Once Upon The Night Of Death
By: Moonlit Love
Disclaimer: You know this by now, but Gundam Wing isn't mine. (such a shame,
though!)
Chapter Three: Truth
"What?" Heero demanded, the blood in his body running cold.
"She's next," Trowa said, his voice wavering ever so slightly.
"How can you tell?" Relena wondered in a voice so soft you had to strain to hear
it.
"The way she shivered so profusely when Death came here. Just like Hilde did,"
Trowa replied.
The room suddenly grew very quiet. No one dared speak a word as the truth of
losing another person was about to become reality. There was no answer for how she
would be taken, but she would be taken none the less. "Let's get out of here," Duo
suggested, trying to ease the thick tension in the room.
He stood and clumsily picked his way to the door, glass crackling under foot. His
groping hand finally hit the doorknob. He twisted the handle left, then right, but the door
refused to budge. He threw his weight against it and it swung open, the hinges groaning
with the sudden force.
Eerie, blue light flooded the room, making everyone squint. But their eyes soon
relaxed and they stood, stretching their stiff muscles. Devastating damage had been done
to the house, and it seemed to almost be forever destroyed. "How are we going to pick all
of this up?" Relena wondered, incredulity seeping into her voice, almost completely
making the fear in her voice die away.
"We don't," Heero replied, seeing how much they had to deal with now.
"How did Death get so strong?" Duo asked, unsure of the fact because Death had
always been weak, not like this.
"Time, I guess," Trowa spoke up, having absorbed the information needed to
make the calculation.
"Do we prepare for the next attack?" Catherine asked meekly, knowing she was
going to be the next one.
"We can't" Heero softly stated, feeling as if he let down Catherine and even
Trowa in a traitorous way.
Catherine nodded, fear showing in her large, violet eyes. She swallowed deeply,
refusing to be weak when she needed to be strong, for the rest of them. The one thing she
hated about this whole ordeal was the possibility of leaving Trowa, she knew it would be
the one thing which would hurt her the most.
~~
It was that night when Relena began to think. She was trying to sort out all the
shit that had been happening, and it all just made a confusing mixture of thoughts which
soon began to plague her mind, questions after questions, thoughts after thoughts, and
then the most haunting of all, was she the chosen one?
It started to make sense. Hilde had become her best friend, and she was the first
to go. Catherine was her next best friend, and it had been prophesied she would go. Duo
and Trowa were her friends, would they be next followed by her heart's desire, Heero?
The more she thought, the more probable the thought became to her. It was just one big
thing that all made sense and pointed a large, accusary finger in her direction.
Suddenly she had to talk to Heero. He was the only one whom she could speak
with about Death, was the one who knew the most about Death, was the one who kept
most of her secrets, all except the one no one but her knew. She ran out of her room into
the quiet hallway. From there, she raced down to Heero's room, glad to find him still up
and just reading a book. "Can we talk, Heero?"
Heero looked up at her, surprise in his eyes. "What about?"
"Death."
Heero nodded grimly. "Shoot."
"I've been thinking about the whole thing, and what if I am the chosen one?"
"You don't know that for sure, you may not even be close to being the chosen
one. Just relax."
Heero motioned for her to come over and sit next to him on the bed. Relena did
so promptly and rested her head on his shoulder. "But doesn't it all make sense? Hilde
was my best friend, and she went first. Catherine was my next best friend, and she is
supposed to be next. Death said he would take us all, and Trowa and Duo are my friends.
Then there is you. Doesn't it all just seem to point fingers at me?" Relena asked, a tremor
in her voice.
"Death strikes without reason, just because it looks like one big finger pointing to
you doesn't mean there is one," Heero reasoned as he put his arm around her and
squeezed her shoulders reassuringly.
"But it just seems to fit. I can't seem to find any other explanation which would
work."
Tears began to well up in Relena's eyes as she really realized what being the
chosen one meant. "I can't handle it."
"Of course you can, just believe and maybe Death can be defeated somehow,"
Heero told her, trying to comfort her.
Heero's tone was soothing and supportive and this made Relena's mind slow on
the process of thoughts and she slowly began to believe that she might just not be the
chosen one. "Thank you," Relena whispered before she was lulled into a peaceful sleep.
