrounding the focal point of the room: a lovely brick fireplace below a masterfully painted image of Quatre's late father. Quatre and Trowa were seated leisurely on the den's loveseat; Heero and Wufei were parked in their respective chairs, rigid as usual; and Duo lay sprawled across the couch of the den.

 

To ward off the heat Heero, Wufei, Duo, and Trowa had elected to go shirtless and dawn shorts only. Duo had chosen a pair of black board shorts with the design of a dragon in violet displayed across them; Heero's rather eccentric taste in clothes had not changed and he was wearing a pair of navy spandex shorts very similar if not the same as his old pair; Trowa had some turquoise swim shorts with a Hawaiian-styled flower design on; and like Duo, Wufei had a pair of white board shorts on with black dragons climbing down each pant leg. Quatre, being a bit more conservative in what he chose to wear around the house had a large red t-shirt on and matching beige cargo shorts.

 

Duo had taken the boredom the hardest, or rather was the most vocal about it. “Guys, I can't stand it! I'm gonna die if I spend another minute on my ass! Daytime television is the creation of Satan himself! Yes, you're right, normally I'd say Shinigami, but I don't want credit for that crap! Quatre what are we gonna do??” he whined, twirling his chestnut braid about painting some invisible picture in the air.

 

“…We could go swimming,” Quatre replied, trying to be helpful. It wasn't working. He didn't really want to go swimming himself, he didn't have any other ideas and, of course, Duo shot that one down. “Nooooooooo! I'm not in a swimming mood.”

 

“Shut up, you idiot. We're all bored and your whining helps about as much as malaria,” Wufei quipped.

 

Unphased, Duo continued in his usual melodramatic way, “Do you have any ideas, Heero? Wait… what am I saying?! We're doomed!” Heero glared at the braided fool for a moment insulted and then conceded with a shrug of acceptance and a sigh.

 

Trowa looked about the room from his seat next to Quatre. As Duo continued his meaningless rambling he got up and paced around with no real destination. He dawdled into the music room. Quatre had demanded it, not wanting to let go of the habits and pastimes that seem to come from a wealthy lifestyle. Being Quatre, he had also wanted to promote creativity. Nevertheless, Trowa meandered in and glanced at all the instruments (if it had the potential to produce melody, Quatre had it) furnishing the room.

 

From the living room the other boys curiously watched Trowa inspect all the instruments. Then it struck Duo. “Guys! That's it! Let's start a band! Come on!” Quatre was first to second the motion and reluctantly Wufei and Heero followed the two exuberant young men into the music room.

 

“Who would play what?” Wufei questioned skeptically. `I doubt any of these guys play anything. It's just a lucky coincidence for them that I can,' he thought to himself.

 

“Who can play what?” Quatre corrected in an optimistic manner. Quatre continued, “Well I can play all of these instruments due to the wishes of my father but I am most familiar with the violin and the piano.”

 

“Well it has to be a rock band so I guess you should play keyboard, Quat,” Duo decided. Quatre consented satisfied. “What about you Heero? Can you play anything?” Duo queried.

 

“Well actually, when I attended the academy I had to take a fine arts course and I chose music to improve my coordination. Consequently, I learned an introduction to most instruments but ended up taking most to the electric guitar,” Heero replied most monotonously.

 

“Really? No kidding? Well show us what you can do!” Duo challenged.

 

Not one to back down from a challenge, Heero strutted over to a beautiful custom ebony Gibson Les Paul and picked it up. He found it to be more than satisfactory. He tossed the strap over his shoulder and connected a patch cord from an amp to the guitar. Taking a breath he began to play. It was the solo to Stairway to Heaven by the still famous old rock band, Led Zeppelin! The others were astounded and shocked. Heero hit each note with precision and speed yet didn't seem to neglect the soul or feeling of the solo in any way. When he finished he put the guitar back and smirked at his friends.

 

“Okay, Heero is the guitar,” Duo announced needlessly.

