Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Experiments ❯ Last Names Go First ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: See Last Chapter

 

 

 

The Second Chapter: Last Names Go First

 

“So, Mr. Winner, do we have a deal?” a pudgy hand came to rest on signed documents so desperately craved; documents that would enable the Winner corporation to launch resource saving satellites all around the colonies of L4. Saru Winner weighed his options. Such a widespread release of theses satellites would prove invaluable to the colonies, not just of L4, but every Lagrange point. The cost: his only son. While lately Saru had been on the verge of irrational hate every time he saw that blonde head, something kept him from gleefully giving in. There always seemed to be some voice of reason nagging at his thoughts, telling him something wasn't right, but whenever he tried to pin down exactly what that was, the thought would be gone.

 

“Just to recap, Dr. Rew,” Saru began, “you wish for me to give you my only son to do whatever you wish - in a purely scientific manner, of course - in exchange for permission I could very well obtain on my own?” Though realistically it would take him at least another three years of playing politics and publicity to achieve that goal, the greatest part of a business deal was pretending you always had the upper hand.

 

“Oh, come now, Mr. Winner,” the scientist patted the air amiably. “We don't expect you to give him to us. We'd just like to, ah, borrow him for small segments of time - only a year, really. In fact, we wouldn't even take him for another year, when he turns eight. With your consent, of course.” The Winner patron studied the doctor carefully, looking for any reason he would be feeling so uneasy with this deal. But his focus was shifted, yet again, to the documents that made up his goal.

 

“I see,” he said slowly, most of his doubts already sinking away as he sipped his coffee and considered. After all, they weren't going to keep him indefinitely, and only for a year at a time. What harm would come from that? No, there was nothing but gain in this situation, and Saru was never one to waste an opportunity. “Do you already have your year segments planned?”

 

“Well, actually,” Rew smiled winningly, “we do.”

 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

 

Quatre stood up on shaky legs and moved away from the remains of his rebellious stomach, his newfound sanctuary, and the rapidly populating park nearby. I hate mind reading, he thought for the third time since his return. Apparently, the after effects were a lot worse the farther away he went from his own body. Trying to ignore the beginnings of what he knew was going to be a massive headache, the young empath started to sneak back towards his house. While he didn't really need to sneak anywhere on this colony, residual personality had him ducking behind the progressively richer buildings, and looking over his shoulder to see nothing but empty alleyways, cleaner than most colonies' main streets.

 

This cautious attitude pulled him up short from the back-street exit as a short, round white-coated figure ambled past, his shrewd features arranged in triumphant confusion as he muttered to himself, “…shouldn't have had any doubts at all… drug should have him gleefully giving in… more strong willed than we'd thought… be interesting with his son…”

 

Still in the thralls of a street-orphan's instincts, Quatre didn't even spare a thought for the stranger as he slunk around the corner of his father's favorite café, slid through the afternoon crowd, and passed the gates of his father's security undetected with practiced ease. For some reason, it seemed that the head of a corporation such as Winner's couldn't unite a colony with pacifist products without making a few enemies.

 

But the son of said head would never find privacy if he weren't able to think smart; memorizing access codes and self taught hacking went hand in hand with lazy strategies when the young Arab was particularly bored. Normal fun for a six year old? Quatre highly doubted that, but then test tube children were usually selected for such oddities as far as he could figure, and being able to worry his guards into early retirement was always so amusing.

 

Shoving those speculations aside, he hastily slipped through the back door. Small feet padded up marble stairs, and the blonde barely made it to his room - down the darkest hall, past the creepiest painting in existence, third door on the left - before the headache crashed over his meager defenses to hit him full force. Collapsing onto the room's only bed, Quatre fuzzily kicked off his shoes and rolled under the covers, hiding his face in the matching pillow.

 

Sleep it off, that's what he needed to do. Just sleep it off, and build up his shields in dreams so he wouldn't have to concentrate on the nightmares these trips always gave him… he continued to circle Duo's emotions around his mind, disentangling them from his own to reestablish his protection. Having to go back to being at the mercy of everyone's feelings was an extremely unappealing notion, and mind riding always did this to his defenses.

 

Moments later, Quatre felt a small tug at his subconscious when an uninvited vibe message began to wiggle its way through his tattered shields. “…peaceful scholar…” drifted through his mind, and the nearly-seven-year-old groaned in response. What the hell? he thought groggily, still battling Duo's personality. Was someone else trying to call him? Before today, the blonde didn't even know it was possible for someone to call him, let alone a person off colony whom he'd never even met.

 

Whoever it was this time was just going to have to wait, Quatre decided, as he was too drained to go anywhere. Closing his eyes, the young empath barely registered that the tug grew more insistent as he drifted off.

