Never Look Back Chapter 14
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"I decided well into the war that I was going to marry Ayame. Four months before the war ended I bought an engagement ring. This one," Heine started pulling out a necklace with three rings on it. He fumbled through them finding a delicate ring with two turtle doves holding a blue sapphire.
"How did you find that?" Athrun asked as Athrun gave him the ring. He looked it over gently knowing that it was precious to Heine.
Heine chuckled hesitantly, "It took me a long time…I called every place possible. I found the ring without the jewel in a small shop then I made more calls to find a jeweler that was willing to put a sapphire into the ring without breaking it. Ayame thought I was being really secretive. A little TOO secretive to be exact. She began to follow me around. I told her that I was getting a special gift for her but she couldn't see it yet. At the time Ayame was content with that but soon grown slightly impatient before losing sight of the idea."
"So did you propose soon after?" Athrun asked handing the rings back to Heine.
Heine laughed weakly, "No."
"When did you propose then?" Athrun asked curiously.
"4 months later. I know I shouldn't have been but I was afraid she was going to say no. We dated for about…lets see…almost two years by then. We had turned 19 and we were still a little young for marriage which was the main reason why I didn't ask. She had no idea that I was going to do that. Before the battle of Jachin Due I decided that since that this battle would decide the fate of the war I would purpose to her, so she'd know my true feelings about her if I fell in battle. I wasn't really romantic how I did it," Heine explained.
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"So this is it?" Heine sighed looking at his mobile suit in the hangar.
"Yeah…Orange and Lime," Ayame chuckled.
"Orange and Lime?" Heine asked looking down at his girlfriend. Her hair had grown out so much since Yukio cut it that it almost made her unrecognizable.
"Yours and mine…the mobile suit. Yours in orange and mine is lime…I guess more avocado," she giggled.
"I don't think it's the right time to be making jokes Ayame," Heine answered. She stiffened slightly before relaxing with a small sigh.
"I guess that's right…this is the last battle…I guess we should focus on the upcoming battle then what I have to joke about," Ayame asked. They stood in silence staring at the mobile suits being repaired.
"Ayame…I'm going to marry you," Heine announced getting down on one knee.
"Are you…" Ayame asked softly stunned by his actions. He took her left hand gently feeling the woman tremble.
"I love you. I'm not dying out there without asking you to marry me. And I'm not taking no as an answer. Ayame Serena Honda the beautiful white dove that has flown into my life, will you marry me?" Heine asked slipping the ring onto her finger.
"He-Heine," Ayame whispered trying to pull away to hide her tears.
"Well…what do you say? Will you marry me? Will you?" Heine asked holding onto her hand.
"N-No," Ayame muttered. Heine's heart shattered into millions of glass shards as he thought…I knew this was too early…
"I won't take no," Heine answered weakly.
"No…because I thought we were already engaged. So why do you need to ask again," she giggled. Heine exhaled the held in breath loudly covering his heart.
"Don't scare me like that," Heine gasped getting off the floor.
"You thought I really meant no didn't you?" Ayame chuckled pulling him into a tight hug.
"YES, don't scare me like that…" Heine repeated as Ayame kissed his cheek.
"I want moments like these to last forever," Ayame whispered into his ear.
"Me too…it's almost time…let's change," Heine offered breaking their tight embrace. He started the trek back to the locker room yet Ayame stayed put. He turned his head noticing that there was something on her mind.
"Heine…why now?" she asked as blush covered her face.
"If I died out there…" Heine managed to say before getting cut off.
"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DIE OUT THERE!" Ayame cried shaking her head viciously.
"Like I said…IF I died out there…I didn't want to die without sharing my true feelings with you," Heine explained holding his hand out to her.
"You're not going to die!" Ayame repeated in a softer tone.
"Don't worry…" Heine soothed as she took his hand.
"They're putting me on stand-by…You're being sent out with the second wave of troops," Ayame worried fumbling with her glasses.
"Don't worry. Ayame if you worry you will die," Heine answered.
"Ri-Right…Heine…don't die out there," Ayame whispered. He nodded softly not wanting to promise her anything if he died.
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"I was really close to dying out there," Heine explained.
"I think everyone was," Athrun answered.
"Yeah…I fought an ace named Morgan Chevalier. He destroyed the right leg and the beam rifle. He was a great pilot, I couldn't ask for a better opponent. I think if GENESIS didn't fire I'd be dead right now. I'm not very sure if he died or not," Heine answered.
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"Heine…Hei-Heine where ar-e…you?!" Ayame cried out through a crackling radio in the deserted battlefield. He has to be hear somewhere…I know he hasn't died yet…I just saw him! Where did he go?! Ayame thought. Her current objective was to rescue any survivors on the battle field. She had been searching for over twenty minutes and there was still no sigh of him.
"I survived," Heine mumbled to himself. His radio was not on nor did he send out a distress signal. "Time to get back to Ayame."
"Ayame, I don't think he's out there. Stop trying," the operator commanded stabbing Ayame's heart brutally.
"He's out there…I know it!" Ayame answered.
"Ayame, come back to the ship. Your oxygen levels are running low and we can't lose you either," Commander Hawkins ordered.
"B-But…He…He can't be…NO!...He's not dead," Ayame cried seeing tears bump into the frames of her glasses. They shattered into smaller diamond droplets flying around her helmet.
"Ayame! I gave you an order. Return to the ship," her commander boomed.
"Yes sir," she answered heart broken with emotion despair. She took her battle scarred GINN slowly back to the ship. Once onboard she stayed in her cockpit and cried. She cried hard…was her fiancé really dead? Knowing that she couldn't stay in there forever she left the cockpit pushing herself to the hangar doors. On her way to the floor she bumped into a person.
"I'm sorry," she muttered slowly moving her head up to see the person's face.
"It's alright Turtle Dove," the person chuckled. "You thought I was really dead, didn't you?"
"Yes…Don't you ever scare me like that!" Ayame cried wrapping her arms around him.
"I'll try not to…we made it didn't we?" Heine smiled taking off her helmet. Under the harsh lights of the hangar the couple shared a loving kiss knowing that their relationship would survive just as they had through the bloody war. Ayame finally had her knight and Heine his peasant princess, a duo that had met under unfortunate circumstances were finally united. They had overcome ex-fiancés, hospital stays, and harsh in-laws. What could keep them apart now?
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This may be the end for this Story…I'm debating if I want to make it a two part series or not. So possibly…THE END…
I don't think I'm going to do it but if so~
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