GW Fic: The Simple Things In Life 1/1
Title:The Simple Things In Life
Notes: G, no pairing, humour, un-beta'd
We've seen Wu Fei do it, we've seen Trowa do it, I'm going out on a limb to assume that the Perfect Soldier would have done it too. Now it's Quatre and Duo's turn...
Author's Notes: First EVER published fic! w007! ^_^
~*~
The sun was shining, the sky was clear and the air rang aloud with the joy and mirth of youth. Five young boys strolled down a sandy beach of an exclusive resort island on this sunny morning. It was a rare moment that they were all together in one place and not facing death thus they all had resolved to enjoy the break - even the most sullen and deadpan of them.
As always the braided American led the conversation - well it was more like dominated - but no one else seemed to mind seeing only one person was paying attention to him. Quatre listened in earnest to Duo's anecdotes.
"I have to admit, Wu Fei," Duo said after he finished his last story. "This is by far the nicest thing you've come up with."
"And what is that suppose to mean?"
"Hey, don't get your knickers in a twist!" Duo lifted his hand defensively. "I just mean I didn't expect a broody, surly guy like you to know about such a place."
"We all have our surprises."
"Do we ever!" Duo began bouncing again. "So does any one have ideas on what to do today? I think we've pretty much exhausted all the water sports."
"You mean you've managed to get us banned from all the water sports with your insane escapades and wild antics?" Heero was ever-present to point out Duo's flaws.
"Oh, right! Blame me! I suppose you think saying 'omae o korosu' repeatedly to the manager when he didn't let you take the ski-jet out on your own because you couldn't prove you weren't under-aged had nothing to do with it?"
"C'mon guys, we weren't exactly on our best behavior that morning, so no pointing fingers. I mean Wu Fei managed to insult the nice lady who was helping him with the life jacket we were required to wear and the incident with Trowa and the Banana Boat - "
"Yes, yes, Quatre, we all remember that morning, no need to remind us," Trowa interjected before any of the other pilots thumped him, Trowa included. "But not to worry water sports aren't the only fun thing around here. I've got an idea. Follow me."
When the tall, typically silent pilot showed initiative like this, the others were compelled to follow him. As Trowa began leading them back towards the streets, Duo returned to this chattering; this time he cornered Wu Fei. Sometimes, Duo wondered if he weren't there, would any one of the other pilots actually speak to each other apart from spouting mission status, orders and death threats?
"Trowa?" Quatre finally asked. "Where are we going?"
"To get something to do something we haven't done yet."
"Uh... could you be less cryptic?"
"See for yourself." Trowa gestured to the stall before him. Quatre's eyes widened, Heero nodded his approval and Wu Fei even smiled, after waving Duo to shut up. Duo trained his eyes where the rest of his comrades were looking and did a good impression of Quatre's expression.
"Good suggestion, Trowa." Heero walked up to him.
"I heard there's quite a nice selection of trails just behind the resort, ranging from beginner to advanced to 'are-you-insane?!'. So are you guys up for it?"
"Makes a change from the beach."
"I agree," Wu Fei voiced his assent. The trio waited for the loudest of them all to burst out in excitement but found only silence. Turning around, they found the braided boy and the golden-haired one hunched together, whispering frantically.
"Duo? Cat?" Trowa called. Aquamarine and violet eyes snapped up and stared at the three boys.
"Um... yes?" Quatre began, somewhat nervously.
"Do you guys want to do this?"
"Do what?" Duo asked innocently.
"Are you blind or just playing stupid?" Heero asked impatiently.
"Oh, you mean... that?" Duo grinned sheepishly. "Hehehe... uh..."
"What is the matter with you? Cat got your tongue?"
"Did Heero Yuy just make a joke?" Wu Fei asked Trowa in a whisper, suppressing the urge to laugh. Trowa replied with a small twisted smile and a raised eyebrow.
"What's wrong with you two?" Trowa approached them. "You look like we're your worst nightmares."
"Do we?" Quatre squeaked. "We're not afraid, um... more like embarrassed."
"Embarrassed? Of what?" Wu Fei asked.
"Of that." Quatre pointed at the stall.
"What's so embarrassing about mountain biking?!" Heero practically demanded; the two were beginning to annoy him.
"Nothing much... except..." Duo said then lowered his voice to a mere whisper and continued. It would seem that only Trowa heard him, as he was the only one who registered surprise.
"Stop mumbling, I didn't hear you." Wu Fei started to move forward but turned his attention elsewhere when he heard an unusual sound - the sound of Trowa's laughter. It started as a chuckle then it became a hearty laugh. Trowa looked like he was trying to suppress it but he was failing miserably.
"S'not funny, Trowa!" Duo pouted, "I would've expected the Perfect Soldier to ridicule but not you!"
"I'm sorry, Duo, Cat." He took a few deep breaths to control his laughing fit. "It's just - very surprising."
"What is?" Wu Fei asked curiously.
Trowa turned to the other two and smiled. "It would seem Duo and Cat don't know how to ride a bike."
