Ten

Old Friends

      “Wufei!” Sally’s voice carried to me above the din of the unloading.
      I saw her climb off a platform and jog to me. I smiled, returning her hug, “Sally, how are you? What’s been going on with you?”
      With an arm around my shoulders, she led me across the floor, “Nothing, actually. It’s been really quiet in my neck of the woods. How have you been?”
      She let me go and climbed the ladder.
      I shrugged, then followed, “I’ve been bored...”
      She grinned at me, “I heard you had an adventure this morning.” At my questioning look, her grin widened, “Made a spectacle of yourself...chasing a girl through the halls...”
      “With Heero.” I pointed out.
      She grinned even wider, “And who is this girl? One of your sweethearts?” she turned and shouted something to a group on her left.
      “No. It was Nicole.” I answered when she was done.
      She glanced at me, “So why was she running?” she asked, looking over the clipboard and yelling to some people on my left.
      “She slapped me.”
      Sally stopped her scan of the clipboard and looked at me, “Why?”
      I grinned mischievously and leaned against her, brushing her lips with mine, “I have a way with the ladies...” I murmured.
      “Tcch...” she pushed me back.
      Some of the workers had stopped to watch, making suggestions to me with large knowing grins. Some of their suggestions were interesting...worth a try if I got the chance...
      “Get back to work!” Sally yelled, “Enough ogling!” she gestured them away as they chuckled, “Cute, Wufei. Point taken.”
      I grinned, “I thought you would get it. How’s Nitaku?” I walked over and leaned against the railing, looking over the shuttle.
      Suddenly she was just behind me, “Nitaku’s fine.” she whispered very close to my ear, blowing gently so I shivered.
      Quickly, I turned, wrapping my arms around her hips before she could move, “Be careful, Sally,” I warned, “Or these games may get serious...”
      She moved her hips slightly, testing my grip...among other things, then leaned forward, her lips nearly brushing mine and stopping so close to my ear I could feel her heat, “What makes you think I’m not trying to make’em so?” she breathed.
      I turned my face, trying to catch her lips with my own. My grip, however, was loose and she pulled away, smiling.
      “Sometimes, I wish you would.” I replied, sighing as I leaned against the railing more and crossed my arms.
      “Why don’t you make them serious then, Wufei?” with that, she returned her attention to the workers.
      Twice...in one day...from two different girls...I shook my head, maybe some might consider that lucky, but it seemed pathetic to me.
      Challenges were good...but not the kind that you couldn’t win out...I hadn’t won with Sally yet, and I doubted that I would with Nikki...though I probably could with just about anyone else...
      For some reason, I didn’t feel too horribly lucky.


      “Heero? You two decent?” Duo’s voice came through the door and I roused myself, not moving because Nikki was sleeping on my chest.
      “Yeah, come in...” I called and Nikki stirred.
      As Duo walked in, his grin was larger than if he’d actually caught me doing something. I lay a finger across my lips to keep him from waking her.
      He nodded and held something up.
      A can of Pepsi.
      He winked.
      “Duo...” I didn’t want him to...
      Too late.
      He opened the can.
      Nikki’s eyes snapped open and focused on it. She sat up, very much awake...or, at least, very much interested in the can.
      Duo passed it to her.
      I covered my annoyance.
      “We’re going to greet Relena in state.” he informed me.
      I rose an eyebrow and sat up, “Does Quatre know?”
      He winked again, “Nope. He has no idea.”
      I grinned slightly, “Does Relena?”
      His grin widened and he shook his head.
      I smiled, “Are we ready then?” I shifted my legs off the side of the bed, putting my shoes back on.
      “The ladies are getting ready.” he looked at Nikki, “Feeling better, Princess?”
      She lowered the can and grinned at him, “I need to change, but other than that, I’m fine.”


