"A Carol, Mournful, Holy"
By: Stefanie
***Author's note: I am an evilly bad person. *rg* I'm not quite sure what
inspired this, but I'm just gonna blame my head. ^_~ Um, I guess you'd
call this AU, considering it's a DEATH-FIC! *vrg* Was reading it to
myself and got all choked up, if that's any implication as to *how* angsty
this fic is. Many thanks to Jadey-chan for her help (and the title! ^_^) and
whatnot. Uhm, Gundam Wing isn't mine... ^_^***
Duo Maxwell didn't even bother to cast his violet eyes upon the cold gray
walls of his cell. He'd already memorized every crack and crevice in the
cement three times over. Not like he had anything better to do. No cell-
mates to antagonize... Duo furiously blinked back the tears that threatened
to spill over his bruised cheeks.
He *knew* that anyone who got close to him would die. Hell, everyone
else died; why should they be different? Why did he try to fool himself?
Because they were Gundam pilots? No matter. Gundam or not, no one
escapes from death. Not even them.
Death found Trowa first. One wouldn't think someone like Trowa Barton
would have been the first to die, but Trowa wasn't going to fight back
against Quatre. Granted, the blond pilot was whacked out on that ZERO
system, but Trowa wasn't going to attack. Could you blame him?
Quatre was miserable after that incident. He wasn't even a shadow of his
former self, moping around, putting barely enough concentration in the
missions to get them accomplished. So, on that ship, during that little
"duel" with Dorothy Catalonia, Quatre didn't have enough desire to live in
order to fight her off properly. That, paired with the fact that she, oh,
*stabbed him,* ended the little pilot's life.
Duo curled in on himself the best he could. No matter how much he'd
tried to block those memories from his mind's eye, they constantly
replayed like a bad horror flick's sequels. Of course, had this all just been
a bad horror flick, Duo, in his shock, would have been next on the
deceased list. However, fortunately or unfortunately, this was not a movie.
It was horrid, filthy real life, and Shinigami was not to die today.
The scene in Duo's head switched to Wufei and Treize. That fight was
almost beautiful, had it not in fact been so ugly. Treize and Wufei, both
with their codes of honor, almost "danced" through the inky blackness of
space, turning their personal engagement into more of a ballet than a
battle. But even that which is most beautiful can prove fatal, as it did that
day when Wufei didn't turn quickly enough to dodge the laser beam aimed
for him. Duo was at least grateful that Wufei died in an "honorable" battle,
though Duo could really see nothing "honorable" about this whole mess.
Sighing, Duo allowed his mind to drift to that final battle. OZ figured out
that Heero and Zechs were busy doing their own little thing and one
Gundam against an entire army didn't stand much of a chance. Heero and
Zechs had their little rematch which left Wing Gundam in such a pitiful
shape that Duo was surprised it lasted as long as it did. Maybe that's
because Heero Yuy was the pilot, Duo thought sadly. Duo wryly thanked
whoever needed to be thanked that he'd been rendered unconscious by
that time and was therefore unable to witness the end of Heero Yuy's life.
Duo fumed in anger at the fact that, once again, the self-destruct button on
his Gundam failed to work. He was right: anyone who got close to him
died, but Shinigami *can't* die, which is why Duo Maxwell sat in his cell.
Duo bitterly wished they would kill him. With four Gundams pilots
dead and himself locked away, the war was pretty much over. OZ took
*everything* from him. His home, his childhood, this cause, his...
friends? Had Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Heero become *friends* of Duo
Maxwell? Too little, too late, he thought grimly. They traded his
clothes for those of the drab gray prisoner variety. They even took his
braid. Duo grimaced at the memory...
He'd awoke from his unconscious state to find himself in the firm grasps
of several OZ soldiers. Once he realized that another held his hair and a
pair of scissors, they'd called for more soldiers to hold down the kicking
and screaming pilot. As the soldier sliced off his hair, it felt as if he'd
sliced off Duo's arm, it hurt so much. With those scissors, OZ had taken
literally everything from Duo. He didn't even have his past life to which
he could cling anymore. That braid held his life on L2, and now... it really
was gone.
