"Angel" by Sailor Event Horizon
Hello! This is my second Gundam Wing fanfic. I
would appreciate all comments and constructive critisisms
very much. My first story only got 2 people to review it.
*sniff*sniff* Pleaasee?? Write to me? Please? I'd be
*ever* so grateful! Pretty please?
Rating: PG (One damn)
E-mail: StrfltAcd@aol.com
Disclaimer: I do not own Mobile Suit: Gundam
Wing. It is copyrighted to Sunrise, Bandai, and Sotsu
Agency.
~*~*~*~
"Keep your heads down!" Heero yelled, above the
explosions and amid the dust. The morning light had not
yet started to shine. A haze had formed on the horizon,
and although the lights from the blasts lit the sky and
the clouds of dust, the nighttime stars still ruled
supreme. Sparkling, shining. Foretelling. "Keep them in
front of my shoulders and hold on to each other!"
He was running. With two children. Young. They
couldn't have been more than 7 or 8. (Like her...) Heero
gritted his teeth and ran harder, faster. Boy, girl, did
it really matter?
No.
He kept running.
~*~*~*~
Heero had snuck into the Relena's office. Relena
failed to notice, however, having had too many papers in
front of her at the moment. She was diligently trying to
decipher the long-winded document in her hands when a pair
of arms circled her waist from an upward angle. She
promptly lifted her head and turned it around, to look at
her captor.
"Heero!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing in
here?"
He smiled that small smile of his, the one reserved
just for her, and sometimes Duo, and answered, "Would you
like to go for a walk with me?"
Relena's face fell, "Oh, I'm sorry, Heero, but I
have so much to do, I have to get these papers signed by
four o'clock this afternoon. I'm sorry, but I can't go
with you."
"You've been in this stuffy office for the past two
hours, and before that, you were in a meeting that lasted
an hour and a half, and before that-"
"I get it! I get it!" she smiled. "Alright, I can
take a hint, but not now, Heero, I have to-woAH!" He
pulled her up out of her chair and dragged her to the
space in front of her desk.
His smile gone, he whispered, "You work too much,
I've hardly seen you this whole visit." Then his little
smile came back, "And, if you remember, the whole point of
this was to be a reunion, and not just me and others, but
everyone; meaning you, me, the others, Hilde, Zechs."
Relena couldn't help but smile, even after all this time,
he still called Milliardo "Zechs," even though the battle
with OZ had been over for three years. Heero continued,
"Noin, and Dorothy. But you, I've hardly seen at all, and
neither have the others for that matter. You're always
going to meetings or such."
"I know, Heero, and I'm sorry, I really am!" She
let out an exasperated breath. "It's just that I'm really
busy and I have to get these things done. I tried
rescheduling some of my conferences but at least three
members of each group refused to budge. I've tried,
Heero, I really have-"
"I didn't say you haven't, I just said that I
haven't seen you and that you work too hard." He
straightened up, "Which is why I'm taking you for a walk
in the Gardens behind the Palace. Whether you like it or
not."
Relena knew that protesting would be useless, and
besides, Heero wouldn't do anything detrimental to her
reputation as a Vice-Minister or anything that she was
working towards. If he thought that a break would be
harmful then he wouldn't be sneaking her out of the
building, right under her brother's and the guards' noses.
The two stopped when they got to little patch of
forestry on the right side of the gardens. Heero then
turned, brought up a hand to Relena's chin, and softly
kissed her, much to her surprise. Heero was incredibly
shy and aloof about such things, preferring not to draw
attention to himself; well, usually he was, today,
however, he seemed to be in a light mood. She just
decided to go along with it, as she closed her eyes
wrapped her arms lightly around his neck and shoulders.
Who knew when another day like today would come up, right?
~*~*~*~
None of them were sure why they got involved. It
wasn't their fight. They had all come for a reunion,
their second one. Last year, Relena and Dorothy had taken
it upon themselves to reunite everyone from the war and
have a "get together." It had been two years since
everyone had last seen each other during the "Mariameia
Incident." It took a long time, quite a number of phone
calls, and some pulled strings, but it worked. Dorothy
and Relena had gotten everyone together. Finding some had
been harder than finding others. Noin and Milliardo had
gone to Mars, because of the terra-forming project, and
Quatre was at his mansion. Heero, however, and Trowa had
been a tad more difficult. It took them literally weeks
to find them, and then there was the difficulty of
actually convincing them to come. But all their hard work
paid off and they set a date. They all had loved it so
much that they agreed to do it once a year from now on.
That was last year. This year, in the summer of 199
AC, things had been different. For one, it was a lot
easier getting everyone together, seeing that they all
agreed to this the year before. And two, Relena had a
rebellion on her hands.
It seemed that earth had resumed her cycle and so
had man. The endless revolutions and rebellions that had
taken place throughout man's history had been put on halt
during the wars. But now it came back, ready to continue
as it always had.
It wasn't their fight, so why did they join up? Duo
joked, "What else are we going to do? Pop popcorn and
enjoy the show?" The fight had been getting closer, until
finally, it breached the defense lines and started to
ravage Newport City. There were so many people living
there. People who didn't want this, people who only
wanted to be left alone. They had been attacked once
before, twice even, if you were old enough to remember.
They didn't need another tally added to the score.
The battle was furious. Relena told them that they
didn't have to fight, seeing how they had fought for so
long already. Trowa just shrugged and asked, "What's
another battle or two?" Heero shrugged as well, and
stated bluntly, "At least I'll be of some use." Quatre
smiled politely, "I have to say, Relena, that life does
tend to get a little tedious here and there, back home.
Maybe this will stir things up a bit, hm?" Wufei just
critically stated, "I am a Preventer. It's my job."
Relena could only give them each a small smile of
thanks. What else could she do? What could she say?
They wanted to fight even though they weren't involved.
Who was she to stop them?
But Relena had been right; it wasn't their fight.
So why did they make it theirs? Duo didn't know for sure.
All he did know was that every time he looked out the
window and saw all of those suffering people walking the
streets, he only wanted to turn away. Trowa wasn't sure
either, he was only sure of what he felt, a new venture
for him, it should be said. And what he felt when he
thought of all those dead and dying people, he didn't want
to feel again. Quatre hated fighting, he knew that during
the war he had fought to keep his "loved ones from
sorrow," but how could he be so selfish, to only fight for
the people close to *his* heart, when so many other's
loved ones were the ones who were suffering? Wufei had
said it was his job as a Preventer to fight, but what does
that mean? No one risks that much, says that it's his or
her job, and means it. So many people, he saw. So very
many who couldn't fight for themselves, even though they
obviously gave a valiant try. Wrong, it was all so wrong.
Heero, though, didn't try to reason with himself.
He didn't try to figure out why he wanted to do this. All
he knew was that those people, men, women, and children,
were only suffering and dying for no reason, no meaning.
The rebels didn't think of them, they didn't think of the
children in their schools, or the parents laughing and
playing bridge, or the lovers taking strolls in the park.
They only thought of them as a means to an end. That was
unacceptable. When he looked out, his heart was squeezed
with such force, that sometimes, he wasn't sure if he
would be able to remain standing. His mask held, however,
showing none of the pain he felt. He would never show
that. Never. He didn't deserve that right.
So they told Relena their excuses, Duo and Quatre
smiling with the other three near expressionless. Then
they went out. The closest battlefield was behind the
Palace, only about a mile away. The rebels had mobile
suits. They weren't the best, but they were sufficient.
They hijacked some suits, one for each of them, and
disappeared into the billowing clouds of smoke and tears.
~*~*~*~
Thump, thump, thump. One heavy footfall after the
other. The haze on the horizon had gotten a little
bigger, a little brighter, but he paid no attention.