"What?" Heero blurted out before he could stop himself. "You're telling us that you two can pilot any damn thing that flies and drive anything with a steering wheel but you can't ride a bike?"
"YES! All right? Geez, we can't ride a damned bike, ok?!" Quatre bellowed uncharacteristically, "It's not like we had a normal childhood to revel in the simplicity and joy of learning how to cycle, nor were we requested to learn when we were in training!"
"Calm down, Cat," the tall brunette tried to pacify his irate friend. Quatre could be a little sensitive when dealing with personal matters. "We're not laughing at you. We're all just surprised. Neither one of us really had a normal childhood, but I guess we all learned to ride a bike for different reasons."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout." He lowered his gaze, chastised.
"Right, now that we got that out of the way, let's go find something to do." Duo slyly began to walk away from the rest of the crowd, hoping they would abandon the idea of mountain biking.
"Oh, no, Duo Maxwell!" Wu Fei ran up and grabbed Duo. "You're not getting away that easily. So you can't ride, but that doesn't mean you can't learn how to!" An evil glint sparkled in the dark Oriental eyes.
"No!" Duo protested and looked pleadingly at Quatre.
"Quatre's not gonna help you," Heero spoke up. "Because he's gonna learn too."
"I saw that coming..." Quatre hung his head in dismay. "Thanks a lot, Trowa!"
"Don't worry, we'll take good care of you two." The mischief that was usually present in the American's amethyst eyes had somehow migrated to those of onyx, sapphire and emerald. Duo now understood why his friends were often anxious and dubious when he had that look in his eyes. He groaned as Wu Fei bodily dragged him to acquire a rented bike.
~*~
"Aaaaarrrrrrggggggghhhhhh - " The scream was stopped short by a slap on the head. "Ow! That hurt!!" The same head complained.
"Well, stop screaming then! You're embarrassing us and attracting unnecessary attention. We haven't let go of you!" Wu Fei commented irritably. He shook his head and looked as his fellow trainer. "Why did I not volunteer to teach Quatre instead?"
"Because we all agreed that if we let Heero teach Duo, there would be blood and gore and explosions. And we also agreed that it would take two of us to handle this loud, hyperactive child."
"Helllo?! Object of conversation is present! Show a little respect, would'ja?" Duo puted
"Hmmph!" Wu Fei grunted.
"Duo, it would help if you opened you eyes," Trowa advised.
"Why did I let you guys talk me into it?" Duo clutched the handlebars with white-knuckled grip, "Why don't you just shoot me?"
"That's Heero's job."
"Oh, you are so funny! You're enjoying this aren't you, you sadistic fiends."
"No, we're not! I'd rather be going down a trail myself than listen to you complain about this, when you should be thanking us for teaching you," Wu Fei retorted.
"Well, don't let me stop you," Duo grumbled sulkily.
"Duo, stop being a wimp. What is the worst that could happen?" Trowa cast a quick glance over to Wu Fei; a silent signal was exchanged. The both of them knew were coming up to a slope, albeit gentle, and they also speculated that in his current harassed mental state, Duo would perceive it as the sheer mountainside of the Himalayas.
Before Duo could answer Trowa's rhetorical question, he found the world suddenly rushing by him in a much quicker pace than he wanted it to. He wasn't sure if it was the rush of wind that was roaring in his ears or his own terrified screaming. The descent seemed to last forever. For some illogical reason, administering the breaks just didn't occur to Duo. He wasn't thinking coherently enough to formulated such rational actions.
Trowa and Wu Fei fell over each other in hysterical laughter. They knew deep in their hearts that it was cruel to have done what they did. However, Duo had always been the definition of calm, and the opportunity to see their braided friend somewhat freaked out was something the two could not deny themselves. They only wished they had a camcorder.
Duo was unsure how he stopped - or remained upright for that matter. All he knew was the world had finally ceased to whiz by him and his feet were planted firmly into the ground. When he caught his breath, he got off the bike and spun around. Initially, he wanted to believe that he had slipped from his friends' grasp but seeing them in a heap of laughter made him see red.
"BARTON!!!! CHANG!!!!!" He screamed. "I will kill you!!!!!"
With that proclamation, the two laughed even harder.
~*~
"Quatre..." Heero prompted, trying to stay calm knowing he was not teacher material, but he still had to make the effort. At least, he thought to himself, he was not with the loud American who was no doubt complaining at every opportunity. Quatre was easier to teach, he complained little and followed orders to the tee, well almost. "You're only supposed to squeeze the breaks when you want to stop. You haven't even started."
"Oh, sorry."
"Just relax, you did fine in the last few tries. Falling is all part of the learning process."
"Uh, huh..."
Heero was baffled as to why Quatre had insisted in all the possible protective gear - he had helmet, wrist guards, elbow guards, kneepads and shin pads. Heero was sure that if they did body armors at the stall, Quatre would've taken those too. It was quite surprising for a Gundam pilot, who no doubt would have had faced worse injuries, to be afraid of getting scabbed knees and bruised elbows from falling off a bicycle. If the protective gears had been silver in color, Quatre would've looked like a knight about to ride off into battle on a skeletal-looking horse.
