Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Being Normal ❯ Being Normal ( One-Shot )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: Sakiku

Written for the Summer Stars contest.

An exercise to see if you can turn the given elements (shooting star, kiss on bridge under stars, water fight) into a no-fluff story. And despite MM.org's strange word count, it is still within 5000 words.

5+OC, 1+5

Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Psychological / Martial Arts / Action | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 07.18.2005 | Updated On: 07.31.2005 | Pages: 8 | Words: 11.7K | Visits: 536 | Status: Completed

Disclaimer: Don't own GW.

Warnings: Don't try this at home. All stunts were done by professionals

with expert equipment. There is no accountability when performing said stunts in disregard of these warnings.

A/N: As with most of my `one-shots', this one just became longer and longer and longer until I had to seriously cut it down until it fit the 5000 word count of the contest. But maybe shorter is better. Anyway, have fun reading.

Being Normal

He didn't give all of his attention to Li's happy ramblings, but she was too self-involved to notice. Maybe it also had to do with the fact that Wufei had long ago perfected a mask that made him seem normal, just another teenager amongst hundreds of them. No, it didn't consist of an emotionless façade like a certain someone's face; it rather was his best attempt at fitting in into a society of youths who had only heard of the war in the news.

He displayed the same careless happiness, the same petty thoughts and actions that only had meaning because they had never had to fight for their lives. It was a shallow world he lived in, and to blend in with the crowd, he had to pretend to be as shallow as them.

His mind was able to keep up some absolutely non-intelligent small-talk with his girlfriend next to him while most of his attention was surreptitiously focused on his surroundings. The neighborhood was not one of the best, and constant vigilance was a hard habit to break.

His current girlfriend Li though had no idea of what was going through her boyfriend's head, no matter how much her thoughts were focused on him. She was happily ensconced in her own little world where her Wufei had just taken her out for dinner and was escorting her home again because she had pretended to be oh-so-afraid of the darkness.

The evening had been very nice with pleasant conversation over delicious food, and she had thoroughly enjoyed herself. Chang Wufei was a great boyfriend to have, making her wonder why he had still been there for her to grab. None of his previous girlfriends had lasted longer than two, three months at the most, but none of them had been able to give her a real reason why they had separated, saying some weird stuff about growing apart.

In one subject though they were unanimous: Wufei was no womanizer. Chang Wufei had never slept with them, and only one or two of his girlfriends had been kissed. Innocently, with next to no tongue involved.

Perhaps that was the reason why it hadn't worked before, because Wufei had problems with showing physical closeness. But she had sworn to herself that she would not be deterred by that, that she would be the one to get Wufei out of his shell.

Not necessarily because of his body, but mostly because of his quick wit that unexpectedly threw in sarcastic remarks that had never failed to make her laugh. Ok, ok, his handsome features and strong body definitely were a bonus. And together with his polite personality, he was grade A boyfriend material. Why though hadn't he been taken before?

Well, no matter why, she would not give up such a catch easily.

Looking around, she saw that they were nearing her home. Wufei was quietly walking beside her, an arm slung across her shoulders. When she had first returned the gesture by putting an arm around his waist, he had almost flinched, but now he seemed to be quite comfortable with it. It was a pity that his nicely fitting pants had no rear pockets, because that would have given her an excuse for …

Well, anyways, his waist felt good, too, and she happily leaned her head on his strong shoulder, feeling secure in his embrace although the neighborhood they were currently walking through did nothing to encourage such feelings.

Looking up at the sky, she was a little bit sad that she couldn't see the stars because the bright lights of the city outshone them by far. Suddenly, a tiny streak of silvery gold across the sky caught her attention.

“Look, a shooting star,” she breathed into Wufei's ear.

He raised his head. “Where?”

“There, above that roof.”

Frowning, he tried to make out the `shooting star' she had seen. He was quite sure that it was anything but a shooting star because space weather currently was clear, no meteorites that could cause such an occurrence. And if it could be seen from down here despite the ambient glow of the city, it would have had to be quite a large specimen to shine that brightly.

No, it probably had not been a natural occurrence. “Where did it go?”

