Lost Innocence Part 2
Author's Note
(A little rant here!) Do you know what makes me mad? The media and literature these days, all they seem to care about is SEX! Why? WHY? Why is such a shallow act what everyone must read and write about? Well, I'll show you that you can have perfectly good romance without sex! (Or not written about anyway!) Understand? Okay, good. I have nothing else to say but apologize that this part took so long to get posted. No excuses, just my fault. Now, on with the story.
Alert: This story contains lots of mush, love, sap, intimacy, whatever you call it. Love it or hate it, it's up to you. (I know, so nice of me to warn you.)
Italics are used to show characters' thoughts and/or significance of words.
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She sat in front of her window, gazing towards the mystical sun creeping below the western horizon. Time passes faster when you are in love, they say. Yet in her case, it could as well be the exact opposite. Time, has it passed at all since she last saw him? It could have been five minutes, or it could have been eternity. Regardless, it didn't matter. All that crossed her mind was the simple fact that he hadn't returned yet.
"Don't worry. I will be back."
He had sincerely promised her that, but just words weren't enough to comfort her deteriorated soul. She still remembers that moment when tears couldn't stop falling from her delicate cerulean eyes when he told her about his inevitable departure. He left so little time for her to adjust to this sudden change. Yes, time passed faster then...
And there she was, reluctantly letting go of the warmth in his hands. Standing there, shuddering in the cold, watching his shadow leave. A part of her had left with him, to wherever he was going, where he needed to be. A mission, he had said, and no more. She hadn't sought to find out what exactly he was up to, knowing that she would somehow interfere.
Why me?
He was the perfect soldier, the one who was once the pilot of Wing Zero, and she was the Goddess of love and beauty, the drama queen. Their love was forbidden simply due to their identities. Yet, being practically foils of each other had brought them even closer together. They had managed to carry on without falling apart, to hold their hearts together, and to act as one.
The sun had disappeared below the skyline, leaving bits of red, pink, purple, and orange to its surroundings. Such a beautiful scene were only meant to be seen with a loved one.
I wonder what he is doing now...
She continued to yearn for his return.
He picked up a pen and stared blankly at the sheet of paper that laid in front of him.
What am I doing? I never write letters...
As much as his mind hated to admit it, his heart was bursting with emotions, struggling not to explode. He wanted to place it all on paper, to express his true feelings. But never was he even a remotely talented writer. To say it was hard enough, but to write?
Dear Minako, he began awkwardly. Immediately, his palms were sweating. His fingers shook violently.
"...Dear?" He held up his paper and examined it closely. Surely, he had written that. Strange as it seems, It brought a wry smile onto his face.
Heero closed his eyes and wiped his forehead with the back of his sweating hand. He could almost see her in front of him. Her bright smile, her gentle touch, her beauty as a whole... there and then, he knew exactly what he was going to write. Pen landed on paper and moved swiftly on a mind of its own.
Although having to endure long hours of writing, crossing-out, and rewriting, Heero was extremely satisfied. For that short swing of time, he was free from all distractions, in a world of his own. The words just flowed along smoothly after the first few... no trouble at all. And even though the product definitely wasn't perfect, but it was sealed with a part of his heart. So you can have a part of mine, too. He thought, blushing, happy that no one was there to catch him engulfed by feelings.
Carefully, he took out a clean sheet of paper and wrote a flawless final draft.
Leaning closer to the dim lamp, he read the letter over and over again.
Something is missing.
He frowned and read it one last time before noticing the missing part. Those words that were forbidden to him...
I lo...
No. Scribbling it out, he shook his head violently. What was he thinking? Writing such... emotional things? What have you done to me...? He silently questioned Minako. Why am I so vulnerable now? It suddenly occurred to him that he needed to see her, to hold her, to just... be with her.
I do NOT need you!
In a rage of anger, he torn the letter into pieces.
Days later, Minako received a letter from Heero that appeared torn and then taped back together. But of course, its appearance received no attention from her. The words were what mattered. Those were words directly from her love's heart, something she could live off of for days, or even weeks... She could've framed it, but she chose a better place for it. Carefully placing it under her pillow, she hoped that holding the treasure close to her heart would allow her to carry on until his return.
"Heero." Dr. J's voice echoed in as the slide door opened with a creak.
"What the hell do you want?" He responded coldly.
"Explain this."
Heero turned around, slightly annoyed. While it's his nature to hate being bothered while working, this time, it's for a different reason. His current and last mission was taking much longer to complete than he calculated. At this rate, when do I get to see Minako? To deny that yearn would be to lie.
