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When Blood Is Spilled On Moontide: Convergence
by ravenhair
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PROLOGUE. Part II. My Soul, The War, Is Gone.
'In the center of the storm, lies the calm eye.'
The entire screen was filled with the picture of death. The radar to his left indicated no sign of life, except for his own, which pulsated as a small green dot in the center.
Heero bit his lower lip, uncaring for the coppery tang that tickled his tongue after a few seconds into the pain. There was hardly any pain to begin with. Only grief. Only regret.
'I am too late.'
The piles of debris seemed to be floating in a concentric circle, he observed. They all were in army green paint, or gleaming silver. All the mobile suit parts that weren't mangled by plasma heat, he recognized as Oz-make. White-fang gear. None of the others.
'Where are you?' Heero's thoughts were clouded in the edges, but he was determined to accomplish the mission. He decided to play his instincts, and headed for the center of this whirling metal grave.
Thirty minutes ago, he had received a class-A priority call from Hilde. She was working as a proxy replacement for Noin's position, Secretary-General to the Military Confederate for the Peace-Keeping of the United Earth Sphere. Hilde had been contacted by Lady Une, just before her tragic death in the most outstanding assassination attempt on Ambassador Relena yet. This happened yesterday, much to everyone's frustration and grief. But what Hilde told him next froze Heero to the bone.
"She was in the middle of something big, Heero. She told me she sent the rest of you...the guys...on some surveillance check. But she wouldn't say more. It was too dangerous, she said." There was a short pause, and Heero swore he heard a sob. But when Hilde's voice returned, there was no trace of sorrow, only regret. "Oh, if I'd only known! If I'd paid more attention to what she was telling me. It was a coffee conver-" Another pause. This, Heero noted, was to gather her wits out of rambling. "She sent the guys 0-19 hours ago. It's been more than a rendezvous, I suspect, their passing by Sector A-5, Quadrant 3, Beta-Delta Division 0-4 hours into the mission. The nearest determinable point to it is the place where L5 used to be."
There was a hitch in Hilde's breath. Was it panic? Heero felt his heart slow down. "10 hours into their mission, 9 from now, a satellite bot was blown up in the Beta-Delta Division. It was doing plasma radiation sweeps, for lithium batteries to be scavenged, and its alarm kicked in full before the transmission was cut. You...you know what this means, Heero...I mean, we have no other evidence, nor how many would you encounter...Heero, they brought their gundams along and...and..."
Heero put the phone away, but not before hearing Hilde's last note.
"I hope you'll get there in time.The codes will be in-n D-d-duo-"
Heero banged his fists on the panel. 'Damn you, Une! You should've put me with them!'
As Heero approached the center of this metal whirlpool, the sight he met filled him with dread. On a solid square metal plate, a part of a floor perhaps, stood four shadowed figures that can be none other than the four gundams of his comra...friends. The light of the stars glinted off the polished steel, giving the mechas an eerie lifeless glow.
"So hollow..." The sting in Heero's voice made him wince. His friends, his comrades...he would've given his life for them to live again.
Heero set down Wing at the center of the makeshit platform. The four gundams were spread to the corners, untouched and not battle-bruised at all...oddly enough. There should be no reason to suspect, Heero thought, but took a quick check for existing lifeforms anyway.
The hum of engines...lots of lithium-powered engines, and the thrusters Heero was so accustomed to hear come from his friends' gundams, even from his own, with the gundanium-fortified pipes that permitted only a silent hiss so familiar and unique to their suits' make. These noises weren't what alarmed Heero, though. Not as much as the little red dots covering the rest of the radar 360 degrees.
"Heero Yuy, pilot of the Wing Gundam, ex-Preventer, we have you surrounded."
'UNE!? What was she doing--SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!' Heero's eyes widened in shock. His nerves a bit frayed, he felt numb upon hearing that damnable voice.
"I'm sure you're glad to see me, Yuy," the deceptively sweet voice streamed out of his communicator. "After you've tried to kill me AND Relena."
'What the...!?' Heero slammed his palm on the off button. But it was futile. Une was also broadcasting through speakers. Her voice filled the cockpit.
"Hey, buddy! Hehe, I'm sure sorry to see you this way."
