A/N: Hello, guys, I am well aware that I have been very inactive on this story of mine. It's been, what, six months, since I last updated this-half a year. My interest in Gundam has come and gone, however, here I am again, inspired to write because of a mere rain storm. One of those typical cyclones/super cells (those of you who live in the Midwestern US should be very familiar with those storm systems, as they produce tornadoes. Anyhow, the next chapter has been overdue for a while now. I will be attempting to stay close to canon, as much as possible.
Anyway, college starts next week, so I will be trying to hurry up updates and getting more shit out, but you should be clued in by now that most of my interest is rooted in my DC, DRRR, PH, Magi, and Harry Potter fanfics, so unfortunately, a story like this might be buried within the others for a while. I am not making any more new stories for a while until I get some older ones finished. Chapters 4-5 of this should be edited soon enough.
Mission Ten: "Come On Baby, Don't Fear Death! Escape from the Evil Clutches of OZ! Any more references and this story will collapse from copyright infringement!"
Yes, I am aware that titling my diaries with such odd names will only serve to make Hee-chan very, very angry when he tries to crack them for "important details pertaining to missions". It's on purpose, otherwise my cover here would be busted and things would literally go to hell, I have lived through enough hell to only persist in tormenting Hee-chan more, rather than allow him to fully uncover my secrets.
Ya know the saying, "He who has seen a Gundam must die." The saying is certainly true when it applies to our own, individual secrets. The world doesn't give a damn about us personally, unless we're saving them-right now, we're just the bad guys and perfect place to focus their hatred on for their own screw-ups and failures.
I have intentionally written my diaries in a very confusing way, so as to disguise my memories of my other life with this one from the sharp eyes of the other pilots. Secret or not, Hee-chan does not stop if some enemy can be nearby. He suspects every one of us, as he is wise to. So I have incorporated a ton of pop culture references that only I will potentially know and understand and when Hee-chan does see it, he mistakes it for some "weird Maxwell thing" and passes it off as nothing but me being, well, me.
Quat doesn't look through diaries, but I doubt the other two would be so polite. To be honest, I haven't really interacted with Trowa or FeiFei much outside of battles. They seem like lovely and reasonable people, but it says somethin' when ya try to say hello to FeiFei and he responds by waving a gun in your face!
I'd promptly skedaddled then. FeiFei was gonna be a lone wolf if he wanted to be, then! I'd just go have fun doing my own little thing-which is, mostly, annoy the hell out of Heero, seeing as I was his constant companion, along with Trowa, that is.
Wufei had gone back off on his own again, and now it was just me and Quatre hanging out in some village with our Gundams. The weather's nice, lots of nice people around, they're quite friendly, (one of them gave me a friendly gesture, which I returned with a grin and a wave, in typical Duo fashion, which is never let them understand what you're thinking.)
That is, before Quat and I snapped his neck. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and besides, Quat believes in proper etiquette.
Quat is probably the only other remotely human pilot I can converse with-Hee-chan, Trowa and FeiFei are all not talkers, so I wind up annoying them.
"Hey, Quat," I say, playing with my braid idly, hands on my favorite pistol, tucked away in my pocket. Gundam boys never come without their toys, that's how I see it. We're maltreated outcasts-we're gonna be addicted to our devices and technology, "How goes it? Any sign of the Blue Meaners yet?"
"You say the strangest things, Duo," Quatre replied, looking through the binoculars before turning back to me, "We should be fairly safe here, with the Maguanacs keeping look-out. Don't you think you could be a little nicer to Heero? He is...trying to be friendly."
I laughed slightly. "The day Hee-chan is friendly is the day the world decides we're all instant friends with them, invites us in for a tea party and cakes, and the world becomes peaceful! It's never gonna happen-at least, not in that way." Uh, whoops, I've let something slip.
"Duo, you sometimes come across to me as a bit of a cynic. And you really have been a bit too mean towards Heero lately, let him rest." Quatre's eyes are on me and he's not kidding around, so I'd best listen.
"Okay, I will apologize to him. We need him in battle, after all. And you know Hee-chan will die of loneliness." I drawled.
Quatre was looking at me again. It's almost like he suspects something. "Duo, when I first met you, the "heart" of space was telling me something. It was responding to you-normally, I'm the only one it does that with-does that mean something about your existence here is special?" He asked.
I laughed. "What are ya talkin' about, buddy? Yer getting awfully serious here, Quat and I don't like dwelling on dark things. Let's talk about somethin' else-"
"No." He said simply, and that was the word that let me know that I, Duo Maxwell, am fucked.
Was this Wing ZERO Quatre already? Had I already brought this on?
No, what if I was a Coordinator?
'This isn't Gundam Seed, Maxwell!' I scolded myself, 'Right now, it's probably best to just do what he wants.'
"Duo, be completely honest with me. How do you know what's going to happen? Are you...are you on their side?" He asked, and to be honest, I didn't blame him for being paranoid.
I didn't entirely trust me either.
Considering all the knowledge I had of the canon universe, I might as well be someone potentially dangerous.
"Of course not. How could I ever be on their side? They're destroyin' things, and that isn't right. On this battlefield, there is no...right...or wrong. It's just us, as humans." I replied, choosing my answers carefully, tightening my fists as I thought about all the dead children in the orphanage-the first time I had ever blown up a city in order to flush out OZ, the smell of carnage. It was enough to drive one completely mad.
"Do you have second sight or something?" Quatre asked carefully.
"I wouldn't call it that, so much as just good intuition." I said, chewing my lip.
"That's not all there is to it, Duo," Quatre interrupted me, "What I mean is, the heart of space seems to consider you someone of very great interest. Could it be that you are...an alien?"