~~
Heero had risen early. All night his mind kept replaying the conversation with
Relena, trying to decipher if it was true or not. He had done his best to assure her that she
wasn't the chosen one, but was she? He shook his head and gently eased out of his bed,
careful not to disturb the sleeping Relena from her sleep.
He threw on a robe, the house was chilly and only the sleeping quarters and the
reinforced walls of the warehouses and computer halls had been left in tact. The kitchen,
the living room, the bathrooms they were all ruined. Heero walked quietly around, letting
the wind blow through his hair as he ventured out to see the damage once more.
The power Death had gotten was intense, to be able to blow down the thick walls
of the building was something which had been deemed almost impossible. A half smile
appeared on Heero's lips. 'Ironic how this building and the Titanic were both said to be
get, the Titanic unsinkable, this impenetrable.'
He came to the living room and saw bricks littering the floor and dust covering
the battered sofa. It was all a mess, and one Heero knew would never be fixed because of
Death's arrival. 'Will it all really matter if Death finishes us all off? Will it matter the
house is no longer in perfect order?' Heero wondered blandly as he kicked a piece of the
roof.
He went to the kitchen, knowing quite well it was ruined. He found a chair full of
sheetrock dust, wiped it off, and sat down. His right elbow rested on the splintered table,
his cheek resting on his hand. He closed his eyes, trying to think about what this all
meant to him and his friends.
Heero was so deep in thought he was startled when he heard a voice. He looked
up and shook his head. "Huh?" he asked, his eyes clearly startled and partially confused.
"I didn't say anything," Trowa said as he reached into a still-intact cupboard and
pulled out a box of saltines.
Heero nodded mutely, turning his attention back to his thoughts. He was almost
pulled into his mind as the things around him began to become distorted. He looked
towards the door and saw Duo standing there, his lips moving. He once again shook his
head and the things straightened out. When he looked around him, though, Duo was no
where in sight. 'Not again,' he begged, hoping the headaches wouldn't come back to
haunt him anymore.
~~
Catherine was shivering, everything around her was so cold. "Drink this," Trowa
nodded, handing her a glass of water.
She turned to look at him, her vivid, violet eyes were pale. "It will turn me to
ice," she whispered softly, shaking at just the thought.
Concern flooded Trowa's eyes as he gently touched his finger to her cheek.
"What's wrong?" Trowa whispered to her.
"I don't know."
~~
Duo was in his room. He was by himself, as he had always been ever since Hilde
was taken. 'Death, if I can fight you, then I will. I will get my revenge for what you did
to Hilde, no matter what,' Duo promised, cursing the evil entity which had decided to
disrupt their lives.
His fingers moved anxiously, his body tense for some odd reason. He was never
tense unless he was anticipating something big, and then the only cure was to work on his
gundam. He walked resolutely to the hanger where the gundams were stored and walked
right over to his. "Well, Death Scythe, long time no see. Ready for some tuning?"
The gundam stood tall and silent, assuring Duo this was his place. He launched
himself up into the cockpit and sat down in the familiar seat. The control panel before
him looked new, as if it hadn't been touched in recent times. "They must of done some
work to you, huh?"
He typed around on the keyboard, his fingers rapidly moving across the keyboard.
The basic control center popped up on the screen in front of him. "These controls are so
off. Who did this to you, buddy?"
Duo shook his head with a tinge of disappointment as he worked to right the
controls. His fingers moved over the small keyboard of lights as each part of his gundam
was set to his standards. "Alert, a bug has been found in the right foot of the gundam. It
is advised you exit the mecha and fix the bug before something fatal may happen," a soft,
machinelike voice announced.
Duo felt the need to comply as he catapulted himself from the cockpit and put
himself down at the foot. "What needs fixin'? Hmm, a loose wire with an added
extremity."
He then went to the tool box, pulled some of his tools out and moved back to his
gundam. He snipped the wire from the needed wire, tied some wire strangler around the
wire before placing it back into the foot. "How's that?"
"Bug is fixed."
Duo nodded his head happily, tension already leaving his body. He went back up
into the cockpit and fixed the last thing needed. "Death Scythe on air!"