'DUO!' Heero made Wing turn to face Gundam Deathscythe. Sure enough, its green eyes glowed as its pilot held the sickle ripper-style. The mad grin that Duo had painted on its face not long ago was glaring menacingly at Heero at the moment.
"I guess your silence says it all, Heero. We've got to end this now."
Duo's voice quivered, but he sounded determined. Determined to end...what?
"I cannot believe you'd turn from the light. I won't accept this...this injustice," A sharp breath. "We cannot afford another White Fang."
Wufei.
"Take off that mask, Heero. You're no Zechs Merquise," Sad, pleading. "Let the soldier go, Heero. Let go, please, for your sake."
Quatre.
"Let go, Heero. Or we must do our job."
Trowa.
"Surrender now, Heero Yuy. War is gone, the violence must stop. You must stop, or else you're better off wherever the war went."
'But...I did nothing...wrong...'
"G-good...bye, my brother." Duo choked, the sound of tears fading into space.
'What have I done? Not to deserve a second chance...?'
The green flash of Duo's scythe was the last Heero ever saw, before darkness finally took him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"I did nothing wrong!"
Heero bolted out of his seat, gasping for breath. The monitor hummed, its slightly green glow the only light in the room.
'Ah. I must have slept in.' Heero sighed, and raked his tangled hair with a sweaty palm. He was literally drenched in sweat.
He switched on the lights mechanically, and had to blink a few times to adjust to the brightness before he realized that the central conditioning had just turned on as well.
'5 A.M. I haven't been home for four days.'
There was a narrow door to the back corner of his office which concealed a small washroom. Heero walked purposefully toward it, but was stopped by a knock on the door across from where he stood. A certain Duo Maxwell's head peeked in a moment later, with the ridiculous grin perpetually plastered on his face turned full on.
"Hi, Hee-man! Just visiting and all," came the nonchalant greeting. Duo took himself to Heero's desk and plopped right down on Heero's swivel chair. To this, Heero raised an eyebrow, which Duo easily interpreted as, 'At 5 in the morning!?'
Duo, being himself, just shrugged. He was already immune to Heero's uncommunicative side - that's the reason why they picked him to do this anyway.
Heero, being himself, went into the washroom as he had intended to do before the stupid imp popped into his office. When he came out a minute later, Duo had transferred himself to the couch by the windows.
"Look, let me be direct with you," Duo started, and was instantly annoyed when Heero raised his eyebrows in mock disbelief. "I'm trying to be conversational here, so get with the program, man!" Duo retorted, before continuing. "Well, the Lady sent me here co'z she's worried. Heck, we're all worried. We know you're workaholic, Heero. We know you never rest till your mission's done. But this is too much. Haven't you noticed? We haven't given you the heavy work. We're trying to help you unwind here, but you still persist with your regimen of the tight ass! What's with you? Why don't you tell us? We'll help - I'll help - Well?"
Heero shook his head. He wanted to laugh, really. Duo's babbling and puppy dog sincerity was wearing on him already, and he was secretly grateful to Duo because the guy practically opened him up to the rest of the human race. Duo was his window, where he could see a different 'other side'. A peaceful side...
This thought made him bite his cheek. Duo was his window, yes. A painful reminder that he was forever on the other side of this peace. He'll never get there...never...
"Any angst-ridden musings in that head?" Duo grinned, straightening in his seat and making an exaggeration of fixing an imaginary tie. "You know, as your one and only psychiatrist, you ought to tell me about them so we could straighten them out!"
Heero really wanted to laugh now. Or, more truthfully, a part of him wanted to. The rest was dead to the world.
He looked away quickly, making a sharp about-face and headed for his desk. He was tired of looking at Duo, tired of looking out the window.
Duo frowned at this, he didn't know what to make of it. In truth, he didn't know what to make of Heero nowadays. The young man he had met, the Heero hidden behind the cold steel of the Perfect Soldier, was nowhere to be found now. Gone was the old rebellious glint in those cobalt eyes, the glint that Duo secretly treasured at having found. And Duo prided himself for having found them the very first time they met. A kindred spirit, that one. A potential...heck, Heero's the closest to a brother he'll ever want to have. And have had.
Where are you now, Heero? Where has my brother gone?