Duo winced as the blunt flaps brushed along his jawbone. For the
millionth time today he tucked his hair behind his ear, stifling a sob as the
prickly strands poked at his fingers. How *could* they? The rational part
of him knew the "why:" he could hide lock picks in his braid, and with the
removal of the braid also went his supply of picks and escape route. Still,
Duo couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that OZ had finally taken
*everything* from him.
A slight noise from behind the door brought Duo out of his depressing
thoughts and back to his even more depressing reality. The door opened,
flooding Duo's small cell with the glaring fluorescent light of the hallway.
When Duo's eyes finally adjusted to the sudden change of brightness, he
didn't bother hiding his contempt for the figure standing there. "You'll
forgive me if I don't bow," he sneered.
Lady Une looked down at the boy. "I wasn't expecting you to."
There was an uncomfortable silence in which neither person spoke. Duo
finally broke the quiet. "What do you want?"
"His Excellency requested I speak with you," Lady Une answered.
"Fine." Duo turned from her. "Treize sent you here to speak, so speak. Say
what you gotta say, then get hell out."
"You don't seem to be in the position to order anyone, 02."
Duo snarled as he leapt to his feet and charged at the woman. Fortunately
for Lady Une, the shackles around Duo's wrists prevented him from
travelling any further than two feet from the wall. This, however, did not
prevent him from screaming at her. "You bitch! Your 'Excellency's' little
organization killed them! I don't wanna speak to you, or to him or to any
of you OZ bastards, so just go!" he cried, tears spilling down his cheeks as
he fought against his chains. "Just go..." he sobbed. He didn't care if
anyone saw him cry anymore.
Lady Une calmly stood her ground and allowed Duo to finish. Once he
had composed himself a bit she crossed over to a small bench on the
opposite side of the cell. "You assume it is Treize who caused all of this?"
she asked.
"OZ did, and Treize is OZ, so yeah."
"You believe Treize Khushrenada to be ruthless and cold-hearted?" She
received no answer. "You think he relishes all this death and destruction?"
Duo was silent. "Well Maxwell, try looking at this from the other side.
Five boys wreaking havoc. Five renegades, blowing up and killing
countless machines and people. Five *children* who, because things were
not going their way, took it into their own hands to 'make things right' for
the colonies-"
"We had to make things right because they were wrong!" Duo shot back.
"You, sitting in your nice homes, with plenty to eat and not ever having to
watch your back hoping you didn't find a knife in it..."
Another silence followed this outburst. After about five minutes, it was
Lady Une who spoke. "It appears that neither side has taken the time to
properly judge the other."
"We had our missions."
"And we had our roles to play, our scripts to follow."
"Too bad neither side knew how to properly compromise, huh?"
Lady Une nodded her agreement. "But that is not what I was sent to
discuss."
Duo waited for her to continue; when she didn't, he cocked his head to the
side in curiosity. "Say whatcha gotta say," he muttered.
Standing, Lady Une pulled a syringe out of her pocket. "You have a
choice to make, Maxwell."
Duo rested his eyes on the vial she held. "Let me guess. I can rot here
forever, or you can shoot that stuff into me and kill me."
"Actually no. You *will* be executed, but the choice is when and how,"
she explained in her calm alto.
"Okay..." Duo said. "Now would be the injection. Later would be...?"
"Public execution. Firing squad, actually."
Duo rested his chained wrists on his knees. "I don't suppose I get to sleep
on it?" The look on Lady Une's face told him the answer was "no" - he
had to make his decision now.
Exposing the underside of his left arm, he locked eyes with Lady Une.
"There is no way you people are going to display me like some trophy.
Give me the injection."
Lady Une gently took his arm, then, with a sigh, plunged the needle into
the vein.
The poison shot through him like fire, but Duo felt no pain, even though
he knew he was dying. So this is how Shinigami goes. He closed his
eyes and allowed himself to look at the images playing there.
There was Trowa and his mysterious emerald eyes, hiding so much...
Quatre, bright eyes and innocent smile, always willing to help those in
need...
Wufei and his endless pursuit of justice...
And Heero. That crazy fool whom Duo found himself thinking about
every day. Even with his "omae o korosu," Duo still found it to be a
personal gain whenever Heero appeared semi-human...
Duo could see them, waiting for him...
Lady Une watched as Duo's face settled into the peaceful slumber of
death. Blinking back a few times a wetness from her eyes that *couldn't*
be tears, she unchained his wrists and left the cell.