"As I said, it's all really simple. Once you establish your center of gravity, keep peddling and you will not fall. And if you feel yourself falling, stop peddling and put your feet down."
"Ok," Quatre snorted silently to himself, thinking 'easy for you to say when you know how to do it already!'
Heero stepped back to give him room. Quatre did not budge. Heero waited patiently. Still no response. Heero's patience began to thin; he was itching to go down one of those trails that Trowa was talking about. He did not want to stand on an uninterestingly flat sidewalk teaching Quatre how to cycle. Still he kept his cool - this was after all another mission.
"Quatre? Today would be good."
"Huh? Oh, sorry." Quatre looked at Heero and gave him a watery smile. "Oh, by the way, Heero, my will is in the second left drawer of my bureau in my study."
Heero let out a short bark of laughter. "For a Gundam pilot you sure are of a nervous disposition. Now go, before I shoot you."
"Eep!" Quatre squeaked and began peddling, he knew that Heero was kidding but he didn't want to take any chances. Heero mounted his own hired bike and followed. Quatre was shaky and threatened to cycle off the path onto the road and into oncoming traffic a few times, causing Heero's heart to drop. He did not want Quatre's death on his conscience, especially not because of an accident during a silly bike-riding lesson. Hence his decision to cycle along side the unsteady blond, between him and the road. To his credit, Quatre was improving with each turn of the spokes.
"Faster, Quatre!" Heero called. "The faster you ride, the easier it is to maintain your balance."
"Are you sure?" Quatre asked dubiously.
"Trust me."
And that Quatre did. He began peddling faster and with more confidence. He was actually beginning to enjoy it. His first few attempts were awkward and resulted in a few tumbles but now he was actually cycling! Without assistance! He dared a quick sideway glance at Heero who was watching over him like a hawk. A small, satisfied smile was on his lips.
"Haha! I'm cycling!!!" the blond cried out triumphantly.
"That you are," Heero replied. He looked ahead and saw Wu Fei and Trowa leaning on each other, laughing somewhat uncontrollably. Duo was nowhere to be seen. He could only wonder what the two did to the braided boy. As he neared the laughing pair, Heero noticed they were standing just atop a slope. The gradient was mild, but Heero guess that it would be quite a shock to Quatre if he didn't expect it.
"Quatre! Slow down!" He called.
"What? Why?"
"Just do it!"
"But..." Quatre turned to look at Heero questioningly; he was obviously enjoying his newfound ability to want to stop so soon. What Quatre should've done above all else was keep his eyes ahead and listened to the words of wisdom.
"INCOMING!" Heero screeched to a halt. He hoped that both Trowa and Wu Fei weren't too busy laughing to notice his warning or a very preoccupied blond pilot swerving towards them.
Fortunately, Trowa did notice as he leapt aside taking Wu Fei with him. Quatre's eyes widened for the second time today and all bodily functions froze when he hit the gentle 10-degree dip, which his frantic mind unfortunately misinterpreted it as a 90-degree drop.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" It would seem his vocal cords were the only thing that hadn't stop working. All Heero could do was watch. He didn't try to stop the runaway bike as he knew he could do more injury if he did try to stop it. He had however shouted to Quatre to hit the breaks but all was lost to the screaming boy. Wu Fei and Trowa, in a tangle heap of limbs and bicycles on the sidewalk, began laughing again.
"AAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!"
They heard a second scream from the bottom of the slope. Duo, who had barely composed himself, was horrified to find a speeding blond blur heading straight for him.
Quickly, the braided youth dove aside, hoping that the powers that be would be merciful to him and not kill him with a rampaging, freewheeling mountain bike.
A sickening crunch rang out in the air as speeding bike met stationary one. Quatre felt like he had been launched like a human cannonball, soaring through the air with no sight to a landing. In truth, he only toppled a few feet from his fallen bike. As he had discovered moments before, the mind can often warp your perception rather drastically.
"YOU PEOPLE ARE CRUEL, SADISTIC AND MEAN!" Duo screamed at the trio on the upper end of the 20-foot long slope. "Hey, Cat? Are you still alive?"
"Wow!" Quatre replied, breathily. He sat up, eyes gleaming with wonder. "I wanna go again! It was fantastic!!"
"WHAT?" Duo was taken aback. He had seen the terror in those aquamarine eyes as the blond came flying down the slope, he could not understand why Quatre wanted put himself through it again. He must have hit his head harder than Duo thought, the braided youth concluded.
"C'mon Duo! It's fun!" Quatre stood up and dusted himself off.
"Fun? Not if you have those two for instructors! At least you weren't pushed down the mountain!" Duo gestured toward the trio who had gracefully descended the slope to join their 'fallen' comrades.
"You are such a wimp, Duo Maxwell. Calling that a gentle slope would be an overstatement. You call yourself the God of Death when you're afraid of a little bicycle?" Wu Fei said in friendly mockery. Duo glared at him with a look that did Heero proud.
"Now that Cat has successfully learned to ride and willingly chosen to continue to do so, you're the only one left," Trowa pointed out, "Surely, you don't want to be to odd one out?"