She smiled at him. “It came from up there and vanished right where that neon sign of Chuck's Grub is. But it was too fast to make a wish upon. What would you have wished for?”

Giving some vague answer, his thoughts were focused upon the false `shooting star'. As the public space port was on the other side of town, it couldn't have been a commercial shuttle. And judging by Li's description, its trajectory hinted at a landing point about 15 miles to the east, with the only thing of interest in that direction being Preventers HQ.

Looking inquisitively at the night sky, he almost missed the second whitish-gold streak of color that flitted across the firmament, closely followed by two reddish ones.

“Oh, look! More shooting stars,” Li exclaimed gaily, closing her eyes to make her wish upon them.

He could barely hold back the snort that threatened to slip his mouth. Shooting stars indeed. That had been the atmospherical glow of ion thrusters, which were usually mounted on small space crafts. If the war had still been on, he would have said a MS formation, probably a Taurus followed by 2 Aries, but nowadays, it probably was a small shuttle escorted by Preventers. He wondered why the shuttle needed the escort of two suits.

Looking back at the street, he recognized their surroundings as close to Li's home. Not much later, he accompanied her through a heavy, metallic door with a lock so pitiful that it wouldn't have taken him more than a few minutes at most to pick it. Maxwell probably could have managed it in 20 seconds flat, but then almost no locks were safe from him.

Then, in front of the elevator to the floor she lived on, he said his good byes. Of course she invited him in, but he politely refused, pretending that he still had homework to complete for the next day. In reality, he needed some time alone, time away from this shallowness, time to meditate. Time to take off his mask.

He wasn't quite sure why he was so popular with the girls, but that helped his mission. As the sole heir to the Chang clan, and after Mei Ran's death the Long clan, too, he had the duty to find himself a proper wife and continue the line. Especially now that almost all the clans had been wiped out by the destruction of his home colony. It was what his relatives would have wished, and keeping the promise he had silently given them was his way of honoring their sacrifice.

So after the Eve-wars, he had enrolled in high school, the place most kids his age went to. In the beginning, it had been hard; all the reflexes and memories of war had been so deeply ingrained into his muscles and brain that it had taken him close to a year to suppress them enough that they didn't take over every time he heard a car door slam or see a Preventers MS. But with the iron will he was known for, he had managed it, conquering himself a place in normal society complete with all the chances of finding a girlfriend.

He gave Li a last smile as he declined her invitation. Turning around, he left the building, accompanied by a lovesick stare Li was currently gracing him with. She was a very nice girl, someone he was sure his ancestors would approve of. However, he had thought the same of all his previous girlfriends, who had broken up with him after only a few months.

Well, he just would have to work harder for Li, wouldn't he?

----<<<<>>>>----

The next day, Wufei was walking home from the library, having politely declined an invitation to go watch some horrible romance movie with Li on the excuse that he had to study, promising to take her to another one on the weekend instead. Well, it was only an excuse insofar that he didn't have to study. He had done it anyways, and as usually, he had completely lost track of time.

It had become quite late, so late in fact that it already was dark outside although the longest day of the year had been less than two weeks ago. Walking briskly, he took a short-cut to his apartment-building through Morner Creek Park, which was still open despite the late hour.

A small creek, only waist-high at its deepest places, separated the park into a northern and a southern half. But as Wufei had to cross the park from east to west, he didn't have to change sides of the creek, rather walking along its shallow waters without encountering anybody.

Suddenly, he thought he had seen a familiar figure leaning at the guard-rail of one of the bridges that was solid cement except for a small tunnel where the water ran through. A second look that strained to pierce the darkness proved that his first impression had been correct. Had he arrived in one of the shuttles Li had mistaken for shooting stars?

Purposefully, Wufei headed for the lone figure, secure in the knowledge that the other would see and recognize him. When he came closer, his head turned towards Wufei, but otherwise there was no sign of recognition although the other probably had identified him long before he had made a move towards the bridge.

