An Angel Came Down... Again
By: Rocky Oberlin
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the angel I'm about to use. We know to whom Gundam Wing belongs to (big corporations who may not even be in the US) and the angel is an idea written into a story that was used for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas Eve and Other Stories". I'm just borrowing them.
AN: More at the bottom, but I thought it might be a nice idea to read this with Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas Eve and Other Stories" playing. It's just a suggestion.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Quatre was walking through the city where their current home was located. He couldn't call it a safe house anymore because they weren't in a war. Now it could be called a home; no more moving at a moments notice, just take missions from Lady Une and the Preventors. He looked up into the sky and frowned at how he couldn't see the stars. It was Christmas Eve and something was begging him to see the stars that spangled the sky that night. With a sigh, Quatre moved on in the last minute crowd that was rushing to get their shopping done so he could go home to his friend and wait for the other three ex-pilots to get done with their missions.
It was on the outskirts of the city that he finally saw the stars. Quatre smiled at the display that twinkled down to the earth, but one drew his attention the most. It was one that was noticed as much through the rest of the year, but on Christmas Eve night it showed the most, as if it was remembering a time when it brought three strangers from strange lands to a small stable in Bethlehem.
"The star is a beautiful sight, isn't it?"
Quatre looked down to see a young boy standing next to him. The child was the same as everyone else that the Arabian pilot had seen in the city, but there was something strange about his eyes. They were not like the eyes of any person in the city, on the earth, or in the colonies floating above the earth. "Yes, the star is a beautiful sight." He glanced at the boy again. "What brings you down again, brother?"
The child broke into a wide grin at the acknowledgment of a fellow. "I came down to see how you and our other brother was doing. I thought that three angels could go out and chorus the land again."
Quatre laughed. "I don't think that we are needed to do that anymore. The people of earth are doing just fine without our help. Why don't you come talk for a while with us for a while."
"That sounds even better." The boy looked puzzled for a moment, and then asked, "Could you tell me what the stuff that the men in the bar were drinking that night I first came down?"
Quatre almost choked at the question. "Something that we shouldn't drink unless absolutely necessary." Quatre didn't think that the Lord would appreciate him giving alcohol to the younger angel. "We have something else that would taste much better."
The younger angel shrugged, but knew what Quatre was saying. "Fine. What about your other roommates?"
The happy look on Quatre's face slipped a little. "I don't know when they'll be back," he said. "It should be soon, but I don't know when."
"You worry about them."
"Yes. I fought beside them to try to bring happiness to the world. We almost didn't."
"The Lord understands," said the angel. The relief on Quatre's face was immense.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Quatre turned down a small lane, still talking with his companion. He opened the door for his guest and called into the living room, "I'm back."
"About time Winner, I was wondering when you would get here."
Quatre glanced down before answering, "I ran into an old friend. We were going to talk in the kitchen over hot chocolate. Do you want any?"
"Did that idiot American get back then?" asked the other pilot.
"No, remember he's with Trowa this time." Quatre looked at the other angel again and shrugged.
"May be. Have hot water ready anyway."
"Whatever you say, Wufei." The Arabian left his roommate in the living room to show his guest to the homey kitchen. "He'll probably have tea just to spite me," he said with some humor.
"Why?" asked the angel.
"Because he grew up in a strict Chinese family. Losing his wife still hurts him."
"But he wasn't supposed to marry," said the angel. "Nothing would come of it."
"I know and he knows, but it's the idea of the loss. I think he did fall in love with Merian."
The angel shrugged from the seat he was given at the table. "Have you seen the Guardian?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
"No, she left after the wars," said a new voice. The angel turned to see Wufei joining the two angels in the kitchen. "It's nice to see you again, little brother." The second angel sent to help mankind directly was rewarded with a wide grin. "Still as innocent as ever?"
The angel stuck his tongue out at the other angel. "You two are still innocent."
Quatre sighed. He turned from the stove where the chocolate was warming next to a kettle. "There are days when even I wonder about still being innocent. We have willfully taken the lives of humans in a war that they created with their own greed and thirst for power."
"What about the hope that the ones you didn't kill? Surely you could have felt that as much as the deaths of the ones dying?"
"Death seems louder than hope sometimes," said Wufei. "I think that after the events that changed us, we never considered ourselves innocent again."
"Yet you are still who you are, nothing can change that," said the angel. "You have to remember that. You can only allow something to change you so much that you aren't whom the Lord first created. You aren't lost yet." Quatre gave a bitter smile and Wufei grimaced. They felt they had a lot to atone for; they didn't have the forgiveness the humans were given. They may be left on earth until the end of time. The angel rolled his strange eyes and sighed. "You'll see. Later, but you'll see."
"You're full of hope," said Quatre.
"I had to look at humanity to find something that the humans had done in the name of Christmas. I found several things. One of those things was hope. I guess that I never let go of it." The look in his strange, but familiar, eyes showed the two human angels that there was something for them to hold onto; all they had to do was look for it.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The trio of angels talked long into the Christmas Eve night, watching as the clock struck midnight and later showing the time a young virgin gave birth to a child who would grow up to save the world from the strangle-hold darkness on it. They talked of many things, what the angel found when he first came down, what the two ex-pilots had seen so many years later. At the scrape of a key in a lock, the three looked up.
