OUT OF TUNE
Chapter 16: FINE TUNING: Part 1: Learning Scales of Hope in Faith Major
Hello again!! Hopefully no one's too mad about how short Chap. 15 was! To make up for the shortness of Chap. 15, I'm making the final chapter EXTRA long; in fact, I've broken it up into three parts. It'll be then shortly followed by the epilogue. So for those of you good at literary math, that means we are nearing the end sniff. But all good things have to come to an end!
Being the second tallest gundam pilot of the group of five gave Duo a small advantage as he entered the oddly quiet crowd that seemed to fill every space imaginable from wall to wall in side the building that housed the docks. Yet the pushing, shoving, and very hard baggage that seemed to be attracted to Maxwell's shins countered his advantage, leaving him red in the face and quite angry. So it was no surprise when he felt like snapping at the ticket teller in front of him.
"I'm sorry sir, but I haven't seen your friend this morning," a young blonde huffed in what had to be a Valley Girl accent if Duo had ever heard one. He growled unpleasantly, and fixed her with a cerulean blue glare that rivaled Heero Yuy's Infamous Death Glare.
"Are you sure? This is a VERY important matter, miss," he stressed. Brown eyes rolled up towards hideous brown eyebrows that clashed with her dyed hair.
"I've told you for the millionth time, I haven't-"
"I've seen him," a young man's voice jutted in. Duo looked up and groaned. He'd gone from the blow up doll that talked to her Ken playmate. Pretty boy surprised him however and pushed the blonde girl out of the way and grabbed the picture out of Duo's hand.
"Yeah, that's definitely him alright, weird bangs and all," he muttered, handing the photo back. Duo nodded, feeling his luck finally turn around for him.
"When did you see him?"
"About an hour or so ago, he needed a ticket for Earth really bad and he gave me his cell phone number. Told me to call him if anything opened up. I got reassigned to the ticket counters at the other end of the docks and found that something had opened up but when I tried to call him I didn't get an answer; although it's possible he's already onboard a ship and had to turn his phone off," the teller informed him. Duo's heart sank. If Trowa had gotten on a ship then many things would turn out wrong for his friend; his position at the Preventers would be threatened despite his close ties to Lady Une, Dorothy wouldn't be able to make the rent on their apartment, and most importantly, the two of them wouldn't be able to see each other again until the terrorists were tracked down in the colonies, which at the most would take a year.
Duo had never been one to sit around and mope about his situation, especially when there was still the chance that Trowa hadn't gotten on a ship yet. But the thought that one of his best friends might not be there for the birth of his baby and to stand up at his wedding tore at his already scarred heart. He felt like sitting down right there while all the people waiting in line behind him stood and stared down at him, he didn't care. This just couldn't be happening.
"Sir, is there anything I can do for you?" the young man asked, his eyes filling with worry. Duo shook his head, his face looking like a blank canvas that had been brought to a brand new, never before seen art studio. His eyes seemed to be trying to memorize each nook and cranny so that he could remember the day the world fell around him. At length he turned back to the ticket teller.
"There is one thing you can do for me," he murmured dejectedly. He pulled over a scrap of paper and pen and wrote down his cell phone number and handed it back. "Call me if you learn anything more. And don't worry, I have my phone with me," he assured the man. He pushed off from the counter and walked aimlessly away into the crowd towards the gates. Urgency trickled out of every pore and opening in Duo's body as he walked away, an odd, strained calm filled the space around him. At each gate that he passed, he raised his eyes to check for the familiar stance of Trowa but to no avail. It was like his best friend had died.
Luckily for our hero, Trowa was not dead but happened to be at the very last gate of the docks. Before we continue, an explanation of the docks layout is in order so that we can better understand why Trowa is so far away from Duo at the moment. The docks, for simplicity sake, should be imagined as a rectangle that's been curved to fit along the outer wall of the colony. Along the smaller ends of this concave rectangle are the ticket teller counters on both sides and along the outer curved section of the docks lie the gates that open up to the shuttles awaiting to transport people and cargo to Earth. When we last left Trowa he was at the ticket teller counter on the far left side of the docks, nearest to the last gate. Unfortunately for nail biters, Duo is on the other end, closest to the first gate.
While Duo seems to be getting a very short stick indeed, Trowa thinks he's getting the luckiest break he's had since he first saw Dorothy stretched out on the sofa in his niche at the bookstore so long ago.