~owari~
By: Stefanie
***Author's note: I am an evilly bad person. *rg* I'm not quite sure what
inspired this, but I'm just gonna blame my head. ^_~ Um, I guess you'd
call this AU, considering it's a DEATH-FIC! *vrg* Was reading it to
myself and got all choked up, if that's any implication as to *how* angsty
this fic is. Many thanks to Jadey-chan for her help (and the title! ^_^) and
whatnot. Uhm, Gundam Wing isn't mine... ^_^***
Duo Maxwell didn't even bother to cast his violet eyes upon the cold gray
walls of his cell. He'd already memorized every crack and crevice in the
cement three times over. Not like he had anything better to do. No cell-
mates to antagonize... Duo furiously blinked back the tears that threatened
to spill over his bruised cheeks.
He *knew* that anyone who got close to him would die. Hell, everyone
else died; why should they be different? Why did he try to fool himself?
Because they were Gundam pilots? No matter. Gundam or not, no one
escapes from death. Not even them.
Death found Trowa first. One wouldn't think someone like Trowa Barton
would have been the first to die, but Trowa wasn't going to fight back
against Quatre. Granted, the blond pilot was whacked out on that ZERO
system, but Trowa wasn't going to attack. Could you blame him?
Quatre was miserable after that incident. He wasn't even a shadow of his
former self, moping around, putting barely enough concentration in the
missions to get them accomplished. So, on that ship, during that little
"duel" with Dorothy Catalonia, Quatre didn't have enough desire to live in
order to fight her off properly. That, paired with the fact that she, oh,
*stabbed him,* ended the little pilot's life.
Duo curled in on himself the best he could. No matter how much he'd
tried to block those memories from his mind's eye, they constantly
replayed like a bad horror flick's sequels. Of course, had this all just been
a bad horror flick, Duo, in his shock, would have been next on the
deceased list. However, fortunately or unfortunately, this was not a movie.
It was horrid, filthy real life, and Shinigami was not to die today.
The scene in Duo's head switched to Wufei and Treize. That fight was
almost beautiful, had it not in fact been so ugly. Treize and Wufei, both
with their codes of honor, almost "danced" through the inky blackness of
space, turning their personal engagement into more of a ballet than a
battle. But even that which is most beautiful can prove fatal, as it did that
day when Wufei didn't turn quickly enough to dodge the laser beam aimed
for him. Duo was at least grateful that Wufei died in an "honorable" battle,
though Duo could really see nothing "honorable" about this whole mess.
Sighing, Duo allowed his mind to drift to that final battle. OZ figured out
that Heero and Zechs were busy doing their own little thing and one
Gundam against an entire army didn't stand much of a chance. Heero and
Zechs had their little rematch which left Wing Gundam in such a pitiful
shape that Duo was surprised it lasted as long as it did. Maybe that's
because Heero Yuy was the pilot, Duo thought sadly. Duo wryly thanked
whoever needed to be thanked that he'd been rendered unconscious by
that time and was therefore unable to witness the end of Heero Yuy's life.
Duo fumed in anger at the fact that, once again, the self-destruct button on
his Gundam failed to work. He was right: anyone who got close to him
died, but Shinigami *can't* die, which is why Duo Maxwell sat in his cell.
Duo bitterly wished they would kill him. With four Gundams pilots
dead and himself locked away, the war was pretty much over. OZ took
*everything* from him. His home, his childhood, this cause, his...
friends? Had Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Heero become *friends* of Duo
Maxwell? Too little, too late, he thought grimly. They traded his
clothes for those of the drab gray prisoner variety. They even took his
braid. Duo grimaced at the memory...
He'd awoke from his unconscious state to find himself in the firm grasps
of several OZ soldiers. Once he realized that another held his hair and a
pair of scissors, they'd called for more soldiers to hold down the kicking
and screaming pilot. As the soldier sliced off his hair, it felt as if he'd
sliced off Duo's arm, it hurt so much. With those scissors, OZ had taken
literally everything from Duo. He didn't even have his past life to which
he could cling anymore. That braid held his life on L2, and now... it really
was gone.