The gundam's eyes glowed red before blinking out. A light rumble came from the
floor of the gundam. "Take off is ready."
Duo smiled. "Thanks, bud, but this time we aren't setting out."
The machine settled down, cutting the engines. A smiled touched Duo's lips and
he got out of his gundam. He strolled to the door, not noticing his gundam's hand
moving slowly towards him. He was out the door just as the hand was about to grab him.
"What the...?" Duo began, turning to see a large knuckle imprint in the door.
"Death Scythe?"
He opened the door and the hand of the gundam began to snake forward again, the
whole gundam coming towards him. "I thought I turned you off."
Duo moved backwards, his gundam had never done this before. The gundam
continued its slow advance towards him. "Auto-pilot engaged. Rocket blasters warming.
Preparing for flight."
"Uh, buddy, sure you don't want to cut your engines? I mean gosh, you might
hurt me."
"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Blast off impending."
"Crap!" Duo stated as he began to run, hoping to avoid the brunt of the attack.
'How in the world is it doing that? There was no cold breeze or anything.'
He heard the twin blasters power up, the gundam taking off. He ran towards his
room, something compelling him to go there. Just as the gundam was about to hit him,
he saw Wing Zero appear from behind. "Thank God."
Both gundams suddenly turned towards him, their red eyes glowing with anger.
"What did I do?"
They remained silent as they closed the short distance between them. Their large
hands came sweeping down towards his head.
Duo suddenly awoke, gasping for breath. He was startled by the strength of his
dream, the reality. He swallowed, trying to think of what had caused the mutinous dream.
"Guess I can only learn by the truth," Duo said as he threw on a shirt and headed for the
kitchen to see if any food was still edible.
~~
Catherine sat up, her lungs were on fire. She tried to pull in a breath, but it felt as
if it never made it to her lungs. Coldness was what surrounded her, but her chest was
burning. She put her fist over her heart, feeling the rapid, desperate pulse beating beneath
it. "Help," Catherine begged, her voice lost in her flaming throat.
"Cathy?" Trowa asked, stepping into the room.
Catherine looked up at him with large eyes. She saw his emerald eyes etched with
concern. "What's wrong? What's happening?"
She could only stare at him, willing her lungs to work, her voice to speak. Trowa
came over by her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Cathy," he breathed, pain in his
eyes.
He pulled her into a hug, instantly warming her. Her breath came rushing back
into her throat with such force she jerked forward. "What happened?" Trowa asked.
"I, I couldn't breathe. Then you came in and when you touched me I could
breathe."
"Not yet," Trowa begged, not wanting to be separated from her now.
Catherine leaned into Trowa's chest, tears filling her eyes. "I don't want to leave
you, either, but I think I have no choice."
"I know, I just hope I'll be all right without you. It will hurt, you know, to be
without you."
"You're strong, with your friends, I am sure you can make it."
Trowa nodded mutely, not ready for words to be spoken. He just held her,
worried she would get cold if he left her. 'Death, I will fight you. You take away the
thing dearest to my heart and I will make sure you pay!' Trowa promised, anger flashing
briefly in his eyes.
~~
Everyone had been gathered into the hanger, the only place with workable seats
for all. No one had officially called the meeting, but Trowa had led in Catherine and
Heero led in Relena. It had all just been a coincidence, but they were all together.
"Soon."
"What is soon, Cat?" Relena asked, taking comfort in Heero's arm around her
shoulders.
"Me."
"No." Relena mouthed, her eyes filling with horror.
"I say when Death comes, we wager a battle. It is time for revenge, he has taken
one and is leaning towards another," Duo brought up, rage at Death clouding his eyes
with red.
"I agree," Trowa spoke up, his arms tightly wrapped around Catherine.
Heero nodded his mute agreement. "How?" Relena asked, her eyes looking up at
Heero.
"We will find a way."
A chill wind began to blow through the hanger. "We have to get out of here!
Trust me!" Duo shouted as the wind began to howl.
Everyone headed for the door, and it took Heero and Duo to pull it open. "Why
did we have to get out of there?" Trowa asked,
"The gundams would have killed us if they got knocked over by the wind. Then
where would we be?" Duo stated.
He smiled impishly at the curious looks cast to him. "I had a dream about it."
