The Children of War
By Mystical Star
A Kitty-Chan Production
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, but I do own the new characters from Gundam Wing: Desecration. You will definitely want to read GWD before you read this, otherwise you'll be totally confused.
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Heartless? ~ Kenji's StorySeverina was sitting in the lounge of the Preventer Housing facility when she noticed an unfamiliar woman with golden hair walk by, looking rather dismayed. Darksaber's pilot raised an eyebrow and went to investigate.
"Can I help you?" She asked, walking into the hallway after the woman. The newcomer whirled around to reveal her tired-looking face. She looked as though she'd been crying.
"Kenji! Where is Kenji?" The young woman asked. Severina felt her stomach lurch.
Shit… She though.
"Let's find Heero. He can tell you better than I can,"
Heero's Room - #134
Heero was packing, getting ready for Relena's next tour. He always placed himself on the top of her security team. Especially after the White Fang ordeal. He was just putting the last of his espionage equipment into his duffle bag when there came a knock at his door.
"Who is it?" Heero asked, not looking up from his bag.
"It's me, Severina. There's someone here about Kenji," The young woman replied, her speech slowing down when she reached the name "Kenji". Heero opened the door. There were two women standing there, one whom he'd never seen. The unfamiliar woman's eyes got wide.
"Kenji?" She gasped.
"No, I'm Heero," He replied, observing the woman carefully. "Kenji was my brother," Heero added.
"Was?" The woman reiterated. Heero nodded solemnly. The golden-haired woman looked stunned as her eyes welled up with tears.
"No…no, he promised he'd come back," She sobbed, sinking to the floor. Severina watched the stranger plop down on the floor and cry for a second, she then kneeled down on the floor with her.
"Maybe we should go talk about this in the lounge," Severina suggested, taking the woman's hand and helping her up as she looked up at Heero and motioned for him to follow her down the hall. He nodded.
"I'm sorry, I never gave you my name," The young woman said as she tried to wipe away her tears as Severina and Heero led her down the hall. "I'm Lena Simon, I worked with Doktor S. and Kenji on his Knight Gundam."
Heero looked at her with a vacant expression on his face. The three went into the lounge and sat down, Severina and Lena on the couch, Heero in a separate chair.
"Kenji never told me that he had a brother," Lena said looking at Heero with a soft expression in her eyes.
"Kenji was subjected to SIA, a drug that causes amnesia. He probably didn't remember that he had a brother," Heero commented. Lena looked confused.
"I know that he was under the influence of SIA, but not until one year before he left on the mission." She said. Severina looked at her, surprised.
"So, did Kenji know that he had a brother? Or did he have actual amnesia to start out with?" She wondered aloud. Heero looked away, obviously pondering something.
"When did you meet Kenji?" Severina asked.
"I met him at the beginning of Operation Meteor. My father was an assistant to the Gundam engineer, Doktor S. I was in training for tech assistant, and Kenji was in training to become a pilot. We were both thirteen…"
Flashback…
"Hey, Lena!" A voice came from behind the younger version of Lena. The golden-haired girl turned her attention from the engine she was fixing to her friend that was beckoning her.
"Hi Meiling! What's up?" Lena asked.
"Lena! Have you seen the new recruit for the backup pilot? He's hot!" Lena's Chinese friend uttered with excitement. Lena laughed. That's what Meiling thought about every pilot. "You've got to see him!" Her friend said, grabbing Lena's arm.
"Hey! I've got an engine to fix here," Lena tried to excuse herself, but it was no use, Meiling was a strong woman and pulled her friend behind one of the Gundam, Heavyarms's, newly built legs. Meiling signaled for Lena to be quiet as they peered around the gigantic appendage.
Lena saw one man and a boy standing there. One of the men was Doktor S., he was explaining to the new recruiter the responsibilities of a pilot, while the new pilot stood there, nodding and listening.
"Let's move on," Doktor S. said, directing his new pilot towards the simulator room. Before they got too far away, the pilot turned around and noticed Lena standing there. The young tech assistant blushed furiously, having been discovered. The new pilot recruit made no expression as he simply gazed at Lena and then turned back around.
