Starman chapter 9

[wsprs]

Duo balanced on the balls of his feet overlooking the crater left by the pod, sifting the dirt between his fingertips.
?It looks like the heat and space junk actually helped the fertility of this soil. Look how dark it is.?
When he received no answer, he looked up at Wufei. The Chinese man stood a short expanse away with his arms crossed over his chest, and under distracted eyes, a stern line pressed his lips over clenched teeth. Duo chucked a rock at the silent man, and Wufei blinked in surprise as the stone hit him square in the jaw. He seemed to be unaware of what shook him from his contemplation, and Duo was glad for it. He hadn?t thought over the possible consequences of his action, and valued going home to Hilde in working condition. Thus were his thoughts, and so started at the sound of the other man?s voice.
?I?m going back. There is nothing here for us but dirt, and I wish to see the pod once more before we are given orders that will take us away.?
Wufei turned to leave, and Duo smiled as he bounded to catch up.
?Ya know, ?Fei, you?ve torn that thing apart about a million times now. You?re not gonna find anything new. Besides, I think Lady Une ordered a team on it to take it apart. She won?t let anything disrupt their investigation, you know that.?
Wufei said nothing, and kept his hard gaze forward and his stride quick. Duo opened his mouth in yet another attempt to goad a reaction out of his companion, but Wufei was faster.
?I?m aware of that. But I must try. If not the pod itself, maybe Zechs has some information I have yet to hear.?
Wufei glared at the fool beside him, and gave a wry grin that didn?t reach his eyes.
?And truth be told, I?m growing weary of the meaningless sounds you call ?words? coming out of your mouth.?
A few paces more, Duo thought he heard yet another of Wufei?s characteristic grumbles, and at first, didn?t pay it any mind. But a moment later, the softly spoken words clicked and Duo was thunderstruck.
?Did you just say that ?Besides, Une wishes for a report.???
Wufei glared at Duo from the corner of his eye, but said nothing. Duo stopped dead in his tracks, mouth hanging open.
?You mean the only reason you were out here was to avoid writing a report? WUFEI!! YOU of all people! First my boy, Trowa, and now YOU!!?
Duo practically threw himself onto Wufei?s retreating form, hugging and clawing at the poor man, whooping and hooting in laughter.
?I?m so proud of you!! You?re all growing up so fast!!?
Duo sniffed and whipped a mock tear from his eye, and laughed as the air was forced from his gut when Wufei?s elbow found him.

_________________________________________________________


Relena?s mind curled in on herself with exhaustion. She was strained beyond herself from fear, almost to the point where she couldn?t remember what it was like to feel unafraid. She blinked in realization, and smiled softly to herself.
Never thought fear could become so comforting. Did you know that, Heero? I?m sure you did. Better to be afraid than to be fearless, right? Fear shows that there is something we care enough about so that we wish to live for the sake of that something.

She bowed her head so that the Heero look-alike wouldn?t see her tears.
I never thought I?d care enough to wish to live after you died?

She raised her head and closed her eyes but a moment to hold back the tears.
I will be strong. I will embrace my fear so that I can overcome it. For you, I will care for my life!


Resolved, Relena opened her eyes, and determination burned within their depths before they flicked to the gun still resting in the lap of her captor. She sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. Resolute, she set her jaw to speak.
?Must you keep that thing within my sight??
The alien looked to where her gaze had momentarily come to rest before taking to the road once more. He took the butt of the pistol with the fingertips of one hand so that the gun hung upside- down. He raised it to her level of sight, and looked to her with a curious look in his eye.
?Yew know thiz??
Relena stiffly inclined her head once, in a positive response.
?Yes. I know guns. They??
The flesh of her brow softly crunched in blatant disapproval, and her nose scrunched in clear distaste.
?..They make me a little bit jumpy.?
Confused, the man beside her lowered the gun slightly, and questioned her with his gaze.
?De-fine? ?lit-tle bitt jum-py.??
Relena, unaware that she was being comforted by the conversation, obliged.
?Well, a little bit is this..?
She kept one hand on the steering wheel, and held the other in the air, and spread her thumb and forefinger and inch wide.
?and jumpy is like.. it?s like..?
She trailed off, her fear renewed. When her eyes once again focused, she felt more than saw that his attention was still on her. She heaved a great sigh of exasperation, replaced her free hand on the wheel, and forced herself to speak.
?Jumpy is being nervous. Afraid. Do you understand afraid??
He lowered the gun so that it was in his lap again, and with a melancholy look in his eyes, turned his attention away from her.
?Afraid. Yess.?
They traveled in silence for a minute, and Relena?s curiosity gripped her with greediness, momentarily outweighing her dread.
?Just how much English do you know??
?I know greet-ings in fifty-fourr Earth languagez. I know English..?
At this, he held his hand in the air, and spread his thumb and forefinger and inch wide.
?lit-tle bitt.?