Everyone nodded before making their way to the center of the ruins. A cold rain
began to fall, drenching them completely. Trowa tried to prevent Catherine from getting
wet, but to no avail. "Trowa," she whispered softly before her breath was stolen from her
lungs and an inferno began to build in strength in her chest.
Trowa picked her up and began to run to their room. He set Catherine on the bed
and got out blankets, which he wrapped tightly around her. "I won't let her go!" he
shouted to the cloud forming above.
"You have to, it is predestined to be so," Death mocked.
"We are the masters of our own destiny."
"Amazing what they teach these days, isn't it? Too bad everything is already
decided for everyone. Nothing happens without reason."
Trowa just glared at the clouds. A light mist began to fall. Cold seeped into his
bones as well, but he refused to go down. "I won't succumb to your tactics and I won't
let my wife either!"
Trowa then went to sit by Catherine, his arms wrapped strongly around her
shivering frame. Her lips were blue and her eyes clouded. "Cathy, please don't leave
me!" Trowa begged, emotion rich in his voice.
"It is too late for her, but I would worry about your friends now."
Trowa stood tall, leaving Catherine's side for he knew he couldn't save her. "You
will not take them. I guarantee that."
Death just smiled as he let the clouds part to let the natural light fill the room. He
couldn't warm Catherine up from the icy grave Death had chosen for her. His heart grew
heavy, suddenly realizing the pain Duo must have suffered at his loss. Now it was his
turn. He went to Catherine's side, determined to stay with her until she was truly gone.
Her eyes closed, her brain trying to save strength for the lack of oxygen it was receiving.
"Good-bye," Trowa whispered ten minutes later, knowing she had passed on, "I
will love you forever."
~~
"So it's a fight you be wanting, eh? Well it is a fight you will receive. Once your
last fighter arrives, we can begin."
Heero and Duo both glared at Death while Relena glared at all three. They were
refusing to let her fight against Death just because she was a girl. It maddened her like
nothing else. "Funny, isn't it? The Death protectors need protecting. Too bad all of you
are the chosen ones and need to have something happen to you. I choose to take the lives
of the ones you care most about.
"I heard a saying once. (This is taken from the movie Deeply. I do not own the
movie, mind you) Why take the chosen one when taking the chosen one's love causes
more suffering? (I know it isn't exact, but it is close)"
Trowa strolled out a few moments later, his face grim but firm. "Let's do it."
Everyone nodded, taking on fighting stances. Relena just stood behind them her
arms crossed. "I choose to go after... her!"
Relena's eyes widened at the choice. She took a surprised step back, her mouth
open in surprise. "Wait a second, I have something to say to her," Heero stated as he
stepped forward.
Death hung in mid air, an almost look of satisfaction, gleaming on his face. "I
have something to say to you, Relena," Heero began his face set, his eyes cold, his mouth
a hard line, "I DO NOT LOVE YOU!"
Relena stepped back. If the look on her face when Death chose her was
something, this was extraordinary. She looked stunned, helpless, and scared. "What was
that, Heero?" she asked quietly, afraid what he had just said was true.
"I. Do. Not. Love. You." He said the words slowly, carefully.
She hated when his voice was monotonous. Determination suddenly sprang into
her eyes. "I do not believe you."
"Well you should."
"I don't."
"I don't love you! Why can you not believe that?"
"I refuse to believe it!" Relena shouted.
"It is the truth," Heero stated, his voice rising in pitch.
"You are a terrible liar, Heero Yuy!" Relena flung at him, her words sharp.
"I am not lying," Heero said, his voice growing weary but louder.
"You can see it in your eyes! There is no truth in your words!" Relena yelled, her
voice almost seeming triumphant.
"That is where you are wrong. Get it in your head, Relena. I don't love you and I
never have nor will!" He yelled at her, his Prussian Blue eyes fierce with anger, hate, and
something else...
TBC...
~ Hi, Moonlit here! What did you think? I know I seem a little to perky when my
story is kind of dreary. Please Review. Thanks! ~
(AN: One more chapter to go! This will include an epilogue in it. I hope you enjoyed
this story as much as I enjoyed typing it.