      “Okay, we’ll be here-abouts. You’ll be fine. Just stay with Quatre...” Heero told me, hesitating to follow his comrades.
      I smiled slightly, he wanted to go so bad...
      “Go. We’ll be fine.” It was cute.
      After another hesitation he started walking away, backwards, watching me.
      “Go.” I ordered.
      He smiled, then jogged off. When he caught up, Duo turned and grinned at me, waving. I smiled and waved back. Then he waved to Krystal.
      “Boys and their toys...” Quatre muttered as I ran my fingers through my hair.
      “We know you want to join them, Chickadee, but you’re stuck with us...” I replied, grinning.
      He smiled, “You know me well...”
      “No.” Sam interrupted, “We know boys and their toys.” she winked, then turned away from his gaze and looked at me, “Nice skirt.”
      I smiled, looking over her knee length pink leopard print skirt, very similar to my floor length silver-bullet leopard print, “Yours isn’t too bad either.”
      Quatre smiled, “You have similar taste...”
      “In clothes, anyway.” Kris cut in, “Guy’s are a completely different story. That’s how we’ve managed not to rip each other’s throats out.” she grinned.
      Quatre looked at her skirt and laughed, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d planned it...” It was the same as mine, only blue. The amusing thing was that Kat was wearing a green one.
      “Do I look all right?” I fretted.
      “You look fine.” Kris replied.
      “Gorgeous.” Sam said, acting disgusted, “In ten minutes...It makes me sick to the stomach that you can do that, you know.”
      I smiled.
      “Do I look all right? Is it long enough?” Krystal asked, stepping back and forth, swinging the skirt.
      Samantha and I nodded enthusiastically.
      “It’s not fair.” I commented.
      Sam turned to Quatre, who was watching our exchange wit interest, “It’s disgusting. She only took five minutes.”
      I made a face, “You look the best.”
      Krystal looked up to Quatre, who was studying Sam, seeming to agree, “She took fifteen.”
      Kat came up behind us, “Do I look all right?”
      Quatre grinned, “Gorgeous.”
      Sam turned to him a moment, then refocused on Kat, “Yes. You look great.”
      Kris and I nodded in agreement.
      Kat turned and paced away, smiling.
      “So,” Quatre started, acting serious, “If any female asks me how she looks, is ‘gorgeous’ going to produce the same results?”
      I grinned, “Depending on the person. Take Sam for example, tell her she’s gorgeous and she glows.”
      “Tcch...” Sam gave me a look.
      “Whereas, tell Krystal, and she shines...” I continued, ignoring the look.
      “You could make a person think your feelings are more by saying it.” Sam broke in, “Tell Nikki she’s gorgeous and she’ll get dreamy every time you walk by.” she smiled.
      “I do not!” I protested.
      Sam and Krystal giggled.
      “It also depends on the situation...” I started again, refocusing on Quatre.
      Quatre held up his hands in surrender, “Okay, I give...I didn’t ask you to read me the manual.”
      Samantha made an elegant gesture with her right hand, “Instructing the innocent is our forte...”
      “Corrupting, you mean.” I corrected.
      “Innocent?” he protested at the same time.
      Sam grinned at me, “I get all those ‘ing’ words mixed up...” she shrugged, “Instructing...corrupting...they mean...about the same thing...”
      Kat paced back up to us for a moment, then away.
      Quatre studied her as she moved restlessly and shook his head slightly, “Well, Ladies, shall we?”
      He led us down some halls to the state courtyard where we gathered on the dais.
      “What will people think of us staying in the suites?” Krystal asked after a while, “Since the guys aren’t here?”
      Quatre winked, “Whatever they decide to think.”
      Sam grinned, “Shall we spin their perceptions?”
      Quatre grinned.
      “What?” Kat asked.
      We burst into giggles.
      “Influence what they perceive as reality.” Sam explained.
      “How do we do that?” she asked, eyes wide.
      “Well,” Sam said thoughtfully, “I’m in Quatre’s suite, so I’d probably do something like this...” she took Quatre’s arm and clung to him tightly, eyes wide and ‘innocent’.
      “Oh.” Kat said blankly...why she was doing that was beyond me. She had no reason to act...and she did know what we were talking about...and if she were being herself she would have offered a few ideas.
      We pretended not to notice the flashing cameras from the media that had been invited.
      “And I’d do this in response...” Quatre continued, freeing his arm to wrap it around Sam’s shoulders and pull her even closer.
      Krystal raised a skeptical eyebrow at the two of them, “Don’t you think you’re getting a bit carried away?” she asked, pointedly looking at Quatre’s arm.
      “Not at all.” I said, grinning at the two as Kris laughed.
      Kat put on a show of being utterly shocked. I grinned at her, “Can I play too?” she asked.
      “Of course...” I said, still grinning, “As soon as Trowa comes back.”
      She grinned at me, Quatre didn’t see that though.
      I nodded, smiling to myself when he didn’t release Sam, and she made no move to pull away. We waited in silence as the media began to filter into the courtyard, still snapping photos.
      “I hate pomp and ceremony...” Quatre muttered to us, plastering a smile on his face.
      “I’m sorry you can’t be playing with your toy.” I muttered back, taking his lead and smiling.
      He snorted slightly, glancing at his watch, “Ten minutes.” he seemed to be replying to something.
      I exchanged a glance with Samantha as Krystal and Kat shifted.
      “No, wait ‘til after I introduce them.” he paused, “No, to do that I’d have to take it off. That would ruin everything.” another pause.
      “Umm...Quatre?” I started and he winked at me.
      “Why would they talk to her?” he demanded.
      It began to dawn on me that he was talking to Heero and the others. Realization lit all their faces at the same time.
      The courtyard began to hush as a shuttle began docking procedures in the terminal.
      “Shh...Now. Or I’ll turn it off.” Quatre warned, “Yes, it’s clear. I made sure of it.”