Hours passed with no further discussion. Relena was on autopilot. She was barely aware of the road in front of her, and only came alive when the man at her side began to riffle through her glove compartment.
?No! There?s nothing in there. That?s just the glove..?
But he had found a prize, and was now investigating.
?That?s, um, just my wallet.?
When he held it aloft so that she could see something inside a clear pocket, she resigned to answer.
?That?s my driver?s license. It proves that I have the skills needed to operate the machine we are in.?
Yet he didn?t lower the leather case, rather he shook it as if to draw her attention to something else.
?Reel-eeena Pees-craftt.?
?That?s my name.?
With an embellished nod of his head and a soft ?ah,? he resumed his exploration. Relena?s limbs went rigid as a photograph of Heero fell from a pocket in the wallet. He picked it up and intently studied the image. The silence frayed her nerves, but after a time, his oddly inflected speech came to her ears.
?I.. look like Hee-ro.?
Relena almost skid off the road in her surprise, and just managed barely to regain control. Her companion seemed not to notice, and still gazed at the photograph.
?I look like Hee-ro so yew do not be lit-tle bitt jumpy.?
He looked up at her, and when she did not answer, he put the photograph away and replaced the wallet in the glove compartment. Relena cleared her throat, but still her voice wavered as if only just controlled.
?We need to get gas.?
She peered at the stranger from the corner of her eye, and explained further when comprehension seemed to be out of grasp.
?The car ? the machine ? needs gas. Gas.. it?s uh, fuel. Energy. So that it can go.?
?Whyy it need ener-gy so sooon??
Relena rolled her eyes and feigned ignorance.
Geez. You?d think he?d expect the whole universe uses light speed petrol.
Instead she just glared at her passenger, and at his nod, accelerated and all was silent but the running of the motor, and the sound of the wind as it flew passed.

It was either miracle or curse that gas stations existed still that equipped the fuel needed for a ?67 mustang.
Well, one of the things we all fought to preserve was the eclectic and eccentric natures and loves of the people of earth? Milliardo must have spent a fortune on this beauty for me. Oh, Milli?.

She thrust her brother from her mind, and parked the car in front of a pump. A moment later, a man came out from the station store and came to her window.
?Fill it with number 85, please, unleaded.?
?Right away, miss.?
Relena leaped in her chair, and just managed to prevent herself from craning her neck to see the attendant.
That sounded like Hilde!
Abruptly, she turned to her companion, and barely was able to stay her fidgeting.
?I, um. I have to use the restroom.?
He blinked at her.
She sighed, and bounced in her seat.
?Restroom. It?s when you have to, uh. Well, it?s? oh! You figure it out.?
She thrust the door open and practically leaped from her place. She turned her head to the attendant filling the tank.
HILDE!!
Desperate to keep her breathing in check, Relena smiled and attempted to maintain an as semblance of normalcy.
?Excuse me, miss. Can you direct me to the ladies??
Hilde inclined her head, and her eyes bore into Relena?s instilling a silent message that could almost be heard, ?Don?t say anything now ? leave a note in the bathroom telling us where you?re going and we?ll come after you!?

?Of course. Just to the right of the building. Can?t miss it!?
Relena returned Hilde?s smile, a little more drawn and fatigued.
?Thank you.?
?No problem! Take it easy!?
Hilde thrust her hand in the air and gave a chipper thumbs-up sign and a grin that would befit Duo. Relena took two steps before she heard the passenger door open and shut behind her. She also heard Hilde gasp, and discerned that ?Heero? had been expected, but not truly believed. She shook her head in agitation, and made her way to the ladies restroom. A moment later, she forced the alien out.
?Look.?
She pointed to the depiction of a woman on the door.
?This is the women?s bathroom. Woman, me.?
She pointed at herself until she saw he understood. Then she took his elbow and directed him to the men?s bathroom and pointed to the picture of the man.
?Man.?
The jabbed him in the chest with a finger.
?You.?
Then, she turned and walked back through the ?women?s door.? He stood outside the men?s door for a moment, studying the little black image on the front. Satisfied, he then went back to the image of the woman once more, and studied it. Just then, a large man walked by and chuckled. ?Can?t get her out??
Thinking that something must be said in a return gesture, the alien thought to explain his presence at the energy station.
?Gass.?
The man chuckled as he walked by.
?I know how she feels.?
The Heero look-alike followed closely after, believing he could acquire the meaning behind ?going to the bathroom? from this man, as he was allowed in this door. He peered in obvious interest at the hefty fellow before him, and turned his head this way in that. The man drew himself up, and blew an aggravated sigh.
?Every God-damn place you go??
He zipped his jeans and trod over to the curious man, ice chips in his eyes. The alien smiled and put his hand in a thumbs-up sign.
?Take itt eazzy.?
In response, the huge man before him gave a gesture of his own, one finger up, the rest held closely in a fist.
?Up yours.?
And then left.
Blinking, the remaining man tried to understand the communication that had just taken place. Raising one hand, he put his thumb up and studied it.
?Take itt eazzy.?
Keeping that hand aloft, he raised the other, and stuck his middle finger up and studied it.
?Up Yourzz.?
Looking from one hand to the next, he nodded his understanding, and with a soft, ?Ah,? turned and walked out of the restroom.

[kawaiiemogirl]

lol. The alien Heero learned 'up yours.'

Keeping that hand aloft, he raised the other, and stuck his middle finger up and studied it.
?Up Yourzz.?

That's funny. Ah...I finally found out what happened to the real Heero. *Tear drop* (not really)