SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Title: Trying Normal

Author: GreenLady

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing (obviously), and I'm making no money off this.  It's merely a writing exercise.

Warnings: Not many as of now.  Violence, some bad language.  Will eventually have yaoi and live up to its rating.      

            The shrill sound of the bell broke the previous serenity of the locker-lined building.  Students burst out of classroom doors and flooded the halls.  The river of bodies all heading toward the exit swept Quatre along helplessly like a piece of flotsam.  He struggled against the current of high schoolers to get to his locker with a judicious use of force.  It may not be polite to elbow his way through people in other situations, but here it was quite necessary.

            By Allah, if I would have known school was this dangerous I might have stuck with tutors, Quatre thought wryly.  Of course then I would have missed out on the wonderful experience of cafeteria food, and I would no doubt be sitting at home right now with one of my many sisters enthusiastically smothering, er, I mean mothering, me.  You'd think that they'd realize that I'm perfectly able to take care of myself, what with me being an ex-gundam  pilot and all, but no.  Baby brother still needs his shoes tied for him and a bib while eating dinner. 

            It hadn't taken Quatre long after the Maremia incident to realize that he needed to get away from all the well intentioned people who wanted to take care of him.  He was not the same relatively helpless boy he had been before the war.  Or for that matter during part of it.  I've been surrounded by people my whole life, even during the war I had the Mangnaunacs.  It's nice to finally be on my own, and not boxed in by the family name. 

            He wanted to experience a normal life, even if it was only until he turned 21 and took over the family company, and that normal life included attending a regular school like any other 16 year old kid.  And this was Quatre's first time attending school for real.  Several times during the war he had used it for a cover, but he had never stayed long. 

            Quatre removed the books he would need for his homework assignments and neatly slid them into his backpack.  He slung the bag over his shoulder and headed down the now much less clogged hallways.  With any luck I can get all my homework done before my sisters call to check up on me, he thought.  This place was a private boarding school, which had solved Quatre's problem of moving out of the Winner mansion quite nicely.  After all, to be enrolled here he had to live on campus, no matter how much his sisters would have liked him to be at home.

            The small blond emerged into the bright sunlight.  His eyes watering painfully as they adjusted, Quatre became aware that something wasn't quite right.  He heard a thud, the unmistakable sound of a fist hitting flesh, (at least unmistakable to a Gundam pilot) and a cry of pain.  Jeering laughter followed the cry, and Quatre followed the laughter around the corner.

            Around the side of the building was a scene that was one of those unfortunate familiarities of the school yard.  Three large teenagers surrounded a smaller boy.  Quatre was just in time to watch one of the three send their victim sprawling and his glasses flying.

            "You better watch where you're going, loser.  You ran right into my fist!"

            "I-I'm sorry," came the soft, quivering voice.

            Quatre had seen enough.  The ex-pilot stepped between the bullies and their target.

            "Have you no honor?"  Quatre said in an unconscious imitation of Wufei.  "There's three of you and one of him.  Have you no shred of human decency?"

            The bully looked down at the little blond standing up to him in shock.  This kid was only about half his mass, and had to look way, way up in order to meet his eye.  He grinned slowly.  "Look, new kid, maybe you don't know how things are around here, so I'll give you this one chance to get out of here before I pound your sorry little ass, along with the geek's." 

            Quatre studied him for a minute, aquamarine eyes sad.  "You like to hurt others, don't you guys?  Then you're just going to have to try and hurt me, because I'm not moving."

            "You little smart-mouthed punk . . . " The bully took a threatening step toward him, but was stopped when one of his cohorts grabbed his arm.  "What the hell are you doing?!"  He hissed, only to cut himself off when he saw what his companion was already aware of.

            "And what's going on here, Mr. Akens?"  A tall man, obviously a teacher, stood glaring at them all.  "Shouldn't you boys be heading to football practice now?  If we want to defend are championship this year you fine young athletes better keep in practice."

            "Yes sir, we were just on are way, when Davis here distracted us, but we're going now," one of the bullies said.

            The teacher peered behind Quatre at the boy in question.  The obviously hurt boy.  "Well see that you go now and don't let any more distractions take place.  Mr. Davis, kindly make sure to stay out of the way of the football team."  He sighed, exasperated, and then glared at Quatre suspiciously.  "Maybe your new friend can help you."  He stomped off, gesturing for the smirking bullies to follow.