"Oh, no!" Duo backed away, "I'm not gonna be baited into one of your mind games. I'm not getting back on that bike with you two behind me."
"That's fine with us." Wu Fei shrugged. "Heero, would you do the honours?"
"THIS IS NOT FAIR!!" Duo cried. "You're ganging up on me!"
"Duo, it's not that bad, honestly! It hurts a little when you fall off but we've had worse bumps, right?" Quatre tried convincing his jumpy friend.
"Hah! Says the guy with more protection than gundanium armor could hope to provide and, incidentally, who was screaming loud enough to wake the dead."
"Well, it just took me by surprise! Duo, the guys don't want to stay here and baby-sit us all day, they want to go on the trails. Give it another go and if you really hate it then we'll back off."
"Ever the diplomat!" Duo mumbled sulkily. "Ok, just for you, buddy. And if anyone of you touch me or come near me, I'll shoot you." he pointed at Trowa and Wu Fei.
"With what?" Trowa innocently asked.
"Oh, shut up!"
~*~
Quatre questioned the wisdom in doing the trail. Granted, it was only the beginners' course, but he felt that he was even greener than a beginner. After all, he had only learned how to stop without having to throw himself off the bike or involve the use of external forces, like a brick wall or an unsuspecting pedestrian. The little slope that he had encountered and enjoyed proved nothing in comparison to this jungle trail before him.
His excitement and enthusiasm had somewhat been transplanted into Duo. Once the braided pilot had reassurance that Trowa and Wu Fei weren't going to do any more to rattle him, he took to his newfound ability. The noisiest and most reckless biker on that trail now was the hyperactive American. Distantly, he heard uncharacteristic cries of 'banzai!' from Heero, ecstatic yells of 'wa-hoo!' from Trowa and even the odd, elated 'yee-haa!' from Wu Fei.
"Hey!" Quatre turned to look for the source of the voice. It was Wu Fei. "Looking at it is not going to make it come to you."
"What are you doing here? I thought you would be halfway down the advanced course."
"Been there done that."
"What? Already?"
"I'm a good biker. I was just heading for the 'are-you-insane?' course when I saw an all too-familiar blonde looking tentatively at the course. What happened?"
"Uh... it's called a sense of self-preservation."
"Chicken!"
"Am not!" Quatre cried defensively.
"Show me."
"I will!" He set his mouth in determination and took off down the rough, winding and uneven path.
"WOO-HOOO!!!!" He heard Wu Fei cheer and follow him.
Again, Quatre questioned the wisdom in doing it. His quick reflexes and well-honed senses from battling countless Mobile Dolls were the only things keeping him from going splat against a tree.
He could not believe the rush of exhilaration that he was feeling. Under advisement from the three experienced bikers, he discarded most of his protective gear. He now only wore helmet and knees and elbows pads. Not only did he have greater maneuverability, it somehow made it more thrilling. He could not help himself when he let out a whoop of excitement.
When he arrived at the end of the trail, he was breathless but highly charged.
"Well done!" Wu Fei skidded to a stop, "Should we try something more challenging?"
"When... *puff, puff* ... I ... catch... my ... breath..." he panted.
When dusk fell, the five young boys, encrusted with mud, covered in cuts and scratches and weary to the bone, returned their hire bikes back to the stall and headed back to their chalet. An unusual silence surrounded them. It was not only because Duo, for a change, was quiet, nor was it because they refused to talk to each other. They were silent because they were too worn out to spare any energy that was currently being used to walk and breath.
Neither one of them actually made it to their rooms. Upon entering their rented chalet, they all collapsed in the lounge. Heero, Trowa and Quatre slumped into the couch propping each other up, Wu Fei flopped on the armchair and Duo collapsed into the carpeted floor, flat out on his back.
Finally, Quatre spoke, "I don't think I've ever been this tired in my entire life."
"Or ache as much," Trowa added.
"Or be covered in so much mud," Heero continued.
"Or sustain this many cuts and scrapes," Wufei grumbled.
"Or have as much fun!" Duo finished.
A round of assenting grunts rumbled through the lounge.
"We should do this again," Quatre said after another moment of silence.
"Sure, Cat, but next time we're doing something we know and the other three don't, and then we're going to make them suffer like we did."
"Suffer? Who are you trying to kid? We practically had to pry you off the bike," Trowa quipped. Had he the strength, Duo would have sat up and gave Trowa a rude gesture as a retort.
"Good luck finding that something, Duo," Heero said in amusement, "Between the three of us there is precious little we haven't done."
"Heh!" Duo grinned slyly, "We'll see... we'll see..."
All five pilots said no more. Joyous moments like these were precious to the boys. These kinds of days were few and far between for them. Each pilot silently committed the events of the day to memory. It was memories like these that kept them going when all around them seem hopeless. It was memories like these that made them fight selflessly for others. It was memories like these that fuel their desire to give others the opportunity to make their own happy memories.
But more importantly it was the simple things in life that allowed them to be the young, carefree teenage boys that they should have been; and that was something these war veterans valued above all.
