Author's Notes: Beta readers are wonderful people. So are reviewers. *hugs* I don't own anything except for the plot, and you're bonkers if you think I do. REVIEW!!!!
Quote of the Week: "Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures." I don't know who said it first, but I give credit to Sir Moogle, AKA Mark. *huggles*
That's What it Takes - Chapter 1
By: Eternal Rose
"Are you guys ready?" Quatre Raberba Winner, pilot of the Gundam Sandrock, asked his fellow pilots. One by one, the other three nodded back. "Then here we go."
The year is After Colony 196. The Christmas Eve of AC195 marked the end of the war between Earth and the Colonies, ushering in a new era of peace with the birth of the Earth Sphere United Nation. By AC196, the weapons used during the war had been abolished in the Earth Sphere. Nevertheless, war and strife never disappeared completely...
The Gundam pilot Heero Yuy has been missing for over a month. His curious absence began almost immediately following the mysterious death of Tsukino Usagi. The others have all begun to fear that he may be injured, dead, or simply gone forever, never to return. However, they now have an even bigger problem on their hands as the few months of peace is shattered. For the first time in a long time, the pilots have been sent on a mission that without Wing Zero promises to be exceedingly difficult.
"Why did this have to happen now?" Duo whined over the communication system. "Me and Makoto were going to go out tonight. I had it all planned and everything."
"Shut up Duo." Wufei said, shaking his head. They were all flying towards Colony L4 on orders to destroy a base. To say the least, Dr. J had been more than a little upset when he discovered that Heero was no longer with them and no one knew how to reach him. So far as anyone knew, Heero still received his email, but for all of the letters they had sent, not one had gotten a response.
"We're almost there." Trowa informed them. "Be prepared for a tough battle. The scientists said it would be hard, and that was when they still thought Heero would be coming with us."
Slowly, the base came into sight. It had been built into the side of a cliff, and only the entrance was visible. As they approached, it quickly became obvious that the site had a radar detection system, because a large amount of mobile suits were suddenly flying out of the base towards them.
"Trowa, you infiltrate the base. We'll hold off the suits until you get back, but try and be quick." Quatre instructed. "Stay safe and come back alive, ne?"
Trowa nodded and disappeared off the comm link system. His Gundam Heavy Arms landed high atop the cliff, and remained hidden among the trees as its pilot exited. He looped a piece of rope around the Gundam's leg and quickly descended down the cliff. The other pilots did their best to distract the other mobile suits and successfully held their attention until Trowa was safely inside of the base.
While Trowa hunted for the disk, approximately thirty mobile suits decided to gang up on the three other Gundams. Wufei and Shenlong (Nataku) were holding their own, handling as many suits as they could at one time. Duo was making full use of Deathscythe's Scythe to destroy many suits in a single blow. Likewise, Quatre and Sandrock were doing fairly well.
"You all better watch out cause Shinigami's coming to get you!" Duo yelled maniacally as the suits tried to out-maneuver him and the others.
"Baka." Wufei muttered under his breath.
~* Inside the Base *~
The moment Trowa stepped inside the base, he was confronted with a multitude of attackers. About twenty men were standing there, guns aimed and at the ready. Trowa gave a mental sigh. If this was what happened when he was right about something, Trowa couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he was wrong. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly before he had to start defending him.
What's the quickest and most efficient way to get rid of a large group of men? Simple - one by one. Bam. Bam. Two men down, eighteen to go. Three of the men charged him. Trowa, demonstrating the agility and acrobatic skills of his clown past, leaped high into the air as the three men couldn't stop and fell out of the base and off the cliff. While he was coming down, Trowa managed to shoot another of the men. Fourteen left, and they certainly weren't getting any smarter.
One of the men thought that leaping at Trowa and knocking him down would be an efficient way to kill him. The man leaped. Trowa ducked. The man went to meet his maker, falling off a cliff with a huge scream.
A group of four of the men tried to creep in, one from each direction. Each of them leveled his gun at Trowa, and squeezed off a single shot at the man keeping near the ground. With startling speed, Trowa once again bounded high into the ground, and suddenly there were four more bodies on the ground and only nine men left standing.
The men formed a line and linked arms, keeping their rifles leveled at Trowa. He smirked slightly. These guys couldn't actually be dumb enough to think that would work, could they? Apparently so, because they stayed that way and waited for Trowa to move, daring him with their eyes. He studied their positioning. Three of them had their guns pointed high into the air, and three at a midpoint somewhere below the others, so leaping over them was out of the question. The final three were all pointing straight at Trowa.