            Quatre stared after him in shock.  What exactly is going on here?  A teacher just lets students beat on others without any punishment?  I feel like I walked into one of those awful teen movies that Duo is so fond of. A groan shook him out of his surprise.  He quickly knelt down beside the boy on the ground.

            "Are you all right?"  He asked anxiously, finally getting a good look at the damage.  By Allah!  Of course he's not all right.  Way to ask a stupid question Quatre.  The boy's nose was bleeding, and the side of his left eye was just starting to swell. 

            "Where are my glasses, I can't see anything," he muttered in reply.

            Quatre searched the ground beside him, and came up with a pair of slightly bent glasses.  He futilely tried to straighten them for a minute, and then gave it up as a lost cause and handed them back to their owner. 

            "I'm Quatre Raberba, what's your name?"  He left the Winner off deliberately  because it was just to well known, and he was trying to avoid the media attention that came hand in hand with being heir to a large fortune.

            The boy tried to put his glasses on, but they slipped.  Awkwardly, he held them to his head.  "Eric Davis," he said.  The glasses magnified his brown eyes terribly, making him look like a particularly disgruntled bug.  "Look, thanks for stopping them and all, but now you've just gotten yourself in trouble with me."

            "What do you mean?"

            "I mean that they're going to come after you too.  This school has a winning football team, and the teachers don't want to do anything to upset the players, so they can get away with all kinds of stuff."  Eric looked him up and down.  "And no offense, but you sure don't look like  you could stop them, so now we're both screwed."

            "I'm tougher than I look," Quatre said with a gentle smile.

            Eric stared at the small, gentle-looking blond in disbelief.  "Riiight . . ."

            "Here, let me help you to the nurse," Quatre carefully helped Eric stand, noticing that they were both about the same height.

            "I don't need to go to the nurse, I'll be fine."

            Quatre frowned at him critically, noting the particularly obstinate expression.  He wasn't hurt to badly really.  Nothing a little ice and some time wouldn't cure.  "Alright, but the least I can do is help you to your room."

            "I don't need the help, but if you really want to, knock yourself out."

            Eric took a couple wobbly steps, he was shaking slightly, but he managed to get himself mostly under control so that they could start walking.  Quatre produced a handkerchief that Eric could hold to his nose to stop the blood flow, and they were on their way.  They trudged along silently, until they reached a rather regal, grey-stoned building.

            "This is where you live?"  Quatre asked.

            "Uh-huh."

            "Me too!  I live on the fourth floor, which one are you on?"

            "Oh, I'm actually on the fourth too.  I guess we're neighbors."  Quatre decided to ignore the complete lack of enthusiasm in Eric's statement.

            The two boys trudged up the many flights of stairs to their rooms.  Eric's was only a few doors away from Quatre's.  "Look, it was nice to meet you and everything Quatre," Eric began gloomily, "but you shouldn't have gotten involved in my problems, because these guys just won't leave you alone, and I'm sure you're going to be sorry you ever met me."

            "I doubt that," Quatre said with a smile, "I would never be sorry to make a new friend.  See you tomorrow Eric.  Make sure to put some ice on your eye."  He waved goodbye and went to his own room.  Poor kid, he really must have had some rough breaks with people, Quatre thought.  He set his backpack beside his single bed, (he had paid a little extra to get room to himself), and took out his homework.  He still had a couple of hours before any of his sisters called to check up on him.

            Two hours later, as predicted, the vid phone started to beep.  Quatre answered the call, and stared in surprise when he realized the person on the other end was definitely not one of his sisters.  Unless said sister had gotten a sex change.

            "Hi Wufei, this is a surprise."  Quatre hadn't seen Wufei in months.

            "Quatre."

            Loquacious as ever I see.  "You're looking well, Wufei, how has your work at the Preventers been?"

            "It's kept me occupied."

            "Are you working with Duo and Trowa a lot?"

            "Sometimes."           

"How's Sally?"

            "She's fine."

            It's like pulling conversational teeth.  "Not that I don't enjoy talking to you, Wufei, but is there something in particular that you called about?"

            "Actually Quatre, yes."  Wufei looked relieved to finally get down to business.  "There's a new terrorist group that's been active lately.  Their numbers are small and they're involved in corporate espionage, but so far they've stuck to minor sabotage.  Usually they wouldn't be something that the Preventers would need to bring outside help in to deal with.  But they've just gotten a new leader, somebody dangerous, somebody that only we gundam pilots can fight."

            "Why only us?"

            "Because it's a gundam pilot we're up against."