 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

 

Chang Wufei, first year scholar and aspiring martial artist, was currently doing something he was sure would have his teachers in both subjects throwing a dignified fit; he was looking for someone to play with. As a young child himself, Wufei figured it was practically his duty to experience what this `fun' thing was. He'd first heard of it when his academic teacher had been explaining the difference between reading for knowledge and reading for pleasure, something he should never be caught doing. To the Chinese boy's mind, however, there really was no difference at all, but when his teacher mentioned `games' and `other kids that age' for comparison, Wufei's curiosity was piqued.

 

He knew, of course, that there had to be other children in existence somewhere.

But, being raised in isolation, he wasn't entirely sure they actually existed here. So really, Wufei reasoned, by exploring all the forbidden sectors of his colony to confirm their existence, he was furthering his own knowledge and becoming a better scholar in the process.

 

Refining his argument for when he was caught - and Wufei was certain he would be caught - the lithe figure deftly scaled the wall separating him from freedom, landing neatly on the other side. He smiled smugly to himself; being groomed for clan marriage arrangements did have its benefits. Randomly choosing a direction, the raven-haired boy set out with all the confidence of the young and sheltered, leaving his sad looking temple home behind.

 

His whole colony was run down, but many of its residents still held pride in their homes. While no one living on this colony was rich by any means, the better kept sectors radiated cultural wealth. It was the old families that made the effort of appearances, decorating their areas with traditional plants and inherited statues. Wufei spared a glance back towards his own home, knowing he should feel grateful he didn't end up somewhere worse. The temple walls shone a dull white from careful scrubbings, and beyond them he knew he'd find that perfectly tended yard.

 

Black eyes strayed to the south of the temple; his field was out there, beyond those obstructing structures, full of flowers and the small amount of wildlife the colony had been permitted. Wufei was only allowed to go as reward for a particularly arduous task completed, but he loved it more than any other place he was able to imagine. In his circumstances, it was more than he should have hope for.

 

The lone boy's wanderings brought him past sector after sector, each more degraded than the last, until he reached the slums of his colony. This was the place where most of the dragon clan went after they'd lost all pride and desire of being restored to their former glory. At least, that was what Wufei had been told.

 

While these slums weren't as deteriorated as those of L2, the surroundings were steeped in the same neglection and despair. Wufei, not yet knowing the meaning of the term `social classes', walked right into this new neighborhood without hesitation, openly gawking at the crumbling buildings and trashy streets. Surely no one would move here willingly, Wufei wondered, not to a place where doors hung in broken entrances and the stench of failed life hung in the air.

 

He was gingerly making his way through a maze of alleys, when a disturbance caught his attention. He could hear arguing and what sounded like a struggle, then a boy's voice shouted, “Hey! Let go of Liang!” Wufei cautiously moved along the wall, closing in on the fight and maneuvering into the most advantageous position he could find. Sheltered he may be, but stupid he certainly wasn't. He chanced a glance around the corner. A boy, maybe two years older than Wufei, was waving his arms wildly and trying to grab a younger girl from the grasp of a man in green uniform.

 

“Ain't you a pretty little thing,” the man was saying in accented English. Alliance, Wufei guessed, based on the outfit and badge. “Bet you'd fetch a fine price out on the market.” The man grinned evilly as his intentions made it through the language barrier and the girl tried to squirm out of his grasp. Wufei, understanding every word - courtesy of his academic teacher - and wondering what he meant by `market', began inching closer towards the tall figure. Weighing his small amount of attack skills against the man ten times his size, the young Chinese decided to go with a more direct method.

 

Tapping Green Uniform's leg, Wufei said, in perfect English, “Excuse me, sir, but would you mind letting her go?”

 

I can't believe you just did that, a sleepy voice said in his head. Startled, Wufei looked around to see who was speaking, nearly missing Uniform's surprised question.

 

“And where'd you come from, pretty boy?” The man set down the squirming girl, who ran to her equally surprised friend. This new boy would most likely sell for a small fortune all on his own; there was no need to bother with the other one now.

 

“Well, some say,” Wufei began philosophically, glad the girl was safe and trying not to pay attention to an odd voice commenting, he really likes calling people that, doesn't he, “there was a creator made up of all the little gods who got bored one day, and… Oh, you mean right now.” That voice in his head snickered. The young scholar ignored it for the moment, narrowing his eyes as he addressed the Alliance officer. “I should be asking where you came from. Or more importantly, what were you doing with the girl?” He tried to make his voice sound in control and arrogant, but he feared it ended up coming out slightly shaky with an out-of-his-depth quality.

 

“Who, me?” asked Green Alliance with unsuccessful innocence. “Naw, I wasn't doing anything with the girl.” He shifted his weight as he spoke. “I've decided I'd much rather have you instead!” He lunged on the last word, trying to catch the small boy by surprise. But Wufei recognized a threat when he encountered one, and had been anticipating the attack.

