It's A Kid Thing

Melville's Best Friend

"Heewo!" The little girl struggled to catch up with him. Boys were too fast. They never took into consideration that girls were fast, too. She was soon by his side. The cute five-year-old had managed to make her target stop, and listen. Her ponytail flapped in the breeze, and bits of fallen hair dangled in her face. Her eyes were bright and defiant.

"You told me that I could play wif you," she stated stubbornly.

"Well, Wewna, they asked me aww of a sudden, and I wanted to go. Youw mom said you wewe busy." Heero lied.

"Nuh uh. My mom nevew told you that."

"I'm going to pway basebaww with my fwiends."

"They'we my fwiends, too, dummy, and you pwomised I couwd pway."

She held her eyes to his. He knew how stubborn she could be. It was best to just give in. After all, she was a good player. Maybe she'd want to be on his team. They walked to the park together, as they were both out of breath.

"Heewo?"

"Yeah?"

"We'we best fwiends, wwight?"

"Yeah, Wena, why?"

"I just wanted to make suwe you stiww wike me."

"Suwe I do. You'we my best fwiend."

She laughed. They did their secret handshake, and walked on to the field. 

They had grown up together. They were introduced when Relena was born. Heero was a few months older, and when she was born, his family went to see her. They lived across the street from each other, and they had grown to be close friends. Their parents couldn't help but laugh that a girl and a boy could be so close. Heero preferred Relena's company to that of any boy, and Relena loved to spend time with Heero more than she did with any girl. The two had grown up to be the best of friends. Three years passed since we last saw the Duo, and they were in Heero's backyard.

"This play is about the evil monster of the swamp."

"Yeah and how he bit the head off a live goat."

"How come a goat?"

"I dunno'. I just don't like them."

"Heero, you've never even seen a goat. How can you not like them?"

"They look creepy, okay?"

"Are you afraid of a goat?"

"No. They're just creepy, is all."

"Well, then. I think we should make a movie about El Chupacabra!"

"Oh cool!" he jumped up from his swing, and then stood still. "What El Chupacabra?"

"It's a monster that eats goats!"

"Cool!"

They got to work on making the movie. Heero was the monster, and Relena shot what she could with the camera. They pretended Heero's dog was a goat. She laughed when Melville (take THAT Wicked!!!!!) licked Heero.

"Uggg! Melville! Stop! Goats don't lick people!"

"Yeah, Melville. We're trying to make a movie here."

The dog tilted his head, and pranced back inside.

"Heero, go after him! We'll loose the shot!"

Heero was about to run inside when his mother joined them. Her face was red, and her eyes were swollen. She had been crying. She walked up to Relena, and hugged her tightly. Relena just starred at Heero, who stared wide-eyed at his mother. He walked over to them, and watched in heartache as he saw Relena's reaction to the news his mother had come with.

Relena's parents had died in a car crash.

Relena tore away from Heero's mother, and ran across the street to her house. She bolted through the door and shouted for her parents. She ran around the house screaming for them, forcing the tears back. She heard the door open, and ran to check who it was. Hoping it was her motherpraying it was her father.

It was Heero and his mom.

Relena felt her chest tighten, and her heart beat faster. She ran outside to her little fort. She and Heero had built it in a tree, and they always went up to it when they had a problem. It was their sanctuary.

She still didn't let the tears fall, even when she heard Heero's footsteps. Even when she heard him climb up the tree.

"Relena?" he sat down next to her, asking for permission to comfort his best friend.

"I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. Now I'll never see them again."

He hugged her. It was all he could do. He had no experience with this kind of thing.

"Is it okay to cry, Heero?"

She raised her face from his shoulder and met his questioning gaze. "Would you cry?" she asked, her body shaking.

"Yeah, Relena. I'd cry." He whispered. She smiled a bit before she once again buried her face in his body, and wept.

They would have stayed up there all night if Heero's mom hadn't taken them back to his house.

Relena spent the night with Heero. They stayed up talking, as Relena didn't want to sleep.

"What am I going to do, Heero? I don't have any family here. I don't have any family at all."

He looked at her from his bed.

"I know! Maybe my mom and dad will adopt you, and you could be my sister!"

"Do you think they would do that?"

"I guess so. I mean, if you don't have any family."

"Thanks, Heero. You're my best friend."

"And you're mine, too, Lena."

They did their secret handshake before they fell asleep.

The court stated she had an aunt. She had never heard of an aunt. Aunt Tammy. She sat beside Heero in the courtroom.

"I've never heard of an Aunt Tammy."

"I didn't even know you had an aunt." Seeing as how she didn't know the aunt, and the aunt didn't show up at the court, Relena's godparents were to take custody of her. They were some people her parents had met before they ever knew the Yuy's. Fortunately, they lived about five minutes away from Heero's, and she could ride her bike over there.