Trowa somersaulted over to the line, and kicked the legs out from under the first man in the line. Like a row of dominos, they all fell over. All of them dropped their guns, and three of them were knocked unconscious when they hit their heads on the floor. Trowa grabbed the two guns nearest him quickly, and pointed them towards the other soldiers, who were still getting up. One rolled at Trowa, who simply shot the guy in the head. Two of them ran for the entrance to the cave, and started climbing down to the water. The other two joined most of their previous companions with a round each from the guns.
Trowa slipped smoothly from the main entrance room, and headed down a narrow corridor. For all of the guards they had put in the main entrance chamber, the rest of the hallways were astonishingly clear. He immediately noted that there was a camera located in each corridor, and so he promptly shot them all out, making his way carefully down the hall to the computer.
The door to the computer room was tightly locked, but all of the pilots are expert lock-picks, and so it wasn't really a challenge. However, it did take him a couple of minutes to get the door open. The first thing Trowa saw when he got the door open was a shadowy figure typing at the computer. In an instant, his gun was up; ready to kill the man to get the data. However, there was something familiar about the man before him.
"Turn around." He commanded, his voice low and dangerous. The man slowly raised his head from the computer, and complied. As he turned around, the man raised his right hand and immediately had his gun leveled at Trowa.
For a few moments, the two just stared at each other, each daring the other to make the first move. Then, cautiously, the man at the computer reached behind him and grabbed a disk, his eyes never leaving Trowa's. He took a step forward, and Trowa's eyes widened in shock.
"Heero."
~* Many Years Ago *~
"Oh, Adam!" Jessica cried, running out to meet her love. "I've missed you so much these past few days. Wherever have you been?"
"I'm sorry, my dear one." He said quietly, dropping his bags to pick her up and swing her around. "I had to go and retrieve the supplies that your family will need this winter."
"Adam, you should have told me you were going away." Jessica reproached him. "I could have come with you, and we could finally have eloped."
"Jessica, you know we can't do that." Adam's face was quiet and sad. "Your father has given me strict directions that after I deliver these supplies my services will not be needed until after the winter is over. Possibly never again."
Jessica gasped, and held him tighter. "I won't let him! Why can't he see that we love each other? Doesn't he know how greatly it hurts me when he takes you away from me, and commands you to be gone from us? I thought that he loved and understood me."
"Dearest, your father loves you very much, and only wants what is best for you." Adam whispered fiercely into her ear. "I wish, I dearly wish, that I was what is best for you. But I'm not. We both know I'm not."
"Following my heart is what is best for me." She said and leaned back to stare into his eyes. "You are the only person in my heart, now or ever, and I won't let you just decide to leave it. We started something, you and I. We weren't supposed to, and it certainly wasn't what my father intended when he hired you, but nevertheless we did. I won't let him be the end of it."
"Stars, Jess, I do love you so." Adam said, giving her lips a chaste kiss. "And that is why it must be as it is. I won't lead you to a life of ruin, have you be called filth, a lowly thing who denied her father's wishes and married against his will. You will be no one's whore, not even mine."
"Am I not desirable?" Jessica asked, hurt creeping into her eyes. "Would you be ashamed to have a wife called such things?"
"Jessica." Adam said clearly, and caught her face with his hand. He forced her to look into his eyes. "I love you. I always have and always will."
"Then stay." She whispered. "Stay."
"I'm so sorry, my dearest Jess." Adam said, hurriedly moving the goods inside the house, then leaving. "I'm so very very sorry. We'll meet again, one day, and all will be well."
Adam walked out the door, and disappeared down the snow-covered path. In time, both he and Jessica grew old, and married others, condemned to live loveless lives by their circumstances. However, there is more to their story than simply that.
Jessica and Adam were soulmates, who sacrificed for each other's good, as they must. In life, their bond was a painful reminder of what might have been. In death, it became something more. Jessica and Adam were neither the first nor the last of their kind. Their soul has transcended the generations, in many stages and forms. Each time it leaves, it comes back as someone else. They are destined to one day be eternally happy, but fated to go through much trial before it arrives. They were fated to one day use their love to save the world.
They were destined to become Heero and Serenity…
~* End Chapter 1 *~
Are you confused yet? I'm sure I must have lost you all about halfway through. Let me explain something about this story - it is very different from Moving On. That's What it Takes (or Twit, as I lovingly call it) is going to be more focused on aspects of the Gundam Wing dimension, fate, and destiny. Naturally, though, you can't do a crossover without the friendly senshi. I'll write more soon, 'k?
