Ok, this is the first chpt in my series. You don't have to read the prologue to understand this, but you might get confused in later fics.
Disclaimer- I don't own Gundam Wing, why must we do this in every fanfiction? I just don't get it.
She walked on with heavy feet, and a even heavier heart. Her gundam had missed it's mark and crash landed in the middle of nowhere. The only thing she had was a crisp ten dollar bill, and much good that would do her. She had no food, and no water. Her throat ached for water, her stomach ached for food, and her feet just plain ached, but she was used to pain, used to hunger, and she knew that, no matter how hard she would try, she couldn't die. So she walked on, and when she saw a house in the distance, she barely even acknowledged it, for she really didn't care. She just kept on walking. Soon the house began to grow larger and she could think of nothing more but to rest her aching feet and to cease the dryness in her throat, but the closer she got, the weaker she got. Just as she got to the house, just as her knees gave way, she whispered, "can you see me now, Dark Angel, Angel of Death?"
~
"Probably just from exhaustion, by her blistered feet and dirty clothes, it looks like she's been walking......hey, I think she's waking up!" She opened her eyes to see a smiling blond-haired boy looking down at her. "Hello, my name in Quatre Rabarba Winner, we found you outside this house, you look thirsty, would you like some tea?" She nodded gratefully thinking- sheese Quatre, how many complete thoughts can you put into one sentence? Quatre, on the other hand, was thinking- she's really pretty, what jerk I must sound like- rambling on and on. Then a loud ringing sound filled the air. "Shoot, I forgot about the chicken!" Quatre yelled as he dashed out of the room. What a great first impression I'm giving her, first I sound like a jerk, then I burn the food, next thing I know I'll be spilling tea down her shirt, he thought as he ran into the kitchen and began to beat the chicken with a towel. After a minute of beating, he decided the fire was out and he turned around and saw the girl staring at the chicken. She looked at him.
"It's not out yet," she said simply. He turned around and looked at the still burning chicken. Quatre grabbed the towel, started beating, gave up, and dumped a bucket of water on it. "I don't usually burn food," he said as he turned towards the girl.
"I know," she replied.
"Really, how?"
"Well, if you burnt food a lot, you would know by now that a fire extinguisher usually works better than a towel." Quatre felt like crying.
She knew she had hurt him, she knew he felt like crying, but she didn't care. She might, If she remembered what it was like to be hurt, but she didn't. A long time ago, the pain in her heart had hurt so much that it consumed her completely, and that she hadn't cared whether she lived or died, but now the pain was gone, her heart was gone, and all that was left was an empty space and a memory that was pushed to the back of her mind, that emerged at certain times, when certain things happened, but now it was forgotten.
Both were silent, neither knowing what to say or do, until she broke the silence by saying, "this is a very beautiful place." What a lame statement.
"Uh, thank you." This is going real well. "Do you play an instrument?" Quatre asked, trying to start conversation.
"Yah, I can play pretty much anything, but I'm best in guitar."
"Really! I have a guitar, and I play violin, do you want to play?"
"Uh, sure, I guess." Oh gosh, I'm going to make a fool out of myself- I haven't played since I was seven- I'm going to sound awful.
~
"Wow, how many instruments do you have?" She asked in amazement, staring at the wall of instruments in front of her.
"11, I think."
"Do you play all of them?"
"No, only violin."
"Well then, please tell me why you have all these instruments if you only play one?"
"I have no idea." Why do I have all of these if I can only play one? "Well, here's the guitar."
She gently picked up the guitar and placed it on her lap, and begun to strum, then hit a sour note and cringed. "This has never been played before, has it?"
"How can you tell?"
"It's way out tune," she replied as she began to fiddle with the knobs. She strummed again, and this time it sounded perfect. She began to play, first scales, then a steady rhythm. As she played, Quatre noticed her mouthing words.
"Do you sing also? You can if you want, I don't mind." She simple glanced up at him, then continued playing, but this time she began to sing softly, the louder as she gained her confidence.
Quatre was mesmerized by her. She looked so happy, so peaceful. And so beautiful. He looked at her, memorizing her features. Her long brown hair that was pulled back in a braid that stretched all the way down to her ankles. Her eyes that were so blue, they seemed almost unreal. Her lanky figure that looked as though she hadn't had a decent meal for months. Her baggy shirt and pants that hid any types of girlish curves that she might have.
Then her singing slowed, the guitar music stopped, and silence rang through the air. Quatre stood up and began the applaud like an idiot. "That was really good!"
"Really, I didn't notice," she replied, but Quatre saw her cheeks grow red and her mouth that was trying hard not to smile. She does have feelings, she just doesn't like to show them.
She got up and gently placed the guitar on the stand, but Quatre noticed a definite look of longing in her eyes. Now that she was standing, Quatre noticed for the first time how short she was- almost a head smaller than him. "How old are you?"
"Ummm," she paused to think she never really thought about that, never really cared, "thirteen."
"Really, you look older," Quatre remarked. And she did. Her face looked so tired and worn. Her eyes were so sad- so distant- and seemed to hold a million stories- all to sad to bare.