~FIN~
Notes: G, no pairing, humour, un-beta'd
We've seen Wu Fei do it, we've seen Trowa do it, I'm going out on a limb to assume that the Perfect Soldier would have done it too. Now it's Quatre and Duo's turn...
Author's Notes: First EVER published fic! w007! ^_^
~*~
The sun was shining, the sky was clear and the air rang aloud with the joy and mirth of youth. Five young boys strolled down a sandy beach of an exclusive resort island on this sunny morning. It was a rare moment that they were all together in one place and not facing death thus they all had resolved to enjoy the break - even the most sullen and deadpan of them.
As always the braided American led the conversation - well it was more like dominated - but no one else seemed to mind seeing only one person was paying attention to him. Quatre listened in earnest to Duo's anecdotes.
"I have to admit, Wu Fei," Duo said after he finished his last story. "This is by far the nicest thing you've come up with."
"And what is that suppose to mean?"
"Hey, don't get your knickers in a twist!" Duo lifted his hand defensively. "I just mean I didn't expect a broody, surly guy like you to know about such a place."
"We all have our surprises."
"Do we ever!" Duo began bouncing again. "So does any one have ideas on what to do today? I think we've pretty much exhausted all the water sports."
"You mean you've managed to get us banned from all the water sports with your insane escapades and wild antics?" Heero was ever-present to point out Duo's flaws.
"Oh, right! Blame me! I suppose you think saying 'omae o korosu' repeatedly to the manager when he didn't let you take the ski-jet out on your own because you couldn't prove you weren't under-aged had nothing to do with it?"
"C'mon guys, we weren't exactly on our best behavior that morning, so no pointing fingers. I mean Wu Fei managed to insult the nice lady who was helping him with the life jacket we were required to wear and the incident with Trowa and the Banana Boat - "
"Yes, yes, Quatre, we all remember that morning, no need to remind us," Trowa interjected before any of the other pilots thumped him, Trowa included. "But not to worry water sports aren't the only fun thing around here. I've got an idea. Follow me."
When the tall, typically silent pilot showed initiative like this, the others were compelled to follow him. As Trowa began leading them back towards the streets, Duo returned to this chattering; this time he cornered Wu Fei. Sometimes, Duo wondered if he weren't there, would any one of the other pilots actually speak to each other apart from spouting mission status, orders and death threats?
"Trowa?" Quatre finally asked. "Where are we going?"
"To get something to do something we haven't done yet."
"Uh... could you be less cryptic?"
"See for yourself." Trowa gestured to the stall before him. Quatre's eyes widened, Heero nodded his approval and Wu Fei even smiled, after waving Duo to shut up. Duo trained his eyes where the rest of his comrades were looking and did a good impression of Quatre's expression.
"Good suggestion, Trowa." Heero walked up to him.
"I heard there's quite a nice selection of trails just behind the resort, ranging from beginner to advanced to 'are-you-insane?!'. So are you guys up for it?"
"Makes a change from the beach."
"I agree," Wu Fei voiced his assent. The trio waited for the loudest of them all to burst out in excitement but found only silence. Turning around, they found the braided boy and the golden-haired one hunched together, whispering frantically.
"Duo? Cat?" Trowa called. Aquamarine and violet eyes snapped up and stared at the three boys.
"Um... yes?" Quatre began, somewhat nervously.
"Do you guys want to do this?"
"Do what?" Duo asked innocently.
"Are you blind or just playing stupid?" Heero asked impatiently.
"Oh, you mean... that?" Duo grinned sheepishly. "Hehehe... uh..."
"What is the matter with you? Cat got your tongue?"
"Did Heero Yuy just make a joke?" Wu Fei asked Trowa in a whisper, suppressing the urge to laugh. Trowa replied with a small twisted smile and a raised eyebrow.
"What's wrong with you two?" Trowa approached them. "You look like we're your worst nightmares."
"Do we?" Quatre squeaked. "We're not afraid, um... more like embarrassed."
"Embarrassed? Of what?" Wu Fei asked.
"Of that." Quatre pointed at the stall.
"What's so embarrassing about mountain biking?!" Heero practically demanded; the two were beginning to annoy him.
"Nothing much... except..." Duo said then lowered his voice to a mere whisper and continued. It would seem that only Trowa heard him, as he was the only one who registered surprise.
"Stop mumbling, I didn't hear you." Wu Fei started to move forward but turned his attention elsewhere when he heard an unusual sound - the sound of Trowa's laughter. It started as a chuckle then it became a hearty laugh. Trowa looked like he was trying to suppress it but he was failing miserably.
"S'not funny, Trowa!" Duo pouted, "I would've expected the Perfect Soldier to ridicule but not you!"
"I'm sorry, Duo, Cat." He took a few deep breaths to control his laughing fit. "It's just - very surprising."
"What is?" Wu Fei asked curiously.
Trowa turned to the other two and smiled. "It would seem Duo and Cat don't know how to ride a bike."
"What?" Heero blurted out before he could stop himself. "You're telling us that you two can pilot any damn thing that flies and drive anything with a steering wheel but you can't ride a bike?"
