Author's Note: Whhhheeeeeeeeeeeee! Almost done with Odin's bit! I've been
having a little trouble with this. The fic doesn't seem to flow like I
want it to, and I feel like time is passing too quickly; there should be
more detail, more of a look into Heero's mind. I also keep catching myself
trying to switch to someone else's perspective, like how does Odin see this
boy he's 'adopted'. But I'm getting through it, and soon it will get
better.. I hope. Anyway, please review, I can really use any comments or
ideas you have. Since this is all from Heero's view, I can't put in
everything involved so I'll explain at the end. Mmmmmm. If this chapter is
too short maybe I'll put a bit of the next one at the end.maybe. (Lots of
direct quotes from the manga here, so bear with me a little).
Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it? I mean you all know the drill right? Okay, Okay...*mumbles* I don't own Gundam Wing or Episode Zero * stops mumbling* But I do have a copy of it!! And a lot of this is direct quotes, but I didn't want to put yet another set of quotes around them. It's mostly the spoken stuff.
Chapter 5-Partings
The spaceport was nearly empty, not unusual on a Wednesday morning, but it made me feel conspicuous. I could feel the gun under my jacket shifting slightly with every step; I was sure someone would notice us, think we were unusual. Even after two years I was sure it shouldn't be quite this easy. I tried to practice what Odin had taught me. I tried to be a carefree eight-year-old boy (remember, he was six when Odin found him, I would've changed it, but ff.net was being stubborn last night), but I couldn't do it. Instead I opted for the silent, shy little boy and tried to look innocent. It must have worked because no one stopped us; or it could have just been Odin. He was very good at his job and no one would ever think by looking at him that the case he carried held anything other than the musical instrument he claimed it to be. Odin was the sort of guy that everyone could like on sight, and only hate once they knew him. He gave an impression of "well you know how it goes, we're all in this together, even if it is a mess". I could never manage it, but then, I had a lot less experience. I think it gets easier over time, but I'll never know for sure because I seem to be stuck on the silent guy who's ignored only because he never does anything. Either way though, we got up to the final check in counter without meeting anything but smiles. I had long ago learned that shuttle security is far from adequate, and the best way to get by is to offer to have everything checked. Usually they just wave you on, convinced that no one so willing to be searched is hiding something.
The man who gave us the final pass was no different. He was slightly curious about our destination, but Odin put him off easily.
"* Odin Lowe, you're a musician?"
"Used to be, now I just carry it around as a hobby. I'm traveling with my son." I never told him, but every time he called me his son, even though I knew it was just a cover, it made me feel wanted, cared for. I would have given anything for him to call me his son when it was just us, not a cover; even if he only did it once. The least he could have done was given me a name. But no, I don't know if he thought I had amnesia and hoped my name would come back to me or just didn't want to get to attached, but he never called me much of anything. Just kid, or you. He never really needed anything else with just the two of us.
The man smiled at me.
"Your destination is X-18999? I thought that colony wasn't completed yet..?"
"Like it says, we're not going there for a vacation."
"A former musician doing hard labor like colony construction?"
"I've been told I'm an odd one. Let's go." We left, the clerk watching curiously for a moment before turning back to his computer. After walking a few moments in silence, Odin bent down to me.
"Hey, try to act a little more like family, eh? That's our contract." I smiled at him as the child inside laughed out right.
"Hmm, okay Dad."
The flight to the colony was uneventful. I used the time to do a little research on the place. X-18999 was the newest colony and was due to be completed by the next year. It had been founded by the colonies' foundations, but the Alliance space force had heavily influenced the construction. I stared into the window that showed the starry void of space while I waited for Odin. He came up quietly.
"What-cha looking at? The void of space, which took everything away from you? Or your own image, a face without a name?" I had told him once that all my troubles began in space. I was talking about my life itself, but he seemed to think I had been in an accident, and since I didn't want him to know the truth, I never told him otherwise. But his second guess was the right one. I was once again contemplating my existence, and wishing that the chip in my head would just shut up and go away so that I could enjoy this time I had alone, without any reminders of what I had been created to do. But I wouldn't tell him that. It led to too many questions.
"Why. did you come to this colony?" For some reason, because he had told me nothing except that we were leaving, this was extremely important to me. I had to know what he was planning.
