I wrote this one a while back, probably about a year ago now and for some
reason I never posted it here, so I am now. I made a few revisions to some
sections to, hopefully, make things flow better, I didn't actually add
anything or remove anything from the story, just rearranged some
paragraphs.
Title: Five Shooting Stars
Author: Kohaku-chan
Archive: Team Rocket and Shinigami Castle; Anime-zing! Others please ask first.
Pairings: none
Warnings: angst, death, might need a handkerchief.
Category: Angst, Death
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or the characters and I make no profit from authoring this story.
Notes: This fic takes place after Endless Waltz
'Letter' "Speech" :: Thought::
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sunday, AC 197, L1 Colony Cluster
Heero jogged down one of the many paths in the colony park, his sneaker- clad feet pounded a steady rhythm on the paved trail, sweat dampened his tank top but his breathing remained even. The temperature on the colony was pleasant and flowers in the park were blooming nicely and ordinarily Heero would be enjoying them now that he was free to do so, but his mind was on a mysterious letter he had received the day before.
For a while now he had been getting death threats from rebel groups and nut cases, as had his friends. There had even been a few attempts made, but killing a Gundam pilot was no easy thing, and all of them except for Wufei (since he was an active Preventer) had been assigned bodyguards by the Preventers Agency, though they ignored them and did what they pleased. Usually he ignored any threats he received but this one had caught his curiosity, it had been stuck in his mailbox and had no return address or stamp on the envelope. His place of residence wasn't common knowledge.
'If you want to live your life in peace go to the park tomorrow *alone* at 1:00pm, you will be contacted.'
::Suspicious. . .:: He'd thought, but caution was pushed aside by his curiosity and he had decided to go. It had been a simple task to lose his bodyguards.
A branch rustled behind him as he jogged down the path and he spun around, his hand going behind him to grab the gun he no longer carried. Surprise filled his face when he saw whom his contact was.
"*You* sent me that letter?"
~*~*~*~*~
Urgent newscasts take over the vid screens on the streets and in the businesses and homes throughout all the colonies and Earth. On one of the major networks a pretty blond anchorwoman appears on the screen with a solemn expression.
"We apologize for interrupting the current program. Sadly we have just learned that a body has been found in the park of an L1 Colony. Officials on the scene report that the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head, no weapons were found nearby and suicide has been ruled out. The officer in charge of the investigation theorized that someone had attacked the victim in the park, possibly trying to rob him and had shot him. At the time of the discovery of the victim, he had not been identified but has now been identified as 17-year-old Heero Yuy."
The network put up a picture of Heero in the top right corner of the screen.
"As you all know, he was one of the Gundam Pilots to fight in the war against OZ and then later against the attempted take over of Earth one year later by Mariemaia Kushrenada. We'll bring you more about this tragic story as we learn more of the details."
The world and colonies were stunned, but five people in particular watched the newscast horrified by what they heard.
On Earth, Relena had been in a meeting when the newscast came on and she and the other representatives present stared at the screen in disbelief. When it ended she jumped to her feet and ran out of the meeting, desperate to call Heero's apartment and hear him answer the phone.
~*~*~*~
On L2, Duo had been in town picking up a part he had ordered and stopped for lunch on the way back to the salvage yard. When the newscast had come on he'd not paid much attention to it, only half listening to it until he heard the anchorwoman say Heero's name.
He looked up shocked and saw Heero's picture displayed on the screen. "No!" He shouted and jumped up from the table; oblivious to the looks he received from the people around him. He began running back to the salvage yard as fast as he could, almost tripping in his haste, his plan was to call Preventers and find out what had happened . . . and if it was true. Heero was indestructible, hadn't he proven that numerous times before? He couldn't be dead. "He can't be!" He yelled as he ran.
~*~*~*~
On one of the L3 colonies, Trowa had been feeding the lions and missed the newscast, but Catherine hadn't and she ran as fast as she could to find Trowa. "Trowa! Trowa!"
"What is it Cathy?" He stood and turned to look at the frantic girl.
She launched herself at him and enfolded the puzzled boy in her arms. "Oh Trowa something terrible has happened!" She buried her face in Trowa's chest.
Trowa looked down at his sister with concern and repeated. "What is it Cathy?"
She lifted her head and looked up at him, staring into his face with tear filled eyes. "Heero has been killed."
His one visible green eye widened and he stepped back away from Catherine, clasping her arms in his hands to hold her away. "It can't be true."
"It was just on the news. I'm so sorry Trowa!" Trowa's hand fell away and he took off in the direction of their trailer to pack, he was going to see Quatre, if Quatre told him it was true...
~*~*~*~
On L4, Rashid burst into Quatre's office. "Master Quatre! Heero's been killed." Quatre looked at him stunned and then reached for the phone, he dialed up Wufei's extension at Preventers hoping to hear Wufei deny it.
He looked at Rashid with stricken eyes and put the phone down. "The lines are busy I can't get through."
The phone rang and he hurriedly picked it up, hysterical cries could be heard from the receiver and Quatre tried to calm down the person on the other end and realized it was Relena crying over and over again that Heero was dead. Quatre looked up at Rashid horrified. "Oh Allah how could this happen?"
~*~*~*~
At Preventer Headquarters in Geneva, Wufei had run straight to Lady Une's office as soon as the newscast was over and was currently staring her down. "Is it true?" He demanded.
"I'm afraid so Wufei." She said sadly.
"It wasn't an accident was it?" He said with dangerous calm; he already knew the answer and he was feeling angry.
"No it wasn't. He was assassinated."
"This wasn't supposed to happen!" He shouted then tossed his badge, ID and gun on her desk. Opening her office door and walking out, he paused and turned to look back at her. "They were supposed to be able to live normal lives now, that's what we were supposed to be doing here, making sure they could. After all we've been through, all we've done, why isn't it ever enough!" He continued to shout. "I quit!" The Preventers and clerks in the cubicles outside her office were silent and he turned, storming out of her office and knocking over a clerk.
