Disclaimer: Don't own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon. And for the newbies out there … here's a hint: even if you write and write and write … GW and SM will STILL remain out of your reach. What a depressing world…
Okay … a rather big misunderstanding over the last chapter – I did mean Picture This was done but done as in … I'm done writing it. I've already written the last chapter and epilogue. ^^ However … this doesn't stop until chapter 20 and then an epilogue. Also, I just want to hurry up and get this fic over with soooo … I'm going to be updating about … shrugs either every other day or every third day instead of every week like I've taken to doing … kinda. But anyhow … here's the chapter!
Chapter 18: Inferno
"Are you sure you're willing to go through with this? Especially with Usagi waiting for you?" Quatre looked worried, genuinely so this time, and Wufei had to admit that he was more than a little relieved. After an initial period of crowing over his victory, the blonde Arabian had relapsed back to his normal, sweet self for the last two weeks though both Duo and he knew that they'd think twice before trying Quatre's patience from now on.
Three heads, his, Trowa's, and Duo's turned from Quatre to Hiiro much like how one would watch a tennis tournament, following the rally of balls. Hiiro took his time answering.
"I don't … suppose I know. It's different. This time somebody is actually waiting for my return."
Quatre nodded solemnly. "And you know J's requirements. He expects you to come back successfully and not return otherwise."
"That's uplifting."
"Think twice before you accept the mission, Hiiro."
The stoic boy stared down at his shoes, frowning to himself. "I already thought this through and I've already accepted." With a brief glance tossed over his shoulder, he walked out of the room, basked in silence.
"Are you going to go through with keeping this from Usagi, Quatre?" Trowa asked quietly, pegging the blonde with a serious stare as he unfolded his arms.
Quatre didn't answer right away, but when he did, the answer was definite and solid. "I never go back on my promises." He followed Hiiro out the door.
"I don't think this is right, guys," Duo started uneasily, comic voice a slight relief from the highly stressed ambiance. "Usagi has a right to know about this and Hiiro has no right to keep it from her.
"No, Maxwell. This is Yui's decision and Yui's battle."
Trowa sighed. "Hiiro might be phenomenal when it comes to battles but if he can't win out against his heart…" The two of them, Duo and Trowa, slowly strode out of the room as Wufei stared after them. A silent Relena followed.
"Good luck, Yui," he muttered to himself.
…………………
"What'd you mean Hiiro's sick?" Usagi looked from one person to the next, staring them down suspiciously. "You had better not to be lying to me! Hiiro doesn't get sick! I didn't make him that way!"
"You're still talking that way, Usagi?" Trowa warned, eyebrow raised sarcastically.
Her slender shoulders tensed as those endearing clear blue eyes traveled to him. "Y-you're right. I'm sorry."
Duo laughed nervously. "That's right, Usa! Y'know the only other time Hiiro was sick-" His eyes widened as Wufei jabbed him in the ribs, silently warning him to not push his luck. - was in my dream!"
Shooting one last suspicious look at the four of them, Usagi walked out of the room, blonde pigtails swinging to every emphatic step.
…………………
She stared up at the dulled white of her ceiling and practiced breathing slowly. She had gotten the method of relieving stress from some Reader's Digest article years back. Or … was it years? It had seemed so far back but now, upon second thought, she realized it was no more than six months ago.
How was everybody in the real world? Older, no doubt. Art and Luna and mentioned something along the lines of every week here equaling a month over there. How could that be? Two trivial weeks had passed here yet her parents had lived without her for two months? It didn't seem possible.
Usagi knew they would be coming for her sooner or later and she knew she couldn't bear going back there when people who had been her age were now months older than she was. What would they say? Would they hate her? Would they welcome her back?
And what could she say to Luna and Art to make them realize the soul-searing, earth-shattering kind of love between herself and Hiiro? Usagi sighed to herself and gave up breathing slowly.
"I'll just say: Luna, Art … I've come to a decision. And though it was a difficult one, I believe truly that it is the right one-"
"And what might that decision be?"
She gasped quickly and sat up, feeling light-headed from the sudden change of position. Violet eyes and crystal-blue ones stared at her, smiling.
"Luna! Art!"
…………………
"Successfully infiltrated room 4879X13. Main control system ahead, unaware guards – two seconds away from right, ten seconds from left," he muttered, mentally pacing himself and preparing for the next move. "Security doors locked and coded. Three computers; three codes. Bring it on."
He frowned to himself as, after eleven tries, the code appeared as Dante on the first computer. Three lines came up on the screen, letter by letter, as he scanned them and frowned. Why were they so familiar?
I am the way into the city of woe.
I am the way to a forsaken people.
I am the way into eternal sorrow.
Inspired, he cracked the second code on the second try – Alighieri. Three more lines took their time appearing on the blank, eerily blue screen.
Sacred justice moved my architect.
I was raised here by divine omnipotence,
Primordial love and ultimate intellect.
He tapped his fingers and thought hard. Dante Alighieri. The Divine Comedy. He tried it but it didn't work. Thinking quickly, he tried Paradisio next but that failed too. Quickly, without thinking, he tapped in Purgatorio but still, access denied flashed across the screen.
Suddenly, it all clicked. Inferno.
He ran for it, through the high-security doors, double-checking the small heat-sensor in his hands, trying to convince himself that it wasn't all a foil. His fears were confirmed when the sensor came up with nothing. The heat spots were gone. The guards were gone. He was alone in the entire base.