"To abandon you." His reply tore something inside me. I wasn't ready to face the world alone, no matter what he thought. I didn't even hear the rest of what he said. Something about my settling down in the confusion after he was done. He'd taught me everything I needed to survive. No, I thought. Not everything. You could have taught me to love, you could have taught me friendship. But now you'll throw it all away and leave me alone again. I don't want to be alone! Despair was replaced by anger and I reached under my jacket for my gun. He honestly thought he could just say, "Bye, I've taught you everything you need, now go away?" I cocked the gun, and he stopped talking.
"Who are you going to kill this time?" I knew he was going to kill someone important if there was going to be a lot of confusion. I didn't like it.
"Septem, of the Alliance Space Force. This'll be my last job, so you should go to school and live a normal life." Was that it? Was he protecting me once again? I wouldn't stand for it. I'd follow him in any way I could.
"I'll decide what I'm going to do." He laughed softly and gave me a little more information about the mission. One of the rebel armies had gotten a hold of some mobile suits and was attacking the command center. I was supposed to create as much confusion as I could so that Odin could get close enough to kill Septem. I had a bazooka. We stood on the roof of part of the command center and watched the battle unfold. The rebel army was being held back by a group of 'specials', the aristocratic branch of soldiers in OZ.
"Hmm, there seems to be a rather clever man in command."
"The rebels are just amateurs, they need to take out the frontline command center or they'll be individually targeted." I had nothing but pity for the disorganized soldiers who could be out smarted by an eight year old. Even if that eight year old was me.
"That's right. That's why they need men like me." I grinned slightly.
"That's a nice train of thought." He laughed.
"Yeah. Here's one last bit of good advice. No matter what happens, always follow your feelings." I watched him, knowing there was more and thinking that if he told me that, he couldn't stop me from following him when he tried to leave me behind.
"Once, some idiot fired a single shot.. And changed the course of history." He was talking about himself. Over the time I'd spent with him, I'd found that if there was one act that he could never forgive himself of, it was the assassination of a man who had not been on that list I found. And I knew, from bits and pieces that he gave me, that the man he'd killed was Heero Yuy, and that he blamed himself for the war and all the suffering the orphans like myself had to endure. That may have been the reason he took care of me. To try to atone for some of the pain he had caused.
"After that, I left the organization and just lived from day to day." Two soldiers showed up at the door to the stairs.
"Hey, What are you doing over there?" Odin threw his knife at one while I tackled the other. His head hit the hard tile, knocking him unconscious. Odin gave me a rueful grin.
"However carefully you plan you never know if some fool is going to change the future." He started to strip one of the men of his uniform.
"So you may as well do what your heart tells you, so you don't regret it later. That's the right path for people who live in the present." He pulled on the uniform, making sure the helmet didn't get in the way of his sight.
"Okay, this is goodbye." I couldn't say it. I didn't really believe that I'd never see him again. So instead I gave him some advice.
"Don't overdo it. You're old now." He gave another smile. I think he was forcing himself to be cheerful.
"Huh, not something I want to hear from a kid. Don't get killed." He left, leaving me to do as I saw fit. I headed for the command center, running so that I wouldn't have time to think. I didn't want to acknowledge that Odin really thought we would never meet again. So much so that he might get himself killed, having nothing more to live for. When I reached it, I aimed for the main command center, determined to do as much damage as I could. Odin was right; their commander really was quick on his feet. He got his mobile suit in front of it, blocking my shot. Out of ammunition, I had nothing else to do. I headed back to where Odin was, hoping to convince him to take me with him when he left, and needing to make sure he was all right.
As I trotted through the corridors, I heard gunshots. I started running towards the sound, passing a bald man with a mustache as I went.
"Odin!" He propped himself on his elbow, ignoring the bullet wounds in his chest. I knew what those meant, but I wasn't ready to believe it. Not Odin, the man who had cared for me for two years and been able to avoid nearly all injuries during that time.
"Hey, I shoulda listened to your advice.. I've.gotten old." I was in denial.
"Wait here, I'll secure us an escape route."
".Too late. Listen; don't forget what I told you.. before we left.. It's the last advice this old fool can give you." I couldn't speak.