Heero's brow wrinkled and he pinched the bridge of his nose. Another migraine was coming, he could feel it. Slipping onto his chair, he closed his eyes and tried to block out all the frustration his mind persisted on chucking out. Duo was right, he was just being a tight ass.
"Let go, Heero. You just need to let go." Strong warm hands, so comforting on his shoulders. Duo started rubbing on his forearms, up to his shoulders where he made big circles on Heero's tense muscles. "Bro, it's time the war is over for you. Let it be over for you, please."
"War is gone," Heero replied, his voice suddenly hoarse and barely above a whisper. Duo heard him nonetheless. "War is gone, Duo. But it took my soul with it."
At this Duo wanted to cry. 'Can't you see? Can't you see the line in front of you? All you've gotta do is hold on and we'll pull you up.' With a sigh, he ruffled Heero's hair and said, forcing some cheer into it, "Let's go piss off some gypsies. They'll curse you with a new one."
Heero lifted his head at the odd comment. Duo grinned inwardly, and shrugged. "Just a vampire joke, you know, tv."
An awkward moment passed between them, until Duo let out a large yawn. " Aww man, you made me lose some z's, ya know. Catch snooze now, and maybe," Duo took a quick look at his wristwatch, "some breakfast at that. Coming down to the mess hall with me?"
The invitation was declined with a shake of Heero's head. He allowed himself a small smile, to show Duo he was fine, too. Honestly, he was all but fine.
Duo took quick stock of Heero's unexpected reaction. Has the boy gone daft or something? With a shrug, he headed for the door.
"Oh, Heero. The thing is," Heero looked to Duo expectantly, but the boy's back was turned as he talked on, "I'm here all the time, for you. I'm your psychiatrist, you're my brother, forget that, and you'll be facing a grinning Shinigami...Oh, wait, that's me too." A small chuckle, very Duo. If Heero had a gun, he'd be aiming for the damn jiggling braid. "Just...just means I'll be here for you, now and the afterlife...you know, both sides."
The door closed as Heero's eyes widened in surprise. Both sides, indeed. Was Duo some kind of shrink? For real? Heero sighed and shook his head. He might not feel fine, but Duo certainly made him feel better.
When Blood Is Spilled On Moontide: Convergence
by ravenhair
___________________________________________
PROLOGUE. Part II. My Soul, The War, Is Gone.
'In the center of the storm, lies the calm eye.'
The entire screen was filled with the picture of death. The radar to his left indicated no sign of life, except for his own, which pulsated as a small green dot in the center.
Heero bit his lower lip, uncaring for the coppery tang that tickled his tongue after a few seconds into the pain. There was hardly any pain to begin with. Only grief. Only regret.
'I am too late.'
The piles of debris seemed to be floating in a concentric circle, he observed. They all were in army green paint, or gleaming silver. All the mobile suit parts that weren't mangled by plasma heat, he recognized as Oz-make. White-fang gear. None of the others.
'Where are you?' Heero's thoughts were clouded in the edges, but he was determined to accomplish the mission. He decided to play his instincts, and headed for the center of this whirling metal grave.
Thirty minutes ago, he had received a class-A priority call from Hilde. She was working as a proxy replacement for Noin's position, Secretary-General to the Military Confederate for the Peace-Keeping of the United Earth Sphere. Hilde had been contacted by Lady Une, just before her tragic death in the most outstanding assassination attempt on Ambassador Relena yet. This happened yesterday, much to everyone's frustration and grief. But what Hilde told him next froze Heero to the bone.
"She was in the middle of something big, Heero. She told me she sent the rest of you...the guys...on some surveillance check. But she wouldn't say more. It was too dangerous, she said." There was a short pause, and Heero swore he heard a sob. But when Hilde's voice returned, there was no trace of sorrow, only regret. "Oh, if I'd only known! If I'd paid more attention to what she was telling me. It was a coffee conver-" Another pause. This, Heero noted, was to gather her wits out of rambling. "She sent the guys 0-19 hours ago. It's been more than a rendezvous, I suspect, their passing by Sector A-5, Quadrant 3, Beta-Delta Division 0-4 hours into the mission. The nearest determinable point to it is the place where L5 used to be."