Three feet in front of the other man, he stopped, carefully keeping out of the other's personal space. Letting his eyes wander over the other's body, Wufei took in his bedraggled appearance, the exhausted slump, the noticeably thinner limbs, and the bags under his eyes that were visible even in the dim light that was barely enough to dip the bridge in a mockery of illumination. The eyes themselves though were as hard and focused as ever, never hinting at the other's emotions, and his face…

Although Wufei had perfected reading every fraction of facial movement the other provided, he wasn't able to decipher what was going on behind that stoic mask he was presented with.

They were staring at each other for some long minutes until Wufei finally broke the silence.

“Yuy.”

The Perfect Soldier nodded once, briskly. Nothing more had to be said because both knew what that single name expressed. `You look like hell', `How was the mission?', and even `Glad to see you're still alive and kicking', as Maxwell would have said. But for the two of them, only one word was necessary because of the silent understanding they shared.

Then their unspoken rapport broke apart as the unthinkable happened.

The ever distant Heero Yuy was leaning towards him in a smooth movement, extending an arm around his shoulder, and drawing them together until Wufei was plunged so far into Yuy's killing zone that he didn't dare make a rash move.

With the casualness of the gesture, Wufei hadn't found time to protest, and when Yuy closed the rest of the remaining distance to engage their lips in a one-sided kiss, he wasn't capable anymore of giving word to his surprise.

What the hell had happened to that area around the Perfect Soldier's genetically enhanced body that was so sensitive that an invasion of it was tantamount to putting one's life on the line?

Wufei was so thoroughly shocked that his normally rigorously disciplined mind shattered into a thousand fragments which consisted of irrelevant impressions like the one hair amongst Yuy's unruly mop that was even more unruly and standing up perpendicularly to the general flow. Or absolutely irrational associations like if the city hadn't been so bright, they could have seen the firmament above them, showing them as a romantic couple that was kissing on a bridge beneath twinkling stars.

Gradually regaining his wits, Wufei was starting to struggle in the tight embrace despite the threat of being inside Yuy's killing zone. Yuy had been the one to draw him into that super-sensitive area, so he'd better damn well be able to control his reflexes enough to not let this end in a blood-bath.

The still irrational part of his mind suggested that it looked like he was enjoying the kiss and rubbing against Yuy, but he immediately suppressed that thought.

Suddenly, he felt the fine hairs on his neck rise with the hidden knowledge that somebody was watching them, intending to do them harm. His struggles immediately lessened to show only, deeming his close proximity to Yuy to be a lesser threat compared to the unknown one.

A coldly calculating persona awoke within him. Where did the danger come from, and how to eliminate it?

With his enhanced senses, the Perfect Soldier had most likely been aware of the danger for quite some time now, so the fact that he was continuing the kiss was probably part of some plan Wufei had not been informed of.

Warily, he followed Yuy's lead, but he was taken by surprise once more when Yuy suddenly let himself fall backwards, going over the guard-rail to plunge head first into the creek. And Wufei with him by default because of the iron grip Yuy had around his shoulders.

With a loud splash, they impacted on the surface of the water. Yuy had somehow managed to turn them during their fall so that they landed on their sides instead of head first, and luckily, this was one of the areas where the creek was indeed waist-deep. Which might have been Yuy's plan all along, but something didn't seem quite right with Yuy.

Then, Wufei's mind registered the gun shot that had sounded a split second before their fall.

Keeping his head down, he quickly checked an almost unresponsive Yuy over for any injuries while dragging him through the water to reach cover under the badly illuminated bridge. The dark streaks running down Yuy's face didn't look good, and if he wasn't completely mistaken, his arm was injured, too.

Leaning Yuy's nearly limp body against a rough tunnel wall and keeping him there with his own body, Wufei quickly ripped a few stripes off his shirt and applied a rough field-dressing to the open wounds. The injury to his head must have been quite bad for Yuy to be out of it for such a prolonged period of time, but at least, he was stable enough to be left alone. He only had to make sure that Yuy didn't accidentally drown in the waist-deep water.

Straining his eyes to take in every little bit of illumination, Wufei thought he had seen something to the center of the tunnel. Moving closer while helping Yuy along, he was relieved to see that his eyes had not misled him as there was a single stone against the wall, barely reaching out of the water. Sitting Yuy on top of it, he made sure he wouldn't slide off if he lost consciousness.