"Since both Kenji and I were in training for closely related jobs, we worked together a lot He didn't talk much, but when he looked at me, I could see feelings through his eyes. Thousands of emotions that he wanted to set free, but something held him back…"
"Main reactor's not hooked up," Kenji said, not looking up from his computer that was showing all of the connections in Shenlong's body.
Lena looked over at him, acknowledging his statement, and then went to hooking the reactor up. For some reason, she could not get the connection to work. The young golden-haired girl growled as she tried to figure out the problem.
"It's still not connected" Kenji said.
"I know it's not!" Lena blurted angrily. The young man looked at her, unsurprised as usual. He got up and walked over to her. He took her hand that held part of the wire and examined it in her hand. Lena blushed.
"Uh," She stuttered as Kenji let go of her right hand and took her left, examining the wire.
"You do know that you have the wrong wire, don't you?" He asked, looking at her. Lena's eyes went wide and blushed even more.
"Oh, I…I didn't notice!" Lena gasped, trying to laugh at herself. Kenji saw her embarrassment and his eyebrow tweaked in curiosity. He then realized the source of her red face; he was still holding her hand. Kenji let go of her left hand and walked away without saying word.
"Kenji," Lena whispered, looking after him as he walked away. Suddenly, an alarm went off, signaling an Earth Federation attack on the colony.
"All pilots and trainees report to stations immediately, this is not a drill," A voice said over the intercom.
Kenji sprinted for the nearest door to get to the nearest magazine. He was a designated sniper. If any Federation soldier was to come anywhere near the base, Kenji was to shoot to kill. Lena followed him, hoping to be on the espionage team this time so she could feed information back to the control room.
The two thirteen-year-olds dashed into the magazine. Kenji grabbed a sniper gun and Lena took a headset and walkie-talkie with a special frequency. "I'll cover you, Kenji," the young woman said, putting the headset on. Kenji merely nodded as she tuned into the frequency as they left the magazine.
"Lena and Kenji here, we're headed out on Operation 5," Lena reported into the microphone attached to her earphones. Operation 5 was the designated name for sniper duty.
"Roger. Assume your code names, Sol and Lune," Lena snorted, amused at their names. It was obviously Meiling on in the control room.
"Roger that," The young golden-haired girl said, shaking her head as she and Kenji reached the secret exit that lead to the west side of the building they were stationed in. "Sol and Lune to base, we've positioned ourselves on the west side of the building. Awaiting orders," Lena reported.
"Gotcha. Remain armed and on guard. If any EF soldier comes within range, shoot him," Meiling said.
"Copy that," Lena said. She and Kenji knelt behind some boxes behind a large hole in the wall where there used to be a glass for a window. The building they were using for a hideout was an old abandoned building with a very large, newly renovated basement where Operation Meteor was commencing.
"Shh," Kenji hushed, pointing towards someone walking their direction. Sure enough it was an Earth Federation soldier, holding a handgun and searching the area with his eyes. Lena looked at Kenji. His eyes were focused on the target, waiting for him to come close enough for him to shoot. Before the soldier could get close enough, he stopped and began to shout, motioning at a garbage can close to a neighboring building.
"Come out here and show your face!" The soldier called, aiming his gun. Much to Kenji and Lena's surprise, a small boy walked out from behind the trashcans.
"What are you doing back there?" The soldier demanded. The little boy gave the man with a gun a contemptible look.
"Hiding from the Federation! You people are bad!" The young lad said rather boldly. Lena gasped as the soldier laughed, aimed his gun, and shot the little boy in the foot.
"Oh God," She tried not to shriek. Lena looked at Kenji. His eyes were flaring with anger as he heard the young boy's cries. The thirteen-year-old was breathing heavily, trying to hold in his emotions, but he just couldn't do it. Kenji stood and charged the Earth Sphere soldier.
"Kenji!" Lena cried, trying to grab his foot. She missed and fell over onto the cement floor. She propped herself back up just in time to see Kenji take the soldier's communication device and stop on it. He then slugged the soldier in the jaw, sending him reeling to the ground. Lena had never seen Kenji's eyes look so hurt and angry. It scared her.