He dug up a box and began to clear his cubicle of his belongings. He paused when he picked up a picture of the 5 of them taken after the first war. Wufei closed his eyes momentarily before setting the picture carefully on top of the items in the box. Then he left the Preventers building, roaring off on his motorcycle, the box strapped to the back.
~*~*~*~*~
The media tried to interview the 4 surviving pilots, but the only one who they could get a hold of was Quatre, the next day they camped outside the doors of WEI, pouncing on him when he left the building.
"Mr. Winner! What do you think about the death of Heero Yuy?" A reporter shouted.
"Do you share the police's opinion about the circumstances surrounding his death?" Another reporter yelled.
"I'm sorry but I'm really not up to answering any questions right now." He responded and was hustled through the crowd by Abdul to a waiting car; once Quatre was in he climbed into the front passenger seat and put up the partition, deciding his friend needed some privacy. Quatre settled gratefully into the car, his composure falling away, he was glad of the tinted windows that prevented the reporters from seeing inside the car. Looking over he saw an envelope with his name on it sitting on the floor. He reached over and picked it up, opened the flap and pulled out a single white sheet of paper.
'I know what happened to your friend. If you want to know, meet me tomorrow at 1:00pm at the abandoned warehouse by the WEI plant and come alone.'
Quatre read the short message 3 times before shoving it in his jacket pocket. 10 minutes later the car pulled up to the door of his estate and he climbed out. His housekeeper greeted him at the door. "Mr. Winner you have a visitor waiting for you in your study."
"I don't want to talk to anyone right now, could you please ask them to call back later?"
"It's Mr. Barton sir." She said.
"Trowa? He's here?" Quatre took off down the hall straight for his study. He flew into the room. "Trowa?"
"Quatre!" Trowa stood up looking worn and tired from grief and the red-eye flight he'd caught. "How are you?"
"I've been better." Quatre hugged Trowa when he reached him and they sat down. "How about you?"
"Numb. Is it true?" Trowa asked.
Quatre nodded sadly. "I couldn't get a hold of Wufei at Preventers so I called Une. She confirmed it."
"Is Wufei on a mission? Does he know?" Trowa asked.
"I asked Une that and she said Wufei does know, and then said that he quit after he found out. I tried calling him at his house but he didn't answer."
"I hope he's okay." Trowa looked concerned.
"So do I." Quatre remembered the letter he'd found and pulled it out of his pocket. "Look at this, I found it in my car today on the way here." He handed the folded paper to Trowa.
Trowa took the note and read the short message silently.
"You're not going are you?" Trowa looked up at Quatre. "Tell me you aren't planning on going."
"I was thinking about it. What if it's real Trowa? What if this person really does know what happened to Heero?"
"What if this person knows *because* he killed Heero?" Trowa returned.
"I thought about that, and that's why I wouldn't go unprepared. I won't let this guy catch me off-guard the way he did Heero."
Trowa shook his head. "If you're determined to go, then I'm going with you. I don't care what the letter says."
Quatre got up and wandered over to the fireplace where he looked at a picture that sat on the mantle, a moment later Trowa joined him.
"I remember this." Trowa said. They were all on Earth for a vacation when the picture was taken and they were leaning against a rail, Duo had his hand up in a victory sign. The war was over.
"I can't believe Heero's gone." Quatre said, looking at the picture.
"Neither can I."
~*~*~*~
Tuesday
The blond anchorwoman once again breaks into scheduled programming with breaking news, her face as grave as it had been during the newscast about Heero.
"We have just been informed that Trowa Barton and WEI Trillionaire Quatre Raberba Winner were killed a few hours ago when Mr. Winners car exploded near an old warehouse on WEI property. Both Winner and Barton had fought in the wars as Gundam pilots with Heero Yuy; this is the second incident resulting in the deaths of Gundam pilots in the space of a few days. At this time officials have not released any statements about the explosion."
~*~*~*~
Lady Une had called Catherine prior to the newscast. When she'd seen Une's face on the vid screen she'd gotten a terrible feeling of foreboding in her stomach. It hadn't been easy for Une to tell her and when she'd ended the call Catherine had collapsed in tears, she'd stayed there on the floor crying until the Circus Manager had found her, he helped her up asking what was wrong and she threw herself in his arms. "Trowa's dead!" She wailed and started sobbing into his coat.
~*~*~*~
"Why is this happening Dorothy?" Relena asked, wiping her cheeks.
"I don't know Miss Relena." The girl responded hugging Relena and wiping away a tear of her own. "I don't know."
~*~*~*~
Duo sat in his garage working on an old car he was restoring, his face set in stone as he tried to focus all his attention on what he was doing, and failed. Suddenly he threw the wrench he was holding, it hit the wall with a loud THUNK and clattered to the concrete floor, he slammed the hood of the old car shut and leaned on it with both hands, his head bowed.
"Duo?" Hilde called and entered the garage. "Are you okay?" She asked concerned.
:: How can I be? They're gone. :: Duo thought dismally and lifted his head, turning to look at Hilde. Duo was clenching his jaw and his eyes glittered with the tears he refused to let fall.
"Oh Duo I'm so sorry." Tears came to her eyes at the pain that was so evident in his face and she rushed forward sliding her arms around his waist and hugging him, leaning her head on his chest. He tipped his chin up staring at the ceiling trying to force down the tears. One of the tears escaped and slid down his cheek, he took a shuddering breath and gave in; his arms came around Hilde tightly and he buried his face in her hair crying for his friends.
~*~*~*~
"Sally?"
"Yes Lady Une?" She responded quietly.
"Do you think you could get a hold of Zechs and Noin? I think they would like to know what has happened."
"I think I can track them down."
~*~*~*~
*Damn!* Wufei sat on the floor in his dark house, the curtains drawn and lights out, he leaned his head back against the couch behind him, his arms dangling over his bent knees. He'd been sitting there since he'd heard about Trowa and Quatre the day before and he couldn't seem to bring himself to get up.
"Why? Damnit why? Why can't they let us live in peace?" He cried out.
"Because some people will always resent you."
"What?" Wufei jumped and turned to look behind him. "What are you doing here? I didn't hear you come in."
"You forgot to lock your door."