"I guess the others are back," said Quatre.
"Then I should go," said the angel. "I don't think your Japanese friend would appreciate a stranger in his home."
"He doesn't appreciate having Duo here sometimes," said Wufei. "He'll survive."
"He still has a soul, he just thinks it was destroyed," said the angel before he followed Quatre out the back door. A few steps away from the porch didn't even show the end of his steps in the snow; it was like he hadn't even walked there.
Quatre went in to join Wufei. "He's right, you know."
"About what?"
"Everything."
Wufei grunted.
"May be that's why the Lord sent him back down."
"To see us?"
"May be. Or to remind us of something we lost."
"May be." Wufei was silent for a moment. "Do you want to take a walk later to see what this day has brought everyone else?"
"That sounds like a good idea," Quatre smiled. "May be we'll even find some of it right here."
The two stopped talking as they heard the boisterous voice of their American roommate as he walked into the kitchen.
"Merry Christmas!"
Yes it was. And the best gift given to two lost angels was the gift of hope.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
AN: I wrote those two as the angels because they had the biggest life-changing event happen to them just before the war or during it. If you follow the manga "Episode Zero", Wufei lost his wife to an attack made by Treize, thus making Wufei a widower and the happy person we know from the manga or anime.
Quatre seemed to have his innocence at the start of the war, mostly due to the Magunacs, I think. Again, if you follow "Episode Zero", Quatre was a bitter young man before meeting them because of the belief that he was a test tube baby and his father didn't love him. I think that when he first used the ZERO program it erased whatever inherent innocence he had after first meeting the Magunacs, looked at how he was coping after his initial use and to the end of the story line.
Why not Heero, Duo, or Trowa? Heero, according to "Episode Zero" was found by Professor J after losing Odin Lowe to a failed attempt on righting a wrong the man had done. He was a blank faced then as he was in the anime or manga. Duo also had a promising background for one and who says he isn't, just not as life affirming as Quatre or Wufei could be in my opinion. Trowa had a family according to "Episode Zero", but he lost it in an attack that killed his parents and lost his sibling. He was lost first because a blast concussion had thrown him out of his mother's arms. Another killed his parents and almost killed his sibling. Whether Catherine is Trowa's sister or not is up to you, but the manga hints at the possibility.
Now, with my excuses made, I will bid you all a good day and a very Merry CHRISTmas. May he bless everyone, especially the ones who need it or don't believe in him.
By: Rocky Oberlin
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the angel I'm about to use. We know to whom Gundam Wing belongs to (big corporations who may not even be in the US) and the angel is an idea written into a story that was used for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas Eve and Other Stories". I'm just borrowing them.
AN: More at the bottom, but I thought it might be a nice idea to read this with Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas Eve and Other Stories" playing. It's just a suggestion.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Quatre was walking through the city where their current home was located. He couldn't call it a safe house anymore because they weren't in a war. Now it could be called a home; no more moving at a moments notice, just take missions from Lady Une and the Preventors. He looked up into the sky and frowned at how he couldn't see the stars. It was Christmas Eve and something was begging him to see the stars that spangled the sky that night. With a sigh, Quatre moved on in the last minute crowd that was rushing to get their shopping done so he could go home to his friend and wait for the other three ex-pilots to get done with their missions.
It was on the outskirts of the city that he finally saw the stars. Quatre smiled at the display that twinkled down to the earth, but one drew his attention the most. It was one that was noticed as much through the rest of the year, but on Christmas Eve night it showed the most, as if it was remembering a time when it brought three strangers from strange lands to a small stable in Bethlehem.
"The star is a beautiful sight, isn't it?"
Quatre looked down to see a young boy standing next to him. The child was the same as everyone else that the Arabian pilot had seen in the city, but there was something strange about his eyes. They were not like the eyes of any person in the city, on the earth, or in the colonies floating above the earth. "Yes, the star is a beautiful sight." He glanced at the boy again. "What brings you down again, brother?"
The child broke into a wide grin at the acknowledgment of a fellow. "I came down to see how you and our other brother was doing. I thought that three angels could go out and chorus the land again."
Quatre laughed. "I don't think that we are needed to do that anymore. The people of earth are doing just fine without our help. Why don't you come talk for a while with us for a while."
"That sounds even better." The boy looked puzzled for a moment, and then asked, "Could you tell me what the stuff that the men in the bar were drinking that night I first came down?"
Quatre almost choked at the question. "Something that we shouldn't drink unless absolutely necessary." Quatre didn't think that the Lord would appreciate him giving alcohol to the younger angel. "We have something else that would taste much better."
The younger angel shrugged, but knew what Quatre was saying. "Fine. What about your other roommates?"
The happy look on Quatre's face slipped a little. "I don't know when they'll be back," he said. "It should be soon, but I don't know when."
"You worry about them."
"Yes. I fought beside them to try to bring happiness to the world. We almost didn't."