"Federation bastard! He's got just as much right to hate you as I do!" Kenji raged as he continued to beat the soldier. "All you do is take from the colonies. You asses have no right to even set foot on a colony! Go back to your hellhole, Earth!" the young man vented. Lena ran up behind Kenji and tied to pull him off the soldier.
"Kenji! Stop!" She cried, grabbing his waist. At her touch, Kenji's body tensed at first, as if he was going to throw her off of him, but his muscles began to relax when she didn't let go. As if he suddenly remembered what he was supposed to be doing, Kenji picked up his gun which he had dropped on the ground, pointed it at the soldier, and fired while Lena hid her face and cried.
Kenji walked over to the little boy and scooped him up. "We've got to get him medical help," Lena nodded.
"Uh, what about him?" She asked, regarding the dead soldier. Kenji handed the boy to Lena and then went to hide the evidence away in a trash can. The thirteen-year-old girl took the young boy in her arms back into the building.
"What's your name?" She asked him.
"Jason," He said in between sniffles.
"I'm Lena. I'm going to get you some help. Do your parents know where you are?" Lena asked. Jason shook his head.
"Mommy and Daddy had to give me to an orphanage. I was running away to find them," He said as Lena sat him down and took off his shoe. His foot was a mess. Judging from the size of the wound, Jason may not walk again. Lena took off one of her shoes and removed her own sock, tore it into two pieces, and wrapped it around Jason's foot.
"Lune here, mission accomplished. We have one injured civilian minor, shot in the foot," Lena said into the microphone.
"Roger. We're sending a medical team up for assistance." Meiling's voice told her. Lena nodded and then nudged Jason to lie on the ground while she propped his foot up onto a box as Kenji walked back in. Lena looked away from him, still frightened by the look in his eyes.
Kenji knelt down next to her and examined Jason, not ever saying anything. Lena began to cry.
"What is it?" Kenji asked.
"Your eyes…there was so much anger and darkness in them. I couldn't see you," she wept.
Kenji took her cheek in his palm and brushed away the tears. Lena looked at him, surprised by his actions. "Kenji," She whispered, looking into his eyes. His eyes were soft and comforting and yet, there was a sad hint to them.
"Hello!" Someone called out. Kenji stood.
"Over here," He said. Four persons from the medical team came rushing over with gurney and first-aid kit.
"He was shot in the foot," Lena said, still sitting on the ground.
"You can leave him to us now, he'll be alright. You'd better get back," One of the paramedics said. Kenji nodded and helped Lena up and led her back to the entrance.
"Kenji?"
"Hn,"
"What makes you so sad?"
Kenji stopped mid-stride, but did not turn around. "What makes you think I'm sad?" He asked, his voice unchanging.
"Your eyes," Lena said, looking at the floor. "You may not always wear your heart out on your sleeve, but I can see everything in your eyes." She added. Kenji turned around and walked over to her. He held up her chin with his index finger.
"What do you see in my eyes?" He asked softly. Lena looked into his cobalt blue eyes that were nearly hidden by his shaggy brown hair. She brushed his brown mane out of the way and looked into his cobalt blue eyes.
"I see…light." She whispered as tears welled up in her eyes again. This time not from fear, but from happiness. I can see you again, Kenji,
Lena closed her eyes to release her tears and when she did, she felt Kenji's lips touch hers.
~End flashback
Severina raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Kenji?" She asked, rather confused. Lena smiled.
"He wasn't really the one to show his emotions. He was never really compassionate to me, but you could see all of his feelings if you watched him closely." She said, smiling at the memory.
As Heero observed Lena, he couldn't help but being jealous. When Kenji first arrived to them with his and Trowa's Gundams, Heero had noticed something familiar about him, but couldn't place his finger on it. Heero always felt a sort of connection to Kenji, but never tried to talk to him, and by the time he realized what the familiarity was, it was too late.
