C-chan, M-chan, DG: YAAAAAYYY!!!!
Bishis: AAAAAAHHH!!!
Washu: SPANDEX!!!!!!
Yui: Uuh…enough spandex for now… how about we try to keep any implications out of this one.
C-chan: WHY?!!!??!?!
Yui: just to see if it's possible.
Washu: EVERYTHING is possible!!
C-chan: Yes, we know.
D: No we don't! I bet you can't braid your hair as good as I can!!
Washu: But I can put it under a tiny hat!
C-chan: FEIFEI! WHERE YOU GOIN!!
F: …away…
Yui: oh no you don't!! Today we're going to have a "special treat".
Q: Uh-ooh…
Yui: Everyone can ask anyone a question and must have it answered! Yay! Heero you start.
H: Uuh… Duo, why am I different?
D: embarrassed did you have to refer to THAT scene…it's so sentimental… uumm because you have cool pants!
H: DAMMIT WHY DOES EVERYTHING COME DOWN TO MY PANTS!!
Y: DUO! Your turn!
D: Hee-chan will you pleeease show me the secret of your pants?
Y: I SAID KEEP THE IMPLICATIONS OUT!!
Washu: He doesn't MEAN it like that! He only wants to know the science!
Y: I'm SURE… heheeh
T: Quatre why did you go crazy?
Q: Because the equilibrium of the soul of outer space is unbalanced. The gravitations are spinning out of control.
T: blinks oh.
Y: This is getting too long. TO BE CONTINUED!!
W: Awwww…
Why can I not show you my life? You do not let me! All you must do is accept me, it is a simpler act than breathing itself, and yet you fail. Why have you forgotten?
Pound. Pound. Footsteps on the trap door. Duo's eyes blasted open. He saw darkness; his face was pressed into Heero's shirt sleeve. He pulled away and turned sharply, his hair following. There was a beam of light. It grew as the trap door was opened farther. There were muffled voices outside.
"Damn, this door his heavy!"
"Just fucking open the door!"
Duo shakingly turned and gently placed his trembling hand on the side of Heero's face.
"Heero… They are coming, you've got to hide! Heero!" he whispered. Heero opened his eyes. For an instant, confusion was written in them. After that, they became hard. He said,
"Where?"
"Go deeper into the hideout!"
Duo followed him back into the bunker, back where the air was even more moist and humid than at first. He could hear the trapdoor being boosted open and the heavy panting of the men outside. Agitatedly, he gripped the back of Heero's shirt.
"Go, go on, faster!" he urged him softly whispering. Heero arrived at a stone wall and felt his way down; there was an opening in the lower part of the wall. The men were advancing. The footsteps were clearly audible. Clearer, clearer. There was not enough time to crawl deeply into the opening; Duo knew this by intuition, Heero by careful calculation.
"Hide, Heero, hide!" Duo urged.
"What about you?" His first words. They came out hoarsely.
"I'm right behind you!"
Heero shook his head. Duo's face distorted into a grimace.
"If you don't go, dammit, we'll both be found!"
"Then go ahead!"
"No, they are looking for you, not for me, therefore you should hide!"% Duo forcefully pushed Heero forward. %Although he fell, unexpectedly, he instantly turned around. Too late. Duo had bounded over to the other side of the room. The men stormed into the opening. Duo coughed. The men turned, guns pointed at him.
"Heero Yuy! You are under arrest!" they barked. Heero almost moved. But he realized it was too late.
This is all I ever did for him. Killed him.
He pays for my sins, and I am now the god of death.
We are interchangeable.
The men approached Duo. Carefully, with many guns trained on him, they bound his hands and feet. Roughly, they lifted him. Duo wriggled, trying to get loose. He paid no mind to the guns. Had they wanted him dead, they would have shot him in the first place. Now one of the men ripped off the sleeve of Duo's shirt. The fury in Heero's heart was boiling. The man took out a needle and inserted it into Duo's struggling arm. Duo screamed.
I'm a real man, I don't scream!
What did they do to him!
The men began dragging the still wriggling Duo outside. Right before they went out of sight, Heero saw the braided boy's shape go limp. Like a corpse.
Shinigami can't die!