      We waited silently as Quatre let go of Sam and stepped to the end of the ramp leading from it to the dais. Below us was a fairly large courtyard, packed with people.
      I was facing the terminal, and on the left was a wing of Quatre’s estate. On the right was an extension of the space port. There was a gate up behind, stretching from the house to the port.
      I wondered if it was enough distance for all four of the Gundams to line up, it didn’t look like it...
      “Yes.” Quatre said in response to a mutter from someone who sounded like Heero, “The port can hold one. So can the house, now hush.”
      That answered my question.
      Air locks released and we could hear a door closing and the locks clicking back into place.
      “The people can’t hear me.” Quatre warned, “So stand back and I’ll present you one by one. The media will find out your names somehow, I’m sure.”
      “How should we address them?” Kris voiced the question we all would have asked.
      “Minister Dorlain, Mr. Marquise, and Miss Noin in public situations. They’ll give you leave to whatever after that.” he focused back on the door as it slowly opened.
      There was utter silence as Relena stepped through with another woman in a Preventer uniform, and Commander Milliardo in a similar outfit.
      I swallowed, watching him, it’d been so long...
      His eyes took in the crowd, then us, his eyes opened slightly wider when he saw me and he grinned. I smiled in return and he focused on his sister.
      Relena was wearing a gray skirt, just longer than knee length. She had on a suit jacket with a white shirt barely showing. Her hair was loose and held back by braids that started at the temple. Her shoes were black heels and she had a large smile.
      “Minister Dorlain...” Quatre greeted her, stepping close to exchange a hug, then repeated it to the other lady, “Miss Noin.” he turned to Milliardo and shook his hand, “Mr. Marquise...I’m glad to see you...”
      “It’s nice to see you again, too, Mr. Winner...” Milliardo muttered, his eyes flicking to me.
      Suddenly I realized that in front of me were basically the top-most authorities... the ones who’d seen it all and lived to tell...I thought a moment, the Gundam pilots were part of this group...
      I was suddenly in awe...or shock, depending on how you looked at it.
      Quatre stepped back and turned to Kat, “This is my friend, Katie Seepa.”
      Relena smiled brightly, shaking hands, “How are you, Miss Seepa? Nice to meet you.” she glanced briefly at Quatre with a sparkle in her eyes.
      She evidently assumed that there was more going on there.
      “I’m fine, thank you, Minister.” Kat had no problems with formalities.
      She proved this as Quatre introduced her in turn to the others of the party.
      Relena had looked over our group and was disappointed.
      I on the other hand, was transfixed with Milliardo. He was watching me with a ‘Just wait...’ type look...his eyes sparkling. He had no intentions of breaking eye contact. I decided to accept that challenge and play his game. He’d explain later...I hoped.
      “This,” Quatre said, gesturing to me, not seeming to notice my distraction, “Is Nicole Kaze, Nikki, this is Vice foreign Minister Relena Dorlain...”
      I looked coolly away from my former commander and met Relena’s eyes, returning her smile, “Nice to meet you, Minister.”
      She smiled larger, “Please, any friend of Mr. Winner is a friend of mine. Call me Miss Relena.” we shook hands and Quatre introduced me to Noin.
      Now, Milliardo stepped forward, looking like he’d only shake my hand, but as he got close, he pulled me in for a hug, “Hi, Nik...” he muttered, then stepped back.
      “Hi, Milliardo.” I muttered in return.
      He shook his head, “I’m not Milliardo Peacecraft. I’m Zechs Marquise.” his eyes glittered, “Call me Zechs.”
      I smiled again, “Sorry...” I muttered and he nodded.
      “This is Samantha Killeine. Sam, Miss Relena.” Quatre continued smoothly.
      She, Relena, and Noin shook hands, murmuring pleasantries.
      Milliardo greeted her with the same broad grin he’d given me.
      “And this,” Quatre said, turning to Kris, “Is Krystal Turren. Kris, Miss Relena.”
      They also shook hands.
      “You keep good company, Mr. Winner.” Milliardo spoke up, “These three woman were held in high regard...I’m impressed, but I can’t help but wonder...”
      Before he could finish his question, there was a sound in the distance. It was an extremely loud sound.
      Quatre pretended to ignore the four shapes heading our way.
      Noin was watching the shapes approach, only half paying attention to Quatre as he began to exchange other pleasantries. We also ignored the shapes.
      I managed not to tense as a Gundam landed on the house, another on my right, another on my left...they were loud and made the hairs rise on my arms...that had been the sound of danger...
      The crowd was frightened, the aire of near panic over the courtyard was amusing.
      Relena was watching the final Gundam as it landed on the port.
      Heero.
      Quatre grinned, looking at the machines, “Zero, Heavyarms, Deathscythe, and Nitaku.” he murmured to us, “Heero, Trowa, Duo, and Wufei.” he was looking at each in turn, “Relena will soon be under our protection.”


      Nikki was staring up at Zero as Quatre spoke to them, telling them which of us was which...not that they didn’t know. Nikki had a look of almost fear and awe. So did Sam and Krystal. Kat was now watching Heavyarms like Relena was watching Zero, exclusively.
      I wondered what’d happened. I had loved her...Relena...at one point...but now...I sort of felt bad, seeing her face...but...Nikki had been there when she hadn’t been...when I needed someone...
      Cameras were flashing and the crowd seemed close to panicking.
      “Now.” Quatre’s voice came over the speaker quietly.
      I smiled and drew my beam saber.
      At the same time, Trowa and Wufei drew theirs and Duo lit up his scythe.
      We stood there, not moving.
      A show of strength and purpose, Relena was now under our protection.

<--

-->

Kyeian