Now where had that shot come from…

He was stopped by one of Yuy's hands flickering across his left arm in one of their codes.

“One person. After me.”

And suddenly, everything fell into place for Wufei.

Yuy had known about the attack all along. Their kiss on the bridge was a way to give his attacker the perfect chance, and the fall into the water had been too controlled to be anything but intended. Yuy had planned to stay out of sight in the water until his assailant, who certainly would come down to make sure he was dead, was within range, and then take him down. And now that Yuy was out of commission with a bleeding head wound and a probable concussion, it had become Wufei's job.

Nodding that he understood, Wufei melded into the shadows to prepare the trap, leaving Yuy's almost limp body propped against the wall of the tunnel. Luckily it was so dark that no one farther than 3 feet away could discover Yuy's injured form.

Wufei flattened himself against the opposite wall, all but invisible in the dim lighting. For the first time since the war, his skills were needed again, the skills he had worked so hard to bury under a façade of normalcy.

Collecting himself, he took a deep breath. He was preparing to find the state of battle-readiness he should have assumed at the first signs of danger, a state where he became the finely honed weapon he had been during the war.

A deep breath to bring his body into harmony, centering him, riding out the wave of adrenaline in his system to harness it for his own purposes, making his ki flow freely and unhindered through his limbs, filling his muscles with coiled energy.

Another deep breath, and together with the calmness spreading through him, his thoughts concentrated in a way he had desperately missed without even realizing it.

An absolute focus lowered itself over his mind, boosting his senses to a state that could only be described as hyperawareness.

Then, the wait began.

There.

Footsteps. Heavy, fast. Direction: South-West. Upstream.

Familiar rustling of a jacket. Target carrying a long and heavy weapon.

Crouching low into cold water, his Wufei slid noiselessly to the south-western end of the tunnel, hiding himself in one of the deep shadows there.

Breathing, settling down.

Waiting.

Ki flowing warmly through muscles so that they didn't grow stiff and unresponsive.

Footsteps. Target now on the paved trail leading up to the bridge, still very fast. From the sound of it heavy boots with steel caps. Probably male, 170 pounds plus.

Waiting -

Footsteps becoming more wary. Rustling of a jacket as if looking around.

Careful steps on the stones leading down to the creek. Jacket brushing slightly against the side of the bridge.

Target too experienced to come into direct line of vision. Instead a slim barrel sliding around the concrete corner, two feet away from his head barely rising above the surface of the creek.

Assault rifle?

Waiting for the right moment to strike -

A black shadow sliding across the opening of the tunnel -

Waiting -

Suddenly a small splashing sound from Yuy's direction.

The target's focus shifting towards it, and then -

In an explosion of water and determination, Wufei shot through the surface of the creek, with one hand blocking the barrel of the rifle - away from Yuy -, with the other delivering a hard upper-cut to the man's chin.

No efficient kicks possible because of waist-high water. Instead follow-up with punch to the gut, then quick search for - …

There. A hard upward jab to the backside of the arm, then a hard grip to the elbow, digging his fingers in at precise points, and then the man crumbled silently as he lost consciousness.

Expertly Wufei caught his head beneath the chin in a one-handed rescue grip, the assault rifle in the other, keeping both of them out of the water.

Frozen in place, trying to determine if anybody had been alerted.

Waiting. Listening for pursuit and other signs of danger.

Long minutes trickling by without any sounds beyond the wet gurgling of the creek and the slight rustling of the wind, occasionally disturbed by a tiredly tweeting bird.

No one came.

Seemed as if Yuy's intelligence had been faultless.

Gradually, Wufei relaxed the focus that had tinted his perception of the world into a black-and-white caricature of important and unimportant.

Another deep breath, and he reluctantly let go of the iron control he had exerted over his ki, his hyperawareness dimming until he once more was left stranded in an almost dark world. It would take him several hours to come down from the adrenaline high, giving him enough time to take care of this mess before he felt the consequences.

A careful question into the tunnel.

“Yuy?”