Heero immediately climbed out of his hideout to follow the men. They exited the hideout with Heero tracking them expertly. He remembered enough stealth from the war. It was still raining. The sound of his footsteps was drowned out. But then the men climbed into a truck and drove away. The echo of the motor in Heero's mind was deafening. He had let them get away! Those pathetic excuses for men, these puppets, these bastards! And even worse, his own sad self who had not even been able to stop them. And that was something that could never escape from him. Not as long as he was Heero Yuy.
Alaila—li! Aaaaaeiaaaannooo… Lalalalalala-aaa…
It was a melody, played out by the rain falling onto different surfaces. Captivated, Heero stood in the middle of a deserted road, listening.
Duo?
No, Duo had just left. Where did he go again?
Iiiiiiwariaaaa…jiiiiiilalalalaaaa—aaa!
What does it mean? I can't understand you! Are you speaking?
I am the rain!
The rain. And who is the rain?
I…I have no name. Why should you need a name? My love, my life, it is what it is, yes, no name!! What is is what is, and what is needs no substitute, its glorious glory is unsurpassed in a pure, pure state!
Here he is! Duo, I was looking for you. Have you met her? Who, you say? Why…why…what is your name? Ah yes, Maaia it is!
I speak to you, yet you, you respond as yourself. Why will you not understand me? Tree! Life!
This makes absolutely no sense. What are these words?
"Who are you???!!!" Heero demanded, screamed. "What did you do to Duo?? And what the hell are you talking about! Your words are incoherent!!"
Silence.
There is no such thing as incoherence! Everything is complementary!!! It is wonderful, glorious! If only I could show you, yes, introduce you to everything that you are, your unseen partners, your true, true love!!!
Heero's heart was pounding. The rain beat upon him, rolling over his face and soaking his hair, and his hands were raised up to the sky as he shouted in vain against the thunder.
"I have only one true love!"
True, true. You only see one part, however. And it devours you, yes, blinds you, kills you! Yet it protects you, from the other parts. You see, you small ones, you are so vulnerable! So ignorant, so sensitive, and undecided! You believe, however, you always, always believe. Your faith is the pillar of the world, for without it, it would dissolve, and without you—why, I would not be!! That would be the downfall, yes, Armageddon! You see, you are me, and your love is me, and I love you!
Heero dropped his arms, defeated. The world no longer made any sense to him. He was truly insane. He heard voices, heard songs of rain, saw hallucinations of omnipotency, and could not even remember his love. His love. Since when was Duo his love? Of course, he had always been. Now he was gone. It was so obvious Heero wanted to bang his head against the wall. Only there was no wall currently available. It had always been so obvious! All the moments he had felt so much in love. All the moments he wanted to throw his arms around Duo; he had ignored it all. Why? Every time he saw the American boy, the stab of emotion he felt; he had taken it for granted.
And I thought Relena was stupid. She was the one stuck in her ideals, unwilling to see the truth of the world. I vowed to kill her, to rid the world of her potentially dangerous lies.
Who had he been to determine reason? He did not even have control over himself. He did not even acknowledge the aspects of him that were supposed to shape his life.
She was so full of herself. 'I am the queen of pacifism, and I will bring the world peace!''Yeah right,' I thought, 'After millions of years of life-forms battling for survival, she will break the rules of evolution.'
Look who wanted to destroy and reform the world!
At least she did not hurt anyone!
And now he had destroyed his only link to sanity out of his maze of confusion, his only love. Heero sprinted down the road through the rain, relatively unaware of the passing surroundings. They were uninteresting anyway—trees after trees after fields of growing wheat. He was now passing through a village. It was small—it only consisted of a few huts. Nobody up at this hour.
I vowed to kill her. I never did. But now—now is a good time…to kill the rightful enemy.
He passed by a house at the edge of a forest. He did not notice the black-haired boy running as well. There was a lake—Heero could hear it. He ran, accelerated—almost there—and then he jumped. The surface was dark and clear, mysterious with the agitated ripples the rain created. Beautiful, magnificent, splendid! A ray, wave of gladness and warmth entered Heero's heart, from the bottom of his consciousness, unexpectedly—the bottom of the lake? He was now falling, face-down, a smile crept to his lips, and extended through his entire body—he wanted to share it! Duo!
"Duo!"
he shouted joyfully! The warmth, the infatuation, it fulfilled him entirely.
The surface rushed at him. So dark, profound, so beautiful!
