Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Gundam Diaries 2 ❯ Chapter 2

Title: Gundam Diaries 2 ~ Quatre 2/??

Author: Makoto Sagara
Series: Gundam Wing
Archive: The usual suspects; anywhere else, please ask first.
Category: Angst, Action

Pairings: 2x5, 3x4, 1x?, D+?
Rating: T
Warnings: Shonen ai, language, angst, sap, slightly AU
Disclaimers: I make no money, so suing is pointless. If you think I own GW, then you need to see someone. I have the number to a nice doctor... Oh, SALLY!

Author's Notes: The first chapter came so quickly. (I wrote it in about four hours' time, excluding the five hours I got for sleep between writing. Sheesh~!) Suddenly, Neko & Co have taken an immense like to the idea of this fic, not paying attention to the fact that I have about five other fics that need to be worked on in the meantime. I guess I just wasn't meant to get any peace. Argh! Enjoy!

Symbols: _blah_ emphasized thought
*~*~* Major change of scene
*~~~* Minor change of scene

August 4th, AC 195 02:34:51

It's been a while since I've been able to sit down and write out an entry in this digital journal. Between arranging marriages for ten of my twenty-nine sisters, work as the head of WEI, helping the Maguanacs find suitable places in my organization (since they refuse to leave my service, Allah forbid), and trying to make time for my love life with Trowa (such as it is), my time is just about nonexistent.

Ugh, and the marriage thing… I never thought that even with my sisters finding their own suitable husbands that I'd have to sit with Iria to hammer out marriage contracts that have their beginnings dating back from time immemorial. I mean, seriously, how backwards is my culture that a marriage, which is supposed to be something happy, is so business-like? Iria assures me that I'm doing the right thing for our sisters, who are more than happy to marry into ultra-traditional families - right down to the way women are supposed to behave in the family unit - by allowing the fathers of their potential husbands to insult me. Right to my face.

Rashid has had to take me out into the hallway a few times to calm down. Of course, it all started with Fatima making a comment about how she'd die an old maid because Kareem's family _knows_ I'm living and sleeping with Trowa.

I love my sisters. I really, really do. They are all so different from one another that I can't pick a favorite. Of course, I am closest with Iria, since she's the oldest and has been a surrogate mother for as long as I can remember. And how odd that Rashid should step into the role of surrogate father since my own has passed. Hm, maybe I should suggest that they marry, since neither seems likely to think of something like that while they worry over me and my other sisters. I _could_ technically, with the power of being the head of the family and Rashid's “master”, tell them that that's what I want and they would do it. I'll talk to Trowa about it. Maybe he has some ideas.

Speaking of my lover… He's been working so hard these last few months to get WEI's security forces back to looking like something respectable. Who knew that my father was so lax about his own safety? We've been providing top-notch security surveillance equipment for twenty years now, and he never had his own bodyguard. Of course, then again, he never was a Gundam pilot nor had more enemies than he could see with his own eyes. Ugh.

Getting off track… I was talking about Trowa… He's been overworking himself. He remembers to worry about me, but his normally expressive green eyes have been red with exhaustion and overwork. I'm tempted to call Cathy and have her talk to him about this all. Maybe I should get him an assistant. Auda would work, I'm sure, and he loves working with Trowa… I'll talk to Iria about that too.

I've just realized that I'm relying a lot on my eldest sister. I tend to forget that she has her own job, working in WEI's R&D Department. I should give her a vacation. I'll make it an order. Yes, that sounds acceptable.

Speaking of assistants, perhaps my sister and lover are correct in stating that I need one. I still haven't been to bed, and I have a seven o'clock meeting in the… today. I don't think I'm going to get much sleep - too much paperwork and not enough hours in the day.

Duo forwarded an email from Heero. It's the first time he's contacted any of us without nagging since the end of the war. I'm not surprised that he chose Duo to be the one who gets to know he's alive, but I was happy to see that he hadn't forgotten the rest of us at the end of his note. However, I'm a little worried with the way he's refusing to be around the rest of us. I mean, Duo _did_ try to shoot him when he tried to kiss our braided friend at the celebration of the end of the war, but that shouldn't have upset him, considering that it wasn't the first time a gun had been drawn between the two of them. My uchuu no kokoro tells me that he's lonely, but otherwise fine. It also told me that Wufei is still jealous over that little stunt. Ugh.

I keep wondering when he'll get over that, but Duo hasn't called us hysterical or pissed as hell, so it can't be too hard for him to deal with Wufei's tendency to overreact. Who knew that he had that emotion buried underneath all that arrogance and hatred he used to show us?

Other than that, Duo assures me that the two of them are fine, and I know that I can trust him to tell me the truth, even if he's miserable. Trowa told me that they are going to enroll in a school, mostly due to Howard's prompting. I think it's a wonderful prospect and something that Trowa and I have talked about before. If only I could find a way to go to school ­_and_ run a major corporation… Yet another thing I'll have to bring up with Rashid and Iria. They just keep adding up.

