Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing
-This part is kinda sad. This is one story that will get better as you read it. In content as well as….
Mission of Mercy
Chapter 2 'Crash'
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"A horrible plane crash occurred just a few hours ago. The 457 flight to Hawaii crashed into the ocean for unknown reasons only an hour into the flight. They were to check into the Dallas Airport to change planes, but for some reason no one ever received a distress signal and they went searching for the plane only to find it had crashed in the ocean hours before. The wreckage was sticking out of the water, somehow staying afloat. It's unclear if there are any survivors, and still the airline is contacting families with the horrible news."
The TV was only background noise as Noin clutched the phone her knuckled white and tears streaming down her cheeks. "But, but you don't know for sure yet?" She asked desperately. "Okay," She nodded her head and choked. "I understand, we'll be right down." Noin put the phone back on the receiver and tried to calm her raging heart.
'Relena and Hilde were most likely dead.' She couldn't take it. She had let them get on the plane she had let them leave, only to die. She gulped and remembered Milliardo. He was asleep in the other room trying his best to calm himself. He had been worrying about Relena all night. 'How am I going to tell him.' She pleaded. 'How can I tell him that his only sister is, is probably dead.' Noin closed her eyes and tried to push the tears back, but her emotions had been out of control since she found out she was pregnant and she couldn't seem to control them at all now. She straitened her posture and tried to pull her chin up. It seemed like the bedroom was miles away as she forced herself toward it. 'God help me.' She pleaded as her hand hovered above the knob. She didn't want to tell him. She swallowed one more time and opened the door. Immediately Milliardo sat up and looked at her.
"What's wrong?" He asked immediate concern on his face. He moved to her side and pulled her into a hug. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, Milliardo." She sobbed. "They called…the plane…" This wasn't how she wanted to tell him. She cleared her throat and tried again. "The airline called honey, and, and Relena and Hilde's plane went down in the Pacific Ocean only an hour into the flight." She fell onto his chest not wanting to see the expression on his face. "I'm so sorry." She moaned. "I'm so sorry." She felt his grip on her tighten and then she heard his sobs join hers. They stood like that for a long time trying to find comfort in the others embrace. Finally he pulled away from her his eyes red and swollen.
"We have to call Duo, they won't call him, and Hilde doesn't have any other family." Noin nodded and looked at him pleadingly. "I'll call him." He said taking the silent plea.
Before long all three of them were gathered in the airport. Duo was trying his best to be optimistic. "They're still not sure on the survivors." He said for about the thousandth time. It was like that phrase someone how made the hurt less and the wait more bearable. All around them were people waiting just like they were. Waiting to know the future of their loved ones. "Dammit, they take too long." Duo complained and fidgeted in his chair. "The least they could do is serve us some food." He tried his best to smile; to give Noin and Milliardo on of his no-worries expressions but it wouldn't come and his face fell once again on the verge of tears. 'Why did I never tell her?' He asked himself and closed his eyes. 'Why did I wait, maybe if I'd told her she wouldn't be gone right now, and jousan, she can't be gone she's peace. Without her…' His mind stopped at an announcer's voice came over the AP system.
"Attention, I'm so incredibly sorry for this wait, but we have news and would like to speak to you all personally." The voice stopped abruptly and Duo looked toward the people who were starting to follow a worker to the back of the airport. His feet were frozen to the carpeted floor. He didn't think he could take it if she was dead. Just when he thought he would drown in despair and doubt a comforting arm was around his shoulders.
"Come on Duo. If we don't go we'll never know what happened." Noin told him and pulled him close.
Suddenly he didn't feel twenty-two years old. He felt like he was eight years old and behind the door he would find the mutilated bodies of Father Maxwell and Sister Helen. He kept walking though. He kept walking toward, what he knew would be an awful fate. He leaned into Noin's embrace and for once depended on someone else. He needed her there. He needed someone to help him. When all of them were assembled in the small white room a solemn man stepped out in front of them.
"I'm sorry." He started and was unable to make eye contact with the people. "There were no survivors. I'm sorry. We will find out what happened though." He promised them. "I promise you that much." He didn't know what else to say as the room was filled with sobs of pain and even some threats made by angered families.