Ima, hageshiku karada ni kanjiaeru…
Closer, closer…
Sorezore no himeta kodou…
SO close, so beautiful, so happy!!!!! Heero breathed deeply, he would never, never get enough of this beautiful air.
Tadoritsuita jounetsu
He remembered fighting in Wing, one thing only on his mind, making his life. Right before completing a mission, knowing it would be successful—That clarity, magnified times infinity.
Dakishimeta tsubasa
Center of infinity!
Take off to the sky…
And he felt the water, the opposite. He felt the impact, so hard and unexpected that he drew in a deep breath…of near-freezing water. No more air, no more life. Heero wanted to move his arms to swim up, but he at the same time as he touched the water he remembered, remembered his mission.
Omae o korosu.
And he willed his limbs still, face-down.
Smiling, with shining eyes, Zechs advanced closer. He wore no shirt, and his muscular build sent chills of desire down Noin's spine. His perfect, platinum blonde, long hair flowed behind him like a river. He opened his arms to her, and she practically jumped him. He was so beautiful!
'Lucrezia…' he murmured as he tenderly ran a hand through her hair. He began to caress her, and she lay back…
For several days now Noin had been living in paradise. There were endless tables of food laid out buffet-style, food of every kind: fresh rolls and butter, pizza, salads, sushi, fried chicken, rice, pasta, fruits, and many, many types of drinks. At first she had satisfied herself with all the juices and water and milk that she could, but after a while, despite the beautiful lakes, forests, starlit skies, and breezes, boredom overcame her and she began to have more and more wine and beer, which were more elusive and fascinating than ever before. The feelings it awoke in her were irreplaceable here; without them, she felt no drive to live or do anything else. The fantasies she imagined during intoxication were the most excitement she could ever obtain.
Now, she was wandering through one of the forests, feeling on her skin the soft, warm, pleasing breeze. She had found a shirt to wear shortly after she had been imprisoned. It felt soft against her skin, comfortable. Though she was very often bored, any anger than might arise from this boredom was subdued by the perfect, perfect surroundings. Any possible desire for more was immediately pacified by satisfaction with the beauty around her. After a while, she could hardly remember anything that she would rather be doing than be here. Whenever she began to feel a slight sadness—which was becoming less and less frequent—there was always a beer or better not far away.
However, as she was strolling along, she spotted a movement other than her surroundings moving about her at her control. It was a figure, strolling as leisurely as she was, towards her.
Now, who might that be?
The figure grew larger as he advanced. Finally, she could discern his features. They were oddly familiar…He had short, blonde hair and large, aquamarine eyes, and a caring face. Only now, he did not look caring; he looked drunk. Noin had never seen Quatre in this state, which added to her initial failure to recognize him. But after a moment it all came to her.
"Good morning, Quatre," she politely greeted him. He smiled drunkly.
"Evening,"
"No. The sun just came up. It is morning," Noin stated matter-of-factly.
"But the sky was red," Quatre argued.
"The sky is red in the morning and in the evening."
"No , it can't be, because then morning and evening would be equal!"
"No, because the sun is on opposite sides!"
"No, it cannot be on both sides at once."
"I mean at different times."
"Oh." Quatre grimaced. He looked as though he were concentrating very hard. Then he shrugged and gazed at the horizon, which was obscured by the trees of the forest.
"This place is nice, isn't it," he remarked.
"Yes, quite."
They walked on in silence.
"I'm hungry," Quatre said after a few minutes.
"Take some food," Noin offered as she pointed at a table filled with delicious breakfast.
"OK," Quatre agreed. He took a piece of bacon and French toast.
"This sure looks tasty," he stated.
"Yes."
Then they sat in silence. Then they got up and walked some more. They got to a lake without a bridge. They both stopped. Stupefied, they stared at the flowing water.
"Look at the pattern that the pretty waves make," Noin pointed out.
"Wow, that is amazing. I wanna take some home," Quatre told her. "I just need a container…" Quatre looked around. There was a cooler standing not far away. It was green and under a tree.
"Sure is hard to see, with the green under the green tree with the green leaves, well, the bark is brown but the leaves are green, and so the green outdoes the brown because it's brighter." Noin remarked. Quatre walked over to it and picked it up, and came back carrying it. Then he held it in the water to let some flow in. He laboriously wrenched it back to Noin and looked into it expectantly. There were no waves in it. Quatre stared at it, then at Noin, then back at it.