"YES! All right? Geez, we can't ride a damned bike, ok?!" Quatre bellowed uncharacteristically, "It's not like we had a normal childhood to revel in the simplicity and joy of learning how to cycle, nor were we requested to learn when we were in training!"
"Calm down, Cat," the tall brunette tried to pacify his irate friend. Quatre could be a little sensitive when dealing with personal matters. "We're not laughing at you. We're all just surprised. Neither one of us really had a normal childhood, but I guess we all learned to ride a bike for different reasons."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout." He lowered his gaze, chastised.
"Right, now that we got that out of the way, let's go find something to do." Duo slyly began to walk away from the rest of the crowd, hoping they would abandon the idea of mountain biking.
"Oh, no, Duo Maxwell!" Wu Fei ran up and grabbed Duo. "You're not getting away that easily. So you can't ride, but that doesn't mean you can't learn how to!" An evil glint sparkled in the dark Oriental eyes.
"No!" Duo protested and looked pleadingly at Quatre.
"Quatre's not gonna help you," Heero spoke up. "Because he's gonna learn too."
"I saw that coming..." Quatre hung his head in dismay. "Thanks a lot, Trowa!"
"Don't worry, we'll take good care of you two." The mischief that was usually present in the American's amethyst eyes had somehow migrated to those of onyx, sapphire and emerald. Duo now understood why his friends were often anxious and dubious when he had that look in his eyes. He groaned as Wu Fei bodily dragged him to acquire a rented bike.
~*~
"Aaaaarrrrrrggggggghhhhhh - " The scream was stopped short by a slap on the head. "Ow! That hurt!!" The same head complained.
"Well, stop screaming then! You're embarrassing us and attracting unnecessary attention. We haven't let go of you!" Wu Fei commented irritably. He shook his head and looked as his fellow trainer. "Why did I not volunteer to teach Quatre instead?"
"Because we all agreed that if we let Heero teach Duo, there would be blood and gore and explosions. And we also agreed that it would take two of us to handle this loud, hyperactive child."
"Helllo?! Object of conversation is present! Show a little respect, would'ja?" Duo puted
"Hmmph!" Wu Fei grunted.
"Duo, it would help if you opened you eyes," Trowa advised.
"Why did I let you guys talk me into it?" Duo clutched the handlebars with white-knuckled grip, "Why don't you just shoot me?"
"That's Heero's job."
"Oh, you are so funny! You're enjoying this aren't you, you sadistic fiends."
"No, we're not! I'd rather be going down a trail myself than listen to you complain about this, when you should be thanking us for teaching you," Wu Fei retorted.
"Well, don't let me stop you," Duo grumbled sulkily.
"Duo, stop being a wimp. What is the worst that could happen?" Trowa cast a quick glance over to Wu Fei; a silent signal was exchanged. The both of them knew were coming up to a slope, albeit gentle, and they also speculated that in his current harassed mental state, Duo would perceive it as the sheer mountainside of the Himalayas.
Before Duo could answer Trowa's rhetorical question, he found the world suddenly rushing by him in a much quicker pace than he wanted it to. He wasn't sure if it was the rush of wind that was roaring in his ears or his own terrified screaming. The descent seemed to last forever. For some illogical reason, administering the breaks just didn't occur to Duo. He wasn't thinking coherently enough to formulated such rational actions.
Trowa and Wu Fei fell over each other in hysterical laughter. They knew deep in their hearts that it was cruel to have done what they did. However, Duo had always been the definition of calm, and the opportunity to see their braided friend somewhat freaked out was something the two could not deny themselves. They only wished they had a camcorder.
Duo was unsure how he stopped - or remained upright for that matter. All he knew was the world had finally ceased to whiz by him and his feet were planted firmly into the ground. When he caught his breath, he got off the bike and spun around. Initially, he wanted to believe that he had slipped from his friends' grasp but seeing them in a heap of laughter made him see red.
"BARTON!!!! CHANG!!!!!" He screamed. "I will kill you!!!!!"
With that proclamation, the two laughed even harder.
~*~
"Quatre..." Heero prompted, trying to stay calm knowing he was not teacher material, but he still had to make the effort. At least, he thought to himself, he was not with the loud American who was no doubt complaining at every opportunity. Quatre was easier to teach, he complained little and followed orders to the tee, well almost. "You're only supposed to squeeze the breaks when you want to stop. You haven't even started."
"Oh, sorry."
"Just relax, you did fine in the last few tries. Falling is all part of the learning process."
"Uh, huh..."
Heero was baffled as to why Quatre had insisted in all the possible protective gear - he had helmet, wrist guards, elbow guards, kneepads and shin pads. Heero was sure that if they did body armors at the stall, Quatre would've taken those too. It was quite surprising for a Gundam pilot, who no doubt would have had faced worse injuries, to be afraid of getting scabbed knees and bruised elbows from falling off a bicycle. If the protective gears had been silver in color, Quatre would've looked like a knight about to ride off into battle on a skeletal-looking horse.