Perspiration was dripping down the side of his face and
down his glistening neck. His bangs were as unruly as
ever. More so, even. His breaths were hard and
laborious. The two children were still clinging to his
neck, whimpering. But he couldn't hear their actual
sounds. Only the cries in their hearts. He only felt the
fear. Fear, gripping his heart and threatening to tear it
to shreds. Fear of failure. Fear of his nightmare. Fear
of Death.
Death. His? No. Never his. Theirs. Their
deaths. The death of the two souls in his arms. Their
deaths.
"Young, too young." He couldn't let them perish.
They were just too young. He could never forgive himself
if these two small burdens died on this morning.
He heard of tumultuous cry from above. Looking up
he realized that the cry wasn't from any human, but a
building, a tower. Dark and looming. Vaguely, he was
reminded another tower, in another time and place, where
it had been somebody else under the falling blocks and
debris. Where he had been the savior. The hero.
But there was no hero this time. There was no one
nearby to shield him and the two in his arms. The blocks
were falling. Not enough time.
"Go! Run!" Heero roughly shoved the children from
his arms and pushed them as far as he could, from the
falling chunks of rock. "Don't look back!" he screamed,
straining to be heard over the shots, booms, and roars of
the surrounding battlefield. They ran. They ran as fast
as they could, not looking back. Just as he had said.
Heero looked up and tried to avoid the result that
would surely come should one of those pieces fall upon
him. He instinctively raised his arms and stepped
backwards as chunks landed with a resounding THUD in front
of him. Lost in the dust of the debris, he kept falling
back.
~*~*~*~
Duo didn't bother to shut off the mobile suit. "Are
they okay?" flashed through his mind, his only concern.
He jumped down, his legs bent to lessen the shock. He
straightened up and ran towards where he knew the others
would be. Grin. He waved.
"Trowa!" he called. "Trowa! Over here!" He ran
faster. Trowa turned and saw Duo running towards him,
with the morning light just starting to peek out behind
him. When he got there, he bent over and placed his hands
on his knees, leaning on them. He looked up, and
breathing heavily, he exclaimed, "Trowa! Man, am I glad
to see you! Where are the others? You see'em? Are they
alright? I thought I picked up Wufei somewhere over
there," he pointed to a miscellaneous building, "on my
scanner." Trowa turned and looked to where he gestured.
Sure enough, a shadow came from a cloud of dust that had
yet to settle. Another grin. He straightened up. Duo
cupped one hand over his mouth, "Wufei! Hey, Wufei! Over
here!" He made an exaggerated "come here" gesture with
his arm, so Wufei would be sure to see it. Wufei raised
an arm to show that he saw them.
So did another figure behind him.
If possible, Duo's grin got even wider. Trowa gave
a small smile. "Quatre! Quatre, it's good to see you! I
see you got out alright!" He and Trowa could make out a
smile on Quatre's face, who was ever getting closer.
When they got together, Quatre asked if anyone had
seen Heero. Duo and Wufei replied that they hadn't picked
his signal up for a quite a while, but Trowa said
otherwise. "I picked up the mobile suit he was using
about 45 minutes ago, then it exploded, but it hadn't been
moving for at least 2 minutes prior to that, so Heero must
have left it." The others agreed and they all went
searching for him.
~*~*~*~
There was no trace of Heero, and they had been
searching for about 25 minutes, now. The sun was almost
ready to show itself. They had met in front of an old
church that was now nothing more than rubble and some
cracking stone walls. Duo and Quatre were really getting
worried while the other two insisted that he was alright,
saying that Heero was an exceptionally strong person and
that he was probably fine and not worry so much and to
just concentrate on finding him.
Duo, with his hands in his pockets, sauntered slowly
over to the ruins, looking slightly upward, thinking, a
frown marring his features. He then looked back down at
the ground, shaking his head at his thoughts. Of course
Heero was alright. The idiot was the damn Perfect
Soldier. He couldn't die if he tried. Duo snorted.
"Funny thing is, he *has* tried... huh," Duo muttered,
with a small, grim, smile on his face. He kicked a rock
that just happened to be in front of him and sent it
flying. He watched it hit a stone wall with a "chunk"
and bounce off harmlessly, landing and rolling down a
small pile of broken stones.
He frowned. Duo squinted and started to cautiously
walk towards the pile of rock. His eyes widened.
A hand. There was hand sticking out from between
the rocks.
He turned and yelled, as loud as he could, "TROWA!
QUATRE! WUFEI! GET OVER HERE! I FOUND SOMEONE UNDER THE
ROCKS!" They heard and came running over.
Duo wasn't quite sure why he called them. Who ever
it was, was obviously dead now. There was no help for him
or her. (Because it might be him...) "Hurry up, you
three! Get over here!" Duo yelled furiously. They were
all together again, lifting rock after rock. Wufei and
Quatre lifted a particularly heavy one while Duo and Trowa
lifted some smaller ones. Who ever it was had certainly
taken a beating. His or her (there was such extensive
damage that nobody could tell which) legs were shattered
and bleeding, or at least the visible parts were. And
their left shoulder looked like it was dislocated.
"Oh God."
Wufei and Quatre stopped and turned. Trowa looked
at what Duo had exclaimed over. His eyes widened. The
other two came over and blinked, stunned. Quatre stepped
back once, shocked.
Heero. It was Heero under the rocks.
~*~*~*~
The morning's light casted long, dark shadows over
the land. Duo was kneeling near Heero's head with a rock
in his hand. The rock that had revealed the victim's
face. He was in shock. The others, too, stood stricken.
They could only stare. At his face. At Heero's face.
Duo moved first.
He started by shaking his head. Slowly. No... no,
it wasn't supposed to be like this... He's Heero, he
wasn't supposed to die. "He's not supposed to die,"
thought Duo, dazedly. Quatre made the next move.
"Heero?" he murmured. "Heero? Can you hear me?" he
swallowed hard. "Heero, if you can... are you alright?
Heero?" The last word came out as a whisper. He tried to
reach out to him. To his face. But he couldn't.
Something about the way he looked. He just couldn't.
Trowa and Wufei just stood there, not knowing what
to do. Trowa finally bent down, reaching for his neck,
but he drew his arm back, also.
Duo's eyes finally dropped, to the rock in his
hands. Then he looked to his left, at the rest of Heero's
body. His eyes filled with tears. He shut them tight,
unwilling to shed them. He rasped out, "We should finish
uncovering him." He reopened his eyes and looked up at
them. Wufei, who was next to him, had a hand on the
crumbling wall the stood behind Duo, nodded slowly,
silently, his face hidden from view. Quatre didn't make a
move; he only stood there, a little ways from Wufei, tears
shining. Trowa, who was on the other side of Heero,
looked at Duo, with tears in his eyes as well, and nodded
numbly.
They started to uncover him again, slowly,
painfully, being careful, so careful, not to drop a stone
on Heero. No, not on Heero, Heero's corpse.
Duo shook his head. "No! No, he's not dead... He
*can't* be dead," he thought. "It's impossible. He's
*not* dead... He's not..."
When they finished unpiling the stones, they all
turned once more to Heero. Odd. His body, it was all
bloody, and battered, and bruised, and streaked with dirt.
But his head, his face. His face was completely
untouched. The rocks had somehow formed a small dome over
his head, keeping it from harm. It was propped up on a
rock, at a 45-degree angle. His hair, it was lightly
covered in dust from the rocks. His face, it was so
serene. His bangs partly covered his eyes, which were
closed. He looked like he was sleeping. The constant
frown that seemed to have had a permanent home wasn't
there. His countenance was relaxed, peaceful, his skin
smooth, and on his lips, a very slight curve, one that
never seemed to be there in life.