In the dim light, he could see what the old doctor was holding up.
Shit. My rough draft letter.
He cursed himself for not remembering to throw such a personal evidence away.
"None of your business, old man." He retorted, quickly snatching the wrinkled paper from the doctor's hand and ripped it into tiny pieces.
"Heero." Dr. J started again, "I do not want such things to interfere with your mission."
"She did not..." He mumbled, returning to his laptop.
"Well, you will not have to worry about that anymore. I've taken care of the interference for you." Dr. J spoke in such a way that made Heero twitch. The sound of fingers rhythmically hitting the keyboard stopped as Heero turned around sharply and narrowed his eyes at the doctor.
"What do you mean by that, old man?"
"Tsk. Tsk. Such impoliteness." Dr. J shook his head, "This youngling affected you more than I thought she did. Minako Aino, is it?"
"I said, it's none of your business. Now get out."
"You might as well concentrate on your mission, Heero. She's gone."
"What?!" Distracted for the third time that night, Heero was becoming rather impatient. He did not want to deal with the old man any longer. But those words instantly caught his attention. It struck him inside, and it hurt.
He banged his right fist on the table in a rage. Words do not hurt me!
"What did you do?" He questioned, attempting to remain calm.
His uncertain voice sounded rather like a statement than question.
"Oh, she's not dead, of course..." The doctor's voice faded as the slide door closed behind his back.
Heero sat in his chair motionless for several minutes. What did the old fool do to her? Something jerked within his trepid self. For the first time in his life, his heart noticeably skipped a beat. A sensation flooded over him, one a mix of anxiety and agitation, worry and fear. The war was over and Dr. J was still ordering him to do this, to do that... Does he think that peace will never last more than a blink of an eye? For the old doctor, there was no difference between war and peace. There were always chances of an unexpected attack. Fight when there's a war... and if not... prepare for it.
Beep. Beep.
"Ugh... what..." An annoyed voice mumbled.
Another voice groaned with disgust. "At a time like this? Why, who would --"
Beep. Beep.
Still half asleep, the girl pulled back her long blond hair with one hand as she searched her bed with the other. Her hand stopped at a rectangular object, looking somewhat like a beeper.
"Hello?" She greeted whoever on the other end with a hoarse voice.
"Usagi-chan!" The voice from the other end was trembling with fear.
"Huh?" Overtaken by drowsiness, Usagi rubbed her eyes to take a closer look at who it was.
"Minako-chan?" Luna jumped a mile, "Why are you up so late? Did you discover another new enemy...?"
"Did you... find another cute guy?" Usagi asked jokingly, overlooking the seriousness on Minako's pale face.
"...NO!!!"
Her scream startled them both. Instantly, the demon of sleep had left them.
"What's wrong??" Usagi shouted into the communicator.
"I am stuck in this... this place."
"What?"
"I don't know where I am! I just woke up here a minute ago!!!!" She sounded positively freaked.
"Okay, calm down." Luna instructed, "Tell us your surroundings. I mean, what does it look like? Do you recognize the place?"
Minako looked around. It was a dark, damp place. There wasn't much to see.
"Well, nothing, really." She aimed her communicator at the scenery behind her.
"I can't see anything." Usagi observed.
"There is nothing to see!" Minako pointed out, sighing.
"Do you have the slightest idea of where you are?" Luna asked hopefully.
"No..." Minako shook her head sadly.
"So we'll teleport there." Usagi suggested.
"But we don't know where she is."
"Can't we detect her presence and teleport to wherever she is?"
"Nope... can't do that... our teleportation device doesn't work that way."
"Oh..."
"But we can ask Ami-chan to help us out."
"Right. Minako-chan, stay right there and don't move! I'll contact you after we get Ami-chan."
"Okay... thanks, guys."
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"Nope. No clue where she is." Ami grumbled angrily as she typed away on her computer. "No presence of her is found anywhere within over a million light years!"
"What?" The rest of the senshi cried in unison.
"How is that possible?" Rei questioned in disbelief.
Ami pulled Minako's file onscreen.
----------
NAME: MINAKO AINO
AGE: 19
HAIR color BLONDE
EYE color BLUE
CURRENT LOCATION: UNKNOWN/CANNOT BE DEFINED WITHIN RATIONAL DISTANCE
----------
"How far is 'within rational distance'?" Usagi asked.
"Perhaps the whole universe..." Ami replied.
"So she doesn't exist anymore!?" Makoto exclaimed.
"I can still talk to her with my communicator." Usagi said, confused. "So she's not gone."
The rest of the senshi whipped out their communicators.
"I'm talking to her first."