I could do nothing but stare before I silently nodded.
"Not like, the big, green kind. You're a different sort of alien. But, whatever kind of alien you are, you're a good one, Duo. You wouldn't be here if you weren't. You're a good person, at first you were afraid of me because somehow, you knew about the Heart of Space and were scared. But it's all right, because you're still my friend, no matter who you are. So, let's work together and save her, save space, right?"
Holy shit...
He saw right through me. He knew. He knew, and that was enough to make me pray and hope that if Quatre goes evil, that he decides to spare me. I was shaking, and I didn't know why.
Quatre has the sweetest smile, but underneath it, is a mind that misses nothing. And that scared me, because he could easily be the deadliest villain if he chose to be. Yet he isn't. It just went to show me that, despite us both having extraordinary things about ourselves, we were still fighting for what was right.
Despite my being a child soldier, I was still as brave as I'd been as Alison, just a more tired, scarred and cynical person overall. This battle was about being brave-and not losing myself.
If I lost myself, there was no point in continuing to fight.
Quatre was right, we needed to continue on and continue to fight, no matter what.
"You're right, Quatre," I said, "I'm sorry if I've troubled ya. We're comrades and we'll fight to the end to achieve what needs to be done."
Quatre smiled. "I'm glad I was able to get through to you, Duo. I felt like I was going to lose you." He said with a laugh.
Just how much could Quatre read of my future, or of me entirely?
Suddenly, I felt like not wanting to know the answer to that question.
Quatre laughed. "Let's go back to official business. We need to make sure everything is fine and safe down there." He indicated the village. "So, now, official things."
"Thanks for having my back, man." I said.
Quatre's POV
When I first met Duo Maxwell, he was unlike any other kid I'd ever met. For one thing, he was the first definitive proof I had that I wasn't the only Gundam boy out there. Sure, I'd been told there were others like me, but to get to see another face to face was exhilarating. And at first, Duo was afraid of me, but he's changed so much over the years I've known him.
Duo is...remarkable. He's brave, courageous, funny, and confident in himself. Despite being through such hardship like losing his parents, he's never given up and stopped fighting, unlike me. I gave up on trying to do anything for the Earth until I learned that I wasn't a clone after all. Father and I might have our disagreements now and again, but I know he loves me.
Duo partially has inspired me to continue on and keep fighting. The other pilots, especially that one named Trowa, are equally as amazing, too. I don't know anything about their pasts, but yet we are all united in trying to fight for the future of space and the colonies. That in itself is enough to have tied all of our destinies together.
I guess we were always destined to meet.
Duo has always been a special kind of friend to me. He, too, can sense the Heart of Space, and yet he was afraid of letting anyone else in and knowing the true him. I know he's brave, he somehow cannot see that where I can.
I, on the other hand, am nothing like him. I am just a spoiled rich kid who has had everything handed to him on a silver platter. What do I know of suffering? Compared to Duo, Trowa, and the others, I'm the luckiest. Some days, I don't understand why I was chosen to be a pilot.
But, having the others by my side helps ease and silence these feelings of doubt I experience. I'm not alone anymore. That in itself is enough reassurance for me to carry on living.
That's why, as we sit here, waiting for certain death at the hands of our enemies, I can't help but feel grateful to the Maganacs for seeing past my rich boy attitude and reassuring me that I deserve to live.
"We've got trouble, Quat," Duo speaks up, looking at me in fear.
"What is it?" I ask. Surely, they can't have found us. Not here. The desert is impenetrable. No way...
"They've found us," He says, and sure enough, from our hideout, I can spot several OZ mobile suits outside, fighting with the Maganacs.
Fear settles in my throat.
'How did they find us?' I think, 'How? We need to get out of here.'
"We know you are hiding Gundam numbers 002 and 004. Hand the pilots over to us alive, and we will spare your lives." I hear them broadcast.
"Like hell we'll give in to you!" Duo snarls.
"Duo, let's get out of here! We need to take Rashid and the others with us!" I say, climbing into my mobile suit and powering it up.
"Master Quatre, you two escape! We'll hold them off here!" Rashid orders.
"But, what about you guys? I don't want to lose you guys!" I protest. No, I don't want to lose the only people who have ever cared for me.
"Master Quatre, we will never allow these people to kill you. You have a mission to achieve for outer space, to continue the colonies and save the universe. Without you pilots, the world will never be at peace." He explains. "Farewell for now, Master Quatre."
And like that, they leave and start attacking the other Mobile Suits.
"Rashid!" I cry.
"Quatre, we've got to leave, now," Duo orders. "I know it's hard, but like you said, we have to press on, no matter what it takes. For the hope of the universe."
I swallow my tears and nod. "Yes, let's get going. The others can help us."
It's hard, having to say goodbye to them all, but if our presence endangers them, we've got to leave to keep them safe.
No matter what, I will return back home, I swear.
"Quatre, you can unleash your tears," Duo says from inside his Deathscythe. "There's nothing wrong with letting your emotions out. We're still human. I'll never let OZ keep destroying us like this! I'm gonna kill every last one of those bastards!"
"Duo, revenge isn't the answer." I stifle my sobs, but it's no use. The tears are flowing anyway. The tears of outer space. "She's hurting. Outer space is hurting, Duo. She doesn't want us to fight like this. What other way is there?"
"Quatre..." Duo mutters. "I know it's difficult. But let's survive. That's all that matters now. We're Gundam boys. We fight this battle alone. That's what it means, even if we're the enemies of the entire world."
I know he's right. But for now, I'll just let my emotions flow.
Until the day when peace is established, we'll continue suffering. Earth and space, so alike yet different. Why can't they see there's no reason for all this bloodshed and death? Why?