Duo's eyes filled with tears again. He shook his
head, yet again, not taking his eyes off the face in front
of him. "No," he said aloud, this time. "No.. No, no,
no... Heero! Heero, wake up! Open your eyes! Please,
Heero! Please, do something! Oh God..."
The sun chose to rise at that moment, stretching,
lighting up everything it touched with its golden light.
Heero was no different. The dust from the rocks
started to shine. Sparkling, sparkling little grains of
sand and dust littered his brown hair. His face was now a
golden hue. They all stared at him, their mouths slightly
open as they breathed shallowly, their eyes glistening
with sad, silent, wet grievances.
Beautiful. He was beautiful.
Duo couldn't stand it anymore. He reached out to
him, from his kneeling position, and sat him up, almost
hoping that he would wake up, that he would say something,
do something. Anything. When he was almost fully
upright, his body fell to the side, on Duo. Heero's head
rolled over to rest on Duo's chest. Duo brought his arms
around Heero so that his hands were both placed on Heero's
right arm. He squeezed it, looking down into Heero's
face, silently pleading for him to open his eyes.
Nothing. Duo's head bent down and he gripped Heero
tighter. Tears. The tears that he had refused to shed
earlier fell. They dropped from his lashes and landed on
Heero. Right beneath his eyes. The tears traveled from
those spots and went down the sides of his face. They
almost looked like they were his.
Quatre kneeled down, slowly. Once again he tried to
reach out to him, but failed. His face. He couldn't
touch his face. It was too beautiful, his expression too
pure. He could only manage to say softly, "Sleeping," he
licked his lips, "he looks like he's sleeping." Duo cried
harder, his shoulders started to shake slightly, although
he still made not a sound.
Wufei, who had stood silently, looking, finally
said, "He is. He is sleeping." He saw Quatre and Trowa
turned their heads to him, wondering, with slight frowns
on their faces and tears in their eyes. Wufei thought he
saw Duo turn his bleary eyes in his direction, as well.
"He is sleeping peacefully now. May his dreams also be
peaceful. Goodness knows he deserves it." Wufei
swallowed. "More than any of us, he deserves it." The
rest turned their heads back to Heero. Yes, they all
thought, he did deserve it.
But that didn't make it any easier.
Finally, Duo made a sound. A whimper. Small, but
it was a sound. He looked down at Heero's face for a few
moments silently. Then he let back his head and cried out
at the top of his lungs.
He hadn't done that since Father Maxwell and Sister
Helen died.
After Duo finished his lament Trowa started to kneel
down. Duo watched as he started to reach for Heero.
"No," he whispered piteously. He tightened his grip.
Trowa looked up, surprise showing in his moist eyes.
Duo swallowed hard and licked his lips. "I'll take him."
Trowa stared at him for a few moments before dropping his
gaze and standing back up. Duo watched him, then turned
his head to Quatre as he stood up. Then Duo turned his
gaze back to Heero. He took his left arm away and then
put it under Heero's knees. Wufei came over to the other
side and picked up Heero's right arm and placed it across
his stomach, so it wouldn't fall. Then he backed away.
Duo then put his hands and arms in the right positions, so
he wouldn't drop him, and slowly and steadily stood up.
Trowa was the strongest, from working in the circus, but
Duo wouldn't dare let him carry Heero. Heero was *his*
best friend. *He* knew Heero better than any of them. So
*he* would carry him. They started to walk.
Strange, it was so strange. Weird, even. He was so
light. How odd, that someone who had done so much in so
little time, who had changed the face history at such a
young age, could be so light. So very, very light. His
strange lack of weight, mixed with the morning light, and
the glittering in his hair made him seem almost frail, as
though the slightest harsh touch would break him. Heero
had always been so strong, so resilient. Duo couldn't
have imagined that the boy in his arms could be this
light.
~*~*~*~
They went in through the back. The sun was just
about twenty degrees off the horizon and the pink stains
were starting to die, but the golden hues still reigned
over everything. When they got to the palace, which
hadn't been hard considering that the streets were still
deserted, devoid of all movement, all the way up to the
Palace Gardens, Milliardo Peacecraft came out of the back
door first, so he could greet them. But he was only to be
shocked at what he saw. He looked up at Duo, who wore a
mask of stone, even though some water still shone in his
eyes. He looked to the others, who wore the same mask,
and looked back down at Heero. He stepped forward, out
onto the grass, slowly, one foot in front of the other.
He stopped about two feet away from Duo, who was standing
in front of everyone else. He gradually reached out a
hand, to check for a pulse. He stopped. His hand shook
for a few moments before he clenched and steadied it and,
finally, took a breath. Once more he reached out.
Placing his fingers on Heero's neck, he waited. And
waited. But it never came. No pulse did Milliardo feel
beneath his fingertips, he swallowed hard and drew back
his hand. Something made him want to check one more time,
just to be sure, but something else wouldn't let him. He
looked at the boy, the boy who was listless in Duo's arm,
the boy to whom he had said was too kind and too pure, and
stared.
~*~*~*~
Hilde had seen Milliardo's form leave the house from
one of the windows. When she looked out, she had seen
Duo's face. She smiled and sprinted to one of the side
doors that was really only seven windows down to the right
and opened it. She was about to call out Duo's name when
she noticed the burden in his arms.
Her face fell. They weren't doing anything. They
were just standing there. Staring at each other.
Shouldn't they be helping him? She walked out slowly to
the six men, one of which was lying in Duo's arms. She
frowned, scared of what she was going to see.
When the other finally noticed her presence she
about seven feet away from them. She stopped. Duo turned
his head towards her. She looked at him, her face
stricken with fear and grief. "No," she thought, "it's
not possible..." She started to walk again, with an even
slower pace than before. She walked over and stood
between Milliardo and Duo. She turned to face Duo and
looked down.
Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes immediately
began to sting. "Oh... Oh, no.. Oh please, no.." she
whimpered, as she shook her head slowly. She then looked
up at Duo, whose face was still expressionless, and then
to the others. Then she couldn't take it any more, she
couldn't look at that face, that countenance, so serene
was it, and ran inside, with her hand still over her
mouth, tears threatening to spill over. She ran into and
leaned over the stair railing. A choked sob escaped past
her lips and fingers. But Duo had said nothing could kill
him... he had *told* Hilde that, and he *never* lied...
"Relena." Somewhere, from deep in her mind, she
knew she had to tell Relena. Hilde swallowed and grabbed
the banister, steadying herself. Relena was in a meeting
right now. An important one. She was trying to convince
the leaders to defend stop the rebellion. Too many lives,
just too many civilian lives were being sacrificed.
Hilde rushed up the stairs; she looked around
franticly at the top, searching for something. She
spotted it.
Guards, there were guards in front of that room.
"The conference," she murmured. Hilde ran to the double
doors and tried to go through.
"Let me go! It's important!" she screamed to the
guards, who were holding her back saying that she could
not go in there and that she would have to leave. "Let me
go NOW!" Hilde burst through guards and thrust the left
door open. Tears streaming down her face.
~*~*~*~
Meetings. Meetings, meetings, meetings. So many
conferences, so much to do, so little time. So very
little time to do it all in. Even less time to herself.
Relena gritted her teeth. Couldn't they see reason?
Couldn't they find another way? She was trying so hard,
so very hard to get them to stop the attacks on the city.
Couldn't they find a way to rebel against the current
government without involving people who didn't *want* to
be involved? Dying, so many of them were dying. She had
to stop this; she had to do it. She couldn't let this go
on.