~Rose
Quote of the Week: "Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures." I don't know who said it first, but I give credit to Sir Moogle, AKA Mark. *huggles*
That's What it Takes - Chapter 1
By: Eternal Rose
"Are you guys ready?" Quatre Raberba Winner, pilot of the Gundam Sandrock, asked his fellow pilots. One by one, the other three nodded back. "Then here we go."
The year is After Colony 196. The Christmas Eve of AC195 marked the end of the war between Earth and the Colonies, ushering in a new era of peace with the birth of the Earth Sphere United Nation. By AC196, the weapons used during the war had been abolished in the Earth Sphere. Nevertheless, war and strife never disappeared completely...
The Gundam pilot Heero Yuy has been missing for over a month. His curious absence began almost immediately following the mysterious death of Tsukino Usagi. The others have all begun to fear that he may be injured, dead, or simply gone forever, never to return. However, they now have an even bigger problem on their hands as the few months of peace is shattered. For the first time in a long time, the pilots have been sent on a mission that without Wing Zero promises to be exceedingly difficult.
"Why did this have to happen now?" Duo whined over the communication system. "Me and Makoto were going to go out tonight. I had it all planned and everything."
"Shut up Duo." Wufei said, shaking his head. They were all flying towards Colony L4 on orders to destroy a base. To say the least, Dr. J had been more than a little upset when he discovered that Heero was no longer with them and no one knew how to reach him. So far as anyone knew, Heero still received his email, but for all of the letters they had sent, not one had gotten a response.
"We're almost there." Trowa informed them. "Be prepared for a tough battle. The scientists said it would be hard, and that was when they still thought Heero would be coming with us."
Slowly, the base came into sight. It had been built into the side of a cliff, and only the entrance was visible. As they approached, it quickly became obvious that the site had a radar detection system, because a large amount of mobile suits were suddenly flying out of the base towards them.
"Trowa, you infiltrate the base. We'll hold off the suits until you get back, but try and be quick." Quatre instructed. "Stay safe and come back alive, ne?"
Trowa nodded and disappeared off the comm link system. His Gundam Heavy Arms landed high atop the cliff, and remained hidden among the trees as its pilot exited. He looped a piece of rope around the Gundam's leg and quickly descended down the cliff. The other pilots did their best to distract the other mobile suits and successfully held their attention until Trowa was safely inside of the base.
While Trowa hunted for the disk, approximately thirty mobile suits decided to gang up on the three other Gundams. Wufei and Shenlong (Nataku) were holding their own, handling as many suits as they could at one time. Duo was making full use of Deathscythe's Scythe to destroy many suits in a single blow. Likewise, Quatre and Sandrock were doing fairly well.
"You all better watch out cause Shinigami's coming to get you!" Duo yelled maniacally as the suits tried to out-maneuver him and the others.
"Baka." Wufei muttered under his breath.
~* Inside the Base *~
The moment Trowa stepped inside the base, he was confronted with a multitude of attackers. About twenty men were standing there, guns aimed and at the ready. Trowa gave a mental sigh. If this was what happened when he was right about something, Trowa couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he was wrong. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly before he had to start defending him.
What's the quickest and most efficient way to get rid of a large group of men? Simple - one by one. Bam. Bam. Two men down, eighteen to go. Three of the men charged him. Trowa, demonstrating the agility and acrobatic skills of his clown past, leaped high into the air as the three men couldn't stop and fell out of the base and off the cliff. While he was coming down, Trowa managed to shoot another of the men. Fourteen left, and they certainly weren't getting any smarter.
One of the men thought that leaping at Trowa and knocking him down would be an efficient way to kill him. The man leaped. Trowa ducked. The man went to meet his maker, falling off a cliff with a huge scream.
A group of four of the men tried to creep in, one from each direction. Each of them leveled his gun at Trowa, and squeezed off a single shot at the man keeping near the ground. With startling speed, Trowa once again bounded high into the ground, and suddenly there were four more bodies on the ground and only nine men left standing.
The men formed a line and linked arms, keeping their rifles leveled at Trowa. He smirked slightly. These guys couldn't actually be dumb enough to think that would work, could they? Apparently so, because they stayed that way and waited for Trowa to move, daring him with their eyes. He studied their positioning. Three of them had their guns pointed high into the air, and three at a midpoint somewhere below the others, so leaping over them was out of the question. The final three were all pointing straight at Trowa.