"Th-the last few years. we spent together. w-weren't so. bad.." And the man I had begun to consider my father died, something dropping out of his hand as his fingers relaxed. I picked it up and stared at it unseeing for a moment before I realized what it was. A detonator.
"So this. Is the job you left unfinished.." I was mumbling to myself, unable to absorb what had happened. I raised the detonator and pressed the button. As the entire command center went up in flames I ran out, out and away from Odin's body and everything it represented.
Soon it started to rain, and I wandered through the empty streets and half finished buildings, screaming inside but unable to lift the mask and let my agony through. Most of me was still in shock, uncaring that the rain had soaked me through and I would probably get a bad cold from being out in it. It took me three days to accept it, and even then I couldn't cry. I needed to cry, the pain and emptiness was pounding through my mind and soul, and I couldn't get it out. Then I realized, much too far away to go back and have any chance of retrieving it, that I had left my jacket at the base. And my gun. For some reason, I considered that gun the most meaningful thing I had from Odin that I could actually hold in my hand. A child needs to be able to touch the world he lives in. The fact that I had left it behind snapped something inside me. The same something that had torn when he told me he was going to abandon me.
I completely lost it. When I came to myself hours later my throat was raw and swollen from screaming and crying, and I could feel the dried tears all over my face. My voice was an unidentifiable croak and I couldn't stop sobbing. I sat in the shadows of a half completed building and sobbed hoarsely. My body rebelled and I was soon on my hands and knees, dryly heaving, trying to throw up but unable to because I hadn't eaten in days. Odin was gone. I'd never see him again, never hear him laugh or see him smile. I would never again watch him make our meals, or clean his weapons. We'd never go shopping for my clothes again, and I'd never again feel his hand on my shoulder, encouraging and comforting at the same time. He would never call me son again.
I don't know how long I stayed there, howling out my sorrows, but it must have been quite a while because my muscles, completely exhausted by my outburst, were ready to collapse. I spent another two days recovering and then set off to find some food. As pathetic as I looked it was easy for me to beg food and a little money off some of the workers. I didn't dare go near the base. After a week of trying to find something I could do, I found that some of the workers were going home. As the small group of four or five loaded up their truck, I tugged on one of the women's sleeves and looked up at her with all the pain and loneliness I could muster, and I had a lot just then.
"Onegai, take me with you.Onegai." (Onegai is please in Japanese.I think, someone correct me if I'm wrong) She stared down at me, surprised. Some of the other workers looked up from their loading.
"What's up Naomi?"
"This kid wants us to take him with us." They watched me for a moment and I stared back in silence. Then one of the men with sandy hair, who seemed to be a leader of sorts, smiled at me.
"I'm sure we can get him to somewhere he can contact his relatives. Where are your parents kid?" I started crying then. I couldn't help it. He reminded me of Odin, and the way he too had taken me in, no questions asked. The tears rendered me speechless and I shook my head.
"An orphan." One of the others whispered. The sandy haired man's eyes softened.
"Where do you need to go to be safe kid?" I said the first thing I could think of. A colony that Odin and I had spent a lot of time at. I knew he had a home there, and I could get to it and get the money I would need to find a school. I was ready to do as he had asked me to.
"L3 colony." He nodded.
"I don't think any of us are headed there, we're mostly for L4, but we can make sure you get on a shuttle." The others nodded in agreement.
I rode with them as far as the spaceport where they all pitched in and gave me some money for a ticket. That was all there was time for before they got on their shuttle. I looked down at myself and realized that no one would let me buy a ticket and get on a shuttle by myself in the state I was in. My vest was ripped and the rest of my clothes were in sore need of a washing. I needed a bath.
It took me a while, but I finally managed to find a bathroom that had an inside lock on the door. Once inside I stripped off my stained clothes and tried to repair some of the damage, working on myself at the same time. I had to wait a few hours for everything to dry, but I did manage to make myself presentable once more. My shorts and collared shirt were clean if a little bleached, my socks were once more white, my shoes looked as if they had never walked on anything slightly resembling dusty asphalt and my vest didn't have any sign of a tear, mainly because it had had tow layers and I had torn off the first one. I used the extra material as an under garment to try and make up for the lack of a jacket. When I finally stepped out of that bathroom I was an only slightly less well-off schoolboy. I was ready to face the world again.
