Just to let all of you know, I used an excerpt from my other story Midnight Madness. That also means I used one of its characters. The only thing I own is that character and this story, not Gundam Wing! (Why do we always have to write disclaimers?!)
The Dawn of A New Age – Part III
It started out in the forest. He was depressed—he had just left the mercenary business. Time to start a new life. No-Name was no longer a mercenary. All he could seem to do was wander, but somehow, he was drawn to this forest. Then he heard the sweet, lilting melody. Any thought of getting out of the forest fled his mind. He was irresistibly attracted to the song. So he followed it. He wasn't disappointed. A tiny figure, if you wanted to call her that, was perched in the highest branches of a tree. Her hair was spun gold, and it glinted in the rays of sunlight that found their ways through the trees. She wore a dress of the purest white, and she was sitting up in the as if she hadn't a care in the world. In her hands was a tiny flute, which, as she raised it to her lips, played such a heart-breaking song that all the animals of the forest seemed to swarm around her. He watched, fascinated, as the wooden but delicate flute played notes that would pierce the soul. They pierced his.
It turned out she was a forest nymph, but a human-looking one. Her father was mortal. He didn't care. He had finally found happiness, and the hole in his heart was filled. Xaphanis, the pixie's name, was, to him, perfect. Until the war.
The Alliance was only the beginning, but this time was as bad as any. She fled, terrified of the war and the violence. His heart was shattered. No-Name became a mechanic for Heavyarms, and eventually piloted it. He and the other Gundam pilots fought through all the violence and bloodshed until they detonated their Gundams. Catherine, whom he suspected was his long-lost sister, helped him repair part of his heart. But one portion would remain sealed-off forever. Or so he thought.
Everyday after the circus shows, he would wander out in the forest in search for her. But she never came. Despair blackened his heart, and only Catherine and the Gundam pilots suspended him from death. But he kept on searching day after day.
One day was different. He was just about to leave the forest when he saw a small flash of white and an abrupt song. She was back.
* * *
"Xaphanis!" Trowa felt elated—his heart soared with joy. He sat down impatiently, looking up. It was a good thing he did.
"Catch!" Xaphanis, a blur of compact white and gold, flung herself into Trowa's waiting arms.
"Xaphanis, Xaphanis, you're finally back! What took you so long? Do you know how much I missed you?"
She began to sob. "I couldn't, No-Name—"
"Trowa."
"—I couldn't! Do you have any idea how scared I was? If the trees died, so would I!"
He was taken aback. "You need them that much?"
Her mouth turned into a cute pout. "I am a nymph after all. You're just lucking I'm not green."
Trowa laughed. "I guess you're right." He pulled Xaphanis into his arms, never wanting to let her go. The time came way to soon.
Xaphanis became alarmed and began to struggle after only a few moments. "The trees, Trowa, the trees! They're telling me to get to safety. Come on!"
She led him through the forest, arriving at a massive redwood, which, apparently, was her home. Xaphanis pulled him into the redwood and tugged him down into a chamber below the roots.
The space under the roots was so cramped Trowa found himself moving toward Xaphanis. Her lips parted slightly and he leaned down to kiss her. The whole ground started to rumble and a part of the miniscule chamber collapsed.
So close…