Hello!
Well this is the first time we're doing this, but I hope we do it justice all the same.
This plot was written 7+ years ago by a girl by the screen name Ashley2323, a Canadian resident. I (Vampykitty-kun) grew up on her Gundam Wing post war fanfiction, and loved it immensely.
However, this was many years ago... and Ashley has been MIA for some time... since at least early 2003.
So, we've chosen to take her old fic, affectionately known as "A Hero's Child" and make it our own, keeping much of the plot, and the characters, but adding and fixing up plot.
For example, the original story's first chapter was four pages long with the original author's notes. Our version's chapter one holds eight, not counting author's notes. That's how much change we're making.
Disclaimer: We do not own Gundam Wing, or any of its cannon characters. We do not own the original piece of fanfiction, A Hero's Child. That belongs to Ashley2323 of Stone Box Fanfiction in Canada. We do however, own this adaptation of the fic, although I fully recommend reading the original.
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AC- 205
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Slowly but surely, the former Gundam pilots, followed closely by their families, entered the Preventor board room, solemnly taking their seats before Lady Une, Noin, and Zechs. All three present at the head of the room looked strained, fully feeling the pain and heartbreak that made up the air of the large board room.
Zechs squeezed his eyes tightly shut as his sister stepped into the room, the little boy that was her son walked beside her, hands clasped around her own as he looked about wildly. She practically collapsed into her seat, shaking as she ran a hand through her long hair. Slowly, Heero slipped into the room, and joined her, slipping a hand onto one of her shaking shoulders. He glared up at his brother in law... and Zechs couldn't help but feel he deserved it.
"Mama... what's wrong?" The small boy murmured, tugging gently on his mother's shirt.
His blue eyes were wide as he gazed up at her, and she felt her chest tighten as she stared back. The little boy looked so very much like his father... same eyes, same hair color. The only difference was his hairs ability to seemingly defy gravity. It was thick, and stood on end, giving him even more of a wild appearance than his father... however the boy was sweet as can be.
She couldn't answer him, and instead lurched forward, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him close, refusing to let go.
"We have no other choice..." Heero murmured, leaning against her.
She bit back a sob, and nodded her head knowingly.
"I know, Heero... I know..." She whimpered, tears sliding freely down her pale face. "Jase... Mommy loves you, so very much..." She murmured, stroking the child's hair lovingly.
Little Jason eyed his Mother and Father closely. He was only two, but he knew something was wrong. His mother was always a happy woman, and his father had never seemed so tense. He turned his gaze over to Helen, who was being cradled in her Father's arms.
She could sense it too. He could tell...
Her parents weren't crying, but they were close.
Hilde was a stubborn woman, and kept her jaw clenched tightly, fearing that one little quiver would bring on the onslaught of tears threatening to escape her. She couldn't fall apart, not in front of the children... she wanted to be strong. Duo held her to him tightly, and arm wrapped around the waist. Helen occupied the other. He gazed down at the little girl and smiled weakly, his bottom lip trembling. They had named her in honor of Sister Helen from the Maxwell church... from all those years ago. Life of him had been rough then. He'd never thought he'd be putting his own child in the same position...
She reminded him so much of his young self, despite the minor differences. She too wore her hair pulled back into a braid, although kept it loosely pulled together. It just barely touched her shoulders, and was the same blue/black color as her mother's hair. She had his eyes...
They had really made a beautiful child together, he and Hilde... it was a shame that it wasn't meant to be...
The next couple to enter the board room was Trowa and Midi. Their daughter, Indigo, sat perched atop her father's shoulders, batting at his hair playfully. She tugged at his ears, and prodded at his eyes even, but today he did not complain, he only let her have her fun. It confused the small child, but she kept it up, thrilled she was getting away with it for once. She was slightly younger that the rest of the children, who had all been born more or less at the same time. She was barely reaching a year and a half, while the others had all turned two already. Her light brown hair was pulled back into two short pigtails, her bangs framing her face as her bright green eyes danced over the room.
Neither Trowa nor Midi were crying, instead they wore faces more suited for a funeral, both choosing to hide their emotions rather than display them to the young occupants of the room. With a sigh, Trowa lifted the little girl off his shoulders and placed her on the floor. Midi flinched as the girls sandal clad feet touched the floor.