"Why…why…where did the pretty pattern go?" The blonde Arabian began to cry agitatedly, his beautiful eyes reddened by the rubbing of his hands.
"I think…" Noin whispered carefully, reverently, "I think it went to heaven."
"What do you mean, he's not here anymore? Where did you take him?!" The usually quiet Trowa worriedly demanded of the nurse. She raised her hands in defense; even though she did not know him, she found Trowa intimidating.
"Again, I don't know. I am not in charge here, Dr. Laera is! And she went on vacation yesterday!" Trowa leaned on the counter and bent forward so that his face was inches in front of hers.
"You mean to tell me that two weeks ago I brought Quatre in and you told me he would need to stay at least a month, but your psychiatrist leaves on vacation?" His eyes bored into hers.
"Umm, well, you see, I don't have any control! I—"
"I don't care how much control you have or how much you are being controlled. I want to know where Quatre is."
"I'm sorry; I cannot change facts, and the fact is that I do not know." Trowa's expression became angry.
"A week ago you knew perfectly what was going on when I called. Now, if you truly don't remember, I have methods to make you remember." Trowa's eyes narrowed as he glared menacingly at her.
"Trowa! What happened to you?" Dorothy's voice from the back of the room was surprised, almost hurt, though it never lost its arrogance. Trowa whirled around.
"Why are you here?" he demanded.
"Why shouldn't I be?" she challenged him. "You are here, and I have the same rights as you to him, and there's no damn thing in the world that you can do about it."
"What?" Trowa's eyes now widened in confusion. "Rights to him?"
"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. Just because you might have brainwashed him for a while with your gay games, doesn't mean that he loves you!"
"What are you—"
"Give me a break. You are a gundam pilot. You should know better than to pretend. Quatre is weak; he was on the battlefield, and he is in love, and all you do is take advantage of his weakness!"
"Quatre is not weak; he is kind. I can see why someone like you would see that as a weakness."
"No. Kindness alone is not weak. But kindness to the extent that it becomes a lie, that is a weakness. He is so kind that he pretended to return your love, because he cares for you, and he did not want to hurt you. He might have even been deluding himself—"
"Dorothy, you are confusing the meaning of love. True love is always kind."
"Always? Always? You are a soldier. You spent your childhood learning about the cruelty of reality. Was your reality kind? Did you grow up in happiness, in love? What is reality, Trowa? Kindness or cruelty? What is the world like? You know, first-hand. The men that fought, many of them fought for love. My uncle fought from a love of humanity's cruelty. He was kind."
"What is your point?"
"My point is that Quatre merely lied to give you kindness; he pitied you, and you took advantage of him!"
"On what grounds do you base this accusation?"
Dorothy was silent. She looked taken aback. Then, hesitatingly, she stated,
"He told me. He told me—" She turned around, unable to face him.
"When?" Dorothy did not turn around. There was silence for a minute.
"T-that night." She stuttered. "Yes. That night!" she added now, with vigor in her voice, whirling around. "Remember, when you were out on a performance? Well, just because you weren't there, Quatre and me would not just sit around. We…we had quite a bit of fun! He's so—so passionate, so alive, that night—I felt my first time truly, truly…" Dorothy's face was flushed as she smiled again, hands clasped in front of her chest.
"I never believed that I could be seduced…ever since my childhood I could never imagine such a thing, but now… he was so good, so—"
Trowa walked over to her and looked her squarely in the eyes.
"You
have no knowledge of love."
Dorothy broke off her passionate telling, and folded her arms in front of her.
"And what makes you say that?"
"If you truly knew love, you would know that nothing Quatre does or ever might have done can alter my love for him. I trust him to do what is best." Then Trowa turned back to the nurse, who had been listening eagerly.
"Now, if you don't tell me where Quatre is, I will kill you." The nurse's eyes contracted.
"What?" she began trembling in fear.
Why are you acting like Heero Yuy?
You? Me? I am. I am Heero Yuy.
~No! I am Trowa Barton. NO! I am no-name, nanashi.
'Names are things other people give you, so there's no use in worrying about them.'
But I am acting like—
"SECURITY!!!" Dorothy yelled out passionately.