Reports had come during the meeting that the attacks
had ceased for now. They had stopped about a half-hour
before sunrise they said. "Good," she thought, "but for
how long?" She stood up and started speaking again,
trying to reason with the rebellion's leaders. They
wouldn't listen. Why, oh why, wouldn't they listen?
A commotion outside of one of the conference room's
pairs of doors caused everyone to turn their heads.
"What's going on?" she silently wondered. Finally Hilde
broke through the doors.
"Relena! Relena, they're back! And he's carrying
him. Oh, he's carrying him in his arms," she sobbed.
"Oh, Relena.. His face. His face! Oh God... Relena... I
couldn't look at it.. oh God..." Hilde stopped there,
unable to say more amidst her cries. She leaned on the
doorframe, bringing up her right hand to rest on the frame
next her head. She just couldn't say anything else, she
was crying too hard.
Relena stared. She couldn't think. "Hilde...," she
whispered. "Duo?" she thought. "Could something have
happened to Duo?" A flash of Duo being held, listless, in
someone's arms flashed across her mind's eye. "No, she
would be down there with him if something had happened."
Heero? Impossible...
Relena fled the room, not caring about the protests
of the other occupants or of the guards. She flew down
the stairs in a whir; with each step the worry on her face
increased. When she arrived downstairs, she ran to the
back entrance, somehow knowing where they were, and flung
the door open. She stopped for a moment, by now she was
biting on her bottom lip from worry, and looked at the
group. Milliardo was blocking her view; she couldn't see
the man in front of him or whom he was holding. She then
broke into a run, desperation and a need to know fueling
her mind and body. When she reached the group she stopped
right next to her brother, causing him to be pushed aside
by a few inches as she looked to see for herself.
"Gasp!" Two hands flew to her mouth as she bent
over somewhat, from the shock. Her tears immediately
started to show. "Heero?" she whispered. "Heero?"
His face, she could only focus on his face. His
head was resting on Duo's right shoulder. His face was
still smooth, not a single line anyplace. His hair moved
slightly, as a breeze kissed it, allowing her to see his
closed eyes more clearly. The scowl wasn't there. He was
completely and utterly peaceful. The curve, the small
curve at the end of his lips was still there. She looked
at the golden color of his skin, the slightly sparking
effect in his hair and the utterly calm look on his face.
Just so pure, how could someone look so? A word
drifted across Relena's mind.
"Angel..." she whispered aloud, her tears fell down
cheeks as she said so. She reached out a hand.
Yes. Only an Angel could look so radiant, so
perfect. He was too beautiful, too pure.
Her eyes started to water again, more tears fell
down her face. Her hand reached out, then stopped. She
breathed in a slow, shallow breath, then gradually reached
out to him again. Lightly, ever so lightly, as though
afraid to wake him, her fingers brushed upon the side of
his cheek. She let out a choked sob.
So beautiful. So brilliant. Only an Angel could
look so untouched even when shrouded by Death. Only an
Angel. His skin was so smooth, so soft. Beautiful.. he
looked so very beautiful...
She drew her hand back slowly, choking a sob,
feeling as though she had somehow touched something that
she wasn't supposed to.
Duo looked from Relena back down to Heero. "Angel"
she had said. Unbeknownst to her, she had whispered other
words while she was staring, crying. Words like
"beautiful" and "pure" and "only an angel." An Angel.
She was right. Heero was an Angel. A pure-hearted Angel.
He had always been the kindest of them. The most
desperate. The most sacrificing. Quatre was often
referred to as being the nicest, the kindest. But even he
knew he didn't come close to Heero. Heero, who didn't
show the pain, didn't show the sorrow. Only once, only
once had he let something come out.
~*~*~*~
"C'mon, Heero! Don't be like that! We tried, we
really tried!" exclaimed Duo. He looked over to Trowa,
"Tell him! Make him understand!"
But Trowa didn't say anything. He only looked away.
Heero had said that they were fools, pulling a stunt like
that and that they would only get killed because of it.
He was right. Wufei and Duo had been seriously injured
and Trowa and Quatre couldn't get to them in time. Heero,
who was only supposed stay on the outside and monitor the
computer systems and the security alarms, had had to go in
and save them.
He was right, it had been foolish. After they had
gotten in, thanks to Heero's computer skills, they had
made a change of plans. If it succeeded, then they would
have completely surpassed their mission, it would have
been a complete success, no ifs, ands, or buts. Heero
could do it. He probably *would* do it, if he were with
them. But it didn't go as planned. It was just the
opposite of what it was supposed to have been. It was a
failure, a complete and utter failure. Duo and Wufei had
been nearly killed, and Trowa and Quatre hadn't been able
to do anything about it. Deep down, Trowa knew that Duo
knew this as well, he just didn't want to accept it. He
didn't want to accept that they had made fools of
themselves. Heero was completely and utterly right.
"Trowa! Ugh!" Duo gave up and turned back to Heero,
who was bandaging up Wufei, like Quatre was doing for him.
"Heero, I don't see why you're giving us such a hard time
over this. You would've done it, right? So why give us
all this grief? We're soldiers, Heero, we know the risks.
We know that we might not get out alive."
"That doesn't excuse stupid ideas," Heero finally
looked up at him. "And that's exactly what it was, a
stupid idea." He looked over at Trowa, "But I have to say
I thought *you* would know better." He then turned away
again and went back to fixing up Wufei, who just sat there
sullenly.
"Aw, c'mon! Heero, you do missions like that all
the time! And every time there's a chance that you won't
come back. Why scold us, when you're just as guilty as we
are? The wars are over, Heero, and you *still* do crazy
stunts. Our chances of dying are just as good for us as
they are for you, when you go out there like that."
Heero was silent, he just continued wrap up Wufei,
and Duo thought he might as well give up. But then, "Why
*else* do you think I go out there for?" He finished with
Wufei. He looked up at Duo for a moment before turning
around and leaving the room.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Duo turned and looked up at Quatre who turned his
head to look at him. Stunned.
"Why *else* do you think I go out there for?"
"Our chances of dying are just as good for us as
they are for you."
"Why *else* do you think I go out there for?"
Duo looked up at Wufei, who raised his eyes to his.
Then he turned his gaze to Trowa. Who was equally
shocked.
For them. Heero went out on those crazy missions
for them. So they wouldn't have to. So they wouldn't
die.
~*~*~*~
Duo stared at Heero's serene face. His eyes began
to water again as he again noticed the glittering sparkles
in his hair, the golden hue of his skin, the calm look on
his face. "Angel." Yes, this boy was a Glorified Spirit,
a beautiful, untouched Angel. It was the only possible
reason he could look the way did.
Relena still had tears streaming down her face, as
she looked at Heero. The others were just stood still, as
though afraid to move. As though the slightest sound
would somehow disturb him. Would somehow disturb his
rest. Even Milliardo Peacecraft, the form Lightening
Baron, couldn't move, couldn't risk waking him. Duo's
grip on Heero tightened again. It wasn't supposed to have
been this way. It was over, everything was over. So why
did he have to go out there and fight? Heero hated
killing as much Quatre. So why did he go out? Why? He
had heard about what happened at the end, the very end.
He said he didn't have to kill anymore. So *why* did he?!
Duo squeezed his eyes shut. It wasn't fair. This boy,
who was so light, so pure, and so beautiful, he shouldn't
have gone through this. It just wasn't fair. Duo opened
his eyes again, and looked at Heero's face once more.
"Space Heart." That's what Quatre had called after
he had saved earth. Only someone pure could be the Heart
of Space, but even that name didn't do the boy in his arms
justice.
An Angel. A sleeping Angel. So untouched by Death,
so unscathed by war, so beautiful, so pure was this boy...
An Angel. The boy in his arms, he was an Angel.