"Why don't you run along and play with the other children, hmm?" He suggested, a small, sad smile playing across his lips.
She beamed up at him, and gleefully shot across the room, making her way towards Jason, to see if he would play. Trowa met Relena's eyes and he grimaced as the sobs broke free from her throat. Midi only watched her daughter, and unconsciously bit on her lip until it began to bleed and Trowa stopped her.
"You're doing it again." Trowa informed her, wiping a driblet of blood from her now swollen lip.
She glanced down, and wiped the remainder of the crimson smear away.
She hadn't even realized she was doing it...
Jason ran up to Helen abruptly, and paused just feet in front of her. The little girl eyed him warily, and he smirked evilly at her. Suddenly, he pulled a pistol from behind his back, and shot her directly in the face.
Heero cracked a smile...Helen only screamed.
"Daddy!" She cried in her tiny voice. "He got me wet!" She wailed, tugging on his pant leg.
Slowly, Duo smiled and leaned in close to his daughter, wiping her face with his shirt sleeve.
"Then get him back." He winked, chuckling as her eyes began to sparkle with new plots of revenge.
Helen smiled, and gave a small nod, before rounding on the boy. Sensing the oncoming peril, the boy shot off across the room, and she pursued him. Soon, he was in hysterics as he tried to escape the wrath of the tiny shikigami.
"Help me! Help!" He cried, hands rose in the air as he darted across the room.
The two children ran circles around Trowa and Midi's legs, and soon Indigo joined in, following them around, occasionally stumbling and falling flat on her face, but she always stood back up. Hilde giggled slightly as she watched the three small children run around.
"At least they're enjoying themselves. That's all that really matters..." Midi muttered, clenching her fists at her sides.
"Yes... at least they're innocent and young enough to not understand..." Trowa murmured, watching them sadly.
Their thoughts were interrupted, as shouting erupted from down the hall. The room's occupants stared at the open door, knowing all too well who was to arrive next.
Wufei and Sally were notorious for their endless bickering... a sign of love between the two; they had all come to understand. Although everyone knew that the two were kind and loving towards one another in their own home, they always argued when they were nervous or upset. In this situation, it was clearly justified...
Shortly after the sounds of their arrival were made known, the two walked through the boardroom doors, still snapping at one another. The couple stomped through the threshold, each carrying a small two year old.
Sally held their son, and Wufei held their daughter. The Chang twins were nearly identical once getting past their genders. The boy, Joeleung, affectionately dubbed Joel, looked very much like the young Wufei with his shoulder length jet black hair, and dark almond eyes. The girl, Jasmine, seemed the female replica of her twin brother, but had her hair pulled back into a bun. Both children were also bickering with each other, fighting over a small bottle of water. They were greeted by three sets of stares as they entered the room. The twins immediately silenced once noticing the other occupants of the room, and stared at the other three children.
"Water fight! Water fight!" Joel screamed, thrashing in his mother's arms, begging to get free.
Sally complied, and with a sigh, let the child dive across the room, water bottle in hand, lid now unscrewed in favor of dumping it over Jason's head. Jasmine did the same, darting off after him, still trying to free the bottle from her brother's clutches. Soon, all five children were rolling around screaming in a giant mass of chaos.
The eight adults looked at each other, all pained.
"This is the worst day of my life..." Duo muttered. "Or at least one of them."
"At least we can still hope that we might see them again, once this is all over... right?" Midi asked, managing a weak smile for the braided man.
The others only nodded. The three at the front of the room only seemed even more defeated as they watched on.
"How can we do this to them...?" Noin sobbed, quickly covering her mouth.
Zechs sighed, and looked back to his heart broken sister, slipping his hand into Noin's.
"It's for the best, as much as I hate to admit it." He muttered, shaking his head. "It would be far worse if we let things continue; the constant worry for them all would be maddening. Our lot should have never brought any children into this world, not while they still do what they do best."
Noin sighed, and leaned her head against the blonde's arm.
"Just because you're right, doesn't make it seem any less wrong..."