Trowa looked back at the retreating couple with a smile and soft look of his green eyes. The man had been assigned to an engineering job on Earth in Neo-America while the woman had to stay behind due to a lack of money to pay for both their fares to Earth. However, once Trowa had recounted his story to the two, offered them sufficient down payment there, and a promise of reimbursing them not only for the ticket cost but for the money he would have earned on Earth, the two were more than happy to take the chance to remain with each other.
"Thank you once again!" he cried after them in joy. The two looked over their shoulders and waved, smiling.
"Enjoy Earth for us!" the man shouted back. He seemed to speak for the two of them, since she seemed too choked up to talk, let alone shout. Yet she gave Trowa the best smile she could and waved her thanks vigorously while holding his hand. They turned again and kept walking, arms twined around each other; happy to be together and happy to give two others the chance to be together.
Trowa waved one last time, his earlier frustration melting away completely. It was now replaced with a new hope, a lightness filling his whole body because he knew that saving Dorothy was know in his reach. This whole time that she'd been with Quatre would be duly made up for with hours of holding her close and never letting her out of his sight again. He turned away from the entrance to the gate and sat down on a chair. The couple were going to change the man's name on the ticket over to his own and all Trowa had to do was sit and wait for his name to be called. He finally got his break from Knight in Shining Armor duty.
With Trowa taking a break from being hero for awhile, the duty gets passed on to the closest gundam pilot at the moment; Duo Maxwell who was now passing by Gate 24, the middle point of the docks. As he walked past he looked inside the entrance to the gate, the hope that rose a level within him each time peaking as he passed the doorway. However, it fell exponentially further than it originally been when Trowa evaded his sight yet again. Hanging his head and slumping his shoulders, the pilot who was known for his cheery out look on life was already mourning the temporary loss of his friend. He felt ready to give up his search and call Sally to tell her to give Dorothy the bad news.
With Trowa on Earth it wouldn't be so bad, Duo reasoned. The two wouldn't be separated forever. However, a year was a long time for two young lovers to be away from each other; Duo remembered how hard it had been being away from Hilde for only a few months and he was still able to at least talk to her over vid-phone. No, no matter how temporary this separation would be, it was still a separation the two didn't deserve and so Duo couldn't give up. Picking up his head, he marched on towards Gate 25 and when that showed no sign of Trowa he only let it roll of him as he moved on.
The couple that had given Trowa their ticket to Earth were passing by the right side of Gate 27 and entering Gate 26 when the passed our current hero Duo.
"I can't believe he's following her all the way to Earth," a woman's voice floated on the air as the two passed by him. Duo's inherent good ears pricked but he only listened casually as he kept walking.
"I'd have done the same," the man interjected with a wolfish grin and a nudge to his girlfriend's ribs. She laughed, her eyes still red from crying.
"But would your hair have looked so good doing it?" she joked, tugging at his hair. Duo stopped in his tracks and turned in the direction of the couple. The man brushed aside the girl's hand and gave her a mock glare as his hands descended to tickle her sides. Her laughter and pleas only made the man laugh along with her as he pulled her into their 22nd hug within that short time of meeting Trowa.
"Excuse me, but is the man you're talking about look like this?" Duo asked the two as he approached them and handed them the photo. The man stopped his merciless tickling to look at the photo.
"Yes," he said, slightly out of breath from laughter. "Why?"
"He's a good friend of mine and certain circumstances have made his current path a bit unfavorable," Duo replied, trying to be as vague as possible. "Do you know what gate he's leaving from and when?"
"Gate 48 but he should be leaving in," the man paused to check his watch, "10 minutes. Why is him going to Earth 'unfavorable'?" he questioned but Duo had already taken off down the hallway towards Gate 48.
Hilde watched as Wufei gently picked up Dorothy and carried her from the car to an awaiting wheelchair at the front entrance of the hospital. Sally was already rushing inside to prepare treatment for her friend. The German girl followed closely behind, not letting her precious extra weight slow her down. Although logic told her that Duo might not be able to reach Trowa in time, the instinct of a mother-to-be told her never to lose hope, especially in the father of her child. Hilde's hope was strong and she knew that she'd need that strength to keep Dorothy's hopes up until Trowa returned. Should it take him a few hours or a few months, Hilde would be there to help.
Dorothy felt sluggish and limp as Wufei rushed her down the corridor. These were probably effects of the drugs she'd been administered earlier but she currently blamed their mental effects on the lack of Trowa. Closing her gray eyes was the only thing her foggy mind could think of to do to fight off the terrifyingly wonderful memories she had of her and Trowa, she was frightened now more than ever came the wispy conclusion as they set her down in her own bed in a quiet wing of the hospital. She was more afraid now of losing Trowa than she had been of losing her independence to a man, more afraid now than she was when it was possible she'd become Quatre's wife. Trowa was her life support now, the only fish in the sea that would help her when she started drowning.