Duo didn't hear anything but the grim verdict. 'No survivors.' He was alone. Again he was alone. Duo turned to his side everyone was embracing someone else, and there he stood by himself no one to hug him in sorrow. Noin and Milliardo embraced each other and all he could do was wrap his arm around himself and try and push the tears back as the fell one after the other down his face. 'No survivors.' His mind echoed. 'No survivors.'
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Heero turned off the TV when the reporter announced with mock sympathy that there were no survivors from flight 547 to Hawaii. 'No survivors.' His voice repeated again and again as he was plunged into darkness with the light of the television no longer there to illuminate his world. 'I should have told her.' He moaned as the darkness surrounded him and robbed him of all hope. He didn't notice the tears as the fell from his eyes until it was too late. He was too broken to care that he was crying and too weak to stop them. He finally had succumbed to his emotions. He always knew he would some day, but never like this in this situation. Silently he curled his body onto his couch and put his hands on his head as the tears fell with no sign of stopping. He was lost and this time saw no way to reach the light again. His hope his angel was gone.
Heero was only awakened by a knock on his door. He didn't know how long he had lain on the couch. Constant phone calls had awakened him at first, but soon not even they could encourage him to open his eyes. The knock brought him back though. He wasn't going to get it he was going to let whoever it was knock as much as they wanted until they left. He didn't expect whoever it was to come into his house. He heard the door open and immediately sat up trying to attain some sense of who he had been. It was impossible though. He was lost, and he could never go back.
"Hey, Heero I know your home."
Heero knew the voice, it was Duo. Duo who had been his friend when no one else wanted to. The only person who knew he liked Relena, besides Quatre, which he guessed, had been doing the calling. "Go away." He mumbled and was surprised how scratchy and hopeless his voice sounded even to himself.
"No can do buddy." He called and entered the room. It was dim even though it was early afternoon.
Heero had pulled the shades that night and didn't bother to open them and welcome another day. He didn't want to do anything for a while.
"I know you know what happened. That was two days ago man, and the funeral is today."
Heero felt his weight sink down in the couch beside him. "I tried to call you, everyone did." He paused for a second and Heero was tempted to look at him, but wouldn't let himself do it. "You have to get up."
Heero turned his head farther away from his friend. He didn't want to face him didn't want him to know that he'd been crying since he'd heard that he wanted to die without Relena. He didn't want to face the fact that he'd let her slip away from him. He didn't want anything to do with reality. "Go away." He told him and frowned at the sound of his voice. 'Broken, full of emotion.'
"You can't hide Heero. You need to face this head on." Duo told him and put his hand on Heero's shoulder. "We're all here for you."
Heero pulled himself from Duo's grasp. "I don't need anyone." He mumbled.
"Oh, really." Duo ventured. "Then why are you sitting here in the dark feeling like your life is over. That is if you don't need anyone. Don't tell me you're sick. I know what's wrong with you because the same thing is wrong with me. I realized what a mistake I made. I waited too long to tell her, just like you did. You feel guilty, just like I do."
Heero turned to look at his friend and realized he didn't look much different. The once happy-go-lucky pilot's eyes were clouded with misery and more than anything guilt. Not only that but they were red. Tears, so the God of Death does cry. Heero felt a certain kinship with him more than he had ever let on. "I don't know if I can live." He mumbled as he looked at Duo hoping to find some since of guidance.
"I wonder the same thing." He confided and looked at the ground. "The funeral is in two hours. Are you coming?"
Heero nodded. "I'll come." He watched as Duo rose from the couch.
"Duo?" He asked. "Do you think she knew?" He held his breath as he waited for an answer.
Duo looked at him with solemn eyes. "Do you think Hilde knew."
Heero couldn't answer him, but he did know that if Duo left he wouldn't get up again. "You want to stay until it's time to go." He asked. Duo didn't answer, but sat back down beside him.
"You think people ever get through the pain." He asked Duo.
This time Duo had an answer. He had been through loss before. "You will, we will. I know that much. One day we'll look back and won't be able to believe how bad we were." He told him. "I know what it is to experience loss and only time will make the hurt less."
Heero didn't have anything else to say, but let Duo take over the conversation. He talked about everything but Relena and Hilde. The talking, for once, actually soothed him and he found he was able to focus on other things. With a friend the pain wasn't as great.
So what do you think? Sad? I know. *sniffs* I wrote it. *Sniffs again* I need to stop being so sad.