Hello! This is my second Gundam Wing fanfic. I
would appreciate all comments and constructive critisisms
very much. My first story only got 2 people to review it.
*sniff*sniff* Pleaasee?? Write to me? Please? I'd be
*ever* so grateful! Pretty please?
Rating: PG (One damn)
E-mail: StrfltAcd@aol.com
Disclaimer: I do not own Mobile Suit: Gundam
Wing. It is copyrighted to Sunrise, Bandai, and Sotsu
Agency.
~*~*~*~
"Keep your heads down!" Heero yelled, above the
explosions and amid the dust. The morning light had not
yet started to shine. A haze had formed on the horizon,
and although the lights from the blasts lit the sky and
the clouds of dust, the nighttime stars still ruled
supreme. Sparkling, shining. Foretelling. "Keep them in
front of my shoulders and hold on to each other!"
He was running. With two children. Young. They
couldn't have been more than 7 or 8. (Like her...) Heero
gritted his teeth and ran harder, faster. Boy, girl, did
it really matter?
No.
He kept running.
~*~*~*~
Heero had snuck into the Relena's office. Relena
failed to notice, however, having had too many papers in
front of her at the moment. She was diligently trying to
decipher the long-winded document in her hands when a pair
of arms circled her waist from an upward angle. She
promptly lifted her head and turned it around, to look at
her captor.
"Heero!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing in
here?"
He smiled that small smile of his, the one reserved
just for her, and sometimes Duo, and answered, "Would you
like to go for a walk with me?"
Relena's face fell, "Oh, I'm sorry, Heero, but I
have so much to do, I have to get these papers signed by
four o'clock this afternoon. I'm sorry, but I can't go
with you."
"You've been in this stuffy office for the past two
hours, and before that, you were in a meeting that lasted
an hour and a half, and before that-"
"I get it! I get it!" she smiled. "Alright, I can
take a hint, but not now, Heero, I have to-woAH!" He
pulled her up out of her chair and dragged her to the
space in front of her desk.
His smile gone, he whispered, "You work too much,
I've hardly seen you this whole visit." Then his little
smile came back, "And, if you remember, the whole point of
this was to be a reunion, and not just me and others, but
everyone; meaning you, me, the others, Hilde, Zechs."
Relena couldn't help but smile, even after all this time,
he still called Milliardo "Zechs," even though the battle
with OZ had been over for three years. Heero continued,
"Noin, and Dorothy. But you, I've hardly seen at all, and
neither have the others for that matter. You're always
going to meetings or such."
"I know, Heero, and I'm sorry, I really am!" She
let out an exasperated breath. "It's just that I'm really
busy and I have to get these things done. I tried
rescheduling some of my conferences but at least three
members of each group refused to budge. I've tried,
Heero, I really have-"
"I didn't say you haven't, I just said that I
haven't seen you and that you work too hard." He
straightened up, "Which is why I'm taking you for a walk
in the Gardens behind the Palace. Whether you like it or
not."
Relena knew that protesting would be useless, and
besides, Heero wouldn't do anything detrimental to her
reputation as a Vice-Minister or anything that she was
working towards. If he thought that a break would be
harmful then he wouldn't be sneaking her out of the
building, right under her brother's and the guards' noses.
The two stopped when they got to little patch of
forestry on the right side of the gardens. Heero then
turned, brought up a hand to Relena's chin, and softly
kissed her, much to her surprise. Heero was incredibly
shy and aloof about such things, preferring not to draw
attention to himself; well, usually he was, today,
however, he seemed to be in a light mood. She just
decided to go along with it, as she closed her eyes
wrapped her arms lightly around his neck and shoulders.
Who knew when another day like today would come up, right?
~*~*~*~
None of them were sure why they got involved. It
wasn't their fight. They had all come for a reunion,
their second one. Last year, Relena and Dorothy had taken
it upon themselves to reunite everyone from the war and
have a "get together." It had been two years since
everyone had last seen each other during the "Mariameia
Incident." It took a long time, quite a number of phone
calls, and some pulled strings, but it worked. Dorothy
and Relena had gotten everyone together. Finding some had
been harder than finding others. Noin and Milliardo had
gone to Mars, because of the terra-forming project, and
Quatre was at his mansion. Heero, however, and Trowa had
been a tad more difficult. It took them literally weeks
to find them, and then there was the difficulty of
actually convincing them to come. But all their hard work
paid off and they set a date. They all had loved it so
much that they agreed to do it once a year from now on.
That was last year. This year, in the summer of 199
AC, things had been different. For one, it was a lot
easier getting everyone together, seeing that they all
agreed to this the year before. And two, Relena had a
rebellion on her hands.
It seemed that earth had resumed her cycle and so
had man. The endless revolutions and rebellions that had
taken place throughout man's history had been put on halt
during the wars. But now it came back, ready to continue
as it always had.
It wasn't their fight, so why did they join up? Duo
joked, "What else are we going to do? Pop popcorn and
enjoy the show?" The fight had been getting closer, until
finally, it breached the defense lines and started to
ravage Newport City. There were so many people living
there. People who didn't want this, people who only
wanted to be left alone. They had been attacked once
before, twice even, if you were old enough to remember.
They didn't need another tally added to the score.
The battle was furious. Relena told them that they
didn't have to fight, seeing how they had fought for so
long already. Trowa just shrugged and asked, "What's
another battle or two?" Heero shrugged as well, and
stated bluntly, "At least I'll be of some use." Quatre
smiled politely, "I have to say, Relena, that life does
tend to get a little tedious here and there, back home.
Maybe this will stir things up a bit, hm?" Wufei just
critically stated, "I am a Preventer. It's my job."
Relena could only give them each a small smile of
thanks. What else could she do? What could she say?
They wanted to fight even though they weren't involved.
Who was she to stop them?
But Relena had been right; it wasn't their fight.
So why did they make it theirs? Duo didn't know for sure.
All he did know was that every time he looked out the
window and saw all of those suffering people walking the
streets, he only wanted to turn away. Trowa wasn't sure
either, he was only sure of what he felt, a new venture
for him, it should be said. And what he felt when he
thought of all those dead and dying people, he didn't want
to feel again. Quatre hated fighting, he knew that during
the war he had fought to keep his "loved ones from
sorrow," but how could he be so selfish, to only fight for
the people close to *his* heart, when so many other's
loved ones were the ones who were suffering? Wufei had
said it was his job as a Preventer to fight, but what does
that mean? No one risks that much, says that it's his or
her job, and means it. So many people, he saw. So very
many who couldn't fight for themselves, even though they
obviously gave a valiant try. Wrong, it was all so wrong.
Heero, though, didn't try to reason with himself.
He didn't try to figure out why he wanted to do this. All
he knew was that those people, men, women, and children,
were only suffering and dying for no reason, no meaning.
The rebels didn't think of them, they didn't think of the
children in their schools, or the parents laughing and
playing bridge, or the lovers taking strolls in the park.
They only thought of them as a means to an end. That was
unacceptable. When he looked out, his heart was squeezed
with such force, that sometimes, he wasn't sure if he
would be able to remain standing. His mask held, however,
showing none of the pain he felt. He would never show
that. Never. He didn't deserve that right.
So they told Relena their excuses, Duo and Quatre
smiling with the other three near expressionless. Then
they went out. The closest battlefield was behind the
Palace, only about a mile away. The rebels had mobile
suits. They weren't the best, but they were sufficient.
They hijacked some suits, one for each of them, and
disappeared into the billowing clouds of smoke and tears.
~*~*~*~
Thump, thump, thump. One heavy footfall after the
other. The haze on the horizon had gotten a little
bigger, a little brighter, but he paid no attention.