Security…
Then, men in uniforms barged in and restrained Trowa. They carried him off to an interrogation room. At least that was what Trowa expected. The halls were dark, unperceived, unimportant…
Then they reached an interrogation room. It looked very official; there was a flag of the unified world nation, and framed pictures of high leaders of various alliances and histories. At a heavy, dark brown, wooden desk sat a security guard. He had black, short hair but long bangs, and wore a tight-fitting uniform that accentuated his excellent physical shape. On a belt he wore a blaster, in a position where it was most easily noticed. To his right sat a woman with black hair that was tied back in a ponytail. She wore a denim skirt and a blouse. To her right sat another woman with long, blonde, curly hair and full, red lips, and at least five layers of makeup. She wore a low-cut, short dress. Surrounding them were various guards with badges and blasters. There were no windows, but there was an expensive carpet.
The man at the desk shifted in his chair to face Trowa. He sighed deeply and rubbed his face in his hands, and shifted again. He adjusted his chair and flipped shut a folder that was placed on the desk. Then he spoke with heavy countenance.
"What seems to be the problem?" He sounded as if he were about to fall asleep.
"He, he threatened me! He said he would kill me!" said the nurse, still recovering from a state of panic. The man at the desk raised his eyebrows.
"Did you?" he asked, not a bit more interested than before.
"No," replied Trowa solemnly.
"Yes, he did! He's lying!! There was a witness, a blonde lady, find her quick!" the nurse squealed.
Damn, how could I forget about Dorothy!Two minutes later, Dorothy was standing in front of the desk, professing in detail just how dreadful Trowa's threat had been. Trowa himself was desperate.
"She's lying too! It's a conspiracy! She hates me for stealing her alleged lover, so she conspired to have me imprisoned!" he shouted. Then he looked around. His eyes widened as he saw the woman on the right of the security guard with the black hair and denim skirt.
"You, she's—she's the psychiatrist! What the hell is going on here?!" Dr. Laera stood up quickly.
"Nothing but a misunderstanding. But for security purposes I must inform the department head of this incident. I shall return in a moment." She hurried out of a back door. During the time of her absence, everyone shifted uncomfortably, slightly, and silently in their places. Except for the man in the desk who composedly and tiredly wrote something in a notebook. Then Dr. Laera returned, followed by Relena Peacecraft. She looked very surprised to see Trowa and Dorothy.
"Trowa! Dorothy! What in Peace's name are you doing here?" she inquired.
The matter was explained to her and she smiled.
"It is no problem. The nurse was misinformed of Dr. Laera's absence, or rather, presence. It was not her fault at all. As for Quatre Winner, he is in the process of performing a test, which is very important for determining exactly what is wrong with him. There is no problem at all!"
Then she led Trowa and Dorothy away. Trowa left, but Dorothy remained outside the building and called out to Relena. Relena turned around and looked questioningly at her. Dorothy had tears in her eyes.
"What is wrong?" she asked, concerned.
"Everything. He stole him from me. I loved him, and he revolutionized my values, changed me completely, and so he was the only thing that remained to complete my happiness! I simply cannot believe that he would choose him, a male, with nothing too special about him, over me!" she sputtered between sobs, trying desperately to keep the volume of her voice down.
"I understand perfectly your frustration, more than you could imagine," Relena replied, grasping Dorothy's hand. The latter looked up at her.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I had the exact same experience. But I have learned to overcome it. I even got married to someone else, whom, honestly, I do not feel even half as much for as I did for Heero," she stated in a whisper. Dorothy gasped.
"Our fates have intertwined once again."
In a white, empty office, Duo was sitting on the ground, half-dozing. The drug that had made him fall asleep was wearing away quickly. The door then opened. Groggily he opened his eyes. The surprise of seeing Lady Une awoke him instantly, however.
"What are you—" he gasped.
"I am terribly sorry for this misunderstanding, Duo. Let me inform you what exactly happened. The police were looking for Heero, but they mistook you for him. Just when they identified you and were about to release you, one of our officials spotted you. The fact is, we need you immediately for help. You see, there is a terrorist on the loose that we can no longer afford to neglect. But this terrorist has so far escaped our clutches continuously, as there is immense security. Therefore, we need someone with great stealth to help us bring the terrorist to justice. Will you help us?" she pleaded. Duo was taken aback by this unexpected development.
