Beloved Demise

Chapter One – Lost

By: M o o n M y s t

Years after all the devastating events that had tormented the Earth Sphere into war and pain, a few lone souls still lived, their knowledge of life and faith shining through the dark veil that covered the known worlds – for ignorance and despair now reigned freely.

~*~

A golden-haired woman sat, her head in her hands. It didn't seem as if she was breathing, her body unmoving, for even as a bitter breeze surged through the room, she did not shiver. Everything had happened so fast, too fast for the once-royal young woman.

A whirlwind of thoughts racked her bewildered mind, each idea discarded with spite. She had no more hope for the future. The one she loved was gone – her love had been stolen from her. And there was no way to get it back – there was no one left to fight for her.

But that was not what she wanted – combat would only make it worse. The wars had ended years ago, at least the evident ones; only they had been replaced with internal chaos. Without the Gundams to keep the order, the worlds were breaking – not just away from each other, but each colony was falling to pieces, and so easily, as well.

Maybe all her pacifistic ideals had been in vain – or maybe they were just the fantasies of a fifteen year old girl. No, peace was an aspiration, not a dream. Someday it would be reached. However, today didn't seems hold the key to true serenity.

"Princess?" asked a somewhat familiar voice from behind her. New breath was inhaled into the petite woman, her head finally rising from its place in her hands. Azure eyes searched for the speaker of the word she hadn't heard in years – very long years.

A slight smile adorned that of Duo Maxwell's face, dark hair crowning his angelic face messily and his long legs carried him close to the hospital bed Relena sat on. He almost seemed like his old comfortable self, except for the hollow look in his blue eyes, which distorted his usual cheerful expression.

"Really Duo, when will you stop calling me princess? That was so long ago – I'm just Relena now." She said, his presence warming her heart. He had been there for her since she first heard, since the news had come of the disappearance – and possibly the death. It consoled her mind that he was there – it almost seemed to right the wrongs that had been committed against her. But his reassuring company wasn't enough to make her forget – or forgive, for that matter.

"Okay, Relena, how're you holding up?" he asked playfully as he sat down beside her.

"Fine." She lied boldly, once again putting on the brave mask that had become all too common to her.

"That's a nasty cut you got there." Said the Shinigami, his hand tracing the exposed scar on her shoulder. It throbbed as he touched it and Relena quivered timidly. "Sorry, did I hurt you?"

"No, it's just it hasn't healed and whenever I think of how I got that – I don't know, it just scares me." She explained warily.

"It's not your fault, ya know, if you hadn't figured out that setup, then we might not have even known that she was gone."

Relena's sad eyes told him that she didn't need reminding of that fateful day. "But maybe – if I hadn't gone away, maybe she'd still be here." And a solitary tear streamed down her face, running across the bruise that blemished her perfect cheek.

"Don't worry, we're gonna find her. Don't cry, princess." He said calmly as he pressed her delicate head against his broad chest. An onslaught of fresh tears cascaded down her face, her pale features distorting in pure misery.

She cried the tears she hadn't in years, the tears she had been too frightened to cry. All her pain was let out in the single action, and so she wept in the arms of her friend precariously, hoping beyond all hope for the miracle that seemed to extreme to ever happen.

~*~

The blonde young man stood beside a white door, his eyes drinking in the horrid scene. He didn't think that he would ever have been able to see such pain again, and yet somehow he thought of all the memories attached to the mortality of humans. He thought of the death and destruction, but in the back of his slipshod mind, he reminisced of the exhilarating times he had with his colleagues, his partners, his friends.

People scurried about, a new emergency cart passed by him again, this time carrying a little boy, blood and gore evident upon his body. Quatre turned away, the grotesque figure embedded in his insecure mind. He had thought maybe it was better now; maybe he could come back into society. But more images of the lifeless bodies cascaded into his head, leaving the young man in a helpless state of panic.

He chanced a sideways look in the other direction. His stomach flipped violently and he was afraid he might puke right then and there – but then he saw a figure, as distant as it was he knew it immediately. Quatre's heart pounded elatedly – a familiar face was shining through the crowd and his tall fried walked towards him.

"Trowa!" he cried, catching the brunette's attention suddenly.

Trowa's brow furrowed slightly, but gladness was unmistakable on his face. So long it had been since he had seen his friend. Probably six years – yes, six – when the external battles ended and his fair friend had sought recluse in his mind.

"How are you, friend Trowa?" asked the smaller ex-soldier arms wrapping around his friend to embrace him.

"Very well." Said Trowa, a quiet grin making its way onto his face. Maybe his old companion had not lost all his thoughts. "And you?"

"Much better, now. I was starting to remember our old days together. Do you think about them, too?" he asked tranquilly, the sight of his comrade brining great happiness to him.

"Sometimes." He answered almost inaudibly. It wasn't only Quatre that had trouble coping with the strain a pilot's life had caused. But no one saw the difference in the quiet man, for he rarely expressed his constrained feelings to anyone.

"And how is Catherine?"

"She's fine. She has a new act, though – I guess she got tired of trying to scare me with daggers and has now moved on to axes and other deadly paraphernalia. But – Why are you here?" asked the gentle man, his hands stuffing themselves into the pockets of his jeans.

"I'm guessing the same reason you are." He said, a quizzical look upon his face. In fact, he was rather surprised when his old friend had shown up. All the young blonde had been told was that an emergency had occurred and he had been summoned to the hospital. His psychotherapist thought it would be a good way to get his life back on track – but things were getting just a little to bizarre for his taste.

"You got the same message?" Trowa asked.

"Yeah – it didn't really say what was going on – just for me to be here – this whole thing is a bit peculiar if you ask me." He said, leaning against the antiseptic white wall.

At that moment, a young braided man stepped out of the room the two friends had been standing beside. He sighed heavily, the weight of many problems bearing down upon his shoulders.

"Duo?" they asked in unison, but the Shinigami seemed unperturbed by their 'coincidental' meeting. He stared vaguely at them, poignant cobalt eyes swiveling to look at each of his former cohorts. After seven years, they looked very much the same, but there was a definite difference in all of their features – they seemed more mature, almost too old for twenty-four year old men.

"You're both here for a reason. I'm sure you have been keeping up with what has been going on, so-" he started tiredly.

"No, actually, my psychotherapist thought it best if I didn't read the paper or keep contact with anyone – could you please explain the situation?" asked Quatre quietly, slightly embarrassed at his lack of knowledge.

"Well, if I'm gonna tell the whole story, then we better sit down – this is gonna take a long while." Said Duo, a faint shadow of a smile evident upon his lips. Maybe his plan would work after all – there was just one thing missing – Heero.

A/N- HI! how is yous? I is fine! Anways, hope you enjoyed reading that - I left it open for explaining in the next few chapters - and I will rest your eager hearts by saying this - "Heero is not dead." Happy now? probably not. but, I hope you liked and will come back for more! please review - I'd like to know what you think - questions, comments, random rants - all are accepted - opinions, whatever else you have to say! Loves ^_^