~*~*~*~
Wednesday
At 7:43pm the news networks interrupted the programs, this time a distinguished looking anchorman sat behind the news desk.
"This morning in Geneva, ex-Gundam pilot and former Preventers Agent Chang Wufei died when his house caught fire and burned to the ground. After a preliminary investigation once the fire was out the Fire Marshal reported that from what he saw, the fire consumed the interior of the house before bursting through the roof and alerting neighbors to the fire. It was unknown at the time if Mr. Chang was at home and by the time the fire trucks were called and had arrived at the scene there was nothing they could do except prevent the fire from spreading to the surrounding houses."
Behind the anchorman they showed the trucks battling to keep the fire contained. The roof of the house had collapsed, taking with it the front wall; the images showed the gutted rooms of the building as the fire continued to consume the structure.
"The firefighters did get the blaze extinguished early this afternoon without damage to surrounding housing. Later as investigators went through the rubble they found that Mr. Chang was indeed at home at the time of the fire. They reported that his remains were found on the floor of what used to be the living room, from the way the fire burned and by how much damage the fire did before breaking through the roof, the fire may have originated in that room. Officials do not yet know, what caused the fire."
He shuffled the papers on the desk in front of him and the image in the top corner behind him changed to a coffin and flowers.
"On a related note, the funerals for the four Gundam pilots will be held off until all four can be buried together, officials have decided to hold a memorial service in their honor. The service will be held in Sank Memorial Cemetery and they will be buried with full military honors. On behalf of the Earth and the Colonies, Vice-Foreign Minister Relena Dorlain will be speaking at the service. It was decided that the pilots would be buried in the former Pacifist nation to serve as reminder to all, what it was they fought for."
~*~*~*~
"This is like one long never-ending nightmare." Sally said to Une. "We have no clue who is doing this, none of the terrorist groups are claiming responsibility for any of this. Nobody saw anyone or noticed anything suspicious. There have been no registered flights from the colonies or Earth where we've found anything suspicious. Now only Duo is left and he won't accept any protection from us. Yesterday Duo told me it would be useless, anyone who could get to 4 Gundam pilots and kill them all wasn't going to have a problem getting through our security to get 1 more."
"Unfortunately he's right." Une said. "We just have to hope that we find something to help us figure out who's doing this before they get to Duo."
~*~*~*~
Zechs hung up the phone and walked into the living room of the apartment he and Noin shared on Mars. "I just got off the phone with Sally, we need to pack. We're going back to Earth." He told Noin.
"Why? Don't tell me another war has started." She said getting up from the couch.
"No, worse. Heero, Quatre, Trowa and Wufei have been killed."
Noin gasped. "You get our shuttle ready, I'll pack our things." She hurried into the bedroom to pack while Zechs took care of the shuttle.
~*~*~*~
Thursday
"It would have been more humane if we had died in the wars instead of surviving and making us all think we could have normal lives." Duo said bitterly to himself as he walked through the salvage yard looking for a part. "But even our "normal" lives aren't normal, even in this time of peace we're still having to watch our backs because of death threats."
"That is why you have to leave. Forever."
Duo spun around.
~*~*~*~
The people of Earth and the colonies were shocked and grieved over the loss of the pilots and when the newscast broke into the programming again their grief deepened, it was over, their hero's were gone.
"What started on Sunday, ends tonight as we report once more the death of a Gundam pilot, the fifth and final one, Duo Maxwell. He was killed this afternoon in the Salvage yard that he owned; he was reported to have been shot multiple times."
"The funeral and memorial service that was to be held for the 4 pilots will now be held for all 5 on Saturday. This has been a tragic week for us all as we yet again mourn another fallen hero. Let's hope we can one day find whoever is responsible and bring them to justice."
~*~*~*~
"Relena." The girl turned and saw Zechs and Noin standing behind her.
"Milliardo!" She cried and flew into her brother's arms, he held her comfortingly as she cried into his shoulder. "They're all gone now..."
"I know. We heard about Duo when Sally picked us up from the airport. She said that they're all going to be buried tomorrow in Sanq."
She nodded. "I'm so glad you're here!"
~*~*~*~
"You know, they seemed so indestructible, no matter how hard they or anyone else tried to, they couldn't kill those boys. Now the wars are over and there's no reason to kill them, but people wouldn't leave them alone. It's not right." Sally said to Une as she sat in the Lady's office once more.
Une agreed.
~*~*~*~
Saturday, Sanq Memorial Cemetery
Hundreds of people had turned out for the service, colonists and residents of Earth alike and they all crowded the cemetery along with the news crews who would be filming the services and broadcasting them live to the rest of the world and the colonies.
The Maganacs had carried the five white caskets from the church to the graveyard after the service; the five gleaming coffins, lined up side by side, waited to be lowered into the ground. In front of the graves were rows and rows of white folding chairs. Behind the graves a podium was set up with a microphone where Relena would give her speech. The seats closest to the graves were reserved for the pilots' closest friends and family.
Relena stepped up to the podium and everyone took their seats, the media stood off to the side ready to begin broadcasting. She adjusted the microphone and took a calming breath. "Ladies and Gentlemen we are here today because five amazing people are gone and we are going to honor and recognize them for everything that they have done for us. But first I would like to say something about those five people."
"Two years ago I saw what I thought was a shooting star, it's something that I will always remember because it changed my life and it changed all of yours too though none of us knew it at the time. It was the very day I first met Heero Yuy, the first day they all came to Earth; the shooting star I saw had in fact been one of the Gundams. I love shooting stars because they always imprint themselves on your memory, a bright, burning light streaking across the night sky and gone in the blink of an eye and it's always exciting to spot one and try to make a wish on it in the instant that it's there. The fate of every shooting star is the same, but their effect never fades."
"That's how I think of the Gundam pilots. Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei.they were five shooting stars with one destiny [1]. Their lives were short but they were bright and beautiful, moving fast and carrying with them the wishes and hopes of humanity for peace. They were too young for the burden placed on them yet they bore it willingly to protect the colonies and then Earth, rising to meet each new threat and defeating it against all odds."