I approached the ticket counter skipping a little, as if I was really looking forward to something. I even managed to get a shy smile to stay on my face. The clerk I chose was a young woman who looked to have enough authority that if I got past her, I should have no problems.
"Excuse me, I'd like to but a ticket to colony L3 please." She stared down at me curiously. I held up the wad of money the workers had given me.
"Are you here with your parents?"
"No, I'm on my way to visit my grandfather. Dad couldn't stay to make sure I got on the shuttle." She frowned. "Why not?"
"Because he had this really important meeting he had to go to. He tried to stay but his secretary dragged him out to the car, insisting that I could do fine by myself. I have done this before, on the way here." I told the poor lady this pack of lies with out ever changing expression. It was hard, but I managed to keep the innocent smile on my face. I beamed up at her.
"Well, in that case I suppose it's alright if I give you a ticket.how old are you?" Remember what I said about spaceport security? It was entirely too easy.
"Twelve." I lied. I knew she would never, no matter what the case, allow an eight year old on a shuttle alone.
"Dad says I'm small for my age." My smile was becoming easier. I had a sudden urge to burst out laughing, the irony of the situation almost too much for my nerve wracked condition. But the smile seemed to be having the desired effect. She smiled back at me.
"I'm sure you'll grow plenty soon." She handed me my ticket.
"Your flight leaves in half an hour." I beamed at her once more in thanks and ran towards the gate, fighting the urge to do a few cartwheels. A few hours ago I had been deeply depressed and now I was on an emotional high, feeling freer than I had ever felt before. This was what I was good at!
I boarded the shuttle and immediately hacked into the computer at the back of the seat. Within minutes I had accessed my own laptop, which had been left at Odin's home. I memorized the address and the local metro system so that I could be sure of getting there. That done I slipped into the most peaceful sleep I had had since Odin's death. When I reached L3 I made my way to the apartment without mishap and prepared to start my new life. What I didn't realize was that I had already attracted the attention of someone who would prove to be even more ruthless than the scientists who had created me.
Notes: Sorry about the cliffhanger, I needed to end this and that seemed like a good way to do it. Don't worry; you won't have to wait long. I plan to have the next chapter up sometime tomorrow afternoon.
So what do you think? Was Heero a little too OOC? I figured, even if he has all that training, he's still a child, and he had to have a great deal of respect for Odin, if nothing else. Also, keep in mind that before this, Heero has never had a dead body in front of him, much less the body of someone he knew well and admired. That's a pretty big blow to anyone. The smile and emotional high there at the end may have been a little too much, but I think that it's an automatic reflex. There's denial, acceptance, and then, after you've hurt so much that your body and mind can't handle it any more, it slips to another gear and you become alarmingly and painfully cheerful. I could be wrong, but that's my interpretation of it. Thank you to my reviewers once again, If you leave an e-mail address I will try to e-mail you back, but it might be a while 'cause I've been having some trouble with ff.net and I want to get the chapters up!!! This actually turned out much longer than I thought it would be so.please tell me what you think!! Was I way too close to the manga? Did I mangle Heero? (I don't think I did, but if you tell me why you do (if you do) then I'll explain my thoughts, and tell you whether I can see what you're saying.) And I will fix that age thing as soon as ff.net decides to stop messing around with my account. AAARRGGGHHH Why won't it let me update?!?!? ( yes I know. it's down.) Review, review, review!!!! Onegai!!
P.S. What do you think? Should Heero go to Earth and meet Relena in AC191?
Explanation: Dekim Barton organizes the attack, using Quinze as the rebel army and Septem gets the communications back up right before Odin tries to kill him. Two soldiers get in the way, Odin is shot in the leg as he tries to escape. The rebel troops retreat, Heero shoots Treize (yes, Treize, and guess what. He's saving Noin's life.). Dekim shoots Odin as revenge for killing Heero Yuy, Septem muses that he thought Odin was retired after Septem commissioned him to shoot Yuy. Odin has wired the whole building, Heero blows it up, Septem turns the colony weather system on to put out the fire. Treize wakes up in a hospital with Leia Barton as his nurse, they agree that Septem is incompetent. We can assume that this is how Mariemaia shows up. And it's all Heero's fault heheheheheh.. The rest of it I made up. The manga says, "Nothing is known of the subsequent history of the boy who would later be called Heero Yuy." The next bit is him meeting Doctor J, that same year, but I'm going to change that. With the training Heero already has, seven years is too long for his training, and besides, if I didn't change it, the whole reason I started writing this would be obsolete.. REVIEW!!!
Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it? I mean you all know the drill right? Okay, Okay...*mumbles* I don't own Gundam Wing or Episode Zero * stops mumbling* But I do have a copy of it!! And a lot of this is direct quotes, but I didn't want to put yet another set of quotes around them. It's mostly the spoken stuff.
Chapter 5-Partings
The spaceport was nearly empty, not unusual on a Wednesday morning, but it made me feel conspicuous. I could feel the gun under my jacket shifting slightly with every step; I was sure someone would notice us, think we were unusual. Even after two years I was sure it shouldn't be quite this easy. I tried to practice what Odin had taught me. I tried to be a carefree eight-year-old boy (remember, he was six when Odin found him, I would've changed it, but ff.net was being stubborn last night), but I couldn't do it. Instead I opted for the silent, shy little boy and tried to look innocent. It must have worked because no one stopped us; or it could have just been Odin. He was very good at his job and no one would ever think by looking at him that the case he carried held anything other than the musical instrument he claimed it to be. Odin was the sort of guy that everyone could like on sight, and only hate once they knew him. He gave an impression of "well you know how it goes, we're all in this together, even if it is a mess". I could never manage it, but then, I had a lot less experience. I think it gets easier over time, but I'll never know for sure because I seem to be stuck on the silent guy who's ignored only because he never does anything. Either way though, we got up to the final check in counter without meeting anything but smiles. I had long ago learned that shuttle security is far from adequate, and the best way to get by is to offer to have everything checked. Usually they just wave you on, convinced that no one so willing to be searched is hiding something.
The man who gave us the final pass was no different. He was slightly curious about our destination, but Odin put him off easily.
"* Odin Lowe, you're a musician?"
"Used to be, now I just carry it around as a hobby. I'm traveling with my son." I never told him, but every time he called me his son, even though I knew it was just a cover, it made me feel wanted, cared for. I would have given anything for him to call me his son when it was just us, not a cover; even if he only did it once. The least he could have done was given me a name. But no, I don't know if he thought I had amnesia and hoped my name would come back to me or just didn't want to get to attached, but he never called me much of anything. Just kid, or you. He never really needed anything else with just the two of us.
The man smiled at me.
"Your destination is X-18999? I thought that colony wasn't completed yet..?"
"Like it says, we're not going there for a vacation."
"A former musician doing hard labor like colony construction?"
"I've been told I'm an odd one. Let's go." We left, the clerk watching curiously for a moment before turning back to his computer. After walking a few moments in silence, Odin bent down to me.
"Hey, try to act a little more like family, eh? That's our contract." I smiled at him as the child inside laughed out right.
"Hmm, okay Dad."
The flight to the colony was uneventful. I used the time to do a little research on the place. X-18999 was the newest colony and was due to be completed by the next year. It had been founded by the colonies' foundations, but the Alliance space force had heavily influenced the construction. I stared into the window that showed the starry void of space while I waited for Odin. He came up quietly.
"What-cha looking at? The void of space, which took everything away from you? Or your own image, a face without a name?" I had told him once that all my troubles began in space. I was talking about my life itself, but he seemed to think I had been in an accident, and since I didn't want him to know the truth, I never told him otherwise. But his second guess was the right one. I was once again contemplating my existence, and wishing that the chip in my head would just shut up and go away so that I could enjoy this time I had alone, without any reminders of what I had been created to do. But I wouldn't tell him that. It led to too many questions.
"Why. did you come to this colony?" For some reason, because he had told me nothing except that we were leaving, this was extremely important to me. I had to know what he was planning.
"To abandon you." His reply tore something inside me. I wasn't ready to face the world alone, no matter what he thought. I didn't even hear the rest of what he said. Something about my settling down in the confusion after he was done. He'd taught me everything I needed to survive. No, I thought. Not everything. You could have taught me to love, you could have taught me friendship. But now you'll throw it all away and leave me alone again. I don't want to be alone! Despair was replaced by anger and I reached under my jacket for my gun. He honestly thought he could just say, "Bye, I've taught you everything you need, now go away?" I cocked the gun, and he stopped talking.