Next Chapter: Final Battle
Epilogue: Sole Survivor)
By: Moonlit Love
Disclaimer: You know this by now, but Gundam Wing isn't mine. (such a shame,
though!)
Chapter Three: Truth
"What?" Heero demanded, the blood in his body running cold.
"She's next," Trowa said, his voice wavering ever so slightly.
"How can you tell?" Relena wondered in a voice so soft you had to strain to hear
it.
"The way she shivered so profusely when Death came here. Just like Hilde did,"
Trowa replied.
The room suddenly grew very quiet. No one dared speak a word as the truth of
losing another person was about to become reality. There was no answer for how she
would be taken, but she would be taken none the less. "Let's get out of here," Duo
suggested, trying to ease the thick tension in the room.
He stood and clumsily picked his way to the door, glass crackling under foot. His
groping hand finally hit the doorknob. He twisted the handle left, then right, but the door
refused to budge. He threw his weight against it and it swung open, the hinges groaning
with the sudden force.
Eerie, blue light flooded the room, making everyone squint. But their eyes soon
relaxed and they stood, stretching their stiff muscles. Devastating damage had been done
to the house, and it seemed to almost be forever destroyed. "How are we going to pick all
of this up?" Relena wondered, incredulity seeping into her voice, almost completely
making the fear in her voice die away.
"We don't," Heero replied, seeing how much they had to deal with now.
"How did Death get so strong?" Duo asked, unsure of the fact because Death had
always been weak, not like this.
"Time, I guess," Trowa spoke up, having absorbed the information needed to
make the calculation.
"Do we prepare for the next attack?" Catherine asked meekly, knowing she was
going to be the next one.
"We can't" Heero softly stated, feeling as if he let down Catherine and even
Trowa in a traitorous way.
Catherine nodded, fear showing in her large, violet eyes. She swallowed deeply,
refusing to be weak when she needed to be strong, for the rest of them. The one thing she
hated about this whole ordeal was the possibility of leaving Trowa, she knew it would be
the one thing which would hurt her the most.
~~
It was that night when Relena began to think. She was trying to sort out all the
shit that had been happening, and it all just made a confusing mixture of thoughts which
soon began to plague her mind, questions after questions, thoughts after thoughts, and
then the most haunting of all, was she the chosen one?
It started to make sense. Hilde had become her best friend, and she was the first
to go. Catherine was her next best friend, and it had been prophesied she would go. Duo
and Trowa were her friends, would they be next followed by her heart's desire, Heero?
The more she thought, the more probable the thought became to her. It was just one big
thing that all made sense and pointed a large, accusary finger in her direction.
Suddenly she had to talk to Heero. He was the only one whom she could speak
with about Death, was the one who knew the most about Death, was the one who kept
most of her secrets, all except the one no one but her knew. She ran out of her room into
the quiet hallway. From there, she raced down to Heero's room, glad to find him still up
and just reading a book. "Can we talk, Heero?"
Heero looked up at her, surprise in his eyes. "What about?"
"Death."
Heero nodded grimly. "Shoot."
"I've been thinking about the whole thing, and what if I am the chosen one?"
"You don't know that for sure, you may not even be close to being the chosen
one. Just relax."
Heero motioned for her to come over and sit next to him on the bed. Relena did
so promptly and rested her head on his shoulder. "But doesn't it all make sense? Hilde
was my best friend, and she went first. Catherine was my next best friend, and she is
supposed to be next. Death said he would take us all, and Trowa and Duo are my friends.
Then there is you. Doesn't it all just seem to point fingers at me?" Relena asked, a tremor
in her voice.
"Death strikes without reason, just because it looks like one big finger pointing to
you doesn't mean there is one," Heero reasoned as he put his arm around her and
squeezed her shoulders reassuringly.
"But it just seems to fit. I can't seem to find any other explanation which would
work."
Tears began to well up in Relena's eyes as she really realized what being the
chosen one meant. "I can't handle it."
"Of course you can, just believe and maybe Death can be defeated somehow,"
Heero told her, trying to comfort her.
Heero's tone was soothing and supportive and this made Relena's mind slow on
the process of thoughts and she slowly began to believe that she might just not be the
chosen one. "Thank you," Relena whispered before she was lulled into a peaceful sleep.