"Help Preventers? Anytime, but—" as Lady Une had begun to turn around in a hurry, he halted her.
"Please tell me if you know what happened to Heero," he importuned her.
"If you help us," she offered with a wink. Duo nodded.
"All right. As of now, we have no knowledge of his whereabouts. But we will tell you as soon as we are able," she stated. "As for your first mission, you must infiltrate the base of the terrorist and assassinate," she told him. "It will take place tomorrow at exactly 1400 hours."
"What exactly has he been doing?" Duo inquired.
"The terrorist has been developing dangerous plans of capturing individuals and performing tests on them. We believe that they have already captured a few."
"But I thought…I thought that all the killing was done," Duo murmured. "I don't want to kill anybody."
"You do not comprehend the danger of this criminal. For someone accustomed to the huge casualties of war, the capturing of a few people must not seem that large, but you especially must realize the importance and value of each life," she told him.
"But nevertheless you are asking me to take someone's life."
"Only for the protection of the lives of the innocent!"
"Why can we not get the criminal out and put him on trial?"
"We have not the means to do so. Even the chances for simply pulling a trigger in range are dangerously low."
"What if I promised that I could do it?"
"You can't. We have your battle statistics. It is outside of rational probability."
"Then I will resort to irrational probability."
Lady Une was becoming impatient.
"Look, unless a miracle happens, you cannot get her out!"
"I believe in miracles. And I believe that we deny God's existence by resorting to assassination as an effect of fear."
"This is not a religious matter, Mr. Maxwell. Believe me, I have prayed in desperation for the impossible, and it has not happened. It will not happen. Even if miracles happen sometimes, they are not dependable enough for these purposes."
"I will not kill," Duo resisted stubbornly.
"You must face reality! The fact that Relena can't do so herself is the entire problem in the first place!" Lady Une exclaimed in frustration.
"What are you talking about?" Duo asked, puzzled. Une put her hand in front of her mouth.
"I wasn't supposed to… well, it's too late. There can't be harm in telling you. Relena Peacecraft has developed a "Peace Department" of the government. There, she teaches people her philosophy of pacifism. This is all fine, but she will simply not face the reality that life is not perfect. She has developed a testing facility where she places subjects in a scenario in which they are given everything that they could ever possibly want. This way, she argues, they will not have any more reason to fight. There is a side effect of this treatment—people exposed to her dream world lose the ability to function in reality. In effect, she is making our imperfections worse. Imagine that her means spread—the effects have been manipulated to look successful—and a large percentage of the population were exposed to it! We will lose all our creativity and die in a wretched state of complacency. The problem is, Relena has already captured a number of subjects, and nothing is being done about it. The government seems to be happy with its developments," Lady Une stated. Duo was thoughtful.
"We need to convince her of the wrong that she is committing."
"Even if we could, she has gained a following—it is frightening; it is a virtual cult. If we converted her, her followers would continue her legacy. If we killed her, however, they will be awakened from their dream world and realize that the world cannot be perfect in their sense. We need an event as dramatic as that in order to reach them. I am very sorry for Relena, but the effect of what she could do is worse than her death."
"I disagree. If she is so influential and we converted her, she would use her influence to convert her following back to reality."
"Our intelligence states that they are far too wrapped up in their world to be talked into this—we must resort to a drastic action to catch their attention."
"I will not kill."
Lady Une was becoming very edgy.
"It is imperative that you do."
"No!"
"Imagine if someone you cared about was captured by someone like her, all the emotions drained away to become a complacent machine! No more creativity, no more happiness, no more love!"
"I do not believe in this. No human can take away love."
"You have not seen the results."
"Thus I do not believe them. You may be wrong for all I know!"
"I am sorry to have to resort to this, Duo, but it is for the good of humanity. If you do not help us—our influence is very high, and as of now, Heero does not stand a good chance at a trial. No doubt he will be found soon unless he is dead already, and unless we intervene he very soon will be. I would be careful if I were you."
Duo gasped and gazed at Lady Une incredulously.
"You—"
"Silence. Will you help us?"
Duo looked at the ground, his heart and soul wrenched in agony.
"Yes."
The dark trees raced along the perception of the Chinese boy as he continued his search for the unknown. His time was passing by, and he was insanely apprehensive of its end.
