1x2 Firsts Part 01
By Carl, Dottie and Miniryu
A Round Robin of the 1x2 Firsts ML
As I looked up at the moon, I was deep in thought. What about? Oh, nothing... Nothing and everything. I had been having the dreams again. It was nothing new, mind you, but still, they plagued me enough to make me wonder. They were never quite the same; rather, they had one recurring character. One, persistent, ubiquitous, omnipresent character... A character that I knew almost nothing of. Nothing except a sort of longing. As though this person was to be paramount in my life, but I had forgotten why.
At first, I wasn't sure of any facts. The images were blurry and I couldn't see the person's face. I couldn't hear their voice... Rather, the thoughts spoke to me silently. Everything was hazy. I would wake up, after I started to try to find out who this person was, and why they were in my dream. It took me months before I even discovered the person was male. In my more lucid dreams, I tried to ask questions, but they came out wrong. I would try to ask who the person was, and I would instead ask about the weather or what was for dinner. Eventually, I sort of gave up and let things go about naturally. That's when it all started to come together, really. I suppose I should explain what had gone on, right? Right...
Anyway, it all started a few years ago. Deathscythe, my gundam, was guarding this ultra-cool suit that I found in the ocean, which was build strangely like mine. Not in shape perhaps, but placement, ya know? So, in an effort to have a look at this miraculous find, I headed over to the local base for some supplies. I needed some stuff before I went back to my place for a look-see. So, here I am, trying to do my thing, and some wacko is trying to shoot some stupid civilian girl. //When will they learn?// I had thought, and attempted to save the girl. Unfortunately, this one was really stupid, and didn't want to be saved. So, when I shot the guy, she goes over to protect him. She thought that *I* was the bad guy. Not that villains are uncool... But still!
Then, Heero-- his name, as I later found out-- tries to get away again, so, naturally, I shot him again. It was like he was possessed by something. He faltered slightly and got back up, setting off missiles that were heading straight towards my gundam and, as I guessed, his own. There was nothing I really could do at the moment, so I cursed. Hey, it works. As if these events weren't strange enough already, Heero throws himself off the casings in an attempt to drown himself.
Does that seem a little strange to you? Because it's strange to me-- and *that* says something right there! I suppose Heero was the first person who I could simply just *not* understand. Normally, I'd say he was stupid or just plain off his rocker, but it seemed a bit different than that, all suicidal tendencies disregarded. Granted, I was curious, but at the same time, I had this nagging feeling in the back of my mind. There was just something about this guy-- his expression, his technique... A certain, unusual je ne sais quoi, even... that made me not want to trust him. At the time, I chalked it off to nerves and stress, but later, I began to wonder. I'll explain it later...
As it turned out, it was his mobile suit. He was the first pilot, Zero-One. I took it upon myself to befriend him somewhat, seeing as how it would probably be in my best interests. Boy, was I in for a surprise. I found out he was being held captive in some faction of a rebel building. It was easy to get into, but once I got there, I new it would be a bit more difficult to get out. First, I knew I had to get my strange little Asian leprechaun guy out. (...Don't tell him I called him a leprechaun...) He was restrained in some sort of monitoring device in a sealed room, so I had to talk to him through a silent screen. I assumed he could read lips, and I was right, so we were in business. He managed to bust out and I bombed the place. I took out my scythe and hovered down slowly... That's when I noticed that he had just recklessly jumped out. When we were finally both at the bottom, I was able to berate him, but he couldn't seem to care less. No wonder I didn't trust him...
It wasn't until I saw him set his own broken bones that I had some respect for him. I mean, OUCH! That's friggin' gross... *I* wouldn't have been able to do that. He was anxious, though, so it was a good thing I saved his gundam... Or so I thought. Instead, he wanted it destroyed. After some careful coaxing (humph), I managed to dissuade him from it. Of course, this just meant that while I was sleeping, he went and stole all my parts for repairs and left me screwed. Now, I really didn't trust him. In fact, I was out for blood. *Lots* of blood.
It was during a battle with some OZ flunkies that I saw him again. //Bwa ha haa,// I thought, //You evil little rat-faced leprechaun bastard...!!// It was time for revenge. I was about to tear him apart when he, apparently not being distracted by a bloodthirsty desire for revenge, took the first shot. I thought I was finished. Instead, he missed. Or had he?