"Who are you going to kill this time?" I knew he was going to kill someone important if there was going to be a lot of confusion. I didn't like it.
"Septem, of the Alliance Space Force. This'll be my last job, so you should go to school and live a normal life." Was that it? Was he protecting me once again? I wouldn't stand for it. I'd follow him in any way I could.
"I'll decide what I'm going to do." He laughed softly and gave me a little more information about the mission. One of the rebel armies had gotten a hold of some mobile suits and was attacking the command center. I was supposed to create as much confusion as I could so that Odin could get close enough to kill Septem. I had a bazooka. We stood on the roof of part of the command center and watched the battle unfold. The rebel army was being held back by a group of 'specials', the aristocratic branch of soldiers in OZ.
"Hmm, there seems to be a rather clever man in command."
"The rebels are just amateurs, they need to take out the frontline command center or they'll be individually targeted." I had nothing but pity for the disorganized soldiers who could be out smarted by an eight year old. Even if that eight year old was me.
"That's right. That's why they need men like me." I grinned slightly.
"That's a nice train of thought." He laughed.
"Yeah. Here's one last bit of good advice. No matter what happens, always follow your feelings." I watched him, knowing there was more and thinking that if he told me that, he couldn't stop me from following him when he tried to leave me behind.
"Once, some idiot fired a single shot.. And changed the course of history." He was talking about himself. Over the time I'd spent with him, I'd found that if there was one act that he could never forgive himself of, it was the assassination of a man who had not been on that list I found. And I knew, from bits and pieces that he gave me, that the man he'd killed was Heero Yuy, and that he blamed himself for the war and all the suffering the orphans like myself had to endure. That may have been the reason he took care of me. To try to atone for some of the pain he had caused.
"After that, I left the organization and just lived from day to day." Two soldiers showed up at the door to the stairs.
"Hey, What are you doing over there?" Odin threw his knife at one while I tackled the other. His head hit the hard tile, knocking him unconscious. Odin gave me a rueful grin.
"However carefully you plan you never know if some fool is going to change the future." He started to strip one of the men of his uniform.
"So you may as well do what your heart tells you, so you don't regret it later. That's the right path for people who live in the present." He pulled on the uniform, making sure the helmet didn't get in the way of his sight.
"Okay, this is goodbye." I couldn't say it. I didn't really believe that I'd never see him again. So instead I gave him some advice.
"Don't overdo it. You're old now." He gave another smile. I think he was forcing himself to be cheerful.
"Huh, not something I want to hear from a kid. Don't get killed." He left, leaving me to do as I saw fit. I headed for the command center, running so that I wouldn't have time to think. I didn't want to acknowledge that Odin really thought we would never meet again. So much so that he might get himself killed, having nothing more to live for. When I reached it, I aimed for the main command center, determined to do as much damage as I could. Odin was right; their commander really was quick on his feet. He got his mobile suit in front of it, blocking my shot. Out of ammunition, I had nothing else to do. I headed back to where Odin was, hoping to convince him to take me with him when he left, and needing to make sure he was all right.
As I trotted through the corridors, I heard gunshots. I started running towards the sound, passing a bald man with a mustache as I went.
"Odin!" He propped himself on his elbow, ignoring the bullet wounds in his chest. I knew what those meant, but I wasn't ready to believe it. Not Odin, the man who had cared for me for two years and been able to avoid nearly all injuries during that time.
"Hey, I shoulda listened to your advice.. I've.gotten old." I was in denial.
"Wait here, I'll secure us an escape route."
".Too late. Listen; don't forget what I told you.. before we left.. It's the last advice this old fool can give you." I couldn't speak.
"Th-the last few years. we spent together. w-weren't so. bad.." And the man I had begun to consider my father died, something dropping out of his hand as his fingers relaxed. I picked it up and stared at it unseeing for a moment before I realized what it was. A detonator.
"So this. Is the job you left unfinished.." I was mumbling to myself, unable to absorb what had happened. I raised the detonator and pressed the button. As the entire command center went up in flames I ran out, out and away from Odin's body and everything it represented.