Perspiration was dripping down the side of his face and
down his glistening neck. His bangs were as unruly as
ever. More so, even. His breaths were hard and
laborious. The two children were still clinging to his
neck, whimpering. But he couldn't hear their actual
sounds. Only the cries in their hearts. He only felt the
fear. Fear, gripping his heart and threatening to tear it
to shreds. Fear of failure. Fear of his nightmare. Fear
of Death.
Death. His? No. Never his. Theirs. Their
deaths. The death of the two souls in his arms. Their
deaths.
"Young, too young." He couldn't let them perish.
They were just too young. He could never forgive himself
if these two small burdens died on this morning.
He heard of tumultuous cry from above. Looking up
he realized that the cry wasn't from any human, but a
building, a tower. Dark and looming. Vaguely, he was
reminded another tower, in another time and place, where
it had been somebody else under the falling blocks and
debris. Where he had been the savior. The hero.
But there was no hero this time. There was no one
nearby to shield him and the two in his arms. The blocks
were falling. Not enough time.
"Go! Run!" Heero roughly shoved the children from
his arms and pushed them as far as he could, from the
falling chunks of rock. "Don't look back!" he screamed,
straining to be heard over the shots, booms, and roars of
the surrounding battlefield. They ran. They ran as fast
as they could, not looking back. Just as he had said.
Heero looked up and tried to avoid the result that
would surely come should one of those pieces fall upon
him. He instinctively raised his arms and stepped
backwards as chunks landed with a resounding THUD in front
of him. Lost in the dust of the debris, he kept falling
back.
~*~*~*~
Duo didn't bother to shut off the mobile suit. "Are
they okay?" flashed through his mind, his only concern.
He jumped down, his legs bent to lessen the shock. He
straightened up and ran towards where he knew the others
would be. Grin. He waved.
"Trowa!" he called. "Trowa! Over here!" He ran
faster. Trowa turned and saw Duo running towards him,
with the morning light just starting to peek out behind
him. When he got there, he bent over and placed his hands
on his knees, leaning on them. He looked up, and
breathing heavily, he exclaimed, "Trowa! Man, am I glad
to see you! Where are the others? You see'em? Are they
alright? I thought I picked up Wufei somewhere over
there," he pointed to a miscellaneous building, "on my
scanner." Trowa turned and looked to where he gestured.
Sure enough, a shadow came from a cloud of dust that had
yet to settle. Another grin. He straightened up. Duo
cupped one hand over his mouth, "Wufei! Hey, Wufei! Over
here!" He made an exaggerated "come here" gesture with
his arm, so Wufei would be sure to see it. Wufei raised
an arm to show that he saw them.
So did another figure behind him.
If possible, Duo's grin got even wider. Trowa gave
a small smile. "Quatre! Quatre, it's good to see you! I
see you got out alright!" He and Trowa could make out a
smile on Quatre's face, who was ever getting closer.
When they got together, Quatre asked if anyone had
seen Heero. Duo and Wufei replied that they hadn't picked
his signal up for a quite a while, but Trowa said
otherwise. "I picked up the mobile suit he was using
about 45 minutes ago, then it exploded, but it hadn't been
moving for at least 2 minutes prior to that, so Heero must
have left it." The others agreed and they all went
searching for him.
~*~*~*~
There was no trace of Heero, and they had been
searching for about 25 minutes, now. The sun was almost
ready to show itself. They had met in front of an old
church that was now nothing more than rubble and some
cracking stone walls. Duo and Quatre were really getting
worried while the other two insisted that he was alright,
saying that Heero was an exceptionally strong person and
that he was probably fine and not worry so much and to
just concentrate on finding him.
Duo, with his hands in his pockets, sauntered slowly
over to the ruins, looking slightly upward, thinking, a
frown marring his features. He then looked back down at
the ground, shaking his head at his thoughts. Of course
Heero was alright. The idiot was the damn Perfect
Soldier. He couldn't die if he tried. Duo snorted.
"Funny thing is, he *has* tried... huh," Duo muttered,
with a small, grim, smile on his face. He kicked a rock
that just happened to be in front of him and sent it
flying. He watched it hit a stone wall with a "chunk"
and bounce off harmlessly, landing and rolling down a
small pile of broken stones.
He frowned. Duo squinted and started to cautiously
walk towards the pile of rock. His eyes widened.
A hand. There was hand sticking out from between
the rocks.
He turned and yelled, as loud as he could, "TROWA!
QUATRE! WUFEI! GET OVER HERE! I FOUND SOMEONE UNDER THE
ROCKS!" They heard and came running over.
Duo wasn't quite sure why he called them. Who ever
it was, was obviously dead now. There was no help for him
or her. (Because it might be him...) "Hurry up, you
three! Get over here!" Duo yelled furiously. They were
all together again, lifting rock after rock. Wufei and
Quatre lifted a particularly heavy one while Duo and Trowa
lifted some smaller ones. Who ever it was had certainly
taken a beating. His or her (there was such extensive
damage that nobody could tell which) legs were shattered
and bleeding, or at least the visible parts were. And
their left shoulder looked like it was dislocated.
"Oh God."
Wufei and Quatre stopped and turned. Trowa looked
at what Duo had exclaimed over. His eyes widened. The
other two came over and blinked, stunned. Quatre stepped
back once, shocked.
Heero. It was Heero under the rocks.
~*~*~*~
The morning's light casted long, dark shadows over
the land. Duo was kneeling near Heero's head with a rock
in his hand. The rock that had revealed the victim's
face. He was in shock. The others, too, stood stricken.
They could only stare. At his face. At Heero's face.
Duo moved first.
He started by shaking his head. Slowly. No... no,
it wasn't supposed to be like this... He's Heero, he
wasn't supposed to die. "He's not supposed to die,"
thought Duo, dazedly. Quatre made the next move.
"Heero?" he murmured. "Heero? Can you hear me?" he
swallowed hard. "Heero, if you can... are you alright?
Heero?" The last word came out as a whisper. He tried to
reach out to him. To his face. But he couldn't.
Something about the way he looked. He just couldn't.
Trowa and Wufei just stood there, not knowing what
to do. Trowa finally bent down, reaching for his neck,
but he drew his arm back, also.
Duo's eyes finally dropped, to the rock in his
hands. Then he looked to his left, at the rest of Heero's
body. His eyes filled with tears. He shut them tight,
unwilling to shed them. He rasped out, "We should finish
uncovering him." He reopened his eyes and looked up at
them. Wufei, who was next to him, had a hand on the
crumbling wall the stood behind Duo, nodded slowly,
silently, his face hidden from view. Quatre didn't make a
move; he only stood there, a little ways from Wufei, tears
shining. Trowa, who was on the other side of Heero,
looked at Duo, with tears in his eyes as well, and nodded
numbly.
They started to uncover him again, slowly,
painfully, being careful, so careful, not to drop a stone
on Heero. No, not on Heero, Heero's corpse.
Duo shook his head. "No! No, he's not dead... He
*can't* be dead," he thought. "It's impossible. He's
*not* dead... He's not..."
When they finished unpiling the stones, they all
turned once more to Heero. Odd. His body, it was all
bloody, and battered, and bruised, and streaked with dirt.
But his head, his face. His face was completely
untouched. The rocks had somehow formed a small dome over
his head, keeping it from harm. It was propped up on a
rock, at a 45-degree angle. His hair, it was lightly
covered in dust from the rocks. His face, it was so
serene. His bangs partly covered his eyes, which were
closed. He looked like he was sleeping. The constant
frown that seemed to have had a permanent home wasn't
there. His countenance was relaxed, peaceful, his skin
smooth, and on his lips, a very slight curve, one that
never seemed to be there in life.