Surprise, surprise... Wonders never cease. He saved me.
He saved me.
Go on, take a minute and let it sink in... The 'rat-faced leprechaun bastard' is the same person who saved my life. Yeah. I took me a few minutes before it sank in for me too... In fact, I was a bit too dazed to remember much of anything... Except his name. Heero Yuy... (Yuy: It rhymes with Gooey Kamui!)
About five minutes, later, my brain came back, and boy, that's when things got really screwed up-- more than usual. I tried to block it out of my mind; the whole Heero Yuy Episode was a bit too creepy for my normal tastes. So, that brings us to what I was first talking about... Yeah, you remember? Me, staring at the moon. Go on, get the visual, don't be shy... Okay, go back to the part where I was talking about how everything was coming together. Got it? Alrighty then.
Indeed, this was when things started to clear up a bit. Are you ready for this? Because it involves the evil leprechaun guy... Okay? Now, think back to when I told you about those dreams, and how fuzzy they were? Not anymore. It happened right after our first mission together--Heero and I, that is. I dreamt that night, and I heard something...
I know this doesn't sounds exciting to you, but it was to me. I had never heard the dream person's voice before. Not only that, but the dreams became a little bit more clear. I could make out colors and shapes that weren't there before. Dark, messy hair... The soft chuckle... Great smile... But there was still one problem. A BIG problem...
I still didn't know who the hell I was dreaming about. It might've been easier to just say it was normal, or forget about it, or try to block it... but it bothered me too much... and it seemed that the more I conversed with Heero, or rather, *at* Heero things started to fall into place. It took me a while to warm up to him fully, considering he was so damned silent half the time.
I started to bond with Heero about a month after we first met. I had just gotten out of the shower when I realized that neither Howard [my mentor] nor Quatre [friend and fellow gundam pilot] was around. Meaning, my hair was going to be a mess. For a long time, I had Solo or Sister Helen brush and braid it [I lived with them at our church], but now I was kind of in a rut. See, I have a horrible time try to braid my hair straight, let alone be able to brush it out and get rid of the knots. I tried for about a half-hour before I gave up and went into the bedroom.
"Heero," I said--somewhat with a whine since my brush had gotten caught in one of my many knots, "Help me..." I was practically whimpering [my poor scalp!] and sniveling by the time I made it to his chair, where he was typing on his laptop. He paused for a second and looked over his shoulder. "Please..." It must have been quite a sight to see. Presenting: Duo Maxwell, in a fluffy white towel! Watch as he struggles to untangle his hair. Isn't it fascinating? Yeah, well anyway... This must've been my lucky day. Heero got up and came over to me, trying to have a look at the mess I'd gotten myself into. He silently stepped behind me and started to separate my hair from the brush. I expected him to yank my hair out, but he was surprisingly gentle. After about five minutes, he poked me on the shoulder and handed me the brush before heading back to his seat.
"Um... Thanks... But, Heero?" I asked. He turned around again and came back over, grabbing the brush from me. "Thanks," I said. He led me over to his bed.
"Sit," he commanded. I felt a bit like a puppy being trained, but since this meant my hair was going to be okay, I listened.
Heero separated the mass into three sections and started from the tips, working his way up to the roots. The best part was that it was painless. After about forty or so minutes, he had finished all three sections and was giving them one last brushing. I was practically purring. To top things off, he grabbed one of my hair ties off the dresser and braided my hair for me. I was in awe.
"Wow!" I exclaimed, looking in the mirror, "Thanks, Heero! This... This is great!" I giggled, ecstatic. "Oh, rapture! Behold-- mine perfect plait! ...Hey, I rhymed! Ooh!" Heero nodded and went over to his laptop and started typing again.
"You're welcome," he stated, and I could swear I saw a little smile as I walked into the kitchen. I, myself, was ready to burst into song... I almost did, but I thought it might scare Heero, so I figured I'd try it tomorrow instead.
Heero was going to some OZ base tomorrow. Blowing stuff up, as usual. But that wasn't important... I felt a new respect for Heero Yuy. Anyone who can do hair like that... WOW. I LOVE YOU!
So, this was the beginning of a bee-you-tee-ful friendship... Or something along those lines.
And how right I was...