"The Lord understands," said the angel. The relief on Quatre's face was immense.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Quatre turned down a small lane, still talking with his companion. He opened the door for his guest and called into the living room, "I'm back."
"About time Winner, I was wondering when you would get here."
Quatre glanced down before answering, "I ran into an old friend. We were going to talk in the kitchen over hot chocolate. Do you want any?"
"Did that idiot American get back then?" asked the other pilot.
"No, remember he's with Trowa this time." Quatre looked at the other angel again and shrugged.
"May be. Have hot water ready anyway."
"Whatever you say, Wufei." The Arabian left his roommate in the living room to show his guest to the homey kitchen. "He'll probably have tea just to spite me," he said with some humor.
"Why?" asked the angel.
"Because he grew up in a strict Chinese family. Losing his wife still hurts him."
"But he wasn't supposed to marry," said the angel. "Nothing would come of it."
"I know and he knows, but it's the idea of the loss. I think he did fall in love with Merian."
The angel shrugged from the seat he was given at the table. "Have you seen the Guardian?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
"No, she left after the wars," said a new voice. The angel turned to see Wufei joining the two angels in the kitchen. "It's nice to see you again, little brother." The second angel sent to help mankind directly was rewarded with a wide grin. "Still as innocent as ever?"
The angel stuck his tongue out at the other angel. "You two are still innocent."
Quatre sighed. He turned from the stove where the chocolate was warming next to a kettle. "There are days when even I wonder about still being innocent. We have willfully taken the lives of humans in a war that they created with their own greed and thirst for power."
"What about the hope that the ones you didn't kill? Surely you could have felt that as much as the deaths of the ones dying?"
"Death seems louder than hope sometimes," said Wufei. "I think that after the events that changed us, we never considered ourselves innocent again."
"Yet you are still who you are, nothing can change that," said the angel. "You have to remember that. You can only allow something to change you so much that you aren't whom the Lord first created. You aren't lost yet." Quatre gave a bitter smile and Wufei grimaced. They felt they had a lot to atone for; they didn't have the forgiveness the humans were given. They may be left on earth until the end of time. The angel rolled his strange eyes and sighed. "You'll see. Later, but you'll see."
"You're full of hope," said Quatre.
"I had to look at humanity to find something that the humans had done in the name of Christmas. I found several things. One of those things was hope. I guess that I never let go of it." The look in his strange, but familiar, eyes showed the two human angels that there was something for them to hold onto; all they had to do was look for it.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The trio of angels talked long into the Christmas Eve night, watching as the clock struck midnight and later showing the time a young virgin gave birth to a child who would grow up to save the world from the strangle-hold darkness on it. They talked of many things, what the angel found when he first came down, what the two ex-pilots had seen so many years later. At the scrape of a key in a lock, the three looked up.
"I guess the others are back," said Quatre.
"Then I should go," said the angel. "I don't think your Japanese friend would appreciate a stranger in his home."
"He doesn't appreciate having Duo here sometimes," said Wufei. "He'll survive."
"He still has a soul, he just thinks it was destroyed," said the angel before he followed Quatre out the back door. A few steps away from the porch didn't even show the end of his steps in the snow; it was like he hadn't even walked there.
Quatre went in to join Wufei. "He's right, you know."
"About what?"
"Everything."
Wufei grunted.
"May be that's why the Lord sent him back down."
"To see us?"
"May be. Or to remind us of something we lost."
"May be." Wufei was silent for a moment. "Do you want to take a walk later to see what this day has brought everyone else?"
"That sounds like a good idea," Quatre smiled. "May be we'll even find some of it right here."
The two stopped talking as they heard the boisterous voice of their American roommate as he walked into the kitchen.
"Merry Christmas!"
Yes it was. And the best gift given to two lost angels was the gift of hope.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
AN: I wrote those two as the angels because they had the biggest life-changing event happen to them just before the war or during it. If you follow the manga "Episode Zero", Wufei lost his wife to an attack made by Treize, thus making Wufei a widower and the happy person we know from the manga or anime.
Quatre seemed to have his innocence at the start of the war, mostly due to the Magunacs, I think. Again, if you follow "Episode Zero", Quatre was a bitter young man before meeting them because of the belief that he was a test tube baby and his father didn't love him. I think that when he first used the ZERO program it erased whatever inherent innocence he had after first meeting the Magunacs, looked at how he was coping after his initial use and to the end of the story line.
Why not Heero, Duo, or Trowa? Heero, according to "Episode Zero" was found by Professor J after losing Odin Lowe to a failed attempt on righting a wrong the man had done. He was a blank faced then as he was in the anime or manga. Duo also had a promising background for one and who says he isn't, just not as life affirming as Quatre or Wufei could be in my opinion. Trowa had a family according to "Episode Zero", but he lost it in an attack that killed his parents and lost his sibling. He was lost first because a blast concussion had thrown him out of his mother's arms. Another killed his parents and almost killed his sibling. Whether Catherine is Trowa's sister or not is up to you, but the manga hints at the possibility.
Now, with my excuses made, I will bid you all a good day and a very Merry CHRISTmas. May he bless everyone, especially the ones who need it or don't believe in him.