"We're here today because they are gone, but like a shooting star their legacy will live on forever in our memories and our hearts and will be passed down through the generations to come. Every time you see a shooting star think of them, and all the other people that died to give us the peace we have today. Their many sacrifices have not been in vain."
"We have truly suffered a great loss with their passing, but they are free now of their burdens and they have surely been rewarded in heaven for their sacrifices. I pray they rest in peace. We'll miss you."
She stepped down from the podium holding 5 flowers, placing one on each casket then sat down.
A man in full military dress stepped up beside the graves and began to play taps on his trumpet. After he was finished, soldiers off to the side gave the slain boys a 21-gun salute. None of the pilots had officially been soldiers in any of the military's except for Trowa when he infiltrated OZ but they had been soldiers in every sense of the word, and they were honoring them for the bravery, courage and honor they showed on the battlefield.
As the echo of the shots faded, their friends and family stepped up and laid flowers on the caskets before they were lowered into the ground and covered. Afterwards the rest of the people that were there stepped forward leaving flowers of their own on the graves until they were all overflowing with bouquets. It was a long time before the last of the mourners left the cemetery.
~*~*~*~
Nearly everyone had left the cemetery and most of the people closest to the boys had gone home long ago to mourn in private. Except for one, he waited under a tree for the remaining people to leave. Finally they started making their way through the cemetery for the exit. "That was a really nice ceremony don't you think?" He asked as they passed him.
They stopped and looked at him sitting at the base of a huge old tree. "Yes it was. I feel so bad for putting them through all that though." One of them, an auburn haired boy wearing a white dress shirt and black slacks and sunglasses, said.
"It's better for them this way Quatre. It's a clean break and they won't spend their lives waiting for you all to come back."
"I know Howard, but still I wish there was another way."
"Lady Une and I both agreed that the only way this would work was if nobody knew but those absolutely necessary. Not even you guys." Howard said.
Heero wearing a white shirt with a dark gray suit jacket, pulled his hands from the pockets of his blue jeans and touched his black eye, pushing his dark sunglasses up onto his head and mussing his carefully tamed and brushed hair while revealing a dark bruise around one eye. "Yeah well I wish you'd told us from the start or else Duo wouldn't have given me this."
"You were the one standing closest to me and I owed you one. But damnit I thought you guys were really dead, it damn near broke my heart." Duo said, unrecognizable with his braid and bangs tucked under a hat with the brim shadowing his eyes and wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt.
"I'm sorry about that guys, so is Lady Une. She hated it, but she didn't want anyone to do anything that would cast suspicion on your deaths, so we hid it from you. When you boys started getting those threats we both knew that you guys would never be able to live peacefully in the colonies, on Earth or even on Mars for that matter. We also knew none of you would leave unless someone relieved you of your responsibilities." He looked most specifically at Quatre and Wufei when he said this and continued. "We figured the best way to do that would be if you were dead. No one would be looking for you anymore and you would be free to start life with a blank slate." Howard got up, brushed himself off and straightened the dress jacket he wore over his Hawaiian shirt.
"Une had the means to make it all official and I had the means to provide you with a new life."
Wufei tucked his loose hair behind his ear causing his old wire-rimmed glasses to slide down his nose. He promptly pushed them back on and crossed blue sweater clad arms in front of him. "I'm amazed you rebuilt Peacemillion in just two years."
"Well, before it took so long because of the restrictions placed on everyone by the Alliance. With the new peace and all the weapons being gone I was able to use a lot more manufacturing plants and WEI was a big help with funding, even though I changed her plans a little and made some additions. She now has 3 hydroponics rooms that supply the ship's food and most of the oxygen. We added a recreation room; there's a theatre stocked with every video disk and TV disk we could find, a music room with plenty of CD's and instruments, you two have yours don't you?" Quatre and Trowa nodded. "There's a fitness room, so you boys can stay in shape and a library with books of all kinds, it would take a very, very long time to read all of them. Peacemillion was originally intended for deep space exploration and I wanted to see her do just that, but who says it has to be boring?"
"A library?" Wufei looked interested. "It's been so long since I've been able to relax and read a book."
"I didn't know when I approved the funding that all this was going to happen." Quatre said as they all started walking again and headed for the two remaining cars parked outside the cemetery.
"Neither did I Quatre and I wish it hadn't." Howard was quiet for a moment. "You boys took an awful risk coming here today, even disguised as you are." Pretty good disguises too he thought.
"We had too." Trowa said quietly, his telltale bangs tucked under a hat and blue contacts concealing his green eyes, he'd traded the turtleneck for a red button-up shirt. "We needed to say goodbye to them as much as they needed to say goodbye to us."
"I understand." They reached the cars. "I'll see you guys at the shuttle pad. Everything you need should already be on the ship." They nodded and climbed into one of the cars, Howard climbed into the other and drove off.
Quatre started the car but left it in park and looked at the others. "There's no going back now."
"Nope. But we knew that as soon as we decided to take his offer." Duo sighed.
"Regretting it Duo?" Heero asked.
"No, just thinking how much I'm going to miss them. Even so I'm looking forward to this, who knows what we'll find out there. It's an adventure."
Quatre smiled. "Yeah, it is exciting isn't it? I'm glad we'll all be together to share it."
Wufei leaned forward over the seat and looked at Quatre. "So what are you waiting for? Let's go."
"What happened to all that patience of yours?" Quatre laughed as he put the car in drive and drove away.
"Just drive would you? I'll tell you what, I'm piloting the shuttle up to Peacemillion; you are too slow and I'd like to get there today."
That started a good-natured argument over who was going to be piloting the shuttle among the boys, it lasted the entire way to the shuttle pad and they never stopped laughing.
Owari
Or is it?
~*~*~*~*~*
[1] I ended up using a slight variation of this quote on the banner for my GW website. I just liked it so much heh.
Okay, okay, I started out writing this with the idea of writing a death fic but as it came to the end scene in the cemetery I couldn't bring myself to make it final and actually kill them, so I ended up writing the following scene with Howard. However I didn't change the warnings for the fic because that would have ruined the ending.
I do have plans to follow up on this, I even have a sequel started but my muse for that story abandoned me a while back. I'm hoping to continue this soon.