"Isn't that the truth...?" Lady Une groaned, rubbing her temples. "I feel absolutely horrible about having them do this, when I get to continue coming home to Mari each day... but if she were their age and not as widely known as she is... I'd have likely made the same decision for her. As is, I've already arranged for her home schooling, and I'll be keeping her off of the radar from here on out."
Noin smiled at the woman sympathetically.
"Aren't we missing someone?" Trowa asked suddenly, searching the room.
"Yeah," Duo chuckled, shaking his head. "Quatre isn't here yet... poor guy."
Trowa slumped, and stared at the open door.
"He's probably taking it the worst... he's not used to sacrifices such as these..." The brunette sighed, and slipped an arm around Midi's waist.
"He probably had to go iron his ridiculous pink shirt, the weakling..." Wufei snorted.
Although the man seemed bitter as always, they'd all heard his voice crack. Duo would have normally mentioned something about it, but even he knew this was neither the time nor the place.
After a few more short minutes, Catherine stepped into the room, followed by Dorothy, and a hysterical Quatre Raberba Winner. The blonde was crying in disbelief, with both Catherine and a rather embarrassed Dorothy trying to calm him, to no avail. A small child followed them through the door, by the name of Daviid Quatre Winner. The boy definitely had Quatre's face and build, but had Dorothy's mischievous look, and straighter, lighter hair. He was spared the woman's extreme eyebrows, but still took on her narrow, yet elegant eyes.
He sucked on his thumb nervously. He had never seen his father cry so much in one short hour... and he kept looking back repeatedly, trying to make sure there wasn't a river with a monster forming behind them.
Dorothy turned to him, and blocked him from walking any farther. He looked up at her questioningly, and she managed a small smirk.
"Daviid? Why don't you run ahead and go play with the others, alright?"
The tiny blonde obeyed instantly, and happily ran to join the stampede of children skirting across the room.
"Auntie Catwin!" Indigo cried, finally noticing the woman as she walked up to her father.
She escaped from the crowd, and instantly ran to give her aunt a tight squeeze.
"Hi sweetie..." Catherine murmured, patting the child on the head.
"Did you bwing me anyting?" Indigo asked, bobbing back and forth in front of the woman.
Catherine laughed, and nodded to herself, reaching into her purse.
"Of course I did! I always do... Here you go." She smiled warmly, slipping a little clown doll into the girls outstretched hands.
Much to her father's surprise, it resembled him in costume rather well. He was silently touched at the small gesture.
Indigo gasped dramatically and clutched the small doll tightly to her chest.
"Thank you Auntie Catwin! I luffles it!" She giggled, and gave her Aunt one last tight hug before leaping from her arms, and rejoining the other children.
With everyone present at last, the adults in the room settled in, silently watching the toddlers rampage across the room. The tears never stopped... and the parents clung to one another. After a silent half hour had passed, Noin gave a heavy sigh, and pushed off the wall, walking towards the others.
"You all know why you are here," She began.
"Hi Auntie Noin!" Jason smiled widely, stopping in his tracks.
The boy waved happily to her, and sipped at a juice box contently. A look of despair washed over Noin's face as she tried to smile at the little boy... and in the end, she bolted back towards the wall, and buried her face in Zechs' chest.
The blonde sent Lady Une a pleading glance, and the woman nodded silently before taking the woman's place in front of the crowd of parents.
"Since this new war has erupted, despite the many years without conflict, it has become far too dangerous for your children to be seen with you..." She stated solemnly.
"Where will you be taking them?" Relena asked urgently, standing from her seat.
Heero only reached for her, and pulled her down into his lap. She did not rise again and instead gripped at the man's arms tightly.
Noin smiled weakly at her sister-in-law as Une continued.
"We'll be sending them to foster parents across the globe and colonies... The parents have already been selected at random, but I assure you that they are all going into the best of care and that the homes have been screened with utmost caution..."
"What about my twins?" Sally cried. "Will they be separated?"
Une looked at her nervously, and her face fell.
"I'm afraid so."
"WHAT!" Wufei snarled, leaping up in rage. "You cannot separate my children! This is INJUSTICE! You cannot do that to them, they would never understand!" he barked.