~~
Heero had risen early. All night his mind kept replaying the conversation with
Relena, trying to decipher if it was true or not. He had done his best to assure her that she
wasn't the chosen one, but was she? He shook his head and gently eased out of his bed,
careful not to disturb the sleeping Relena from her sleep.
He threw on a robe, the house was chilly and only the sleeping quarters and the
reinforced walls of the warehouses and computer halls had been left in tact. The kitchen,
the living room, the bathrooms they were all ruined. Heero walked quietly around, letting
the wind blow through his hair as he ventured out to see the damage once more.
The power Death had gotten was intense, to be able to blow down the thick walls
of the building was something which had been deemed almost impossible. A half smile
appeared on Heero's lips. 'Ironic how this building and the Titanic were both said to be
get, the Titanic unsinkable, this impenetrable.'
He came to the living room and saw bricks littering the floor and dust covering
the battered sofa. It was all a mess, and one Heero knew would never be fixed because of
Death's arrival. 'Will it all really matter if Death finishes us all off? Will it matter the
house is no longer in perfect order?' Heero wondered blandly as he kicked a piece of the
roof.
He went to the kitchen, knowing quite well it was ruined. He found a chair full of
sheetrock dust, wiped it off, and sat down. His right elbow rested on the splintered table,
his cheek resting on his hand. He closed his eyes, trying to think about what this all
meant to him and his friends.
Heero was so deep in thought he was startled when he heard a voice. He looked
up and shook his head. "Huh?" he asked, his eyes clearly startled and partially confused.
"I didn't say anything," Trowa said as he reached into a still-intact cupboard and
pulled out a box of saltines.
Heero nodded mutely, turning his attention back to his thoughts. He was almost
pulled into his mind as the things around him began to become distorted. He looked
towards the door and saw Duo standing there, his lips moving. He once again shook his
head and the things straightened out. When he looked around him, though, Duo was no
where in sight. 'Not again,' he begged, hoping the headaches wouldn't come back to
haunt him anymore.
~~
Catherine was shivering, everything around her was so cold. "Drink this," Trowa
nodded, handing her a glass of water.
She turned to look at him, her vivid, violet eyes were pale. "It will turn me to
ice," she whispered softly, shaking at just the thought.
Concern flooded Trowa's eyes as he gently touched his finger to her cheek.
"What's wrong?" Trowa whispered to her.
"I don't know."
~~
Duo was in his room. He was by himself, as he had always been ever since Hilde
was taken. 'Death, if I can fight you, then I will. I will get my revenge for what you did
to Hilde, no matter what,' Duo promised, cursing the evil entity which had decided to
disrupt their lives.
His fingers moved anxiously, his body tense for some odd reason. He was never
tense unless he was anticipating something big, and then the only cure was to work on his
gundam. He walked resolutely to the hanger where the gundams were stored and walked
right over to his. "Well, Death Scythe, long time no see. Ready for some tuning?"
The gundam stood tall and silent, assuring Duo this was his place. He launched
himself up into the cockpit and sat down in the familiar seat. The control panel before
him looked new, as if it hadn't been touched in recent times. "They must of done some
work to you, huh?"
He typed around on the keyboard, his fingers rapidly moving across the keyboard.
The basic control center popped up on the screen in front of him. "These controls are so
off. Who did this to you, buddy?"
Duo shook his head with a tinge of disappointment as he worked to right the
controls. His fingers moved over the small keyboard of lights as each part of his gundam
was set to his standards. "Alert, a bug has been found in the right foot of the gundam. It
is advised you exit the mecha and fix the bug before something fatal may happen," a soft,
machinelike voice announced.
Duo felt the need to comply as he catapulted himself from the cockpit and put
himself down at the foot. "What needs fixin'? Hmm, a loose wire with an added
extremity."
He then went to the tool box, pulled some of his tools out and moved back to his
gundam. He snipped the wire from the needed wire, tied some wire strangler around the
wire before placing it back into the foot. "How's that?"
"Bug is fixed."
Duo nodded his head happily, tension already leaving his body. He went back up
into the cockpit and fixed the last thing needed. "Death Scythe on air!"