Trowa somersaulted over to the line, and kicked the legs out from under the first man in the line. Like a row of dominos, they all fell over. All of them dropped their guns, and three of them were knocked unconscious when they hit their heads on the floor. Trowa grabbed the two guns nearest him quickly, and pointed them towards the other soldiers, who were still getting up. One rolled at Trowa, who simply shot the guy in the head. Two of them ran for the entrance to the cave, and started climbing down to the water. The other two joined most of their previous companions with a round each from the guns.
Trowa slipped smoothly from the main entrance room, and headed down a narrow corridor. For all of the guards they had put in the main entrance chamber, the rest of the hallways were astonishingly clear. He immediately noted that there was a camera located in each corridor, and so he promptly shot them all out, making his way carefully down the hall to the computer.
The door to the computer room was tightly locked, but all of the pilots are expert lock-picks, and so it wasn't really a challenge. However, it did take him a couple of minutes to get the door open. The first thing Trowa saw when he got the door open was a shadowy figure typing at the computer. In an instant, his gun was up; ready to kill the man to get the data. However, there was something familiar about the man before him.
"Turn around." He commanded, his voice low and dangerous. The man slowly raised his head from the computer, and complied. As he turned around, the man raised his right hand and immediately had his gun leveled at Trowa.
For a few moments, the two just stared at each other, each daring the other to make the first move. Then, cautiously, the man at the computer reached behind him and grabbed a disk, his eyes never leaving Trowa's. He took a step forward, and Trowa's eyes widened in shock.
"Heero."
~* Many Years Ago *~
"Oh, Adam!" Jessica cried, running out to meet her love. "I've missed you so much these past few days. Wherever have you been?"
"I'm sorry, my dear one." He said quietly, dropping his bags to pick her up and swing her around. "I had to go and retrieve the supplies that your family will need this winter."
"Adam, you should have told me you were going away." Jessica reproached him. "I could have come with you, and we could finally have eloped."
"Jessica, you know we can't do that." Adam's face was quiet and sad. "Your father has given me strict directions that after I deliver these supplies my services will not be needed until after the winter is over. Possibly never again."
Jessica gasped, and held him tighter. "I won't let him! Why can't he see that we love each other? Doesn't he know how greatly it hurts me when he takes you away from me, and commands you to be gone from us? I thought that he loved and understood me."
"Dearest, your father loves you very much, and only wants what is best for you." Adam whispered fiercely into her ear. "I wish, I dearly wish, that I was what is best for you. But I'm not. We both know I'm not."
"Following my heart is what is best for me." She said and leaned back to stare into his eyes. "You are the only person in my heart, now or ever, and I won't let you just decide to leave it. We started something, you and I. We weren't supposed to, and it certainly wasn't what my father intended when he hired you, but nevertheless we did. I won't let him be the end of it."
"Stars, Jess, I do love you so." Adam said, giving her lips a chaste kiss. "And that is why it must be as it is. I won't lead you to a life of ruin, have you be called filth, a lowly thing who denied her father's wishes and married against his will. You will be no one's whore, not even mine."
"Am I not desirable?" Jessica asked, hurt creeping into her eyes. "Would you be ashamed to have a wife called such things?"
"Jessica." Adam said clearly, and caught her face with his hand. He forced her to look into his eyes. "I love you. I always have and always will."
"Then stay." She whispered. "Stay."
"I'm so sorry, my dearest Jess." Adam said, hurriedly moving the goods inside the house, then leaving. "I'm so very very sorry. We'll meet again, one day, and all will be well."
Adam walked out the door, and disappeared down the snow-covered path. In time, both he and Jessica grew old, and married others, condemned to live loveless lives by their circumstances. However, there is more to their story than simply that.
Jessica and Adam were soulmates, who sacrificed for each other's good, as they must. In life, their bond was a painful reminder of what might have been. In death, it became something more. Jessica and Adam were neither the first nor the last of their kind. Their soul has transcended the generations, in many stages and forms. Each time it leaves, it comes back as someone else. They are destined to one day be eternally happy, but fated to go through much trial before it arrives. They were fated to one day use their love to save the world.
They were destined to become Heero and Serenity…
~* End Chapter 1 *~
Are you confused yet? I'm sure I must have lost you all about halfway through. Let me explain something about this story - it is very different from Moving On. That's What it Takes (or Twit, as I lovingly call it) is going to be more focused on aspects of the Gundam Wing dimension, fate, and destiny. Naturally, though, you can't do a crossover without the friendly senshi. I'll write more soon, 'k?
~Rose