My Heart Will Go On
Every night in my dreams I see you, I feel you
That is how I know you go on
Duo Maxwell had long since tuned out the other boy's conversation and was staring out a nearby window. Quatre motion for silence and the four pilots turned to look at their braided comrade.
It seemed as if Duo was crying. His cobalt eyes glistened in the moonlight and he would gingerly touch his face at regular intervals. Quatre tried to spot what was upsetting the braided boy so much, but outside there was nothing except grass, water and trees.
Oblivious to his friends, Duo continued staring, eyes refusing to focus. He wasn't looking at anything that was there. Instead, he was searching himself, trying to realize why he felt as he did. Out there, there was someone like him. Maybe someone else was feeling the same way, at the same instant… It wasn't something he meant to wish upon another person, but rather something he wished to have in common. He didn't want to be alone.
Far across the distance and spaces between us
You have come to show you go on.
A long-haired girl dressed in black darted among the debris of a recent battle. She seemed nothing more than a common street rat at first glance, but anyone who paused to look at her would know different Her well-muscled form and calculating glare set her apart from the scrawny, blank-eyed vagabonds of L2.
It was because of this that OZ had singled her out from the other mischievous orphans to be brought up as a soldier. She had potential, but nothing else. No family, no friends, no one to miss her. No name. She went by "You!" or "Babe!" or whatever degrading label the other soldiers could come up with.
As she crept along the shadowed path, her steps quickened. She had been lucky to escape the torture of her OZ superiors and Earth was still unfamiliar with its extreme gravity and abundance of life.
The man known as Howard who had fished her out of the Pacific and put her life back in order had extended his kindness even further and given her a job and a purpose. For three years she had lived on the Earth, working on his salvage yard, but Earth would never really be her home.
The time had come for her to leave the salvage yard last month. She had jumped at the opportunity to return to her beloved Colonies, even if it meant she would have to become a soldier in the terrible war tearing them apart. Now she had a bigger purpose. She had been chosen by the rebel colonists to become a Gundam pilot and fight OZ. Life was full of surprises.
Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on.
Once more, you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on.
After last night's incident, everyone was keeping a close eye on their fellow pilot. Duo shifted under the weight of Heero's glare. His change in behavior concerned them. Duo was as happy/ morbid as ever during the day, but when the moon rose he would draw in upon himself and shut everyone else out.
Quatre, a empathetic as he was, couldn't begin to decipher the jumble of emotions inside his braided friend. It hurt him to see Duo in such a state.
Something caught the Deathscythe's pilot's eye and he moved swiftly towards the open window. Ignoring the curious stares of his friends, he leaned far out the opening and watched the tree line.
There! The shadow dancing among the others. Jump, dart, crouch. Jump, dart, crouch. It had the grace of a jungle cat.
What it could be, his mind couldn't grasp. There wasn't any human outside the five assembled in that very room who could possibly infiltrate Quatre's security. Perhaps it was a jungle cat. A panther, Duo decided and waited patiently until it appeared again.
Love can touch us one time and last for a lifetime
And never let go 'till we're gone.
Crouched on a tree branch, the girl watched the figure framed in the bright window. Jealously overcame her as she stereotyped the kind of life that person in the huge house must lead. Her heart writhed in agony as she named all the things that had been denied her.
She had always wished for a nice little house with a green yard and a white picket fence, not the dark alleys or stuffy OZ dorms she had lived in most of her life. A nice pet. Maybe a bird, or a kitten, or a friendly German Shepard, not the rats and rabid strays that trailed obediently at her heels wherever she roamed on L2. But most of all, she wished for parents. People who loved her.
Hn. Love. Such a silly, useless thing. Only one person had ever truly 'loved' her. Her parents had died before she could remember. She had always thought Fr. Maxwell and Sr. Helen loved her, but then they sent her away to live with some family who only wanted her for the government money. Howard was always more of a friend. It was a boss/ employee relationship.
Only Milliardo loved her. Dear Milliardo. He had had everything, and he had had everything taken away. In a way, he was worse off than she, to have tasted Heaven but never been allowed to swallow. In his kiss, he had bared his soul to her, and now he was no longer a part of her life. She had left him when she escaped the OZ camp. Now, she was fighting against him. Two former lovers turned against one another by this horrible war. She had tasted love though, and now she craved it, but she didn't know where to find it.