There was a hitch in Hilde's breath. Was it panic? Heero felt his heart slow down. "10 hours into their mission, 9 from now, a satellite bot was blown up in the Beta-Delta Division. It was doing plasma radiation sweeps, for lithium batteries to be scavenged, and its alarm kicked in full before the transmission was cut. You...you know what this means, Heero...I mean, we have no other evidence, nor how many would you encounter...Heero, they brought their gundams along and...and..."
Heero put the phone away, but not before hearing Hilde's last note.
"I hope you'll get there in time.The codes will be in-n D-d-duo-"
Heero banged his fists on the panel. 'Damn you, Une! You should've put me with them!'
As Heero approached the center of this metal whirlpool, the sight he met filled him with dread. On a solid square metal plate, a part of a floor perhaps, stood four shadowed figures that can be none other than the four gundams of his comra...friends. The light of the stars glinted off the polished steel, giving the mechas an eerie lifeless glow.
"So hollow..." The sting in Heero's voice made him wince. His friends, his comrades...he would've given his life for them to live again.
Heero set down Wing at the center of the makeshit platform. The four gundams were spread to the corners, untouched and not battle-bruised at all...oddly enough. There should be no reason to suspect, Heero thought, but took a quick check for existing lifeforms anyway.
The hum of engines...lots of lithium-powered engines, and the thrusters Heero was so accustomed to hear come from his friends' gundams, even from his own, with the gundanium-fortified pipes that permitted only a silent hiss so familiar and unique to their suits' make. These noises weren't what alarmed Heero, though. Not as much as the little red dots covering the rest of the radar 360 degrees.
"Heero Yuy, pilot of the Wing Gundam, ex-Preventer, we have you surrounded."
'UNE!? What was she doing--SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!' Heero's eyes widened in shock. His nerves a bit frayed, he felt numb upon hearing that damnable voice.
"I'm sure you're glad to see me, Yuy," the deceptively sweet voice streamed out of his communicator. "After you've tried to kill me AND Relena."
'What the...!?' Heero slammed his palm on the off button. But it was futile. Une was also broadcasting through speakers. Her voice filled the cockpit.
"Hey, buddy! Hehe, I'm sure sorry to see you this way."
'DUO!' Heero made Wing turn to face Gundam Deathscythe. Sure enough, its green eyes glowed as its pilot held the sickle ripper-style. The mad grin that Duo had painted on its face not long ago was glaring menacingly at Heero at the moment.
"I guess your silence says it all, Heero. We've got to end this now."
Duo's voice quivered, but he sounded determined. Determined to end...what?
"I cannot believe you'd turn from the light. I won't accept this...this injustice," A sharp breath. "We cannot afford another White Fang."
Wufei.
"Take off that mask, Heero. You're no Zechs Merquise," Sad, pleading. "Let the soldier go, Heero. Let go, please, for your sake."
Quatre.
"Let go, Heero. Or we must do our job."
Trowa.
"Surrender now, Heero Yuy. War is gone, the violence must stop. You must stop, or else you're better off wherever the war went."
'But...I did nothing...wrong...'
"G-good...bye, my brother." Duo choked, the sound of tears fading into space.
'What have I done? Not to deserve a second chance...?'
The green flash of Duo's scythe was the last Heero ever saw, before darkness finally took him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"I did nothing wrong!"
Heero bolted out of his seat, gasping for breath. The monitor hummed, its slightly green glow the only light in the room.
'Ah. I must have slept in.' Heero sighed, and raked his tangled hair with a sweaty palm. He was literally drenched in sweat.
He switched on the lights mechanically, and had to blink a few times to adjust to the brightness before he realized that the central conditioning had just turned on as well.
'5 A.M. I haven't been home for four days.'
There was a narrow door to the back corner of his office which concealed a small washroom. Heero walked purposefully toward it, but was stopped by a knock on the door across from where he stood. A certain Duo Maxwell's head peeked in a moment later, with the ridiculous grin perpetually plastered on his face turned full on.
"Hi, Hee-man! Just visiting and all," came the nonchalant greeting. Duo took himself to Heero's desk and plopped right down on Heero's swivel chair. To this, Heero raised an eyebrow, which Duo easily interpreted as, 'At 5 in the morning!?'
Duo, being himself, just shrugged. He was already immune to Heero's uncommunicative side - that's the reason why they picked him to do this anyway.