School

Vacation for Iria

Their marriage (he he)

Assistants for both Trowa (Auda) and myself

What to do with Heavyarms and Sandrock….

That's all I can think of that I really need to take care of immediately.

Oh, and evidently, the UES has decided to appoint Zechs/Milliardo as interim Vice-Foreign Minister in Relena's place. I don't know how I feel about that. He was particularly effective as Treize's immediate subordinate at OZ, but the whole White Fang fiasco makes me wonder. Lady Une sent me an email regarding that a few hours ago, and I answered her truthfully that I think it will take some observation before anything fruitful or disruptive can come to light.

Relena was probably pretty close to perfect for that role, since she was a pacifist, but her brother has proven time and time again that he believes that sometimes strong arm tactics are needed to get results. I don't know if that is what he really thinks, but following Treize in OZ and then Quinze in White Fang says that he isn't above it. It's just yet another thing that will probably give me an ulcer, if Trowa is to be believed. Maybe he's right and I should cut back on my caffeine intake. But, if I did that, I don't think I'd be able to do all that needs to be done right now. I'll cut back when work slows down.

That reminds me of a conversation that I had with Lady Une a week ago. She'd called on Friday, which is only a half day here at WEI in Cairo. I encourage all of my employees to practice their religious faiths, if they wish. We make it up with Saturdays anyway. I was just about to take some work home with me and kick my secretary out of the office to head to the mosque with her husband when my phone rang. I recognized Une's number and sighed before hitting the accept button.

“Winner, I'm glad that I caught you before you left the office,” she said. I could hear how exhausted she was and I pitied her. She had been running herself even more ragged than Trowa and I since the end of the war with starting up the Preventers. “I need your advice on something.”

“What can I help you with, Colonel?” I looked up to see Zemirah standing in the doorway with a look of worry across her face. “Go ahead, Zemirah. There's no point in you being late for ju'mah. Tell Khalil I said hello.”

“Thank you, Mister Winner. I will. I'll see you tomorrow.” I waved at her before turning my attention back to my former enemy.

“Sorry, it's Friday…”

“I understand. Anyway, I need to speak to you about Chang and Maxwell.” I blinked and must have looked worried because she sighed. “No, nothing like that - Maxwell assures me that they are fine. I need your advice about them.”

“What about them?” I had a pretty good idea what she wanted to talk about, but I also knew that she needed to get something off of her chest, which is why she'd called me.

“The Preventers needs agents with their talents. In fact, I could probably use all five of you Gundam pilots, to be honest, since most of the ranks are made up of ex-OZ and ex-Alliance military. But, specifically, I require Chang's hand-to-hand training and Maxwell's skills in stealth and demolition.”

“Don't other agents have similar skills?”

“Yes, to some degree, but I _know_ how effective their training has been and I would like to actually hire them to be instructors for current and incoming agents.” She sighed again and readjusted her golden framed spectacles. “I could also use Yuy for tactical planning, but I can't get a hold of him.”

“Well, I told you that I can come in on Friday afternoons and give some seminars on planning.”

“I know, and I appreciate the offer. I'm trying to find a way to make it work. It's just that not only do I want them for instructors, I want competent agents out in the field.” She smiled ruefully. “Are you sure you can't spare Barton?”

I returned her smile. “That's up to Trowa. I think he said something about being a part-time help, like if you needed him for a particular case, but I don't think he's really interested in working like that full-time.” I rubbed at the back of my neck to ward off the migraine I could feel building up. “I'm actually thinking of making him go on vacation from here for a while.”

“It does seem that I never hear of the two of you outside of your offices and meetings.” She sighed. “I know that feeling. So, about Maxwell and Chang?”

“Have you asked them outright?”

“Chang won't even take my calls. Maxwell listens politely, which is eerie considering his behaviour during the war, and says he'll think about it, but I haven't heard anything from him yet.”

“Well, I can hazard a guess and say that if Duo comes to work for you, Wufei will too.”

“That's the feeling I got, but the last time I talked to them, he hung up the call right in the middle of my conversation with Maxwell.”

“Give them some time, Colonel. The readjustment is hardest on Wufei because of what happened to his colony. He hasn't exactly been social - not that he was very much before, but it's worse now. Besides, I think they'd both like to go back to school.”

“Hm, yes, I suppose that makes sense.” She smiled tiredly. “Well, thank you for your help, Winner. Oh, and if you hear from Yuy, would you let him know I'd like to talk to him?”

“Will do, Colonel. Take care.” I waved half-heartedly to her and cut the call. I tried not to think too much about it at the time, but now it strikes me as odd that she's been having such a hard time getting Wufei's cooperation. Unless there was something my friends weren't telling me about… which was pretty much possible at this point since we'd been apart for the last seven weeks.

Note to self: Call Duo. Get sleep. Get assistant. Cut coffee intake. Take vacation. See doctor about possible ulcer. Retire at twenty.

Too tired and the day starts too early. Going to get _some_ sleep next to Trowa before I have to drag my sleep-deprived body back into the office.

Good night -

~ Quatre Raberba Winner