It is really a futile race, against time…
Every night he went running, searching for a reminder of where Nataku had gone after the dream, as he still could only remember its atmosphere and his feeling of falling at a loss of her.
If I do not find the memory before I die, then we shall not find each other again.
With every "passing" instant, if that even has a meaning, chances were lost, and he felt the probability of his reunion with her shrinking frightfully fast. Ever since her death, he had felt a lingering bond with her. He had felt that she was always surrounding him with her spirit, all through the war, and even a while after. More precisely, until he had dreamed of her the last time. Now, he could not remember her face.
While I am alive, my conscious mind relies on my spirit. If I cannot let my mind remember, my spirit might forget its existence.
Suddenly, a large building loomed up in the middle of the forest.
Strange, this path never led here before…
There were guards surrounding it. It looked like a prison. Carefully, Wu Fei snuck closer to it. He felt a strange urge to explore this place and understand it. Without warning, a shrill, morose cry spread through the air, powerful and loud, and desperate. There were no words. Inexplicably, Wu Fei felt drawn to it by the Earth, as a new source of gravitation. Expertly, he crept up behind the nearest guard and silently karate-chopped him. Soundlessly, he dropped to the ground. The minuscule vibration created by the impact of Wu Fei's hand was drowned out by crickets. Before another guard could see, Wu Fei raced gracefully to the wall of the building to the place under the window from which the cry had come. He looked up at the window, which was five stories above. The wall was smooth; there was no way he could climb it.
I want to fly, like…like…
He still could not remember flying in his dream, through space with Nataku. Only the feeling.
I wish I remembered how…
Resolutely, he turned around, surveying the scene, making sure that there were no guards nearby, as he was unarmed. Then he snuck to the corner of the building. Instinctively he peered around the corner, making sure he was not seen. He took all the measures of stealth that had been trained into him, but his mind was not on avoiding the guards.
It is so injustly close! I know it, I know it, but I do not remember the steps!
The second side of the building had foud guards facing in different directions. The closest one of them surveyed left and right around the building. Now he was looking to his right, and Wu Fei was on the left. He guessed that he would turn around when he reached the other end of the side. When he estimated that this would happen, he drew back. He would wait until he came close enough and turned around, a perfect position for a karate chop. The other guards were far enough away not to notice for a few seconds. After executing this flawless maneuver, he looked at the other guards. The closest one was looking into the forest, and occasionally at the building. Same story. The third guard was first staring at the ground, then at the sky.
Weakling.
However, the fourth guard, who had had his eyes shut and was not paying attention to anything but the private world inside his mind. Now, he opened his eyes and saw his comrades dead on the ground. Fearfully, he looked around at the empty-seeming clearing. The comfort of mastery in his head was gone. Then he felt a sharp pain and lost his consciousness.
Having mastered the second side, which was where a back entrance was located, Wu Fei broke into the prison. He picked the lock (it was old-fashioned) and began sneaking through the halls. He almost did not notice the guards that he killed.
It is somewhere…somewhere everywhere…I need to reach out!
When he reached the floor where he estimated the room to be, he karate-chopped all the guards and stood in front of the door that concealed his mystery. He kicked the door, and it rotated, and then fell with a thud onto the bare ground. Zechs Merquise snapped up out of a trance and stared at the intruder. As recognition came, his eyes widened in amazement, and he felt a surge of energy that chilled him to the bone.
"Chang Wu Fei."
Wu Fei stared at him, surprised but then realizing that he had apprehended him.
"Why
did I come here?"
Zechs laughed dryly. He was silent then.
"You need my help?"
"I never thought…"
"Ah."
"Lady Une convinced Sally to a plan to assassinate Relena."
"…my sister. She's the reason I'm here." The moon reflected in his eyes, lending them a delirious, shining blue.
"What?"
"I had found strange patterns…and I knew that…" then he gasped. "You…you're…" And he fell silent, gazing intently at Wu Fei, eyes slowly widening in realization that Wu Fei had yet to understand. The latter questioningly stared back at the enigmatic man who stood before him.
"You truly don't know what you are?" Zechs asked, wary. His eyes contracted.
"I am Chang Wu Fei of the Long clan." Zechs again looked at him, sized him up, knowing his potential strength.
"You must not hide behind names." Wu Fei was silent, feeling his ignorance, but for once it did not make him feel inferior.
"I cannot know what I am."