She opened her eyes to find a world that was obviously moving fast but to her was moving painfully slow. She was suddenly reminded of the night Trowa had chased after that android and she had to run to their apartment to call for help. It seemed like decades ago and at the time those few seconds felt like days. Dorothy rolled her limp head towards Hilde who was standing in the doorway and fixed her with a questioning face. If a few seconds felt like days and a few months felt like decades, what would this possible year without Trowa feel like? How old would she feel when she finally got to hold him again, kiss him, tickle him, simply be with him again? The questions in her head went unanswered by Hilde but her face did not. It beckoned the pregnant woman over to her like a child's cry and she pulled Dorothy's pale hand into her own.
"I'm here Dorothy," she whispered, using the voice she knew she'd one day soon use to soothe her own child. Dorothy smiled weakly and tried to whisper a thank you but it came out as a rasp instead. Hilde smiled and nodded in understanding while brushing back the blonde's soft hair. "You're gonna be okay, everything's gonna be just fine, you'll see," she reassured her. Dorothy's response before she drifted off to sleep was a weak squeeze of her hand and tear falling down her thin cheek.
Hilde stroked her hand a bit longer until she was sure the other girl was asleep before pulling her hand away and getting up to find Sally. It didn't take long, the older woman was found just outside the doorway reading a chart.
"How's Dorothy?" Sally inquired.
"She's asleep, she seemed worried about Trowa but I told her it'd work out fine," she replied. Sally gave her a sad smile before turning back to the chart. "It seems that Dorothy will be fine, that phony doctor was lying; she doesn't even have that severe of frostbite. She did have some on her nose, feet, and hands, but nothing that the other hospital couldn't treat. The severe frostbite was most likely a ploy to get Dorothy to Earth," Sally said, her eyes locked on her chart. She didn't want to look up and see the hope she kept losing in Hilde's eyes.
"But the pain that Dorothy felt-"
"Probably a drug they administered, we'll run some tests to make sure. That doctor could find himself in a world of trouble after all this is done," Sally said, putting the chart back in its holder. Just as the metal holder clicked close, Wufei appeared behind the two girls with a to-go container with three Styrofoam coffee cups.
"Thought everyone would need something, seeing as there's nothing else we can do now except wait for Dorothy to get better and for Maxwell to call," he said, his voice a bit lower than normal. Hilde looked at him, her large eyes shining. It seemed everyone was losing hope in the situation. She took the offered cup and extended her hand to place it on his forearm in a reassuring gesture. Wufei turned to her, his black eyes lifting slightly in surprise. However, they softened and he gave her a small smile, which made Sally smile. Hilde maybe in a delicate condition, but she was most assuredly the strongest of them all.
Heero Yuy had never felt so happy in his life as he set down his carry-on briefcase on the chair next to his own. He realized with a smile that he'd been fidgeting playfully with the trench coat draped across his arm. He couldn't remember the last time he'd fidgeted. Behind his sparkling Prussian blue eyes was one continuously repeating image he'd already played out a thousand times; Relena standing at the Earth's airport, awaiting his arrival. He'd spent his whole morning zooming in on those aquamarine eyes, the honey blonde hair, the sweet, pink lips lifting in a smile and opening in a happy cry as she rushed into his arms. He almost hugged his trench coat in an effort of imagination to feel her embrace.
"Flight 241 will be boarding in 10 minutes, again, Flight 241 will be boarding in 10 minutes," an automatic computer voice interrupted Heero's thoughts. He shook his head to clear it and looked around him. The flight would be quiet; he could see no little children around. Yet as reassuring as silence was to him, he wouldn't have minded watching little children play on their way to Earth. Every little child he saw, he almost immediately changed it in his mind. Even if the child was the complete opposite of himself and Relena, he found something of her or himself in them. The thought of children reminded him he needed to check something.
He turned to his brown leather briefcase and opened up. Slipping his hand inside, he wrapped his fingers around the familiar wooden box that he'd so often held in hopes of getting his courage up to give it to Relena. Pulling it out, he stared at it as though taking his eyes away would rip the box away from his hand forever. He opened it up to reassure himself that the precious trinket inside was still there. It was.