Again, her eyes turned to the figure in the window. All she could see apart from shadow were two deep, pain-seared violet eyes. Was he looking at her? Could he even see her? Their eyes met and all the negative feelings inside her diminished. Was this love?
Love was when I loved you, one true time I hold to
In my life we'll always go on.
He saw it. He saw her. Perched among the branches of a tall tree at the edge of the woods, he imagined her a demonic statue, so still and menacing she sat. Her crossed legs hung down and the long braid swinging behind her gave the impression of a tail.
Their eyes met. Hers sparkled, sapphire coals burning through the darkness. His mind and heart argued over whether what he felt was love or terror.
After a short, brutal battle, his heart won out and he smiled, flashing his immaculate teeth. The girl's eyes widened in surprise. Obviously she wasn't expecting any form of kindness. Or maybe she didn't know what kindness was. He couldn't blame her. The first time he'd ever felt kindness was at the Church, but never on Earth. That is, until he met Spaceheart.
Speaking of Mr. Sensitivity… Why hadn't they approached him yet? Did they finally decide Duo was a big boy more than capable of taking care of himself?
He knew they were concerned, and as annoying as it was, he appreciated it. Rarely had anyone ever concerned themselves with him, but now here were four other people who cared enough about him to know something was wrong.
For the past few days, he had felt the empty inside, like part of him was missing. He had always felt this way, but only recently had he had time to dwell on it. He always pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, busying himself with battles and alcohol. Only recently had he had time to reflect, and that had brought back a lot of hard memories and empty feelings.
Duo was a people person. He was ashamed to admit it, but he couldn't stand being alone for long. He had affected his amiable attitude because he wanted, he needed friends.
The other pilots were close, but there were things he just couldn't tell them. They were all so different from him. What he needed was someone closer and, driven by that need, he called out to the shadow, who seemed to have at least two things in common with him. She was lonely, and she was fond of the dark.
Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on.
Once more, you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on.
The girl flinched reflexively at the sound of another human voice like the pet of an abusive owner. "Konbanwa," he had said. Interesting choice of words. Instead of a 'hi' or 'hello,' he had wished her a good evening, and he sounded like he actually meant it.
She watched as another figure, alerted by his outburst, joined him at the window. She pulled the leafy branch above her to conceal her unnatural shadow and observed their conversation. Apparently, the smaller boy must think the first boy was crazy for talking to himself.
Their voices floated by, an incomprehensible murmur, the taller boy's more frantic than before. The shorter boy scanned the trees for her, but found nothing and the argument resumed.
Finally, exasperated, he left and the first boy was alone again. She released the branch and it snapped noiselessly back into place. He accused her of making him look like a fool without sounding the least bit angry and she giggled. It felt good to laugh.
Pleased by his achievement, he smiled again and pulled down his lower eyelid, sticking out his tongue in the traditional sign of childish mockery. Two more figures joined his and his bright smiled disappeared.
Why did they keep interrupting? She was enjoying herself, and she was sure the boy was too. Maybe they really did think the boy was talking to himself.
She jumped from the branch and landed nimbly on the ground below. She could hear the conversation clearly as she stepped into the light thrown carelessly from the window.
You're here, there's nothing I fear,
And I know that my heart will go on.
Duo paused in his explanation and directed Heero and Trowa's attention outside. Not expecting to see anything, they sighed and bent over the sill to look out.
Heero acknowledged the girl's presence with a grunt and Trowa's eyes merely widened. The braided boy, ecstatic to see the mysterious girl had left her perch, began to lower himself out the window. Quatre tried to stop him, but he escaped and jumped to the ground.
The girl shied away, retreating to the shadows, but her coaxed her into the light so he could get a better look at her.
Hesitantly, she complied and left the concealing darkness to stand in front of him. They both froze. Neither was what the other expected, because one never expects to see a familiar face in a strange place.
Without warning, they clung to each other, tears bottled up for years flowing freely in the comfort of a kindred spirit. The other boys watched as the pair, separated years ago, reunited in an abundance of affection. Even though they were young when it happened, no one could ever forget someone as close as these two had been.
We'll stay forever this way
You are here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on.
Love will always find its way,
be it through war, hate, or the farthest reaches of outer space.
Owari