"As I said, it's all really simple. Once you establish your center of gravity, keep peddling and you will not fall. And if you feel yourself falling, stop peddling and put your feet down."
"Ok," Quatre snorted silently to himself, thinking 'easy for you to say when you know how to do it already!'
Heero stepped back to give him room. Quatre did not budge. Heero waited patiently. Still no response. Heero's patience began to thin; he was itching to go down one of those trails that Trowa was talking about. He did not want to stand on an uninterestingly flat sidewalk teaching Quatre how to cycle. Still he kept his cool - this was after all another mission.
"Quatre? Today would be good."
"Huh? Oh, sorry." Quatre looked at Heero and gave him a watery smile. "Oh, by the way, Heero, my will is in the second left drawer of my bureau in my study."
Heero let out a short bark of laughter. "For a Gundam pilot you sure are of a nervous disposition. Now go, before I shoot you."
"Eep!" Quatre squeaked and began peddling, he knew that Heero was kidding but he didn't want to take any chances. Heero mounted his own hired bike and followed. Quatre was shaky and threatened to cycle off the path onto the road and into oncoming traffic a few times, causing Heero's heart to drop. He did not want Quatre's death on his conscience, especially not because of an accident during a silly bike-riding lesson. Hence his decision to cycle along side the unsteady blond, between him and the road. To his credit, Quatre was improving with each turn of the spokes.
"Faster, Quatre!" Heero called. "The faster you ride, the easier it is to maintain your balance."
"Are you sure?" Quatre asked dubiously.
"Trust me."
And that Quatre did. He began peddling faster and with more confidence. He was actually beginning to enjoy it. His first few attempts were awkward and resulted in a few tumbles but now he was actually cycling! Without assistance! He dared a quick sideway glance at Heero who was watching over him like a hawk. A small, satisfied smile was on his lips.
"Haha! I'm cycling!!!" the blond cried out triumphantly.
"That you are," Heero replied. He looked ahead and saw Wu Fei and Trowa leaning on each other, laughing somewhat uncontrollably. Duo was nowhere to be seen. He could only wonder what the two did to the braided boy. As he neared the laughing pair, Heero noticed they were standing just atop a slope. The gradient was mild, but Heero guess that it would be quite a shock to Quatre if he didn't expect it.
"Quatre! Slow down!" He called.
"What? Why?"
"Just do it!"
"But..." Quatre turned to look at Heero questioningly; he was obviously enjoying his newfound ability to want to stop so soon. What Quatre should've done above all else was keep his eyes ahead and listened to the words of wisdom.
"INCOMING!" Heero screeched to a halt. He hoped that both Trowa and Wu Fei weren't too busy laughing to notice his warning or a very preoccupied blond pilot swerving towards them.
Fortunately, Trowa did notice as he leapt aside taking Wu Fei with him. Quatre's eyes widened for the second time today and all bodily functions froze when he hit the gentle 10-degree dip, which his frantic mind unfortunately misinterpreted it as a 90-degree drop.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" It would seem his vocal cords were the only thing that hadn't stop working. All Heero could do was watch. He didn't try to stop the runaway bike as he knew he could do more injury if he did try to stop it. He had however shouted to Quatre to hit the breaks but all was lost to the screaming boy. Wu Fei and Trowa, in a tangle heap of limbs and bicycles on the sidewalk, began laughing again.
"AAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!"
They heard a second scream from the bottom of the slope. Duo, who had barely composed himself, was horrified to find a speeding blond blur heading straight for him.
Quickly, the braided youth dove aside, hoping that the powers that be would be merciful to him and not kill him with a rampaging, freewheeling mountain bike.
A sickening crunch rang out in the air as speeding bike met stationary one. Quatre felt like he had been launched like a human cannonball, soaring through the air with no sight to a landing. In truth, he only toppled a few feet from his fallen bike. As he had discovered moments before, the mind can often warp your perception rather drastically.
"YOU PEOPLE ARE CRUEL, SADISTIC AND MEAN!" Duo screamed at the trio on the upper end of the 20-foot long slope. "Hey, Cat? Are you still alive?"
"Wow!" Quatre replied, breathily. He sat up, eyes gleaming with wonder. "I wanna go again! It was fantastic!!"
"WHAT?" Duo was taken aback. He had seen the terror in those aquamarine eyes as the blond came flying down the slope, he could not understand why Quatre wanted put himself through it again. He must have hit his head harder than Duo thought, the braided youth concluded.
"C'mon Duo! It's fun!" Quatre stood up and dusted himself off.
"Fun? Not if you have those two for instructors! At least you weren't pushed down the mountain!" Duo gestured toward the trio who had gracefully descended the slope to join their 'fallen' comrades.
"You are such a wimp, Duo Maxwell. Calling that a gentle slope would be an overstatement. You call yourself the God of Death when you're afraid of a little bicycle?" Wu Fei said in friendly mockery. Duo glared at him with a look that did Heero proud.
"Now that Cat has successfully learned to ride and willingly chosen to continue to do so, you're the only one left," Trowa pointed out, "Surely, you don't want to be to odd one out?"