A heavy grunt answered, and a black shape started moving with the currents. Swearing softly, Wufei quickly followed with the dead weight of their unconscious assailant still plastered against his body. Apparently, Yuy felt the need to prove that he was strong enough to make it out on his own. But the fact that Yuy was going downstream, the way of least resistance, was showing that his injuries were bothering him more than he wanted to admit.

Finally out from under the bridge, Wufei quickly dragged the unconscious man out of the water towards a sitting Yuy and slipped out of his soaking wet shirt. Ripping it into sturdy stripes, he tied their assailant up, manhandling him not too tenderly into a recovery position. Then, he turned his attention to Yuy who had produced a cell-phone from seemingly out of nowhere and was currently talking to Preventers HQ.

“… unconscious, weapon secured. One witness, completely trustworthy. Send a pick-up team to Morner Creek Park, second bridge from the east.”

Before Yuy could hang up, Wufei acquired the phone with a simple grab that Yuy would have never fallen for if he had been even remotely close to his normal health. Ignoring Yuy's glare, Wufei started talking to whoever was on the other side of the phone.

“And send the doctor Yuy is too stubborn to ask for.”

Checking Yuy's injuries over once again in the slightly better light, he kept up a running commentary into the cell phone. “Bullet wound clean through right biceps, humerus partially fractured, laceration on the skull, probable concussion.”

Seeing Yuy's slightly unfocused gaze trying to glare back at him, he corrected. “Make that a concussion for certain. No major veins or arteries nicked, bleeding under control, but possible infection by prolonged stay in dirty water. Perpetrator unhurt except for massive bruising to chin and stomach, unconscious for the moment.”

A professional-sounding voice acknowledged. “Copy that. Doctor and two agents on their way for pick-up at Morner Creek Park, second bridge from the east. May I ask who I am talking to?”

“Chang Wufei.”

“Mr. Chang, we would be very grateful if you could accompany Mr. Yuy to Preventers HQ.”

Frowning at the phone, he shook his head although the person on the other end of the line could see neither. He was not keen on seeing all those people again who would no doubt start pestering him to join their agency. He had refused their invitation once after the war in favor of the silent pledge he had made to his clan, and he would do so again. “No. Ask Yuy for confirmation.”

Handing the cell phone back to Yuy, he dealt the other a threatening glare that said `you better not contradict me'. Yuy tried to match it with one of his own, but in his currently concussed state, he had to resort to growling into the phone instead.

“Chang's retrieval unnecessary. Clearance alpha-three-dash-seven. Yuy out.”

Without waiting for a reply, Yuy ended the conversation by flipping the cell shut and awkwardly returned it into a sealable plastic bag on his belt with only one hand. So that was the reason why the phone hadn't short-circuited in the water.

Tiredly putting down the rifle he had acquired from their attacker, Wufei kept a tight watch over said man. He should be unconscious for several hours, but one could never be careful enough.

Keeping Yuy also under close surveillance because of his concussion, Wufei finally asked the question that had been bothering him for quite some time now.

“So, care to tell me what that was all about?”

A slightly defocused look towards the knocked-out, heavy-set man on the ground. A small pause as if thinking of what to tell. Then: “Addam B. Lynson. Mediocre accountant for a small company on L1, mediocre-ranking member of a radical gang promoting terrorism as means to gain political attention. Big raid on the gang half a year ago after insider information had leaked out to Preventers.”

Wufei nodded. Half a year ago, Yuy had come to earth fresh from an undercover mission. The facts fit.

“Personal revenge?”

“Took him the whole six months to find me. Thought it easier to let him find me than search him out myself. That way there'll be charges filed against him based on real actions. Attempted murder. No way the judges will let him go now. But I never meant for him to interrupt…”

Eyebrows drawing together in a half-frown, Wufei studied his fellow ex-pilot more closely. He was pale from blood-loss, but not threateningly so. However; Yuy was talking unusually much and revealing a disturbing amount of emotions. A side-effect from his concussion? Trying to prove his suspicion, he asked:

“What date is today?”

Again a very long pause. In fact, it was so long that Wufei feared that Yuy had fallen asleep, a bad sign when coupled with a concussion. Just when he wanted to go and wake Yuy again, he heard a quiet “July 7th. Tanabata.”