I want to thank you all in advance for your reviews. I truly appreciate them.
Kohaku
Title: Five Shooting Stars
Author: Kohaku-chan
Archive: Team Rocket and Shinigami Castle; Anime-zing! Others please ask first.
Pairings: none
Warnings: angst, death, might need a handkerchief.
Category: Angst, Death
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or the characters and I make no profit from authoring this story.
Notes: This fic takes place after Endless Waltz
'Letter' "Speech" :: Thought::
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sunday, AC 197, L1 Colony Cluster
Heero jogged down one of the many paths in the colony park, his sneaker- clad feet pounded a steady rhythm on the paved trail, sweat dampened his tank top but his breathing remained even. The temperature on the colony was pleasant and flowers in the park were blooming nicely and ordinarily Heero would be enjoying them now that he was free to do so, but his mind was on a mysterious letter he had received the day before.
For a while now he had been getting death threats from rebel groups and nut cases, as had his friends. There had even been a few attempts made, but killing a Gundam pilot was no easy thing, and all of them except for Wufei (since he was an active Preventer) had been assigned bodyguards by the Preventers Agency, though they ignored them and did what they pleased. Usually he ignored any threats he received but this one had caught his curiosity, it had been stuck in his mailbox and had no return address or stamp on the envelope. His place of residence wasn't common knowledge.
'If you want to live your life in peace go to the park tomorrow *alone* at 1:00pm, you will be contacted.'
::Suspicious. . .:: He'd thought, but caution was pushed aside by his curiosity and he had decided to go. It had been a simple task to lose his bodyguards.
A branch rustled behind him as he jogged down the path and he spun around, his hand going behind him to grab the gun he no longer carried. Surprise filled his face when he saw whom his contact was.
"*You* sent me that letter?"
~*~*~*~*~
Urgent newscasts take over the vid screens on the streets and in the businesses and homes throughout all the colonies and Earth. On one of the major networks a pretty blond anchorwoman appears on the screen with a solemn expression.
"We apologize for interrupting the current program. Sadly we have just learned that a body has been found in the park of an L1 Colony. Officials on the scene report that the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head, no weapons were found nearby and suicide has been ruled out. The officer in charge of the investigation theorized that someone had attacked the victim in the park, possibly trying to rob him and had shot him. At the time of the discovery of the victim, he had not been identified but has now been identified as 17-year-old Heero Yuy."
The network put up a picture of Heero in the top right corner of the screen.
"As you all know, he was one of the Gundam Pilots to fight in the war against OZ and then later against the attempted take over of Earth one year later by Mariemaia Kushrenada. We'll bring you more about this tragic story as we learn more of the details."
The world and colonies were stunned, but five people in particular watched the newscast horrified by what they heard.
On Earth, Relena had been in a meeting when the newscast came on and she and the other representatives present stared at the screen in disbelief. When it ended she jumped to her feet and ran out of the meeting, desperate to call Heero's apartment and hear him answer the phone.
~*~*~*~
On L2, Duo had been in town picking up a part he had ordered and stopped for lunch on the way back to the salvage yard. When the newscast had come on he'd not paid much attention to it, only half listening to it until he heard the anchorwoman say Heero's name.
He looked up shocked and saw Heero's picture displayed on the screen. "No!" He shouted and jumped up from the table; oblivious to the looks he received from the people around him. He began running back to the salvage yard as fast as he could, almost tripping in his haste, his plan was to call Preventers and find out what had happened . . . and if it was true. Heero was indestructible, hadn't he proven that numerous times before? He couldn't be dead. "He can't be!" He yelled as he ran.
~*~*~*~
On one of the L3 colonies, Trowa had been feeding the lions and missed the newscast, but Catherine hadn't and she ran as fast as she could to find Trowa. "Trowa! Trowa!"
"What is it Cathy?" He stood and turned to look at the frantic girl.
She launched herself at him and enfolded the puzzled boy in her arms. "Oh Trowa something terrible has happened!" She buried her face in Trowa's chest.
Trowa looked down at his sister with concern and repeated. "What is it Cathy?"
She lifted her head and looked up at him, staring into his face with tear filled eyes. "Heero has been killed."
His one visible green eye widened and he stepped back away from Catherine, clasping her arms in his hands to hold her away. "It can't be true."
"It was just on the news. I'm so sorry Trowa!" Trowa's hand fell away and he took off in the direction of their trailer to pack, he was going to see Quatre, if Quatre told him it was true...
~*~*~*~
On L4, Rashid burst into Quatre's office. "Master Quatre! Heero's been killed." Quatre looked at him stunned and then reached for the phone, he dialed up Wufei's extension at Preventers hoping to hear Wufei deny it.
He looked at Rashid with stricken eyes and put the phone down. "The lines are busy I can't get through."
The phone rang and he hurriedly picked it up, hysterical cries could be heard from the receiver and Quatre tried to calm down the person on the other end and realized it was Relena crying over and over again that Heero was dead. Quatre looked up at Rashid horrified. "Oh Allah how could this happen?"
~*~*~*~
At Preventer Headquarters in Geneva, Wufei had run straight to Lady Une's office as soon as the newscast was over and was currently staring her down. "Is it true?" He demanded.
"I'm afraid so Wufei." She said sadly.
"It wasn't an accident was it?" He said with dangerous calm; he already knew the answer and he was feeling angry.
"No it wasn't. He was assassinated."
"This wasn't supposed to happen!" He shouted then tossed his badge, ID and gun on her desk. Opening her office door and walking out, he paused and turned to look back at her. "They were supposed to be able to live normal lives now, that's what we were supposed to be doing here, making sure they could. After all we've been through, all we've done, why isn't it ever enough!" He continued to shout. "I quit!" The Preventers and clerks in the cubicles outside her office were silent and he turned, storming out of her office and knocking over a clerk.
He dug up a box and began to clear his cubicle of his belongings. He paused when he picked up a picture of the 5 of them taken after the first war. Wufei closed his eyes momentarily before setting the picture carefully on top of the items in the box. Then he left the Preventers building, roaring off on his motorcycle, the box strapped to the back.