"Oh, no!" Duo backed away, "I'm not gonna be baited into one of your mind games. I'm not getting back on that bike with you two behind me."
"That's fine with us." Wu Fei shrugged. "Heero, would you do the honours?"
"THIS IS NOT FAIR!!" Duo cried. "You're ganging up on me!"
"Duo, it's not that bad, honestly! It hurts a little when you fall off but we've had worse bumps, right?" Quatre tried convincing his jumpy friend.
"Hah! Says the guy with more protection than gundanium armor could hope to provide and, incidentally, who was screaming loud enough to wake the dead."
"Well, it just took me by surprise! Duo, the guys don't want to stay here and baby-sit us all day, they want to go on the trails. Give it another go and if you really hate it then we'll back off."
"Ever the diplomat!" Duo mumbled sulkily. "Ok, just for you, buddy. And if anyone of you touch me or come near me, I'll shoot you." he pointed at Trowa and Wu Fei.
"With what?" Trowa innocently asked.
"Oh, shut up!"
~*~
Quatre questioned the wisdom in doing the trail. Granted, it was only the beginners' course, but he felt that he was even greener than a beginner. After all, he had only learned how to stop without having to throw himself off the bike or involve the use of external forces, like a brick wall or an unsuspecting pedestrian. The little slope that he had encountered and enjoyed proved nothing in comparison to this jungle trail before him.
His excitement and enthusiasm had somewhat been transplanted into Duo. Once the braided pilot had reassurance that Trowa and Wu Fei weren't going to do any more to rattle him, he took to his newfound ability. The noisiest and most reckless biker on that trail now was the hyperactive American. Distantly, he heard uncharacteristic cries of 'banzai!' from Heero, ecstatic yells of 'wa-hoo!' from Trowa and even the odd, elated 'yee-haa!' from Wu Fei.
"Hey!" Quatre turned to look for the source of the voice. It was Wu Fei. "Looking at it is not going to make it come to you."
"What are you doing here? I thought you would be halfway down the advanced course."
"Been there done that."
"What? Already?"
"I'm a good biker. I was just heading for the 'are-you-insane?' course when I saw an all too-familiar blonde looking tentatively at the course. What happened?"
"Uh... it's called a sense of self-preservation."
"Chicken!"
"Am not!" Quatre cried defensively.
"Show me."
"I will!" He set his mouth in determination and took off down the rough, winding and uneven path.
"WOO-HOOO!!!!" He heard Wu Fei cheer and follow him.
Again, Quatre questioned the wisdom in doing it. His quick reflexes and well-honed senses from battling countless Mobile Dolls were the only things keeping him from going splat against a tree.
He could not believe the rush of exhilaration that he was feeling. Under advisement from the three experienced bikers, he discarded most of his protective gear. He now only wore helmet and knees and elbows pads. Not only did he have greater maneuverability, it somehow made it more thrilling. He could not help himself when he let out a whoop of excitement.
When he arrived at the end of the trail, he was breathless but highly charged.
"Well done!" Wu Fei skidded to a stop, "Should we try something more challenging?"
"When... *puff, puff* ... I ... catch... my ... breath..." he panted.
When dusk fell, the five young boys, encrusted with mud, covered in cuts and scratches and weary to the bone, returned their hire bikes back to the stall and headed back to their chalet. An unusual silence surrounded them. It was not only because Duo, for a change, was quiet, nor was it because they refused to talk to each other. They were silent because they were too worn out to spare any energy that was currently being used to walk and breath.
Neither one of them actually made it to their rooms. Upon entering their rented chalet, they all collapsed in the lounge. Heero, Trowa and Quatre slumped into the couch propping each other up, Wu Fei flopped on the armchair and Duo collapsed into the carpeted floor, flat out on his back.
Finally, Quatre spoke, "I don't think I've ever been this tired in my entire life."
"Or ache as much," Trowa added.
"Or be covered in so much mud," Heero continued.
"Or sustain this many cuts and scrapes," Wufei grumbled.
"Or have as much fun!" Duo finished.
A round of assenting grunts rumbled through the lounge.
"We should do this again," Quatre said after another moment of silence.
"Sure, Cat, but next time we're doing something we know and the other three don't, and then we're going to make them suffer like we did."
"Suffer? Who are you trying to kid? We practically had to pry you off the bike," Trowa quipped. Had he the strength, Duo would have sat up and gave Trowa a rude gesture as a retort.
"Good luck finding that something, Duo," Heero said in amusement, "Between the three of us there is precious little we haven't done."
"Heh!" Duo grinned slyly, "We'll see... we'll see..."
All five pilots said no more. Joyous moments like these were precious to the boys. These kinds of days were few and far between for them. Each pilot silently committed the events of the day to memory. It was memories like these that kept them going when all around them seem hopeless. It was memories like these that made them fight selflessly for others. It was memories like these that fuel their desire to give others the opportunity to make their own happy memories.
But more importantly it was the simple things in life that allowed them to be the young, carefree teenage boys that they should have been; and that was something these war veterans valued above all.
~FIN~