Duo winced as the blunt flaps brushed along his jawbone. For the
millionth time today he tucked his hair behind his ear, stifling a sob as the
prickly strands poked at his fingers. How *could* they? The rational part
of him knew the "why:" he could hide lock picks in his braid, and with the
removal of the braid also went his supply of picks and escape route. Still,
Duo couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that OZ had finally taken
*everything* from him.
A slight noise from behind the door brought Duo out of his depressing
thoughts and back to his even more depressing reality. The door opened,
flooding Duo's small cell with the glaring fluorescent light of the hallway.
When Duo's eyes finally adjusted to the sudden change of brightness, he
didn't bother hiding his contempt for the figure standing there. "You'll
forgive me if I don't bow," he sneered.
Lady Une looked down at the boy. "I wasn't expecting you to."
There was an uncomfortable silence in which neither person spoke. Duo
finally broke the quiet. "What do you want?"
"His Excellency requested I speak with you," Lady Une answered.
"Fine." Duo turned from her. "Treize sent you here to speak, so speak. Say
what you gotta say, then get hell out."
"You don't seem to be in the position to order anyone, 02."
Duo snarled as he leapt to his feet and charged at the woman. Fortunately
for Lady Une, the shackles around Duo's wrists prevented him from
travelling any further than two feet from the wall. This, however, did not
prevent him from screaming at her. "You bitch! Your 'Excellency's' little
organization killed them! I don't wanna speak to you, or to him or to any
of you OZ bastards, so just go!" he cried, tears spilling down his cheeks as
he fought against his chains. "Just go..." he sobbed. He didn't care if
anyone saw him cry anymore.
Lady Une calmly stood her ground and allowed Duo to finish. Once he
had composed himself a bit she crossed over to a small bench on the
opposite side of the cell. "You assume it is Treize who caused all of this?"
she asked.
"OZ did, and Treize is OZ, so yeah."
"You believe Treize Khushrenada to be ruthless and cold-hearted?" She
received no answer. "You think he relishes all this death and destruction?"
Duo was silent. "Well Maxwell, try looking at this from the other side.
Five boys wreaking havoc. Five renegades, blowing up and killing
countless machines and people. Five *children* who, because things were
not going their way, took it into their own hands to 'make things right' for
the colonies-"
"We had to make things right because they were wrong!" Duo shot back.
"You, sitting in your nice homes, with plenty to eat and not ever having to
watch your back hoping you didn't find a knife in it..."
Another silence followed this outburst. After about five minutes, it was
Lady Une who spoke. "It appears that neither side has taken the time to
properly judge the other."
"We had our missions."
"And we had our roles to play, our scripts to follow."
"Too bad neither side knew how to properly compromise, huh?"
Lady Une nodded her agreement. "But that is not what I was sent to
discuss."
Duo waited for her to continue; when she didn't, he cocked his head to the
side in curiosity. "Say whatcha gotta say," he muttered.
Standing, Lady Une pulled a syringe out of her pocket. "You have a
choice to make, Maxwell."
Duo rested his eyes on the vial she held. "Let me guess. I can rot here
forever, or you can shoot that stuff into me and kill me."
"Actually no. You *will* be executed, but the choice is when and how,"
she explained in her calm alto.
"Okay..." Duo said. "Now would be the injection. Later would be...?"
"Public execution. Firing squad, actually."
Duo rested his chained wrists on his knees. "I don't suppose I get to sleep
on it?" The look on Lady Une's face told him the answer was "no" - he
had to make his decision now.
Exposing the underside of his left arm, he locked eyes with Lady Une.
"There is no way you people are going to display me like some trophy.
Give me the injection."
Lady Une gently took his arm, then, with a sigh, plunged the needle into
the vein.
The poison shot through him like fire, but Duo felt no pain, even though
he knew he was dying. So this is how Shinigami goes. He closed his
eyes and allowed himself to look at the images playing there.
There was Trowa and his mysterious emerald eyes, hiding so much...
Quatre, bright eyes and innocent smile, always willing to help those in
need...
Wufei and his endless pursuit of justice...
And Heero. That crazy fool whom Duo found himself thinking about
every day. Even with his "omae o korosu," Duo still found it to be a
personal gain whenever Heero appeared semi-human...
Duo could see them, waiting for him...
Lady Une watched as Duo's face settled into the peaceful slumber of
death. Blinking back a few times a wetness from her eyes that *couldn't*
be tears, she unchained his wrists and left the cell.
~owari~