~*~*~*~*~
The media tried to interview the 4 surviving pilots, but the only one who they could get a hold of was Quatre, the next day they camped outside the doors of WEI, pouncing on him when he left the building.
"Mr. Winner! What do you think about the death of Heero Yuy?" A reporter shouted.
"Do you share the police's opinion about the circumstances surrounding his death?" Another reporter yelled.
"I'm sorry but I'm really not up to answering any questions right now." He responded and was hustled through the crowd by Abdul to a waiting car; once Quatre was in he climbed into the front passenger seat and put up the partition, deciding his friend needed some privacy. Quatre settled gratefully into the car, his composure falling away, he was glad of the tinted windows that prevented the reporters from seeing inside the car. Looking over he saw an envelope with his name on it sitting on the floor. He reached over and picked it up, opened the flap and pulled out a single white sheet of paper.
'I know what happened to your friend. If you want to know, meet me tomorrow at 1:00pm at the abandoned warehouse by the WEI plant and come alone.'
Quatre read the short message 3 times before shoving it in his jacket pocket. 10 minutes later the car pulled up to the door of his estate and he climbed out. His housekeeper greeted him at the door. "Mr. Winner you have a visitor waiting for you in your study."
"I don't want to talk to anyone right now, could you please ask them to call back later?"
"It's Mr. Barton sir." She said.
"Trowa? He's here?" Quatre took off down the hall straight for his study. He flew into the room. "Trowa?"
"Quatre!" Trowa stood up looking worn and tired from grief and the red-eye flight he'd caught. "How are you?"
"I've been better." Quatre hugged Trowa when he reached him and they sat down. "How about you?"
"Numb. Is it true?" Trowa asked.
Quatre nodded sadly. "I couldn't get a hold of Wufei at Preventers so I called Une. She confirmed it."
"Is Wufei on a mission? Does he know?" Trowa asked.
"I asked Une that and she said Wufei does know, and then said that he quit after he found out. I tried calling him at his house but he didn't answer."
"I hope he's okay." Trowa looked concerned.
"So do I." Quatre remembered the letter he'd found and pulled it out of his pocket. "Look at this, I found it in my car today on the way here." He handed the folded paper to Trowa.
Trowa took the note and read the short message silently.
"You're not going are you?" Trowa looked up at Quatre. "Tell me you aren't planning on going."
"I was thinking about it. What if it's real Trowa? What if this person really does know what happened to Heero?"
"What if this person knows *because* he killed Heero?" Trowa returned.
"I thought about that, and that's why I wouldn't go unprepared. I won't let this guy catch me off-guard the way he did Heero."
Trowa shook his head. "If you're determined to go, then I'm going with you. I don't care what the letter says."
Quatre got up and wandered over to the fireplace where he looked at a picture that sat on the mantle, a moment later Trowa joined him.
"I remember this." Trowa said. They were all on Earth for a vacation when the picture was taken and they were leaning against a rail, Duo had his hand up in a victory sign. The war was over.
"I can't believe Heero's gone." Quatre said, looking at the picture.
"Neither can I."
~*~*~*~
Tuesday
The blond anchorwoman once again breaks into scheduled programming with breaking news, her face as grave as it had been during the newscast about Heero.
"We have just been informed that Trowa Barton and WEI Trillionaire Quatre Raberba Winner were killed a few hours ago when Mr. Winners car exploded near an old warehouse on WEI property. Both Winner and Barton had fought in the wars as Gundam pilots with Heero Yuy; this is the second incident resulting in the deaths of Gundam pilots in the space of a few days. At this time officials have not released any statements about the explosion."
~*~*~*~
Lady Une had called Catherine prior to the newscast. When she'd seen Une's face on the vid screen she'd gotten a terrible feeling of foreboding in her stomach. It hadn't been easy for Une to tell her and when she'd ended the call Catherine had collapsed in tears, she'd stayed there on the floor crying until the Circus Manager had found her, he helped her up asking what was wrong and she threw herself in his arms. "Trowa's dead!" She wailed and started sobbing into his coat.
~*~*~*~
"Why is this happening Dorothy?" Relena asked, wiping her cheeks.
"I don't know Miss Relena." The girl responded hugging Relena and wiping away a tear of her own. "I don't know."
~*~*~*~
Duo sat in his garage working on an old car he was restoring, his face set in stone as he tried to focus all his attention on what he was doing, and failed. Suddenly he threw the wrench he was holding, it hit the wall with a loud THUNK and clattered to the concrete floor, he slammed the hood of the old car shut and leaned on it with both hands, his head bowed.
"Duo?" Hilde called and entered the garage. "Are you okay?" She asked concerned.
:: How can I be? They're gone. :: Duo thought dismally and lifted his head, turning to look at Hilde. Duo was clenching his jaw and his eyes glittered with the tears he refused to let fall.
"Oh Duo I'm so sorry." Tears came to her eyes at the pain that was so evident in his face and she rushed forward sliding her arms around his waist and hugging him, leaning her head on his chest. He tipped his chin up staring at the ceiling trying to force down the tears. One of the tears escaped and slid down his cheek, he took a shuddering breath and gave in; his arms came around Hilde tightly and he buried his face in her hair crying for his friends.
~*~*~*~
"Sally?"
"Yes Lady Une?" She responded quietly.
"Do you think you could get a hold of Zechs and Noin? I think they would like to know what has happened."
"I think I can track them down."
~*~*~*~
*Damn!* Wufei sat on the floor in his dark house, the curtains drawn and lights out, he leaned his head back against the couch behind him, his arms dangling over his bent knees. He'd been sitting there since he'd heard about Trowa and Quatre the day before and he couldn't seem to bring himself to get up.
"Why? Damnit why? Why can't they let us live in peace?" He cried out.
"Because some people will always resent you."
"What?" Wufei jumped and turned to look behind him. "What are you doing here? I didn't hear you come in."
"You forgot to lock your door."
~*~*~*~
Wednesday
At 7:43pm the news networks interrupted the programs, this time a distinguished looking anchorman sat behind the news desk.