 

Wufei stepped forward, “Well, if I have to do something I'll drum. It's the closest thing to combat I'll get and I used to drum when I was a kid.” Wufei glared about defiantly, daring anyone to beseech him.

 

Duo, of course, didn't have that much nerve and gave way, “Wufei'll drum.” Duo looked to the only other remaining pilot. “And you?” Duo asked.

 

Shyly, Trowa replied, “As Quatre knows, I play the flute. I also learned a bit about playing the acoustic guitar when I was a kid from the other rebels but I can't pick and I don't know anything else.”

 

The group paused in silence, unsure what to do about this new obstacle. Quatre replied, “I know you, Trowa. You're one of the fastest learners I've ever met. You're piloting skill shows you have steady hands and you're a very supportive person who doesn't necessarily want to take center stage but is by no means afraid to as we've seen from your circus work. You can play the electric bass. Bass is perfect for you.” Quatre handed him the room's bass.

 

Reluctantly, Trowa took it. It was a stained burgundy Rickenbacker 4003; also customized. Quatre also handed him some papers that had been lying next to the bass. “These are bass tabs,” Quatre informed him. “The lines represent the strings and the top line is the thinnest string. The numbers refer to the frets on the bass. It might be hard at first, but give it a shot.” This specific tab was for Mozart's Moonlight Sonata. Not an easy piece but it was the only bass tab currently around.

 

Thinking about what Quatre said, Trowa tried to translate the numbers into notes. He messed up a couple times but after a minute he had gotten the hang of the introduction and the others stood impressed for the second time. “I like it. The notes are really deep and resonant; almost melancholy,” Trowa commented. Things were falling into place. Only one pilot was left.

 

Quatre turned to Duo questioningly. He really hoped they could keep the ball rolling. He lived for music. “What about you Duo?”

 

Duo responded hesitantly, “I can't play any instruments cuz' I grew up on the streets and stuff but I can kind of…not really…uhhh…you know…sing. Or at least I think I can…”

 

Duo paused a moment and looked at the ground. This timidity and lack of confidence surprised his friends. Then he began to sing quietly and unintelligibly. His voice grew as he began to get a hold of some of his usual confidence and a beautiful, raspy and soulful rendition of an old blues song echoed throughout the room.

 

“Born under a bad sign.

I've been down since I began to crawl.

If it wasn't for bad luck,
I wouldn't have no luck at all.

 

Bad luck and trouble's my only friend.

I've been down ever since I was ten.

 

Born under a bad sign.

I've been down since I began to crawl.

If it wasn't for bad luck,

I wouldn't have no luck at all.”

 

Quatre beamed, a corner of Trowa mouth lifted a little, Wufei and Heero shared a collective jaw dropping and the heat rushed to Duo's cheeks. Quatre was the first to speak, “Duo, that was wonderful! I never knew you could sing like that! Yes, you will be our vocalist. Any objections?” There were none. “Then that's settled.”

 

Quatre continued, “Maybe we should all go and practice what we know for a few minutes and get used to the feel of playing or in Duo's case performing again. Then we can try to collaborate.” Heero, Wufei, Duo and Trowa agreed and they all went their separate ways.

 

They all began to practice and to any outside observer it would sound like nothing but noise. However, upon further inspection that observer would notice Wufei's well-kept and complex tempo, the way it seemed that Heero was born with a guitar in his hands, Quatre's almost 1980s keyboard skills, Duo's smooth voice with an amazing range, and how Trowa had taken an idea from the Mozart piece and created his own soulful piece of somber blues. After a few more minutes Quatre called them all back together as he began to resume his role as the group's de facto leader and coordinator, a position none of them particularly wanted.

 

“Okay guys, now let's try to write something together. Uhhh….Trowa! You can start. See if you can make up a bass riff as a foundation.”

 

“Actually I already have and if it can be anything then I'll give this a shot,” Trowa replied shyly.

 

“Go ahead,” Quatre responded. Trowa did.

 

His riff was hard yet melancholy and heartfelt with a mix of slow stretched notes and rapidly traversed ones. The others smiled in approval.