Soon it started to rain, and I wandered through the empty streets and half finished buildings, screaming inside but unable to lift the mask and let my agony through. Most of me was still in shock, uncaring that the rain had soaked me through and I would probably get a bad cold from being out in it. It took me three days to accept it, and even then I couldn't cry. I needed to cry, the pain and emptiness was pounding through my mind and soul, and I couldn't get it out. Then I realized, much too far away to go back and have any chance of retrieving it, that I had left my jacket at the base. And my gun. For some reason, I considered that gun the most meaningful thing I had from Odin that I could actually hold in my hand. A child needs to be able to touch the world he lives in. The fact that I had left it behind snapped something inside me. The same something that had torn when he told me he was going to abandon me.
I completely lost it. When I came to myself hours later my throat was raw and swollen from screaming and crying, and I could feel the dried tears all over my face. My voice was an unidentifiable croak and I couldn't stop sobbing. I sat in the shadows of a half completed building and sobbed hoarsely. My body rebelled and I was soon on my hands and knees, dryly heaving, trying to throw up but unable to because I hadn't eaten in days. Odin was gone. I'd never see him again, never hear him laugh or see him smile. I would never again watch him make our meals, or clean his weapons. We'd never go shopping for my clothes again, and I'd never again feel his hand on my shoulder, encouraging and comforting at the same time. He would never call me son again.
I don't know how long I stayed there, howling out my sorrows, but it must have been quite a while because my muscles, completely exhausted by my outburst, were ready to collapse. I spent another two days recovering and then set off to find some food. As pathetic as I looked it was easy for me to beg food and a little money off some of the workers. I didn't dare go near the base. After a week of trying to find something I could do, I found that some of the workers were going home. As the small group of four or five loaded up their truck, I tugged on one of the women's sleeves and looked up at her with all the pain and loneliness I could muster, and I had a lot just then.
"Onegai, take me with you.Onegai." (Onegai is please in Japanese.I think, someone correct me if I'm wrong) She stared down at me, surprised. Some of the other workers looked up from their loading.
"What's up Naomi?"
"This kid wants us to take him with us." They watched me for a moment and I stared back in silence. Then one of the men with sandy hair, who seemed to be a leader of sorts, smiled at me.
"I'm sure we can get him to somewhere he can contact his relatives. Where are your parents kid?" I started crying then. I couldn't help it. He reminded me of Odin, and the way he too had taken me in, no questions asked. The tears rendered me speechless and I shook my head.
"An orphan." One of the others whispered. The sandy haired man's eyes softened.
"Where do you need to go to be safe kid?" I said the first thing I could think of. A colony that Odin and I had spent a lot of time at. I knew he had a home there, and I could get to it and get the money I would need to find a school. I was ready to do as he had asked me to.
"L3 colony." He nodded.
"I don't think any of us are headed there, we're mostly for L4, but we can make sure you get on a shuttle." The others nodded in agreement.
I rode with them as far as the spaceport where they all pitched in and gave me some money for a ticket. That was all there was time for before they got on their shuttle. I looked down at myself and realized that no one would let me buy a ticket and get on a shuttle by myself in the state I was in. My vest was ripped and the rest of my clothes were in sore need of a washing. I needed a bath.
It took me a while, but I finally managed to find a bathroom that had an inside lock on the door. Once inside I stripped off my stained clothes and tried to repair some of the damage, working on myself at the same time. I had to wait a few hours for everything to dry, but I did manage to make myself presentable once more. My shorts and collared shirt were clean if a little bleached, my socks were once more white, my shoes looked as if they had never walked on anything slightly resembling dusty asphalt and my vest didn't have any sign of a tear, mainly because it had had tow layers and I had torn off the first one. I used the extra material as an under garment to try and make up for the lack of a jacket. When I finally stepped out of that bathroom I was an only slightly less well-off schoolboy. I was ready to face the world again.
I approached the ticket counter skipping a little, as if I was really looking forward to something. I even managed to get a shy smile to stay on my face. The clerk I chose was a young woman who looked to have enough authority that if I got past her, I should have no problems.
"Excuse me, I'd like to but a ticket to colony L3 please." She stared down at me curiously. I held up the wad of money the workers had given me.