 

Easily sidestepping the first charge, he led his assailant around the alleyway, dodging grabbing hands and tripping feet. While Wufei's martial offense training hadn't yet started, he'd already been taught heavy defense. Perfect for these situations, though he knew he wouldn't end this without throwing a few punches himself.

 

“What should we do, MaRou?” the little girl asked as the pair remained forgotten on the side. Her eyes followed the movements of the combatants, worry for her rescuer motivating the question. The older boy watched the fight as well, thinking furiously. They should just leave, he knew. That was the smart move, the right move. LiangYan was safe, and they didn't owe this stranger anything. All that mattered was LiangYan's safety. But she was safe because of the boy, and that was the kind of move a coward would make.

 

“We wait for an opportunity,” was all he replied, silently cursing himself for his annoying morals. His companion nodded silently in approval, and they searched their surroundings for anything that could be used as a weapon.

 

Meanwhile, Wufei was running out of room. Despite his valiant attempts, it wasn't long before he'd finally been cornered. The big man closed in as Wufei's back hit a wall, and the Chinese boy's eyes widened when he felt giant's hands wrap around his neck. This hadn't been in any practice! Then he couldn't breathe.

 

Overhead the sky began to darken…

 

Kick him!said that nameless voice through a fast enclosing fog. He lashed out, trying to hit anything that would ease the pressure on his throat. But the man was too far away!

 

…Thunder pealed out and wind whipped about…

 

Hearing the storm approach, Wufei reached out to it desperately, hoping for some lightning, willing it to come, unable to even consider the danger or impossibility of such a phenomenon on a colony.

 

…rain fell as light flashed throughout the sky…

 

Just when he thought he could no longer hold on to consciousness, Wufei felt a tingle of electricity, and suddenly he could breathe. Sagging to the ground, the raven-haired youth gasped for air, trying to calm himself before truly registering the storm's presence. Oh, no, not now, Wufei thought fuzzily, they'll find me if they see that.

 

Storms were not supposed to exist on any of the colonies, especially not one as run down as this one. There was no possible way that such a hazardous thing as lightning would be found in any colony, either. Wufei wondered absently why he'd bothered trying to call it down. Then, remembering the reason, he glanced around, looking for the man.

 

“Don't worry,” reassured a voice above him, “you're still alive.” The little girl was standing next to him, concern radiating from big brown eyes. Peeking beyond her, Wufei saw his attacker sprawled on the ground, the presence of the boy looming over said body with a broken pipe explaining what happened.

 

“C'mon, we should get out of this rain…” the girl's voice trailed off as the storm dissipated as quickly as it had formed. She furrowed her brow. “What a bizarre storm. And I thought it wasn't scheduled to rain today.” Wufei remained silent, glad the storm had listened to him this time and left.

 

Are you alright? whispered that voice, sounding raspy.

 

“You okay, rich boy?” the older kid unknowingly echoed.

 

“I'm fine,” Wufei croaked out in answer to both. He stood up slowly, trying to regain his balance as he took in his surroundings. His eyes widened when he saw the scorch mark near his feet.

 

“Yeah,” nodded the girl, catching his surprise, “Some stray lightning nearly did you both in. I didn't even know they allowed lightning storms on the colonies, especially not one as decrepit as ours.” She stumbled a little over `decrepit', as though repeating an often heard phrase.

 

“Yan-Yan, let's go,” called the boy. “Rich kid's fine, we've no more debts to pay.” He was glancing around warily, ready for another attack.

 

“By the way,” said the girl, ignoring her companion, “My name is Bai LiangYan, and that,” she pointed to her friend, “is Bai MaRou.” Wufei raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on their names. White horse meat?

 

“Chang Wufei,” he returned. “Is Bai your brother, then?”

 

LiangYan blushed a little as she replied, “No. You see, we're both orphans from around here - have been since we could remember. There was a really nice old lady who used to take in stray children, and that's where I met MaRou.” She giggled, continuing, “We all got to choose our own names if we didn't want to be given one, so Rou-Rou picked that one `cause he said it was the only meat he'd never, ever eat. Since he found that horse picture he's been totally obsessed, and even chose his last name after the horse's coat color. He says horses are tough, so horse meat would be hard to chew, and that's how he wants to be. And when we met, he gave me his name,” LiangYan lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings, the man on the ground, or her fuming partner as she chatted with her new friend, “and said it was his promise to protect me and stay with me forever.” She giggled again. “So, I guess you say he's sorta my, um, future soul mate.”

 

Wufei blinked. He hadn't really needed to know all that, but at least it had distracted everyone from the storm. Off to the side, MaRou had his head tilted as though listening for something. He finally decided to come over and join them.