 

“Okay, now Wufei, can you make a drum beat to match Trowa's riff? It can be simple if you want,” Quatre said.

 

Wufei snorted, “Simple. I don't think so. How's this Winner?” He proceeded to strike the drums and cymbals, putting a lot of wrist action into it. This way he didn't have to hit hard but could produce a complex beat that was equally loud yet fuller in a way. It was the sign of a pro. The silver Pearl Export drum set wailed with life.

 

“Well, that will do fine, Wufei,” Quatre agreed kindly.

 

“Fine? That's awesome Wu-man,” Duo commented as he began to dance around sporadically and head bang. Wufei glared in response to the nickname as usual.

 

Quatre tried to keep things going. “Okay, we have the drum beat and the bass line so Heero, can you try to make a riff to match that for the verse?” Heero nodded and began to pick at the stings. The product was in perfect harmony with the drums and bass.

 

So far it sounded great. “Wonderful! Now, Trowa, can you change the bass line and come up with something a little harder and faster for the chorus line?” It was Trowa's turn to nod. He hesitated for a second and then a small one-sided smirk dawned on his face as he began to play a new, similar and yet stronger and slightly sharper, shorter sound. Trowa was indeed a fast learner.

 

Quatre continued, “And Wufei-”

 

He was cut off as the black haired boy grinned and began to hit the drums in an equally complex way but this time the sound was a little heavier, a little harsher, and shorter like Trowa's.

 

“Now Heero-” Heero responded in kind. Things were really falling into place.

 

Quatre smiled. “For the chorus I will join in with something like this on the keyboard.” He began to play a somewhat somber, downcast tune that was different from the other sounds but fit in perfectly. The sound quality was great. That could probably be attributed in part to the fact that his keyboard was a top of the line digital Yamaha. This kid sure knew his instruments.

 

“So we have what the verses and chorus will sound like okay? How about after the third time we play the chorus we add a bridge and then play the chorus again two more times to finish it off?” Quatre asked. The others thought that sounded good but Duo looked a little lost.

 

“What do you guys think of the bridge sounding a little softer with more keyboard, a quieter lead guitar, a slow bass and very soft drum beat Try to keep that in mind and correlate to this,” Quatre said as he played a keyboard piece that fulfilled his prior criteria.

 

Trowa began to go back to a bass riff more similar in concept to the Mozart piece, Wufei gently tapped the cymbals and snare drum, Heero created a soft riff based on the low E and D strings and Duo stood silently pouting.

 

Duo appreciated the music and thought it sounded great but couldn't help but feel as though he should be contributing more, especially when this band was his idea.

 

Quatre asked that they try to put it all together now. “Okay so do you guys have all that? Its verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, chorus, but we can start it off with Trowa playing his bass riff two times and Wufei joining in on the second. On the third Heero will join in and I won't come in until the chorus, k?” Everyone nodded.

 

They gave it a shot and it went off without a hitch. Everything was wonderful except for poor, left out Duo. Quatre noticed all along how excluded Duo had felt but saw it as necessary for this first part. Now he would give Duo his time in the sun.

 

“Okay, Duo,” -Duo's eyes opened in surprise- “Can you sing something to this? You can start with something without words and try to write lyrics as we go along. Lyrics are your job, okay?”

 

Duo was as eager as a child in a candy shop. “Yeah, sure, Quat! I'll try my best.”

 

“Alright, from the beginning, one, two, three, four” Quatre ordered.