Duo's eyes filled with tears again. He shook his
head, yet again, not taking his eyes off the face in front
of him. "No," he said aloud, this time. "No.. No, no,
no... Heero! Heero, wake up! Open your eyes! Please,
Heero! Please, do something! Oh God..."
The sun chose to rise at that moment, stretching,
lighting up everything it touched with its golden light.
Heero was no different. The dust from the rocks
started to shine. Sparkling, sparkling little grains of
sand and dust littered his brown hair. His face was now a
golden hue. They all stared at him, their mouths slightly
open as they breathed shallowly, their eyes glistening
with sad, silent, wet grievances.
Beautiful. He was beautiful.
Duo couldn't stand it anymore. He reached out to
him, from his kneeling position, and sat him up, almost
hoping that he would wake up, that he would say something,
do something. Anything. When he was almost fully
upright, his body fell to the side, on Duo. Heero's head
rolled over to rest on Duo's chest. Duo brought his arms
around Heero so that his hands were both placed on Heero's
right arm. He squeezed it, looking down into Heero's
face, silently pleading for him to open his eyes.
Nothing. Duo's head bent down and he gripped Heero
tighter. Tears. The tears that he had refused to shed
earlier fell. They dropped from his lashes and landed on
Heero. Right beneath his eyes. The tears traveled from
those spots and went down the sides of his face. They
almost looked like they were his.
Quatre kneeled down, slowly. Once again he tried to
reach out to him, but failed. His face. He couldn't
touch his face. It was too beautiful, his expression too
pure. He could only manage to say softly, "Sleeping," he
licked his lips, "he looks like he's sleeping." Duo cried
harder, his shoulders started to shake slightly, although
he still made not a sound.
Wufei, who had stood silently, looking, finally
said, "He is. He is sleeping." He saw Quatre and Trowa
turned their heads to him, wondering, with slight frowns
on their faces and tears in their eyes. Wufei thought he
saw Duo turn his bleary eyes in his direction, as well.
"He is sleeping peacefully now. May his dreams also be
peaceful. Goodness knows he deserves it." Wufei
swallowed. "More than any of us, he deserves it." The
rest turned their heads back to Heero. Yes, they all
thought, he did deserve it.
But that didn't make it any easier.
Finally, Duo made a sound. A whimper. Small, but
it was a sound. He looked down at Heero's face for a few
moments silently. Then he let back his head and cried out
at the top of his lungs.
He hadn't done that since Father Maxwell and Sister
Helen died.
After Duo finished his lament Trowa started to kneel
down. Duo watched as he started to reach for Heero.
"No," he whispered piteously. He tightened his grip.
Trowa looked up, surprise showing in his moist eyes.
Duo swallowed hard and licked his lips. "I'll take him."
Trowa stared at him for a few moments before dropping his
gaze and standing back up. Duo watched him, then turned
his head to Quatre as he stood up. Then Duo turned his
gaze back to Heero. He took his left arm away and then
put it under Heero's knees. Wufei came over to the other
side and picked up Heero's right arm and placed it across
his stomach, so it wouldn't fall. Then he backed away.
Duo then put his hands and arms in the right positions, so
he wouldn't drop him, and slowly and steadily stood up.
Trowa was the strongest, from working in the circus, but
Duo wouldn't dare let him carry Heero. Heero was *his*
best friend. *He* knew Heero better than any of them. So
*he* would carry him. They started to walk.
Strange, it was so strange. Weird, even. He was so
light. How odd, that someone who had done so much in so
little time, who had changed the face history at such a
young age, could be so light. So very, very light. His
strange lack of weight, mixed with the morning light, and
the glittering in his hair made him seem almost frail, as
though the slightest harsh touch would break him. Heero
had always been so strong, so resilient. Duo couldn't
have imagined that the boy in his arms could be this
light.
~*~*~*~
They went in through the back. The sun was just
about twenty degrees off the horizon and the pink stains
were starting to die, but the golden hues still reigned
over everything. When they got to the palace, which
hadn't been hard considering that the streets were still
deserted, devoid of all movement, all the way up to the
Palace Gardens, Milliardo Peacecraft came out of the back
door first, so he could greet them. But he was only to be
shocked at what he saw. He looked up at Duo, who wore a
mask of stone, even though some water still shone in his
eyes. He looked to the others, who wore the same mask,
and looked back down at Heero. He stepped forward, out
onto the grass, slowly, one foot in front of the other.
He stopped about two feet away from Duo, who was standing
in front of everyone else. He gradually reached out a
hand, to check for a pulse. He stopped. His hand shook
for a few moments before he clenched and steadied it and,
finally, took a breath. Once more he reached out.
Placing his fingers on Heero's neck, he waited. And
waited. But it never came. No pulse did Milliardo feel
beneath his fingertips, he swallowed hard and drew back
his hand. Something made him want to check one more time,
just to be sure, but something else wouldn't let him. He
looked at the boy, the boy who was listless in Duo's arm,
the boy to whom he had said was too kind and too pure, and
stared.
~*~*~*~
Hilde had seen Milliardo's form leave the house from
one of the windows. When she looked out, she had seen
Duo's face. She smiled and sprinted to one of the side
doors that was really only seven windows down to the right
and opened it. She was about to call out Duo's name when
she noticed the burden in his arms.
Her face fell. They weren't doing anything. They
were just standing there. Staring at each other.
Shouldn't they be helping him? She walked out slowly to
the six men, one of which was lying in Duo's arms. She
frowned, scared of what she was going to see.
When the other finally noticed her presence she
about seven feet away from them. She stopped. Duo turned
his head towards her. She looked at him, her face
stricken with fear and grief. "No," she thought, "it's
not possible..." She started to walk again, with an even
slower pace than before. She walked over and stood
between Milliardo and Duo. She turned to face Duo and
looked down.
Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes immediately
began to sting. "Oh... Oh, no.. Oh please, no.." she
whimpered, as she shook her head slowly. She then looked
up at Duo, whose face was still expressionless, and then
to the others. Then she couldn't take it any more, she
couldn't look at that face, that countenance, so serene
was it, and ran inside, with her hand still over her
mouth, tears threatening to spill over. She ran into and
leaned over the stair railing. A choked sob escaped past
her lips and fingers. But Duo had said nothing could kill
him... he had *told* Hilde that, and he *never* lied...
"Relena." Somewhere, from deep in her mind, she
knew she had to tell Relena. Hilde swallowed and grabbed
the banister, steadying herself. Relena was in a meeting
right now. An important one. She was trying to convince
the leaders to defend stop the rebellion. Too many lives,
just too many civilian lives were being sacrificed.
Hilde rushed up the stairs; she looked around
franticly at the top, searching for something. She
spotted it.
Guards, there were guards in front of that room.
"The conference," she murmured. Hilde ran to the double
doors and tried to go through.
"Let me go! It's important!" she screamed to the
guards, who were holding her back saying that she could
not go in there and that she would have to leave. "Let me
go NOW!" Hilde burst through guards and thrust the left
door open. Tears streaming down her face.
~*~*~*~
Meetings. Meetings, meetings, meetings. So many
conferences, so much to do, so little time. So very
little time to do it all in. Even less time to herself.
Relena gritted her teeth. Couldn't they see reason?
Couldn't they find another way? She was trying so hard,
so very hard to get them to stop the attacks on the city.
Couldn't they find a way to rebel against the current
government without involving people who didn't *want* to
be involved? Dying, so many of them were dying. She had
to stop this; she had to do it. She couldn't let this go
on.
