Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or anything associated with it. So blah blah blah and all that good stuff.
AN: Hello. Yes I know it's been awhile since you've last heard from me. If you want to know what I've been doing all this time… well, I've been dead. No, not really, but it's all the same. Anyways, I am finally getting to that sequel I've been promising everyone for about what? 3 years now? Sorry for the delay but I've really been tied down with a whole shit load of work. Since the end of Zero Soul I think my writing has matured somewhat, so whether or not you like it I would like to think it's an improvement upon its predecessor. If you're wondering about the title let's just say it's an homage to Requiem for a Dream (great movie… just really disturbing). Anyways on with the show.
SOUL'S REQUIEM
Prologue: Fragmented Whispers
By: veGie-kun
"I'm here"
"Yes, I'm well aware of that. What did you want to see me about?" Une's stern, businesslike voice was sharp and succinct.
"It's about Darlian."
"And what about her?" She asked, not even bothering to look up from the heap of papers she was scanning over.
"I would just like to know the status of her present condition. If the effects of the Seele units have worn off completely, how she's coping with her new found physical attributes… how she's handling her personal relationships."
"As of now she is still quite stable if not a bit depressed," she set aside her present stack of papers to retrieve another bundle from her left drawer, "Doctor Po has said there have been no side effects that she is aware of that is a direct result of the units. Physically, the Foreign Minister has yet to adapt to her new strength, but she's been training rigorously with Doctor Po and agents Chang, Maxwell, and Yuy. If there are any suggestions you'd like to make regarding her rehabilitation, they are welcomed."
"Thank you. I just wanted to check up on her."
"Alright. If there is nothing else then please leave, I have a lot of work to finish up." There was a brief pause but she called out to him at the last moment, "Oh, Dereks, before you leave, would you mind telling me why you're so concerned with the Foreign Minister?" But it was too late the closing door signaled his exit.
[knock] [knock] [knock]
"Miss Darlian? Are you in there? Hello?"
[knock] [knock] [knock]
"Are you sure she's in?"
"That's what they said and I haven't heard anything about her leaving the vicinity."
"Do you think she's all right?"
"She's probably sleeping or something."
"I guess it's true… the things they've been saying around here."
"And what's that?"
"That those things OZ implanted her with caused some permanent damage to her psyche."
"Permanent damage? How so?"
"I don't know the exact details; the only thing I can say is that she hasn't been the same since they rescued her. Haven't you noticed the way she's been acting? The only word I can use to describe it is introverted. You remember how she was last year, don't you? She was so cheerful every time she visited this place, always eager to give a smile and spend a few minutes talking to everyone. Now… she hardly ever says a word to anyone. And the way her eyes look when you just happen to lock onto them… they seem so cold, but sad at the same time…"
"I think she's just still hurting inside. She's been through so much and there's no one here who can relate with her about the things she's experienced. Wouldn't you feel like you were alone in the world because no one else could understand the things you'd gone through? I don't think I'd be up to talking with anybody if the same happened to me."
"But aren't you afraid it could possibly mean that she's not totally cured? What if deep down inside her that 'thing' still exists just waiting to be let out again. It'd be a mistake then to have her here at headquarters, don't you think?"
"If that 'thing' as you call it is still lurking somewhere inside her, the best place for her to be would be Preventer Headquarters. We'd be able to detain her quickly enough if that 'thing' were to reappear. Just think about it. Exactly what would she be able to do against a few Gundam pilots and all the Preventers here? I think that's what Commander Une had in mind when she asked Darlian to stay here."
"I see your point, but all the same I wouldn't want to meet up with the same person that nearly took down all the Gundam pilots. Hey, you wanna get some food? My break is in a few minutes."
"Sure, but what did you have to see Darlian about? Shouldn't you try to take care of that before you go?"
"Just some files from Major Po that I had to drop off, she wants to do some more tests on the Foreign Minister. I can come back after lunch to drop them off."
"Alright, that works for me. Where do you want to go for lunch?"
"You know, Heero, they could be right. She might still be inside, dormant, but still a part of me," Relena's somber voice broke through the silence of the unlit office as she stood unmoving by the shuttered window.
/I need not a body in order to be./
Pivoting her body slightly to the right she was able to make out the young man's shadowed form. She sighed inwardly. ::Those enhanced sense are still with me… I thought that they'd eventually fade over time, but it's already close to two months now... Will I ever be myself again?:: She let out a mirthless laugh as another thought occurred to her. "It's sort of funny, you know… In the past, I always wished that I had your strength, to be just as strong and unwavering. Now that I have something equivalent to it, why am I miserable? It's what I wanted, right?"
/Unyielding strength was what I offered, but you rejected it./
A strong arm wrapped around her lithe frame as a low voice coaxed away her anxieties. "You never needed my strength… you always had enough of your own. That strength is the one thing that is making it possible for you to still carry on now. I look into your eyes and I see the pain, but the pain hasn't gotten a hold of you." He turned her around and stared deeply into her eyes. Despite the relative darkness, they glowed brightly, making Heero ache to drown in them forever. "I can tell just by looking into your eyes. Believe me when I say that she no longer exists inside you. You're free from her."
/People are never truly free until they're dead./
"But for how long will I be free of it? Of her?"
"Forever."
/There is no such thing as forever. Even time will eventually come to an end./
-to be continued
Yeah, not much of a prologue but it is a start. At least I'm writing something, right? I've been pondering about the sequel for years now and there was always a concept, but it was just hard to put down on paper. I hope the rest of the chapters will follow the original plan I had for it otherwise; I'm really going to have to question my ability as a writer (which isn't that great to begin with). And just to warn you, I'm not sure when the next chapter will get out.
Also I would like to clarify that this story probably won't be the monster that Zero Soul turned out to be. There will less Gundam action and well... less action in general but it'll have plenty of suspense... I hope. This story is going to focus more on Relena's recovery and the after effects of the Seele units. Another important aspect will be how the ambiguous relationship with Relena and Heero gets affected by the recovery. Lastly this story will try to fill in the holes about the Seele units that Zero didn't get to as well as give Rei the proper farewell she deserves. So fair warning from here on out, there will be 1+R along with the established 2xH and 6x9.