"There was always a darkness present in him that I could see," Lena said softly. Heero's eyebrow tweaked in curiousity, but he said nothing. "Like a wound from long ago…"
~Flashback
All of the technicians, engineers, and trainees were bustling about the hideout. It was the day of the launch for the first launch of Heavyarms Gundam. Trowa Barton, the pilot, seemed unaffected by the event and carried on as he normally did: silently.
Kenji and Lena were both doing last minute checks on Heavyarms before it's departure. Lena was making sure all of the connections were made correctly while Kenji sat inside the cockpit, testing mobility of the limbs and if the computer systems were working correctly.
"System check complete," Kenji's voice came over the monitor inside the cockpit down to Lena's speaker. "All systems go." He added.
"Gotcha." Lena said, exiting the systems check program on the small computer she was working on. Doktor S, who was behind her, nodded.
"T-minus fifty minutes until launch then, please forward that message to the control room," the rather intimidating Gundam engineer said. Lena nodded and pushed the button that connected her to the control room.
"All green, t-minus fifty minutes 'till launch." She said.
"Roger that," Someone on the other end said. Lena terminated the connection and went back to her work as a voice came over the intercom system: "T-minus fifty minutes to launch! All personnel prepare themselves accordingly,"
Doktor S. crossed his arms and regarded Heavyarms. "One down, one to go." He stated plainly. Kenji, who had just descended from the cockpit, stepped next to Lena and looked up at his instructor.
"One more?" He asked. Dr. S nodded.
"Yes. We didn't take you in as a backup pilot for nothing. If Trowa fails or if more Gundams are needed, then you shall go." The engineer explained before walking off to finish last-minute preparations.
Lena looked at Kenji, wondering what he was thinking. Was he scared? Excited? She looked in his eyes and saw what she had least expected. Satisfaction.
"Kenji, do you want to pilot a Gundam?" She asked.
"Yes," He stated, looking up at Heavyarms.
"I think it would be interesting to pilot a Gundam, but I'm not nearly strong enough," Lena sighed, gripping the clipboard full of checklists. "I wouldn't be able to kill someone," she admitted.
"I'm not strong either," Kenji sighed. Lena looked at him, slightly alarmed. She had never heard Kenji sigh before, much less admit to something like that.
"What?" She half laughed, not understanding.
"My brother would be alive if I would have been stronger," the brown-haired thirteen-year-old said regretfully as he ground his teeth.
"He told me that when he was five, his family was attacked by the Federation for being suspected of spying. His mother, father, and twin brother were killed. He didn't tell me how he escaped. I didn't really need to know, the look on his face told me he didn't want to tell me anyway,"
As Kenji told his story to Lena, his voice grew dark and his face contorted, trying to hold in long suppressed memories. Just after he explained how his family was killed, Lena hugged him, silencing him.
"Kenji, I'm so sorry," She said.
"Don't be sorry for me," Kenji said, embracing her.
"T-minus ten minutes to launch!" The intercom bellowed.
"We'd better get going," Lena sighed, letting go of Kenji, who nodded and walked with her out of the hangar.
~End flashback
"After that, he got…distant," Lena said, biting her lower lip. "He began to forget things about people. Sometimes he didn't even remember my name." She said.
"The SIA?" Severina asked.
"I suspected Doktor S. was doing something to him, though he never admitted to it to me." The young woman said.
"Did he ever get headaches or ask about people from his past?" Severina wondered, resting her chin on her hand.
"He hardly ever talked after the Heavyarms launch, but sometimes he'd remember that his family had been killed. But it's weird, he thought his brother was dead, but Heero, you're his brother aren't you?" Lena asked. Heero looked away.
"I don't remember much," He said quickly, wanting to leave that subject untouched. Lena smiled, understanding.
"It's probably better that way," She said.
~Flashback
It was After Colony 197, and Doktor S. had just gotten word of the White Fang uprising. Thankfully, the new Knight Gundam was ready for launch in just twenty minutes. Lena was helping Kenji get ready for his first mission in a small room close to the hanger.
"Oxygen tank?" Lena asked.
"Full," Kenji stated stoicly.
"Good," She said, smiling. Kenji nodded and fidgeted with his helmet while awaiting orders.