Reports had come during the meeting that the attacks
had ceased for now. They had stopped about a half-hour
before sunrise they said. "Good," she thought, "but for
how long?" She stood up and started speaking again,
trying to reason with the rebellion's leaders. They
wouldn't listen. Why, oh why, wouldn't they listen?
A commotion outside of one of the conference room's
pairs of doors caused everyone to turn their heads.
"What's going on?" she silently wondered. Finally Hilde
broke through the doors.
"Relena! Relena, they're back! And he's carrying
him. Oh, he's carrying him in his arms," she sobbed.
"Oh, Relena.. His face. His face! Oh God... Relena... I
couldn't look at it.. oh God..." Hilde stopped there,
unable to say more amidst her cries. She leaned on the
doorframe, bringing up her right hand to rest on the frame
next her head. She just couldn't say anything else, she
was crying too hard.
Relena stared. She couldn't think. "Hilde...," she
whispered. "Duo?" she thought. "Could something have
happened to Duo?" A flash of Duo being held, listless, in
someone's arms flashed across her mind's eye. "No, she
would be down there with him if something had happened."
Heero? Impossible...
Relena fled the room, not caring about the protests
of the other occupants or of the guards. She flew down
the stairs in a whir; with each step the worry on her face
increased. When she arrived downstairs, she ran to the
back entrance, somehow knowing where they were, and flung
the door open. She stopped for a moment, by now she was
biting on her bottom lip from worry, and looked at the
group. Milliardo was blocking her view; she couldn't see
the man in front of him or whom he was holding. She then
broke into a run, desperation and a need to know fueling
her mind and body. When she reached the group she stopped
right next to her brother, causing him to be pushed aside
by a few inches as she looked to see for herself.
"Gasp!" Two hands flew to her mouth as she bent
over somewhat, from the shock. Her tears immediately
started to show. "Heero?" she whispered. "Heero?"
His face, she could only focus on his face. His
head was resting on Duo's right shoulder. His face was
still smooth, not a single line anyplace. His hair moved
slightly, as a breeze kissed it, allowing her to see his
closed eyes more clearly. The scowl wasn't there. He was
completely and utterly peaceful. The curve, the small
curve at the end of his lips was still there. She looked
at the golden color of his skin, the slightly sparking
effect in his hair and the utterly calm look on his face.
Just so pure, how could someone look so? A word
drifted across Relena's mind.
"Angel..." she whispered aloud, her tears fell down
cheeks as she said so. She reached out a hand.
Yes. Only an Angel could look so radiant, so
perfect. He was too beautiful, too pure.
Her eyes started to water again, more tears fell
down her face. Her hand reached out, then stopped. She
breathed in a slow, shallow breath, then gradually reached
out to him again. Lightly, ever so lightly, as though
afraid to wake him, her fingers brushed upon the side of
his cheek. She let out a choked sob.
So beautiful. So brilliant. Only an Angel could
look so untouched even when shrouded by Death. Only an
Angel. His skin was so smooth, so soft. Beautiful.. he
looked so very beautiful...
She drew her hand back slowly, choking a sob,
feeling as though she had somehow touched something that
she wasn't supposed to.
Duo looked from Relena back down to Heero. "Angel"
she had said. Unbeknownst to her, she had whispered other
words while she was staring, crying. Words like
"beautiful" and "pure" and "only an angel." An Angel.
She was right. Heero was an Angel. A pure-hearted Angel.
He had always been the kindest of them. The most
desperate. The most sacrificing. Quatre was often
referred to as being the nicest, the kindest. But even he
knew he didn't come close to Heero. Heero, who didn't
show the pain, didn't show the sorrow. Only once, only
once had he let something come out.
~*~*~*~
"C'mon, Heero! Don't be like that! We tried, we
really tried!" exclaimed Duo. He looked over to Trowa,
"Tell him! Make him understand!"
But Trowa didn't say anything. He only looked away.
Heero had said that they were fools, pulling a stunt like
that and that they would only get killed because of it.
He was right. Wufei and Duo had been seriously injured
and Trowa and Quatre couldn't get to them in time. Heero,
who was only supposed stay on the outside and monitor the
computer systems and the security alarms, had had to go in
and save them.
He was right, it had been foolish. After they had
gotten in, thanks to Heero's computer skills, they had
made a change of plans. If it succeeded, then they would
have completely surpassed their mission, it would have
been a complete success, no ifs, ands, or buts. Heero
could do it. He probably *would* do it, if he were with
them. But it didn't go as planned. It was just the
opposite of what it was supposed to have been. It was a
failure, a complete and utter failure. Duo and Wufei had
been nearly killed, and Trowa and Quatre hadn't been able
to do anything about it. Deep down, Trowa knew that Duo
knew this as well, he just didn't want to accept it. He
didn't want to accept that they had made fools of
themselves. Heero was completely and utterly right.
"Trowa! Ugh!" Duo gave up and turned back to Heero,
who was bandaging up Wufei, like Quatre was doing for him.
"Heero, I don't see why you're giving us such a hard time
over this. You would've done it, right? So why give us
all this grief? We're soldiers, Heero, we know the risks.
We know that we might not get out alive."
"That doesn't excuse stupid ideas," Heero finally
looked up at him. "And that's exactly what it was, a
stupid idea." He looked over at Trowa, "But I have to say
I thought *you* would know better." He then turned away
again and went back to fixing up Wufei, who just sat there
sullenly.
"Aw, c'mon! Heero, you do missions like that all
the time! And every time there's a chance that you won't
come back. Why scold us, when you're just as guilty as we
are? The wars are over, Heero, and you *still* do crazy
stunts. Our chances of dying are just as good for us as
they are for you, when you go out there like that."
Heero was silent, he just continued wrap up Wufei,
and Duo thought he might as well give up. But then, "Why
*else* do you think I go out there for?" He finished with
Wufei. He looked up at Duo for a moment before turning
around and leaving the room.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Duo turned and looked up at Quatre who turned his
head to look at him. Stunned.
"Why *else* do you think I go out there for?"
"Our chances of dying are just as good for us as
they are for you."
"Why *else* do you think I go out there for?"
Duo looked up at Wufei, who raised his eyes to his.
Then he turned his gaze to Trowa. Who was equally
shocked.
For them. Heero went out on those crazy missions
for them. So they wouldn't have to. So they wouldn't
die.
~*~*~*~
Duo stared at Heero's serene face. His eyes began
to water again as he again noticed the glittering sparkles
in his hair, the golden hue of his skin, the calm look on
his face. "Angel." Yes, this boy was a Glorified Spirit,
a beautiful, untouched Angel. It was the only possible
reason he could look the way did.
Relena still had tears streaming down her face, as
she looked at Heero. The others were just stood still, as
though afraid to move. As though the slightest sound
would somehow disturb him. Would somehow disturb his
rest. Even Milliardo Peacecraft, the form Lightening
Baron, couldn't move, couldn't risk waking him. Duo's
grip on Heero tightened again. It wasn't supposed to have
been this way. It was over, everything was over. So why
did he have to go out there and fight? Heero hated
killing as much Quatre. So why did he go out? Why? He
had heard about what happened at the end, the very end.
He said he didn't have to kill anymore. So *why* did he?!
Duo squeezed his eyes shut. It wasn't fair. This boy,
who was so light, so pure, and so beautiful, he shouldn't
have gone through this. It just wasn't fair. Duo opened
his eyes again, and looked at Heero's face once more.
"Space Heart." That's what Quatre had called after
he had saved earth. Only someone pure could be the Heart
of Space, but even that name didn't do the boy in his arms
justice.
An Angel. A sleeping Angel. So untouched by Death,
so unscathed by war, so beautiful, so pure was this boy...
An Angel. The boy in his arms, he was an Angel.