 

They began to play their wonderful new song again and Duo began to hum in a way, thinking to himself. He began to get a feel for it and began to belt out words like nothing any of the others had ever heard. As he got more and more into it he even began to dance around. Duo really had stage presence; he was a natural. The song sounded something like this:

 

`You think you got me

Wrapped around your finger tonight

You think you can flaunt me

Like a face, without a fight, oooooooh

Well, I'm telling you here

That we can dance the night away

I won't show you no fear,

And you can change for me today uhhhh huhhhhh

 

I'm not a doll

I'm not a toy

I can fall

But I'm just a boy

 

I'm not a slave

But yes, I'll dance

You get me now

Yeah, I'll give you a chance

Oooooooh, yeahhh

But

Just

One

Chance

Ohhhh yeahhhhh

 

The lights may be dim

But for now I see you just fine

And you're watching him

But now I'll be making you mine, yeahhhhhh

You'll sweat like rain

And you'll feel nothing but the beat

Like you're going insane

Almost like I'm more than meat, ohhhhhh yeahhh

 

I'm not a doll

I'm not a toy

I can fall

But I'm just a boy

 

I'm not a slave

But yes, I'll dance

You get me now

Yeah, I'll give you a chance

Oooooooh, yeahhh

But

Just

One

Chance

Ohhhh yeahhhhh

 

Hey, you're no princess

You know you're just a spoiled bitch?

Hey, you ain't no lioness

Here I'm king and you're just an itch, uhhhh huhhhh

I can dance you circles now

I can dance straight through to the dawn

Here you'll falter and how?

Cuz' I was never you're pawn, noooo, ooohhh

 

I'm not a doll

I'm not a toy

I can fall

But I'm just a boy

 

I'm not a slave

But yes, I'll dance

You get me now

Yeah, I'll give you a chance

Oooooooh, yeahhh

But

Just

One

Chance

Ohhhh yeahhhhh

 

And you'll kiss the moonlight

And if you'll look at me right

Then maybe we don't have to fight

And just maybe we can…kiss…uhhhhh yeah

 

I'm not a doll

I'm not a toy

I can fall

But I'm just a boy

 

I'm not a slave

But yes, I'll dance

You get me now

Yeah, I'll give you a chance

Oooooooh, yeahhh

But

Just

One

Chance

Ohhhh yeahhhhh

 

I'm not a doll

I'm not a toy

I can fall

But I'm just a boy

 

I'm not a slave

But yes, I'll dance

You get me now

Yeah, I'll give you a chance

Oooooooh, yeahhh

But

Just

One

Chance

Ohhhh yeahhhhh yeahhhhh yeahhhhhh'

 

It wasn't bad for the boys' first song. In fact it sounded amazing and Heero, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei were at a loss.

 

“Did you just make that up, Maxwell?” Wufei demanded.

 

“Well, yeah,” Duo replied, a little frightened that the others would think he was horrible or that he took it too far. “I used to get a tune stuck in my head and make up words to it when I was homeless…you know back in the day. It helped me stay optimistic,” he stammered.

 

“Well, that was beautiful, you braided idiot,” Wufei replied, smirking. The others agreed.

 

“So…do we want to actually try to…you know…be a band?” Duo asked.

 

Surprisingly, Trowa was the first to answer. “I'll do it, I guess. I'm new at all this but it's kind of fun.”

 

Heero was next. “If you want. Whatever. It is an enjoyable experience.”

 

“Really?” Quatre asked doubtfully.

 

“Yeah,” the two responded.

 

“Well then me too,” said Quatre.

 

“Why not?” Wufei volunteered.

 

“Yes! Then it's for sure. We'll see how far we can ride this baby. And hey, we're Gundam pilots. What can't we do? There's just one last thing,” Duo added.

 

“What's that?” questioned Quatre.

 

“A name,” said Heero, agreeing with Duo.

 

“Yeah! Something snappy,” said Duo. “Something zesty. Hmmm…I know! We need something with edge; something a little twisted and unexpected; something that will mess with your head. We can be `Zero'! We all know what the Zero system was like! And `Zero' is short and to the point.”

 

“Yeah, I like it,” said Heero.

 

The others agreed.

 

“And from now on I do the `one, two, three, four,' alright Winner?” Wufei said. That was fine with Quatre.

 

What was next no one could say. All they knew was that they were about to embark on something very interesting. Very interesting.

 

 

TBC

 

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Finally done and edited. Please review.

Thanks

-Bran