"Kenji, why do you want to be a Gundam pilot?" Lena asked, trying to strike up a conversation.
"Revenge," Kenji stated matter-of-factly. Lena was stunned.
"What?"
"Revenge from my mother, my father, and my brother,"
"Kenji…"
"I have to be strong for them, since I wasn't then,"
"Kenji, you were only a child, you weren't expected to be strong then,"
"Well I should have been!" Kenji snapped angrily. "I should have been able to save them!" He was nearly yelling as his eyes became clouded with anger and sorrow.
"Kenji, please, don't talk like that! You can't blame yourself for this!" Lena cried, becoming frightened of him. Nonetheless, she lunged forward and hugged him tightly.
"You don't have to be strong!"
Kenji was surprised by her words and looked down at her, wondering what made her care about him so.
"If you try to be too strong you'll loose yourself," She cried softly.
"I've been lost since the day I was born,"
Kenji's words resonated off of the chrome walls and straight into Lena's heart, making tears flow from her eyes.
"I'll be lost with you, then," She whispered, holding him tighter. Kenji was so struck by her words that he began to develop a lump in his throat.
"Lena," Kenji whispered, putting his hand on her head.
"T-minus ten minutes to launch!" The intecom bellowed once more. Kenji lifted Lena's face with his forefinger and looked into her eyes.
"I promise, when this is over, I'll come and find you." He said sincerely. Lena smiled.
"We can be lost together, then," she whispered as her lips met Kenji's in a soft, reassuring kiss.
~End flashback
Lena's eyes brimmed with tears at the memory. "That was the last time I saw him," She sighed, finally releasing her anguish.
"Oh, God," Severina gasped, Lena's body shook with sobs with her memories. "I can take you to see uh…" Darksaber's pilot struggled with another word for 'grave'. Before she could finish, Lena wiped her eyes and nodded.
"Yes, I'd like that very much," she sighed. Lena turned to Heero.
"Heero, I'm so sorry about all of this," She said.
"It's fine," Heero said, not making eye contact. "Sorry, but I have to get back to packing," He excused himself quickly as he got up and left the room. Lena and Severina nodded, both understanding.
"It was nice meeting you, Heero," Lena said as he left.
"Come on, I'll take you to see Kenji," Severina said, putting her hand on Lena's and smiling reassuringly.
Meanwhile, Heero tromped down the hall as fast as he could, trying to walk off his memories. Although he appreciated knowing more about his brother, he didn't want to remember that night that his family was brutally killed for no apparent reason.
Flashback~
It was dark when he first heard the crash. Someone was beating down the door. His mother came in and got Heero and Kenji, telling them to get out of the house through the back door.
Heero took Kenji's hand and ran for the back of the house. Just then, they heard their mother's cries.
"Don't hurt them! You'll have to take me first!" Both boys turned around, silently understanding that they needed to help their parents. A gun shot rang out as the boys reached the front door. Their father was laying in a pool of his own freshly spilled blood.
"Otousan!" Kenji screamed, running at his father. One of the intruders snarled at Kenji and hit him behind the head with the butt of his rifle.
"No!" Heero's mother cried, trying to grab the intruder.
Bang.
Heero's mother fell in mid stride on top of her husband, her hand halfway to Kenji's motionless body.
"STOP!" Heero cried.
He felt something strike the back of his neck and the world went black.
It must have been hours before he woke up. A man with blonde hair was carrying him.
"You awake, kid?" The man asked.
"Where am I?" Heero asked.
"I'm taking you with me. You can pretend to be my son, since those Federation bastards killed your family. I'll teach you how to get revenge if you want," The man replied. Heero looked at him.
"What's you're name?" He asked.
"Odin Lowe. Yours is Odin Lowe Jr. from now on, got it?" The man said. Heero nodded.
~End flashback
Heero, who had randomly wandered away from Preventer HQ and into the park where the monument to Kenji and Hilde stood, stopped in a grove of trees just beyond the monument to see Lena and Severina there, regarding the angel statue.
He smiled.
You didn't die lost, Kenji.
The End