"NO, me!"
"Hey, I'm the most sensible one, I should talk to her."
"Hey, Usagi, come here."
Amidst all the yelling, Usagi was surprised she could still hear Ami's voice. Ami was pointing to the screen.
----------
CONFIRMING LOCATION...
ACCESS DENIED
----------
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know." Ami clicked some more buttons.
----------
PERMISSION GRANTED TO THE FOLLOWING SIX (6) USERS:
DOCTOR J
HEERO YUY
DUO MAXWELL
QUATRE REBERBA WINNER
TROWA BARTON
WUFEI CHANG
END PERMISSION LIST
----------
"Heero Yuy is that dangerous gundam pilot!" Ami exclaimed.
"The one Minako-chan is crazy about." Usagi added.
"But he's a killer..."
"Wait... Ami-chan, I think I finally know what's going on..."
The door to Heero's dark working lab suddenly opened.
An unconscious impulse turns Heero's head mechanically towards the door. The figure that stood there was small but full of determination. With the green light from his laptop, he could somewhat see her worried expression.
"Minako-chan?" He guessed hopefully in a whisper. An eagerness in his voice disgusted himself.
"Nope. Sorry." The voice was serious... in an innocent kind of way.
"Then who are you?"
"It doesn't matter. Just listen to me. Minako's stuck in some place where you know and have the permission to go to."
So at least she knows Minako.
"I know where she is." Heero whispered.
"What?! Then what are you doing here, still?" The girl cried furiously.
"My permission to go has been erased."
"And the others on that list?"
"All erased."
A soft sound escaped the girl's mouth that Heero couldn't quite distinguish. Could it be despair? Anguish? ...Vexation?
"Must I ask again who you are? And why would you care?"
"...How could I not?"
The mysterious girl swiftly turned around and lightly tossed an object over her shoulder. Heero caught it unwarily, scrutinizing her until her figure disappeared through the door.
What is this weird thing?
Heero stared at the object that the strange had girl left him. It was pink with strange looking buttons reflecting planetary signs. He carefully observed them from left to right. Mercury... Mars... Jupiter... and Venus? The lovely sign of Venus immediately jumped out at him. It was the brightest button of them all... Heero abruptly wondered what would happen if he pressed the sparkling button.
Curiosity took the best of Heero as he pressed the Venus button with trembling fingers.
Beep. Beep.
Could this be... a communicator?!
Each beep gave Heero a new light of hope. Sure, he acted indifferently about Minako early on when her friend was here. But, he knew he cared for her deeply. There was nothing left to deny, nothing left to lie about. For the past several hours, all he's been working on was to find a way to crack into the forbidden space where Minako was locked in. Forget about his mission. This was just far more important.
The beeping rang on. Heero pleaded silently for her to answer his call. He truly wanted to talk to her, to see if she's okay... to just hear her sweet voice...
"Hi, Us -... oh!"
Suddenly, the two went blank. All they could do was to stare at each other and smile.
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"I am not going to be your puppet anymore." Heero stated coldly as he pointed a gun at Dr. J.
The old man barely blinked as his mechanical hand continued to mess with the computer that sat stiffly in front of him.
"I know you too well, Heero."
Unfortunately, that was true. Heero slowly put his hand down, scowling. Dr. J had known that he would never shoot him.
But why can't I? That was the old me you know... I'm not him anymore!
"You ruined my life. Are you satisfied now with that I have become?" Heero questioned as anger began to build up inside of him.
No sound of words came from the old doctor.
"I have changed. You cannot take control of me anymore!" He screamed. The anger previously buried deep inside him has fully erupted, taking control of his consciousness. For once, he acted upon instinct, upon what he himself wanted, what his own heart desired. No longer was he Dr. J's toy, controlled by triggers and strings... he was a new person... a human, what he used to be at youth.
Dr. J finally turned around, "Heero... you would lose your dignity for that girl?"
"I had no dignity. I never did."
Without further hesitation, he firmly held his gun as his hand shot up stiffly once more.
"I will destroy you... I wanted to do so since very long ago. Forgive me."
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The next chapter, chapter three, will probably serve as the final part and conclusion (unless it gets too long). I promise you that it will not take another four months! I really did think about putting all of that here with the second part, but you know how I am with long chapters. Plus I did promise this chapter by the 25th didn't I? I will work hard to finish part three in less than a month, which is a short amount of time for me. Complaining, bickering, or pressuring me will only slow down the process. And meanwhile keep those reviews coming! Comments and suggestions are greatly welcome, although I already know exactly how the last chapter will go! ;)
Thanks again, everyone! I love you all!