"Are you here with your parents?"
"No, I'm on my way to visit my grandfather. Dad couldn't stay to make sure I got on the shuttle." She frowned. "Why not?"
"Because he had this really important meeting he had to go to. He tried to stay but his secretary dragged him out to the car, insisting that I could do fine by myself. I have done this before, on the way here." I told the poor lady this pack of lies with out ever changing expression. It was hard, but I managed to keep the innocent smile on my face. I beamed up at her.
"Well, in that case I suppose it's alright if I give you a ticket.how old are you?" Remember what I said about spaceport security? It was entirely too easy.
"Twelve." I lied. I knew she would never, no matter what the case, allow an eight year old on a shuttle alone.
"Dad says I'm small for my age." My smile was becoming easier. I had a sudden urge to burst out laughing, the irony of the situation almost too much for my nerve wracked condition. But the smile seemed to be having the desired effect. She smiled back at me.
"I'm sure you'll grow plenty soon." She handed me my ticket.
"Your flight leaves in half an hour." I beamed at her once more in thanks and ran towards the gate, fighting the urge to do a few cartwheels. A few hours ago I had been deeply depressed and now I was on an emotional high, feeling freer than I had ever felt before. This was what I was good at!
I boarded the shuttle and immediately hacked into the computer at the back of the seat. Within minutes I had accessed my own laptop, which had been left at Odin's home. I memorized the address and the local metro system so that I could be sure of getting there. That done I slipped into the most peaceful sleep I had had since Odin's death. When I reached L3 I made my way to the apartment without mishap and prepared to start my new life. What I didn't realize was that I had already attracted the attention of someone who would prove to be even more ruthless than the scientists who had created me.
Notes: Sorry about the cliffhanger, I needed to end this and that seemed like a good way to do it. Don't worry; you won't have to wait long. I plan to have the next chapter up sometime tomorrow afternoon.
So what do you think? Was Heero a little too OOC? I figured, even if he has all that training, he's still a child, and he had to have a great deal of respect for Odin, if nothing else. Also, keep in mind that before this, Heero has never had a dead body in front of him, much less the body of someone he knew well and admired. That's a pretty big blow to anyone. The smile and emotional high there at the end may have been a little too much, but I think that it's an automatic reflex. There's denial, acceptance, and then, after you've hurt so much that your body and mind can't handle it any more, it slips to another gear and you become alarmingly and painfully cheerful. I could be wrong, but that's my interpretation of it. Thank you to my reviewers once again, If you leave an e-mail address I will try to e-mail you back, but it might be a while 'cause I've been having some trouble with ff.net and I want to get the chapters up!!! This actually turned out much longer than I thought it would be so.please tell me what you think!! Was I way too close to the manga? Did I mangle Heero? (I don't think I did, but if you tell me why you do (if you do) then I'll explain my thoughts, and tell you whether I can see what you're saying.) And I will fix that age thing as soon as ff.net decides to stop messing around with my account. AAARRGGGHHH Why won't it let me update?!?!? ( yes I know. it's down.) Review, review, review!!!! Onegai!!
P.S. What do you think? Should Heero go to Earth and meet Relena in AC191?
Explanation: Dekim Barton organizes the attack, using Quinze as the rebel army and Septem gets the communications back up right before Odin tries to kill him. Two soldiers get in the way, Odin is shot in the leg as he tries to escape. The rebel troops retreat, Heero shoots Treize (yes, Treize, and guess what. He's saving Noin's life.). Dekim shoots Odin as revenge for killing Heero Yuy, Septem muses that he thought Odin was retired after Septem commissioned him to shoot Yuy. Odin has wired the whole building, Heero blows it up, Septem turns the colony weather system on to put out the fire. Treize wakes up in a hospital with Leia Barton as his nurse, they agree that Septem is incompetent. We can assume that this is how Mariemaia shows up. And it's all Heero's fault heheheheheh.. The rest of it I made up. The manga says, "Nothing is known of the subsequent history of the boy who would later be called Heero Yuy." The next bit is him meeting Doctor J, that same year, but I'm going to change that. With the training Heero already has, seven years is too long for his training, and besides, if I didn't change it, the whole reason I started writing this would be obsolete.. REVIEW!!!