Wufei raised an eyebrow in surprise, and Yuy took that as his cue to continue. “Japanese Star festival. Based on a Chinese legend.”

Now, Wufei was seriously concerned. Yuy and festivals? Had Yuy taken any kind of drugs?

Probably amphetamines judging from the tired state he had arrived in. But anything else? “I know the legend. Something about the daughter of the sky king falling in love with a shepherd and making her father so angry that he separated them with an insurmountable river.”

Yuy threw him an undecipherable look. “They had been separated by life. But life also gave them the chance to meet every once and again. On a bridge.”

Wufei suddenly had troubles with keeping his not-so-calm composure. Had he heard right? Was Yuy really hinting at what he thought he was? He commented sarcastically, knowing no other way of how to deal with the sudden revelation. “They didn't kiss! And anyways, who of us is supposed to be the princess? You?”

The sound of a heavy car halting not too far away cut their conversation off, alerting them into a tense silence. A little bit unsteadily, Yuy got up and hurried into the shadows cast by the trees close-by. Wufei slipped further down the bank towards the body of their still unconscious assailant, taking the rifle with him.

Flashlights came from one of the entrances to the park, together with three shapes and voices.

“… one of Preventers' best agents. Rumor says that he's served during the war. We'd better not surprise him, especially not now that he's hurt.”

Raising his head slightly, Wufei studied the three forms and quickly judged them to be the pick-up team. He got up from the ground, calling out to Yuy, partially because he didn't know how much exactly Yuy had been incapacitated by his head injury, partially to draw the Preventers' attention to their position.

“Friendlies. Clear to come out.”

Wufei busied himself with dragging their unconscious assailant up the embankment of the creek, being quite a bit more careful about the rifle slung across his back than about the body he was manhandling.

When he had conquered the slope, the agents had found them, the doctor already checking Yuy's bandages with an appreciative sound. One of the agents saw Wufei struggling with the unconscious body and rushed over to help. Seeing the assault rifle slung over Wufei's shoulder, he gave a low whistle, and an even more admiring one when he saw the trussed-up form of their former assailant.

“Quite a job there! Who of you took him out?”

Wufei glared at the agent, making him shut up quickly although Wufei's glare held nothing in comparison to Yuy's when he was in full form. “I trust you are capable of taking over.”

With those words, he handed the rifle over, turned around, and left. The agent called after him, but did not pursue him, perhaps because of his orders, perhaps because of Yuy's hissed “Leave him.”

Sighing, Wufei walked towards his apartment, breaking in because he had lost his keys in the creek. He never thought twice about it. How long would it take him this time to return to normalcy?

----<<<<>>>>----

Those past few weeks had been quite a strain on their relationship, Li decided. Ever since July 7th, her boyfriend had been unusually jumpy and distant, growing downright grumpy sometimes when she didn't follow his trail of thoughts immediately. But gradually, under her gentle tutelage, he had lost that skittery, rude behavior. She was just glad that he was becoming her old, sweet Wufei again.

Snuggling deeper into his shoulder, she relished in his scent as he accompanied her home after he had taken her out to a movie, their first real date again after July 7th. Oh yes, their relationship was progressing nicely, and she would be ready for him, ready to show him the full extent of her love.

Wufei looked down at his girlfriend who was hanging onto his arm, immobilizing it in case of danger. It had taken him many nights of meditation instead of dates to bury his warrior personality deep enough to not stand out of normal society. But the empty and hollow feeling created by the shallowness surrounding him was even harder to deal with now hat he had once again tasted a different way of living.

He was trying to give all of his attention to Li's happy ramblings, but he found that he had grown too distant to feel anything about it.

He was trying to make their relationship work, but he found that he had become too indifferent to feel anything for her.

He was trying to uphold his pledge to his clan. And for the first time in his life, he found that he was thinking too much about a princess and a shepherd to not feel anything about that.

THE END

Word count: 5000

(including title, using MS Word)

A/N: I am always glad to receive comments, so if you like the story, please leave a review. Also if you don't like it, but then please specify WHY you don't like it (flames will be completely disregarded). Until the next story.