Heero, being himself, went into the washroom as he had intended to do before the stupid imp popped into his office. When he came out a minute later, Duo had transferred himself to the couch by the windows.
"Look, let me be direct with you," Duo started, and was instantly annoyed when Heero raised his eyebrows in mock disbelief. "I'm trying to be conversational here, so get with the program, man!" Duo retorted, before continuing. "Well, the Lady sent me here co'z she's worried. Heck, we're all worried. We know you're workaholic, Heero. We know you never rest till your mission's done. But this is too much. Haven't you noticed? We haven't given you the heavy work. We're trying to help you unwind here, but you still persist with your regimen of the tight ass! What's with you? Why don't you tell us? We'll help - I'll help - Well?"
Heero shook his head. He wanted to laugh, really. Duo's babbling and puppy dog sincerity was wearing on him already, and he was secretly grateful to Duo because the guy practically opened him up to the rest of the human race. Duo was his window, where he could see a different 'other side'. A peaceful side...
This thought made him bite his cheek. Duo was his window, yes. A painful reminder that he was forever on the other side of this peace. He'll never get there...never...
"Any angst-ridden musings in that head?" Duo grinned, straightening in his seat and making an exaggeration of fixing an imaginary tie. "You know, as your one and only psychiatrist, you ought to tell me about them so we could straighten them out!"
Heero really wanted to laugh now. Or, more truthfully, a part of him wanted to. The rest was dead to the world.
He looked away quickly, making a sharp about-face and headed for his desk. He was tired of looking at Duo, tired of looking out the window.
Duo frowned at this, he didn't know what to make of it. In truth, he didn't know what to make of Heero nowadays. The young man he had met, the Heero hidden behind the cold steel of the Perfect Soldier, was nowhere to be found now. Gone was the old rebellious glint in those cobalt eyes, the glint that Duo secretly treasured at having found. And Duo prided himself for having found them the very first time they met. A kindred spirit, that one. A potential...heck, Heero's the closest to a brother he'll ever want to have. And have had.
Where are you now, Heero? Where has my brother gone?
Heero's brow wrinkled and he pinched the bridge of his nose. Another migraine was coming, he could feel it. Slipping onto his chair, he closed his eyes and tried to block out all the frustration his mind persisted on chucking out. Duo was right, he was just being a tight ass.
"Let go, Heero. You just need to let go." Strong warm hands, so comforting on his shoulders. Duo started rubbing on his forearms, up to his shoulders where he made big circles on Heero's tense muscles. "Bro, it's time the war is over for you. Let it be over for you, please."
"War is gone," Heero replied, his voice suddenly hoarse and barely above a whisper. Duo heard him nonetheless. "War is gone, Duo. But it took my soul with it."
At this Duo wanted to cry. 'Can't you see? Can't you see the line in front of you? All you've gotta do is hold on and we'll pull you up.' With a sigh, he ruffled Heero's hair and said, forcing some cheer into it, "Let's go piss off some gypsies. They'll curse you with a new one."
Heero lifted his head at the odd comment. Duo grinned inwardly, and shrugged. "Just a vampire joke, you know, tv."
An awkward moment passed between them, until Duo let out a large yawn. " Aww man, you made me lose some z's, ya know. Catch snooze now, and maybe," Duo took a quick look at his wristwatch, "some breakfast at that. Coming down to the mess hall with me?"
The invitation was declined with a shake of Heero's head. He allowed himself a small smile, to show Duo he was fine, too. Honestly, he was all but fine.
Duo took quick stock of Heero's unexpected reaction. Has the boy gone daft or something? With a shrug, he headed for the door.
"Oh, Heero. The thing is," Heero looked to Duo expectantly, but the boy's back was turned as he talked on, "I'm here all the time, for you. I'm your psychiatrist, you're my brother, forget that, and you'll be facing a grinning Shinigami...Oh, wait, that's me too." A small chuckle, very Duo. If Heero had a gun, he'd be aiming for the damn jiggling braid. "Just...just means I'll be here for you, now and the afterlife...you know, both sides."
The door closed as Heero's eyes widened in surprise. Both sides, indeed. Was Duo some kind of shrink? For real? Heero sighed and shook his head. He might not feel fine, but Duo certainly made him feel better.