The gundam's eyes glowed red before blinking out. A light rumble came from the
floor of the gundam. "Take off is ready."
Duo smiled. "Thanks, bud, but this time we aren't setting out."
The machine settled down, cutting the engines. A smiled touched Duo's lips and
he got out of his gundam. He strolled to the door, not noticing his gundam's hand
moving slowly towards him. He was out the door just as the hand was about to grab him.
"What the...?" Duo began, turning to see a large knuckle imprint in the door.
"Death Scythe?"
He opened the door and the hand of the gundam began to snake forward again, the
whole gundam coming towards him. "I thought I turned you off."
Duo moved backwards, his gundam had never done this before. The gundam
continued its slow advance towards him. "Auto-pilot engaged. Rocket blasters warming.
Preparing for flight."
"Uh, buddy, sure you don't want to cut your engines? I mean gosh, you might
hurt me."
"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Blast off impending."
"Crap!" Duo stated as he began to run, hoping to avoid the brunt of the attack.
'How in the world is it doing that? There was no cold breeze or anything.'
He heard the twin blasters power up, the gundam taking off. He ran towards his
room, something compelling him to go there. Just as the gundam was about to hit him,
he saw Wing Zero appear from behind. "Thank God."
Both gundams suddenly turned towards him, their red eyes glowing with anger.
"What did I do?"
They remained silent as they closed the short distance between them. Their large
hands came sweeping down towards his head.
Duo suddenly awoke, gasping for breath. He was startled by the strength of his
dream, the reality. He swallowed, trying to think of what had caused the mutinous dream.
"Guess I can only learn by the truth," Duo said as he threw on a shirt and headed for the
kitchen to see if any food was still edible.
~~
Catherine sat up, her lungs were on fire. She tried to pull in a breath, but it felt as
if it never made it to her lungs. Coldness was what surrounded her, but her chest was
burning. She put her fist over her heart, feeling the rapid, desperate pulse beating beneath
it. "Help," Catherine begged, her voice lost in her flaming throat.
"Cathy?" Trowa asked, stepping into the room.
Catherine looked up at him with large eyes. She saw his emerald eyes etched with
concern. "What's wrong? What's happening?"
She could only stare at him, willing her lungs to work, her voice to speak. Trowa
came over by her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Cathy," he breathed, pain in his
eyes.
He pulled her into a hug, instantly warming her. Her breath came rushing back
into her throat with such force she jerked forward. "What happened?" Trowa asked.
"I, I couldn't breathe. Then you came in and when you touched me I could
breathe."
"Not yet," Trowa begged, not wanting to be separated from her now.
Catherine leaned into Trowa's chest, tears filling her eyes. "I don't want to leave
you, either, but I think I have no choice."
"I know, I just hope I'll be all right without you. It will hurt, you know, to be
without you."
"You're strong, with your friends, I am sure you can make it."
Trowa nodded mutely, not ready for words to be spoken. He just held her,
worried she would get cold if he left her. 'Death, I will fight you. You take away the
thing dearest to my heart and I will make sure you pay!' Trowa promised, anger flashing
briefly in his eyes.
~~
Everyone had been gathered into the hanger, the only place with workable seats
for all. No one had officially called the meeting, but Trowa had led in Catherine and
Heero led in Relena. It had all just been a coincidence, but they were all together.
"Soon."
"What is soon, Cat?" Relena asked, taking comfort in Heero's arm around her
shoulders.
"Me."
"No." Relena mouthed, her eyes filling with horror.
"I say when Death comes, we wager a battle. It is time for revenge, he has taken
one and is leaning towards another," Duo brought up, rage at Death clouding his eyes
with red.
"I agree," Trowa spoke up, his arms tightly wrapped around Catherine.
Heero nodded his mute agreement. "How?" Relena asked, her eyes looking up at
Heero.
"We will find a way."
A chill wind began to blow through the hanger. "We have to get out of here!
Trust me!" Duo shouted as the wind began to howl.
Everyone headed for the door, and it took Heero and Duo to pull it open. "Why
did we have to get out of there?" Trowa asked,
"The gundams would have killed us if they got knocked over by the wind. Then
where would we be?" Duo stated.
He smiled impishly at the curious looks cast to him. "I had a dream about it."
