True Journey
…In the end, I want to be standing
At the beginning with you…
The truth was, it was rather unlikely anyone noticed he had contradicted himself in that last moment. Certainly the surprised woman, who could do little more than wrap her arms around his neck and shoulders and watch as his face light up, as though he never expected her to hold him in return, didn't notice. She knew very few things at that time, most of which bore some relation to the phrases 'I love you' and 'I want to be with you,' and so wrapping her arms around him as he held her in his own, against his body, gazing down at her startled face with nothing less than sheer adoration… She just really couldn't care less that he had contradicted himself, in fact she didn't even realize.
He had spoken passionately of the importance of the past year they spent together, nearly begging her not to let it end. But now it seemed he decided they needed a new beginning. She wasn't about to argue any of his points. The only thing she really cared about was in both versions…whether a continuation or a fresh start, the future he spoke of was for them both, together.
He took the first steps of their true journey for them both, stepping out of the shadow of a mechanical skeleton, where the video feed between Mobile Fighters was clear and perfect again and faces of his friends appeared around the man, and the woman in his arms, in a panoramic view. He smiled at them, his chest rising with pride and they all beamed back. He tossed a nod at the Swedish woman who looked upon them with shining eyes and a smile that spoke of enchantment. He smiled to himself at the thought of her magic phrase, shifting the woman in his arms closer, if such a thing was possible.
The Mobile Trace System adjusted accordingly to the added presence of Fuun-Saiki in his own armor, turning Domon's standing position into a sitting one. Rain was, of course, pulled onto his lap, a modification she didn't appear to have any qualms with. Holding the reins of his horse, the final thing to be passed from master to pupil, Domon could only loop one arm around Rain. He hoped that would be enough to keep her from slipping away again. Her arms around him didn't slack and Domon was able to push such foolish fears from his mind. She knew how he felt; she wouldn't …hurt him …again…
His fingers dug into the material of his own cloak, which had been wrapped around her, to shield her from the eyes of others. How much had he cried for her..? And to think, a simple phrase was all it took to align her to himself so completely. Somehow, he'd never even thought to say it until the morning of the Battle Royale, and then, he'd wanted it to say it as a free man, without the virtual enslavement their nation had forced upon them. He asked her to wait, but she hadn't. When Rain left him, Domon was sure she didn't want to hear it. She didn't want him to come for her; she couldn't possibly want him to love her. Selfish as it was, if he were to give her his heart, he wanted hers in return.
"Rain," he said, the English word rolling off his tongue with an ease it just hadn't before. She looked at him quizzically. As he had thought back, the eyes of them both had followed the trails left by their friends. Now was the time to choose a path, to decide where this true journey he had spoken of would go. "Let's go home. To Kyoji, Schwarz and Master's beloved Earth."
Her arms tightened around him.
She wasn't going to disappear again.
She was going home with him.
She said 'Yes,' a simple, monosyllabic, casual word.
Domon beamed, possibly the happiest he had ever been, as he looked at her again, his eyes following her sharp nod, watching her lips form the word, burning the image of her as she was now into his memory. It only lasted a moment, though, for soon he had straightened and let the old familiar scowl cross his features.
"Gundam Fight!" he shouted, for no other reason that it felt right. A part of him hoped desperately that this was the last time those words would come from him. And yet, another part realized he wasn't talking about another battle. He was asking his friends if they were prepared for their futures. "Ready," he continued.
The cheerful voices of everyone he'd ever known rang back in his ears in a resounding "GO!" and with that, their true journey had officially begun.
Sore de wa Gundam Fight! Ready? Go!!
Author's Notes: I haven't written anything in a really long time. This ficlet has been nothing more and nothing less than an attempt to get me writing again. Oh, and reference to the dialogue-wise, I know I jumped around between the dub and the sub a lot. I basically just used whichever working I like best. Really, I wanted to write "yeah," as Rain's reply instead of "yes," since her response was 'ee,' which is a casual yes, but I'm not going to take liberties with Series Dialogue…what would be the point of writing a scene if they say different things?
Disclaimers: G Gundam and all related whatevers belong to Sunrise, the Sotsu Agency and Bandai. The lyrics at the beginning are from the song "Wonderful Journey" from that animated Anastasia movie a few years back. It just fits so well it needed to be there.