Her eyes had been alive before, but now they were sad and cloudy again. Quatre just couldn't bare it. So he hugged her, not bothering to think of the consequences.
She just stood there for a minute, stunned, then hugged Quatre back. Then went ridged, pulled away, and reached for a gun that wasn't there. "Did you take my gun," she whispered to Quatre.
"Yah, why?" A shot ran through the air as a bullet nearly missed his arm.
"That's why," she yelled as she ran towards the sound. Quatre followed. They both stopped dead in their tracks as a man popped out of nowhere, aiming a gun at her chest. (No, it's not the murderer come back to life) He stepped back, then fired. Quatre expected her to fall down dead, but she didn't. She started to glow a pale purple that grew brighter and brighter until Quatre had to close his eyes. Then when the light dimmed- Quatre opened his eyes just in time to catch the girl, who had fainted.
~
She knew what was going to happen- she knew she was going to dream about what happened on that fateful night that destroyed her soul. And she knew she could do nothing but let it play through.................
First came the sense- the sense that something was wrong. That was what woke Anya up, not the smell, but the sense. She opened her eyes and looked around. Then she noticed the smell. It smelt like the day when Daddy tried to cook and set the stove on fire, only it smelt much stronger. And it made it hard for Anya to breath. She jumped off her bed and ran over to the door, then jumped back. The doorknob was hot. Not terribly hot, but hotter than she expected. Anya carefully opened the door, and then jumped back in fear. There was fire outside her door. Everywhere. She cautiously walked outside her room, clutching a rag doll to her chest. "Mommy, Daddy? Where are you? I'm really scared." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Mommy?"
"Anya!"
"MOMMY!!" Anya shrieked as she ran towards the sound, then stopped in her tracks as the sound was replaced by and ear-shattering scream. Anya dashed towards her mother, then stopped again, but for a different reasen. Not fear, but horror. For she was seeing what no human should ever have to see, especially not a child of seven. Death by fire. She was hearing her screams of pain. She was seeing the anguish on her face. She was seeing her eyes desperately looking at her, drilling holes into her heart. She was seeing her mother die. And then, just as her mother's screams stopped, she looked past Anya, as if she couldn't see her. And then she died. "Please don't leave me behind," Anya whispered. She remembered stories of a beautiful place that you went after you died, called Heaven. "Take me to Heaven with you. Anya stepped into the flames and waited patiently. But nothing happened. She lifted her hand and stared at it in horror as the flames licked at her fingers. She felt nothing but a gently tingling tingling- no pain. "Am I real? Mother couldn't see me. Death couldn't see me. Am I real? No, I am not real, I am a nothing." Then she took off running away from the burning building.
That one night changed her completely. She had lost all of the innocence she had managed to keep in a time when the world was begging for salvation. And she had lost her will to live. She lived on the streets now, absently staring off into space. Unlike the other homeless children who stole food and money- she didn't. She realized now that it was a miracle that she survived at all. People would walk by, see her starving figure, and give her food, simple as that. Until one day a old man walked by. He was a very strange man, and she found herself openly staring a what appeared to be a robotic hand. "I've been watching you for quit some time, and I'm amazed that you're not dead. I have a job for you to do." He held out his non-robotic hand and she took it- sensing her destiny. Together they walked of into the distance and her training as Gundam Pilot 06- pilot of the gundam Guardian Angel, began.
~
She awoke with a start and looked around. Her eyes stopped on Quatre, who was sleeping soundly in a chair. A soft, sad smile spread to her lips. I'm really going to miss him. She knew she had to leave- she had a mission to fulfil. It was different from that of the other pilots- her mission was to watch over the gundam pilots, make sure they stay on track. The longer she stayed with Quatre- the harder it would be to leave and look after the other four.
So she would have to leave. Right now.
She turned around and walked outside. "Wait," Quatre called, "where are you going?"
"Away, I have other places to go."
"Will I ever see you again?"
"Yes, one day all of us gundam pilots will be together."
"All of us... you mean, you're a gundam pilot too?"
"Yes."
"What is your name?"
"My name burned away along with the rest of my life, but you may call me whatever you like."
Quatre thought for a minute. "Rhia, I'm going to call you Rhia."
"Alright then, my name is Rhia, and for now- goodbye Quatre-chan, until we meet again."
~
"Hey, Rashid, what does Quatre-chan mean?"
"I believe it is a Japanese way of saying that she likes you."
"Well, that's good," Quatre replied as he looked out in the direction that Rhia had walked in, "that's good."
~
Author's note- Well, what did you think? Good? Bad? Don't care? PLEASE REVIEW.
Oh, and by the way, I probable won't be able to submit another fic. until Fri. because Mom has this stupid rule that I can only go on the Internet on Fri, Sat, and Sun. [Gives her mom the famous Heero Yoy Death Glare with her supper wall penetrating eyes. Mom looks up and then shrinks back in fear.] So.................bye!!!!
P.S. Don't ask about the "glowing Rhia" incidence, I'll get into that later.