He didn't need to check to make sure what the last three lines were. The image was burned into his head – a timer ran, signaling that he had twenty-seven seconds to high-tail it out of there before the entire base was incinerated from space, via a satellite. He gritted his teeth, pushing himself, making sharp turns and dashing down empty hallways. Twenty seconds.
As he ran, he repeated the last three lines to himself, from memory.
"Only those elements time cannot wear,
Were made before me, and beyond time I stand-"
Gasping in freezing breaths of air, his eyes widened as he reached the entrance and saw that it was sealed. Scrawled upon it, in permanent marker, read the last line of the warning—
"Abandon all hope ye who enter here," he whispered to himself. "The gateway to Hell…"
From far away, he heard the low rumbling of chains of dynamite being set off.
Please, God, if you are real. Help Usagi forget.
Miles above, in space, bold red letters flashed on a black screen: BASE TERMINATED.
…………………
"Luna and Art promised me Usagi will come home soon," Lita whispered to herself, gently tracing the outline of Hiiro's form upon the first copy of Usagi's Gundam Wing: Book 1. "I wonder … I wonder if I'll ever get to see you again, Usa…"
She blinked back tears as she looked up, trying to contain them in her eyes. A recent drawing caught her eye. Rini had complained about her indecisiveness but finally, after much thought, she changed the original self-destruction scene to one of Hiiro being trapped, alone and helpless. She wondered if Usagi would approve upon returning. It was such a different take on Hiiro … perfect Hiiro:
Trapped like a rat.
…………………
"Tell us what?" Luna prompted. Usagi quickly came back to her senses.
"Luna … Art … I've given this a lot of thought." She paused and glanced fearfully up at the two. She caught Luna frowning softly, undoubtedly not used to her protégé fearing her. "I … I love Hiiro. And I've decided to stay here, with him."
Art opened his mouth to speak.
"No! Now before you say anything! I want you to know that I love everybody back home dearly but … how many chances does one get at true love? I've thought this through completely." She sighed in relief. "Now you can talk."
Luna shushed Artemis and stepped forward instead, touching Usagi gently on the shoulder. "I've known that the two of you loved each other and … am ashamed to have helped the relationship along." She didn't have to look up to see the betrayed look on Usagi's face. "Think it over again, Usagi. Remember, you have control over every character in this world, including Hiiro. What makes you believe that his love for you isn't simply an illusion because you wished for it? What makes you think you didn't force him into it?"
She looked up to see Usagi cringing. "I'm sorry, Usagi. I'm not saying it's true but … consider it."
"I-I have to go talk to him." Luna stared sadly after her charge as Usagi turned and ran out of the room.
…………………
"What do you mean he's not here?!" she cried, frantic eyes traveling from one downcast face and bowed head to the next. "He left without telling me? How could he do this to me?"
"If it makes it any better … he only wanted to protect you…" Duo offered meekly.
"Protect me?! He considers lying to me protecting me?" Usagi swiped the tears off of her face, suddenly ashamed at having cried. "Forget it. Tell him when he comes back that I left with Luna and Art." She quickly sprinted out of the room, angry at the tears streaking her face, angry at Hiiro for abandoning her.
"Usagi! Wait!" Quatre ran after her but skidded to a halt in front of the two guests of the house – Luna and Artemis. Usagi stood, teary-eyed, behind them and tried her hardest to look brave and fierce though it was obvious she was about to crumble.
"We'll be leaving now," Luna said softly.
"Best regards to everybody," Artemis finished.
"Usa-"
But they were already gone.
…………………
Notes: The entire code, etc in the Hiiro mission scene was based on Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy that is divided into Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradisio (Paradise/Heaven). The long, long poem is based on Dante's allegorical travel through Hell, then Purgatory, and finally Heaven. The poem that I used as the clues to the codes were in (I think) Canto 1 of Inferno and was the inscription on the gates to Hell. ^^;;; The "I" in the poem would be Satan, in this case, and he refers to God in the second stanza soooo … yeah. Just thought you might be remotely interested. ^^
CystalMoon: I do believe that for the first time in my life, I actually followed somebody's command of "update soon". ^^ Must've been the death threats … :D
Dreamertwin: Does this chapter answer that? Lol. There was no way Usagi could have possibly stayed. I can't leave her family hanging like that … and though your guess was actually something I considered, I dismissed it because it would have been stretching credibility and I'd already done that with this story more than once.
Firefly Princess: Again, the entire misunderstanding of Picture This being done applies. I'm such a dork sometimes…^^;;; One of your suggestions is actually pretty close to the semi-ending. (It kinda ends that way but it's not really the ending sooo … yeah. You'll know it when you see it. ^^) But that's all I'm saying! :D I really should have shared the banana idea with the whole fanfiction world. :D
Callisto Star: Misunderstanding about Picture This being done applies here as well … But actually … your mentioning of the "definition" of an ending almost describes the epilogue perfectly … buuuuut … I didn't need to say that. ^^;;;
Water Angel: I've had people mention to me that they can see the story in their minds but … really … I can't see anything when I read it back to myself. Lol. I must be mentally handicapped or something … But thanks – that was a very great compliment. ^^
Serena Yuy: Again, misunderstanding about Picture This ending applies … but hey! Look on the bright side – 3 more chapters after this that will be updated and finished by next weekend! :D
Thanks for all of your great reviews, uplifting and touching … however rehearsed that sounds. ^^;;; Yours, Angel.
Anybody obsessed with Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho? ARG! I've, unfortunately, caught the Kurama Syndrome a.k.a. Silvertail Syndrome. I feel like dying but … sadly, I can't. sigh Now, all I can do is look forward to Monday when YYH will come on again … sigh. I'm am such a dork. ^^;;;