Twinkling back at him was a promise ring. It was a simple dark blue sapphire on a sliver band, but it meant the world to him. He knew that asking her to marry him would be rushing their tentative relationship; their polar opposite jobs would make things tougher than any normal marriage. But their polar opposite personalities were what drove Heero to buy this ring. He needed to promise her that someday, somehow he'd make her his wife and himself her husband. His smile even broader, he closed the box and placed it back in the briefcase.
Suddenly a flash of black clothing with a brown tail whipping behind it caught his attention. His mind whipped itself back into alertness and he stood up like lightning. Running to the entrance where the black blur had passed he looked down it and caught a fleeting glimpse of what could only be Duo Maxwell's telltale brown braid. Whatever his best friend was doing flying down the dock's main corridor was beyond Heero but his curiosity was sparked. Duo's fiancé Hilde was due soon and there was nothing in this world that could pull him from her side unless something terrible was happening.
"Flight 241 will be boarding in 5 minutes, any fliers are advised not to leave the Gate at this time," the computer voice chided as Heero went to take a step after Duo. He stepped back, knowing that chasing after Duo now would make him miss his chance to see Relena and whatever terrible thing was happening would have to wait until he could get Relena to have Duo vid-phone him on the shuttle.
Trowa looked out at the shuttle's that were beginning to board passengers. The half hour shift had come when shuttles that had been on Earth 4 hours earlier were returning to bring more to their destination. He sighed and leaned his head against the window, wishing his own shuttle would arrive soon. They'd had announced only a few minutes previous that his flight would be delayed an extra 5-10 minutes due to space debris. He clunked his forehead against the window pane; after all this time waiting for his luck to change 5-10 minutes really shouldn't have made much of a difference but it seemed like an eternity to him. In 5-10 minutes, Quatre could have brainwashed Dorothy or gained her respect with his treachery. She was weak and defenseless and she needed Trowa more than ever and 5-10 minutes was too long of a wait for either of them he reasoned.
With another clunk, he groaned and pulled away, sitting down in his seat. Scanning the group that he'd be traveling with he was reminded that he had no clothes and very little money, especially after paying the couple that had given him their ticket. He also didn't have a plan after rescuing Dorothy. He hated to think of having to take her on the run with him for a year before they could contact Une at Preventers HQ.
"Flight 405 has arrived and will begin boarding in 5 minutes. Thank you for your patience," a young man announced at the head of the room. Trowa smiled and hefted on his jacket in preparation. He pulled out a bag of peanuts he'd bought with what little of his money he had and opened it up. Popping it into his mouth, he realized he hadn't eaten at all. It seemed odd that only this morning he'd been to the hospital searching for Dorothy. He finished the bag of peanuts in record time, his stomach still growling now that it had its first taste of food in hours.
"I hope they serve a meal," he muttered to himself. A few last minute arrivals entered the room and were scanned for approval casually by Trowa. He heard the shuttle secure itself in its holdings outside and stood up with the others as names began to be called. He briefly paused to hope that the couple had changed the name of the ticket to his but pushed it aside when his name was called.
"Trowa Barton!"
Trowa pushed his way to the front and handed him his ticket and boarding pass. The same man that had thanked them for their patience inspected the ticket for authenticity before ripping the end of the ticket off and handing it back. He inspected the pass and nodded.
"Seems in order, now I'll need some I.D.?" he asked. Trowa nodded and pulled out his wallet, flipped it open with an F.B.I.-ish flare to show his Preventers badge and I.D. The man's eyebrows lifted and he smiled appreciatively of the spectacle before saying "Good to have you aboard Captain Barton, step this way." And he pointed towards the narrow hallway that led to the shuttle's awaiting doors. Trowa's heart lifted as he stepped past the man.
"TROWA!!!" came a familiar shout in an American accent. Trowa looked up to see Duo Maxwell pushing his way down the line towards him.
"Sir, unless you have a ticket, you'll need to exit this gate," the man that had inspected Trowa's ticket said, stepping in front of the Deathsycthe pilot. Duo ignored him and tried to push past him but the guard stopped him.
"I need to talk to Trowa!" Duo cried in the man's face. Trowa rolled his eyes and pushed towards the struggling pair.
"I'll talk to him, he's another Preventer," Trowa informed the man. A low murmur sprang forth at the mention of Preventer amongst the crowd. Trowa ignored it and led Duo away from the rest. "What's wrong?" he whispered in a low voice.