Everyone nodded before making their way to the center of the ruins. A cold rain
began to fall, drenching them completely. Trowa tried to prevent Catherine from getting
wet, but to no avail. "Trowa," she whispered softly before her breath was stolen from her
lungs and an inferno began to build in strength in her chest.
Trowa picked her up and began to run to their room. He set Catherine on the bed
and got out blankets, which he wrapped tightly around her. "I won't let her go!" he
shouted to the cloud forming above.
"You have to, it is predestined to be so," Death mocked.
"We are the masters of our own destiny."
"Amazing what they teach these days, isn't it? Too bad everything is already
decided for everyone. Nothing happens without reason."
Trowa just glared at the clouds. A light mist began to fall. Cold seeped into his
bones as well, but he refused to go down. "I won't succumb to your tactics and I won't
let my wife either!"
Trowa then went to sit by Catherine, his arms wrapped strongly around her
shivering frame. Her lips were blue and her eyes clouded. "Cathy, please don't leave
me!" Trowa begged, emotion rich in his voice.
"It is too late for her, but I would worry about your friends now."
Trowa stood tall, leaving Catherine's side for he knew he couldn't save her. "You
will not take them. I guarantee that."
Death just smiled as he let the clouds part to let the natural light fill the room. He
couldn't warm Catherine up from the icy grave Death had chosen for her. His heart grew
heavy, suddenly realizing the pain Duo must have suffered at his loss. Now it was his
turn. He went to Catherine's side, determined to stay with her until she was truly gone.
Her eyes closed, her brain trying to save strength for the lack of oxygen it was receiving.
"Good-bye," Trowa whispered ten minutes later, knowing she had passed on, "I
will love you forever."
~~
"So it's a fight you be wanting, eh? Well it is a fight you will receive. Once your
last fighter arrives, we can begin."
Heero and Duo both glared at Death while Relena glared at all three. They were
refusing to let her fight against Death just because she was a girl. It maddened her like
nothing else. "Funny, isn't it? The Death protectors need protecting. Too bad all of you
are the chosen ones and need to have something happen to you. I choose to take the lives
of the ones you care most about.
"I heard a saying once. (This is taken from the movie Deeply. I do not own the
movie, mind you) Why take the chosen one when taking the chosen one's love causes
more suffering? (I know it isn't exact, but it is close)"
Trowa strolled out a few moments later, his face grim but firm. "Let's do it."
Everyone nodded, taking on fighting stances. Relena just stood behind them her
arms crossed. "I choose to go after... her!"
Relena's eyes widened at the choice. She took a surprised step back, her mouth
open in surprise. "Wait a second, I have something to say to her," Heero stated as he
stepped forward.
Death hung in mid air, an almost look of satisfaction, gleaming on his face. "I
have something to say to you, Relena," Heero began his face set, his eyes cold, his mouth
a hard line, "I DO NOT LOVE YOU!"
Relena stepped back. If the look on her face when Death chose her was
something, this was extraordinary. She looked stunned, helpless, and scared. "What was
that, Heero?" she asked quietly, afraid what he had just said was true.
"I. Do. Not. Love. You." He said the words slowly, carefully.
She hated when his voice was monotonous. Determination suddenly sprang into
her eyes. "I do not believe you."
"Well you should."
"I don't."
"I don't love you! Why can you not believe that?"
"I refuse to believe it!" Relena shouted.
"It is the truth," Heero stated, his voice rising in pitch.
"You are a terrible liar, Heero Yuy!" Relena flung at him, her words sharp.
"I am not lying," Heero said, his voice growing weary but louder.
"You can see it in your eyes! There is no truth in your words!" Relena yelled, her
voice almost seeming triumphant.
"That is where you are wrong. Get it in your head, Relena. I don't love you and I
never have nor will!" He yelled at her, his Prussian Blue eyes fierce with anger, hate, and
something else...
TBC...
~ Hi, Moonlit here! What did you think? I know I seem a little to perky when my
story is kind of dreary. Please Review. Thanks! ~
(AN: One more chapter to go! This will include an epilogue in it. I hope you enjoyed
this story as much as I enjoyed typing it.
Next Chapter: Final Battle
Epilogue: Sole Survivor)