"This morning in Geneva, ex-Gundam pilot and former Preventers Agent Chang Wufei died when his house caught fire and burned to the ground. After a preliminary investigation once the fire was out the Fire Marshal reported that from what he saw, the fire consumed the interior of the house before bursting through the roof and alerting neighbors to the fire. It was unknown at the time if Mr. Chang was at home and by the time the fire trucks were called and had arrived at the scene there was nothing they could do except prevent the fire from spreading to the surrounding houses."
Behind the anchorman they showed the trucks battling to keep the fire contained. The roof of the house had collapsed, taking with it the front wall; the images showed the gutted rooms of the building as the fire continued to consume the structure.
"The firefighters did get the blaze extinguished early this afternoon without damage to surrounding housing. Later as investigators went through the rubble they found that Mr. Chang was indeed at home at the time of the fire. They reported that his remains were found on the floor of what used to be the living room, from the way the fire burned and by how much damage the fire did before breaking through the roof, the fire may have originated in that room. Officials do not yet know, what caused the fire."
He shuffled the papers on the desk in front of him and the image in the top corner behind him changed to a coffin and flowers.
"On a related note, the funerals for the four Gundam pilots will be held off until all four can be buried together, officials have decided to hold a memorial service in their honor. The service will be held in Sank Memorial Cemetery and they will be buried with full military honors. On behalf of the Earth and the Colonies, Vice-Foreign Minister Relena Dorlain will be speaking at the service. It was decided that the pilots would be buried in the former Pacifist nation to serve as reminder to all, what it was they fought for."
~*~*~*~
"This is like one long never-ending nightmare." Sally said to Une. "We have no clue who is doing this, none of the terrorist groups are claiming responsibility for any of this. Nobody saw anyone or noticed anything suspicious. There have been no registered flights from the colonies or Earth where we've found anything suspicious. Now only Duo is left and he won't accept any protection from us. Yesterday Duo told me it would be useless, anyone who could get to 4 Gundam pilots and kill them all wasn't going to have a problem getting through our security to get 1 more."
"Unfortunately he's right." Une said. "We just have to hope that we find something to help us figure out who's doing this before they get to Duo."
~*~*~*~
Zechs hung up the phone and walked into the living room of the apartment he and Noin shared on Mars. "I just got off the phone with Sally, we need to pack. We're going back to Earth." He told Noin.
"Why? Don't tell me another war has started." She said getting up from the couch.
"No, worse. Heero, Quatre, Trowa and Wufei have been killed."
Noin gasped. "You get our shuttle ready, I'll pack our things." She hurried into the bedroom to pack while Zechs took care of the shuttle.
~*~*~*~
Thursday
"It would have been more humane if we had died in the wars instead of surviving and making us all think we could have normal lives." Duo said bitterly to himself as he walked through the salvage yard looking for a part. "But even our "normal" lives aren't normal, even in this time of peace we're still having to watch our backs because of death threats."
"That is why you have to leave. Forever."
Duo spun around.
~*~*~*~
The people of Earth and the colonies were shocked and grieved over the loss of the pilots and when the newscast broke into the programming again their grief deepened, it was over, their hero's were gone.
"What started on Sunday, ends tonight as we report once more the death of a Gundam pilot, the fifth and final one, Duo Maxwell. He was killed this afternoon in the Salvage yard that he owned; he was reported to have been shot multiple times."
"The funeral and memorial service that was to be held for the 4 pilots will now be held for all 5 on Saturday. This has been a tragic week for us all as we yet again mourn another fallen hero. Let's hope we can one day find whoever is responsible and bring them to justice."
~*~*~*~
"Relena." The girl turned and saw Zechs and Noin standing behind her.
"Milliardo!" She cried and flew into her brother's arms, he held her comfortingly as she cried into his shoulder. "They're all gone now..."
"I know. We heard about Duo when Sally picked us up from the airport. She said that they're all going to be buried tomorrow in Sanq."
She nodded. "I'm so glad you're here!"
~*~*~*~
"You know, they seemed so indestructible, no matter how hard they or anyone else tried to, they couldn't kill those boys. Now the wars are over and there's no reason to kill them, but people wouldn't leave them alone. It's not right." Sally said to Une as she sat in the Lady's office once more.
Une agreed.
~*~*~*~
Saturday, Sanq Memorial Cemetery
Hundreds of people had turned out for the service, colonists and residents of Earth alike and they all crowded the cemetery along with the news crews who would be filming the services and broadcasting them live to the rest of the world and the colonies.
The Maganacs had carried the five white caskets from the church to the graveyard after the service; the five gleaming coffins, lined up side by side, waited to be lowered into the ground. In front of the graves were rows and rows of white folding chairs. Behind the graves a podium was set up with a microphone where Relena would give her speech. The seats closest to the graves were reserved for the pilots' closest friends and family.
Relena stepped up to the podium and everyone took their seats, the media stood off to the side ready to begin broadcasting. She adjusted the microphone and took a calming breath. "Ladies and Gentlemen we are here today because five amazing people are gone and we are going to honor and recognize them for everything that they have done for us. But first I would like to say something about those five people."
"Two years ago I saw what I thought was a shooting star, it's something that I will always remember because it changed my life and it changed all of yours too though none of us knew it at the time. It was the very day I first met Heero Yuy, the first day they all came to Earth; the shooting star I saw had in fact been one of the Gundams. I love shooting stars because they always imprint themselves on your memory, a bright, burning light streaking across the night sky and gone in the blink of an eye and it's always exciting to spot one and try to make a wish on it in the instant that it's there. The fate of every shooting star is the same, but their effect never fades."
"That's how I think of the Gundam pilots. Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei.they were five shooting stars with one destiny [1]. Their lives were short but they were bright and beautiful, moving fast and carrying with them the wishes and hopes of humanity for peace. They were too young for the burden placed on them yet they bore it willingly to protect the colonies and then Earth, rising to meet each new threat and defeating it against all odds."
"We're here today because they are gone, but like a shooting star their legacy will live on forever in our memories and our hearts and will be passed down through the generations to come. Every time you see a shooting star think of them, and all the other people that died to give us the peace we have today. Their many sacrifices have not been in vain."