"Injustice!" Jasmine repeated with a giggle.
Wufei and the others ignored her.
"I'm sorry Wufei, but they cannot stay together." The woman murmured. "Believe me, I understand your concerns, you peril, but it just can't happen like you'd wish..."
"But my children have never been apart before." Argued Sally, "Not once."
"I'm sorry," Une repeated. "But it is far too dangerous to keep them together, it's too obvious."
Sally looked no less upset, but didn't argue her point any further.
"Now," Une continued, "For reasons of confidentiality, you will not know where they are going, nor will you have any possible contact with them until the war is over."
Angry whispers erupted, and tears began to flow once more, even from those who had been trying to control themselves previously. Quatre was practically wailing, with his face buried in Dorothy's shoulder. She rubbed his back softly.
"Who WILL know where they're going?" Hilde asked, panic growing on her ever paling face.
"They will be taken to an adoption agency, and sent to their individual homes from there. Not even Zechs, Noin, or I will know where they are being sent... I'm sorry. All records of the children's' whereabouts, and information about the agency used, are to be burned by next week."
"Then... How are we to locate them once things have returned to normal?" Relena asked, although she was afraid she already knew the answer.
Une shut her eyes and sighed, before returning Relena's gaze.
"That is a question that I have no answer for... Perhaps when all is said and done, those of you with the skills to do so will be able to locate them..." She murmured, pleading for forgiveness with her eyes.
Relena slumped back against Heero's chest, and let her own eyes slide shut.
Hilde could no longer contain her emotions, and sobbed into her husband's neck.
"Oh Duo," She cried, "We'll never see her again..." she moaned, clinging to him.
Duo rubbed her back gently, and did his best to be strong for her.
"Relax babe," He said softly, trying to remain optimistic. "We'll see her again, for sure." Duo lied through his teeth, a quirky grin splayed across his lips in his attempt to hide his sorrow.
To tell the truth, he doubted he would ever see his daughter again... And if he did... why would she want anything to do with them after they had abandoned her? Who knew how long the battles would go on this tie around?
Noin and Zechs looked over the pale faces of the supposedly rock-solid Gundam pilots, and their wives, dread still heavy in their hearts. The pilots made themselves out to be immortals, but now anyone could see that they were just as human as everyone else. She had never before seen them so afraid. It broke her heart to take their children away, but what choice did they have? The Preventers had already received several threats on the pilots, as well as their families. If the wives chose to stay, that was one thing... but they couldn't risk the lives of innocent children...
"It's time." She said quietly, finally mustering enough self-control to rejoin Une at the front. Zechs followed silently behind her.
Each pilot nodded, and with their wives in tow, each of them went to their children and said their tearful goodbyes. Not one of the toddlers understood, but each was happy to with Noin... not know they may never return.
The saddened group of three led the children out the double doors of the boardroom, and out of their parent's lives. Zechs sent a fleeting look back at his sister and her husband, and mouthed a silent apology. Heero gave him a quick, curt nod back, before he disappeared around the corner. Duo had to hold Hilde back, to prevent her from chasing after Helen. Heero did the same, and kept Relena pulled tightly against him, her head pressed into the crook of his neck as she sobbed violently.
The children chattered happily to each other as they followed the remaining adults to the hanger, where a shuttle that would take them to the adoption agency on Earth awaited...
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That is all for chapter one.
As you can see, this takes place post Endless Waltz by several years, where the pilots have already managed to get their lives together.
How and when everyone got together remains a mystery, as to touch on that would mean a whole new fic entirely.
In the original, Lady Une and Mariemaia were not present, at all, and Noin practically ran the Preventors with Zechs by her side. When asked once why those two were never in the story, the author simply answered, 'I never liked Lady Une, so I ignored her existence.'
However, we feel that Lady Une played to much of a part in Gundam Wind to dismiss her completely, and so, we've inserted her into the fic.
Again, we cannot voice enough that this fic is simply our re-write and own personal adaptation of a fic we read ages ago, and we still urge you to read the original, which is NOT posted on this site.
After this chapter, we will no longer be posting these disclaimers.