 

“I'm sorry, Yan-Yan, but we really gotta go now. Some people are headed this way, and we don't wanna be caught,” he paused and turned to Wufei. “Listen, rich-boy - yeah, it's that obvious,” he added when Wufei winced at the title. “I'm not going to deny that you were more than a little stupid to even come out here, but…” he sighed, “but LiangYan seems to like you, so if you ever feel like being stupid again, we'll be around. As long as you dress more discreetly.” MaRou turned and motioned the girl to follow as he walked off.

 

“That means he likes you, too,” LiangYan inserted helpfully as she moved to follow. She leaned over and gave Wufei a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Fei. I hope you do visit.” The two disappeared behind another crumbling building, leaving Wufei smiling to himself. Despite his bruised throat, the unconscious man on the ground, and the almost lethal lightning, this was one of the better days of his life.

 

So, oh, and then there was that strange voice left to deal with. You can control the weather, huh? It was asked almost conversationally.

 

Before I start answering any of your questions, Wufei replied, would you mind telling me at least the basics of your presence in my mind? He moved away from his current position and seated himself behind the alley wall, waiting for the coming people he knew were looking for him.

 

Excuse me, where are my manners. My name is Quatre, I'm an empath from L4 about your age, and as to what I'm doing here, you called me. By the way, I still can't believe you did that.

 

First of all, I didn't `call' you, shot back Wufei indignantly. And secondly, I was giving that soldier a chance to end matters peacefully. He furrowed his brow, and the footsteps came closer. I thought all empaths could do was sense other's emotions.

 

I don't know, I've never met any other empaths. Quatre gave Wufei the same explanations he'd given Duo as the footsteps echoed all around. The Chinese boy remained silent, postponing his inevitable capture and feeling generally relieved this voice hadn't marked the end of his sanity.

 

So, what does my vibe say? he asked curiously as Quatre finished.

 

Basically, Quatre answered, knowing Wufei was stalling, it says `Chang Wufei, peaceful scholar, aspiring martial artist, orphan, lonely risk-taker, if you're still listening to this you have no honor.' That last bit sounds kinda like Duo's but not quite as straight-forward, he concluded in an amused tone.

 

…Somehow, I feel slightly uncomfortable that anyone can know that much about me without asking my permission, Wufei confessed. And who is this `Duo'?

 

I'd love to tell you all about him, Quatre replied as the searchers rounded a corner and spotted their prey. But as you have company, I'll save it for another day. Wufei stood up in resignation as his caretakers approached, their angry scowls spelling out his punishment for this latest infringement on Their Rules.

 

“Chang Wufei!” bellowed the foremost man. “You insolent, ungrateful brat! How many times do we have to be inconvenienced by your escapades? And you've even performed the forbidden act again!” By the time the small group reached their culprit, Wufei's proprietor - for, in a way, that's exactly who Jin Lou was - had become quite red in the face.

 

“You know very well,” Jin continued, “that you are not allowed to use that- that otherworldly power you possess, orphan!”

 

“Lou,” cut in one of the trailing figures - Wufei's martial arts master, Lao Gou. “It would be wiser to discuss such matters after returning to the Temple. Away from prying ears.” He glanced towards the other members accompanying them. One was Wufei's academic instructor, but the one wearing a long white coat he didn't recognize.

 

It's a ferret, growled Quatre in his head. Wufei didn't have time to ask what he meant, because right then he was being ushered back to that place behind white walls. The elder scholar, Cong Ming, was busy arguing with the white coat, telling him they'd already given their answer, there was no need for him to stay, and did he really think Jin Lou would give up such a precious commodity?

 

“I only wanted to see this boy,” was all the stranger said. Behind them, the soldier's body had disappeared. Then the stranger left, too.

 

Um, Wufei, Quatre began hesitantly, what's going on?

 

Wufei sighed. The short version is: apparently, Jin Lou knew my mother before she died, and promised her he'd look after me. Meanwhile, the clan leader has a granddaughter he will need to find a husband for to take over the clan. Jin is a very…prospective type of person, and has decided - after finding out I was classified a `genius' or something like that - to groom me for the position in hopes it will get me noticed. Obviously, he thinks he'll end up in a rich life if this plan succeeds. However, he's been extremely paranoid since he found out about my `weather problem'. he finished solemnly. And now, Quatre, can you please leave me? I'd rather you didn't stay for this.

 

…Okay, sighed a reluctant voice. Take care. Then Wufei was alone.

 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

 

Back in the shadows, two pairs of eyes watched the group leave.

 

“RouRou, he's an orphan like us!” one exclaimed in mild surprise.

 

“No, YanYan,” the older boy corrected, in an almost sad voice. “He's not like us at all. He got caught.”