"Why not?"
"Because if I were that conscious I would instantly have entered a higher level of consciousness that I am not conscious of. This could continue to eternity." Zechs's countenance instantly reflected understanding.
"Unreachable limitation…" Wu Fei muttered. Then his eyes widened in amazement and the moon reflected in him. "I understand now why I cannot remember her. My dreams have become a limitation. I am losing my time," his voice was loaded with the tension of his spacetime.
"Then you are not gaining, but losing consciousness," Zechs said. Wu Fei looked up from his cognitive reverie.
"Must I gain it or lose it to remember her?"
"You must always gain it. You decide how much you can take."
"I want all of it~!"
"It comes with the price of the loss of more basic levels of the self."
"I am not afraid."
"You could lose your love."
"Never."
Wu Fei stared out the window, feeling confined by the world and its limits. All he wanted was the way out, beyond left, right , up down, back, forwards, before, after. All these directions led either away from Nataku or to the loss of innovation. No place in space contained her, and she lay not in the future of life, and his past was already gone, played out. In this particular place, it was gone.
"I will give you a consciousness," Zechs offered. Wu Fei waited.
"You have a gravity, and it is ever-growing with the loss of your consciousness."
FLASH. NO! DO NOT TELL HIM!Zechs felt an instant chill.
"What?" Wu Fei asked, perplexed.
"I'm sorry I…cannot…tell you. Only I may be conscious."
"Of what?!"
Of the patterns."
"Why?"
I must undo this blunder. I will ruin his happiness!Zechs felt the truth of his thought. He felt his genuine wish for Wu Fei's happiness.
~what?
Why do I wish his happiness?He is beautiful.
Zechs stared at the Chinese boy who now covered the window in confrontation. He felt his attraction. It was unlike anything he had ever perceived. It was unlike the infatuation and love he had for Noin, and yet it was a feeling that could compare to that magnitude.
"It would deny you of your own challenge. It can ruin your happiness."
Wu Fei accepted this answer. He saw its truth.
It is my challenge.
"You must help me defeat Lady Une. We cannot allow your sister's assassination."
Warily, Zechs answered, "Why not? She put me in here."
"She holds together this fragile peace."
"She confines soldiers."
"Soldiers must only accept the world around them." Wu Fei remembered Heero's words all too well. He still felt ashamed at his siding with Dekim. He vowed never again to fight for soldiers, as it was the soldiers themselves that fought. Fighting those who fight because they do not fight in the name of peace is a contradiction.
"Why do you ask me?" Zechs inquired.
"You are one of the only strong ones remaining."
Zechs knew he was bluffing. He could not slay a Peacecraft. He could not abandon his heritage once again.
"Very well. First, however, we must escape."
"Then we will find out what we need from Sally; Lady Une has already talked to her."
"Understood."
The two of them sprinted out the door and out of the building, into the dark forest. There was a storm that raged as had not raged for a long time in their memories. Wu Fei felt a pang of nostalgia.
Almost, almost, and yet infinities away.
All of a sudden, Zechs pointed silently to a creek. The Thunder screamed louder. There was a body face-down on the surface. Wu Fei recognized his saviour and instinctively dove into the water to retrieve his body. He was breathing faintly.
"Heero Yuy," Wu Fei muttered.
Again, he had evaded death.
EARTHWe temporarily immobilized their weapon.
Good. How is the hook?
We made him faster. He is gathering allies.
See that he can soon gain the girl's gravity and join her.
The chances are unknown.
Change them.
Yes.
I love Feifei!! I think he's the funnest to write about. Just because he's so confused!! And he doesn't know how much impact he has… MUAHAHAHAAA!!
Washu: What's with all the gravitation?
Yui: Hehehee wouldn't you want to know!! You'll just have to wait till I get over my writers block!!
Washu: NOOOOO!!!!
Yui: If you can inspire me to write, I'll tell you!
Washu: OK! Goes into 5 hr lecture on relativity.
Yui: YAY! OK. whispers to Washu
Washu: WOW COOL!!!
Yui: Now if you all wanna know whats goin on, well… you'll just have to wait
^__~ sorry!
Anyway, whatcha think? If you have predictions tell! Because I really wonder what all this makes people think. And does it make sense? I will update soon, but currently I'm having trouble continuing to write… writer's block is SO inconvenient…