"We have truly suffered a great loss with their passing, but they are free now of their burdens and they have surely been rewarded in heaven for their sacrifices. I pray they rest in peace. We'll miss you."
She stepped down from the podium holding 5 flowers, placing one on each casket then sat down.
A man in full military dress stepped up beside the graves and began to play taps on his trumpet. After he was finished, soldiers off to the side gave the slain boys a 21-gun salute. None of the pilots had officially been soldiers in any of the military's except for Trowa when he infiltrated OZ but they had been soldiers in every sense of the word, and they were honoring them for the bravery, courage and honor they showed on the battlefield.
As the echo of the shots faded, their friends and family stepped up and laid flowers on the caskets before they were lowered into the ground and covered. Afterwards the rest of the people that were there stepped forward leaving flowers of their own on the graves until they were all overflowing with bouquets. It was a long time before the last of the mourners left the cemetery.
~*~*~*~
Nearly everyone had left the cemetery and most of the people closest to the boys had gone home long ago to mourn in private. Except for one, he waited under a tree for the remaining people to leave. Finally they started making their way through the cemetery for the exit. "That was a really nice ceremony don't you think?" He asked as they passed him.
They stopped and looked at him sitting at the base of a huge old tree. "Yes it was. I feel so bad for putting them through all that though." One of them, an auburn haired boy wearing a white dress shirt and black slacks and sunglasses, said.
"It's better for them this way Quatre. It's a clean break and they won't spend their lives waiting for you all to come back."
"I know Howard, but still I wish there was another way."
"Lady Une and I both agreed that the only way this would work was if nobody knew but those absolutely necessary. Not even you guys." Howard said.
Heero wearing a white shirt with a dark gray suit jacket, pulled his hands from the pockets of his blue jeans and touched his black eye, pushing his dark sunglasses up onto his head and mussing his carefully tamed and brushed hair while revealing a dark bruise around one eye. "Yeah well I wish you'd told us from the start or else Duo wouldn't have given me this."
"You were the one standing closest to me and I owed you one. But damnit I thought you guys were really dead, it damn near broke my heart." Duo said, unrecognizable with his braid and bangs tucked under a hat with the brim shadowing his eyes and wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt.
"I'm sorry about that guys, so is Lady Une. She hated it, but she didn't want anyone to do anything that would cast suspicion on your deaths, so we hid it from you. When you boys started getting those threats we both knew that you guys would never be able to live peacefully in the colonies, on Earth or even on Mars for that matter. We also knew none of you would leave unless someone relieved you of your responsibilities." He looked most specifically at Quatre and Wufei when he said this and continued. "We figured the best way to do that would be if you were dead. No one would be looking for you anymore and you would be free to start life with a blank slate." Howard got up, brushed himself off and straightened the dress jacket he wore over his Hawaiian shirt.
"Une had the means to make it all official and I had the means to provide you with a new life."
Wufei tucked his loose hair behind his ear causing his old wire-rimmed glasses to slide down his nose. He promptly pushed them back on and crossed blue sweater clad arms in front of him. "I'm amazed you rebuilt Peacemillion in just two years."
"Well, before it took so long because of the restrictions placed on everyone by the Alliance. With the new peace and all the weapons being gone I was able to use a lot more manufacturing plants and WEI was a big help with funding, even though I changed her plans a little and made some additions. She now has 3 hydroponics rooms that supply the ship's food and most of the oxygen. We added a recreation room; there's a theatre stocked with every video disk and TV disk we could find, a music room with plenty of CD's and instruments, you two have yours don't you?" Quatre and Trowa nodded. "There's a fitness room, so you boys can stay in shape and a library with books of all kinds, it would take a very, very long time to read all of them. Peacemillion was originally intended for deep space exploration and I wanted to see her do just that, but who says it has to be boring?"
"A library?" Wufei looked interested. "It's been so long since I've been able to relax and read a book."
"I didn't know when I approved the funding that all this was going to happen." Quatre said as they all started walking again and headed for the two remaining cars parked outside the cemetery.
"Neither did I Quatre and I wish it hadn't." Howard was quiet for a moment. "You boys took an awful risk coming here today, even disguised as you are." Pretty good disguises too he thought.
"We had too." Trowa said quietly, his telltale bangs tucked under a hat and blue contacts concealing his green eyes, he'd traded the turtleneck for a red button-up shirt. "We needed to say goodbye to them as much as they needed to say goodbye to us."
"I understand." They reached the cars. "I'll see you guys at the shuttle pad. Everything you need should already be on the ship." They nodded and climbed into one of the cars, Howard climbed into the other and drove off.
Quatre started the car but left it in park and looked at the others. "There's no going back now."
"Nope. But we knew that as soon as we decided to take his offer." Duo sighed.
"Regretting it Duo?" Heero asked.
"No, just thinking how much I'm going to miss them. Even so I'm looking forward to this, who knows what we'll find out there. It's an adventure."
Quatre smiled. "Yeah, it is exciting isn't it? I'm glad we'll all be together to share it."
Wufei leaned forward over the seat and looked at Quatre. "So what are you waiting for? Let's go."
"What happened to all that patience of yours?" Quatre laughed as he put the car in drive and drove away.
"Just drive would you? I'll tell you what, I'm piloting the shuttle up to Peacemillion; you are too slow and I'd like to get there today."
That started a good-natured argument over who was going to be piloting the shuttle among the boys, it lasted the entire way to the shuttle pad and they never stopped laughing.
Owari
Or is it?
~*~*~*~*~*
[1] I ended up using a slight variation of this quote on the banner for my GW website. I just liked it so much heh.
Okay, okay, I started out writing this with the idea of writing a death fic but as it came to the end scene in the cemetery I couldn't bring myself to make it final and actually kill them, so I ended up writing the following scene with Howard. However I didn't change the warnings for the fic because that would have ruined the ending.
I do have plans to follow up on this, I even have a sequel started but my muse for that story abandoned me a while back. I'm hoping to continue this soon.
I want to thank you all in advance for your reviews. I truly appreciate them.
Kohaku