Their names were Alice and Mark Smith. Relena knew them well, and, although she would have preferred Heero's house, she liked the family. They didn't have a child of their own, so, they took to spoiling Relena rotten. She hated it. She still ran off with Heero whenever she had the opportunity.

Two years had passed. Heero's birthday came and went, and Relena felt somewhat left in the dark. Heero was 10. Double digits. He was now an official grown up. She went over to his house.

"Hey Heero! Wanna' come and play?"

"I can't play with you, Relena."

"WellWhy not?"

"Because. I'm ten your nine, I'm a boy and you're a girl."

"So?"

"SoIt means I can't play with you."

"Well, that's a stupid reason. Look at you. You're not even doing anything. You're just playing in the dirt."

"Playing in the ten-year-old-dirt." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Heero! Why won't you play with me?!?!?!?!" she whined. It was most annoying.

"Because. I'm ten, you're nine, I'm a boy and you're a girl."

"That's stupid. I'll be ten in a few months."

"Yeah, well, you're nine now."

"That's not fair, Heero."

"Will Trowa play with you?"

"No."

"Quatre?"

"No"

"Wu Fie?"

"Uh uh"

"Duo?"

"No." her voice had gotten steadily smaller.

"How come?" he paused from digging in the dirt, and looked up at her, waiting for her answer. She was barely audible:

"They're ten."

"Ha! See? I told you."

"Well, I still think it's stupid." She said walking over to him in the dirt.

"I'm sure you would. That's what most nine-year-olds think."

"Uh! Just last week you were nine!"

"Yes, but now I'm ten."

"Yeah, well, you still act like a seven-year-old!"

He stopped digging, and looked up at her, stunned. She lifted her eyebrow, and started to walk off. There was no way he would let her go when she insulted him that badly. He stood up and yelled.

"Well, my daddy says your daddy's a Publican!"

They had come to call Mark her father. She seemed happier that way. She turned around.

"Nuh uh."

"Yes huh. And that's weird. Nobody likes Publicans!"

She looked at him, eyes filled with wonder.

"Well, Heero? What's a Publican?"

He froze. He could work his way out of thishe could

"TheyPublicans are the bad people of the demoxapy."

"What's a demoxapy?"

"Duh, Relena. It's the people who run the White House"

"Oh. Well, what's so bad about the Publicans?"

"Um.welltheyThey were behind the Water Gate."

"The what?"

"The Water Gate. You know, that thing that happened wayyyyyy back before there were colonies. We're studying about it in school."

"Oh. My class has only got to the Mima the Pina and the Santa Clause Mina. Columbus doesn't even land until Monday. Sowhat about the water gate?"

"Well.um.Why should I waste my time telling you?"

"Aw, you don't know what happened to the Water Gate."

"Do too! The publicanstheythey went down to the gatethe Water Gate, and theythey attached a big hose to the gate."

She listened, stunned. "THEN what did they do?"

"Then, theytheyopened the gate, and they took all the water."

"Oh no!"

"Oh yeah! They took all the water from thethe poor people in Cuba."

"That's horrible!"

"Yeah, and your daddy is a Publican, which means he helped them do it!"

"Nu uh!"

"Yes huh. And you know what else?"

"What?" she was on the verge of tears.

"You know who else was a Publican?"

"Who?"

"President George W. Bush was a Publican."

"Was not!"

"Was too. President George W. Bush helped steal all that water."

"Did not!"

"He did too. My daddy told me. And YOUR daddy's a publican."

"Wellyou're a dumb-head."

"Publican."

"Stinky butt."

"Publican." He sang.

"Butt sniffer." Her voice had become higher and more panicked as she tried to out think him.

"Publican." He was till calm.

"You"

"Pu"

"BIG"

"li"

"Jerk face!" she screamed. He didn't reply. She turned around, thinking she had won, and walked off.

"CAN."

She ran off, unable to face him. A few minutes later, she peeped around his tree.

"Heero?"

He didn't reply.

"Will you come play with me?"

He turned to her, and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm a boy, you're a girl. I'm 10, you're 9, and besides," he looked her square in the eye, "You're a Publican."

She left and didn't come back that time. They both knew they would make up later. She had to go home and figure out what else a Publican was before he embarrassed her at school.

Disclaimer: No own G Wing. I also don't own many of the snippets of the whole "Publican" thing; it's from Jerry Finnegan's Sister. Want another chapter? I just thought this would be cute. If you don't want to see another one, figure out what happens in your head. I'm sure I left enough to the imagination! Later!   

~Melville's Best Friend