"Dorothy's not on Earth Trowa!" Duo cried, not following Trowa's example of quiet voices. The third gundam pilot's emerald eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"What do you mean, she's not on Earth? She wasn't at the hospital, Duo-"
"She was, they had her hidden! But we transferred her to Sally's hospital and-"
"Who's we?" Trowa interrupted, his tone harsh. Duo stopped, his mouth hanging slightly open. Trowa rarely, if ever, spoke harshly to him; there was always the subtle hint of amusement and caring behind his words.
"All of us, Wufei, Sally, Hilde, they've taken her to Sally's hospital, she should be there now. Trowa, don't tell me you don't believe me?" he said, unbelieving. Trowa growled and pushed Duo aside.
"I don't have time for this Duo, I know Quatre took her to Earth and that's where I'm going," he said, walking determinedly towards the doorway that led to his shuttle.
"Trowa, she isn't there man!" Duo called after him. Trowa wheeled around and grabbed Maxwell by the shoulders, his hands biting.
"I never thought Quatre would get to you too Duo," Trowa said quietly before roughly shoving Duo into a row of chairs. Duo fell head over heals over the chairs, his head hitting a metal arm sharply. Landing with a thud, he tried to pull himself back up to stop Trowa, but he had already passed through the doorway with the last passengers. He launched himself over the chairs despite his injuries but another guard held him back as they closed the door and locked it. Duo's head fell to his chest as the guard let go of his arm, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. The Gate vibrated as the shuttle engines started and the holdings let go of the ship.
Trowa had left the colonies.
Uh-oh, this isn't good. Hope you enjoyed this chapter; next part should be up soon!!
Love you all!
MadameHotaru.of.87
Chapter 16: FINE TUNING: Part 1: Learning Scales of Hope in Faith Major
Hello again!! Hopefully no one's too mad about how short Chap. 15 was! To make up for the shortness of Chap. 15, I'm making the final chapter EXTRA long; in fact, I've broken it up into three parts. It'll be then shortly followed by the epilogue. So for those of you good at literary math, that means we are nearing the end sniff. But all good things have to come to an end!
Being the second tallest gundam pilot of the group of five gave Duo a small advantage as he entered the oddly quiet crowd that seemed to fill every space imaginable from wall to wall in side the building that housed the docks. Yet the pushing, shoving, and very hard baggage that seemed to be attracted to Maxwell's shins countered his advantage, leaving him red in the face and quite angry. So it was no surprise when he felt like snapping at the ticket teller in front of him.
"I'm sorry sir, but I haven't seen your friend this morning," a young blonde huffed in what had to be a Valley Girl accent if Duo had ever heard one. He growled unpleasantly, and fixed her with a cerulean blue glare that rivaled Heero Yuy's Infamous Death Glare.
"Are you sure? This is a VERY important matter, miss," he stressed. Brown eyes rolled up towards hideous brown eyebrows that clashed with her dyed hair.
"I've told you for the millionth time, I haven't-"
"I've seen him," a young man's voice jutted in. Duo looked up and groaned. He'd gone from the blow up doll that talked to her Ken playmate. Pretty boy surprised him however and pushed the blonde girl out of the way and grabbed the picture out of Duo's hand.
"Yeah, that's definitely him alright, weird bangs and all," he muttered, handing the photo back. Duo nodded, feeling his luck finally turn around for him.
"When did you see him?"
"About an hour or so ago, he needed a ticket for Earth really bad and he gave me his cell phone number. Told me to call him if anything opened up. I got reassigned to the ticket counters at the other end of the docks and found that something had opened up but when I tried to call him I didn't get an answer; although it's possible he's already onboard a ship and had to turn his phone off," the teller informed him. Duo's heart sank. If Trowa had gotten on a ship then many things would turn out wrong for his friend; his position at the Preventers would be threatened despite his close ties to Lady Une, Dorothy wouldn't be able to make the rent on their apartment, and most importantly, the two of them wouldn't be able to see each other again until the terrorists were tracked down in the colonies, which at the most would take a year.
Duo had never been one to sit around and mope about his situation, especially when there was still the chance that Trowa hadn't gotten on a ship yet. But the thought that one of his best friends might not be there for the birth of his baby and to stand up at his wedding tore at his already scarred heart. He felt like sitting down right there while all the people waiting in line behind him stood and stared down at him, he didn't care. This just couldn't be happening.
"Sir, is there anything I can do for you?" the young man asked, his eyes filling with worry. Duo shook his head, his face looking like a blank canvas that had been brought to a brand new, never before seen art studio. His eyes seemed to be trying to memorize each nook and cranny so that he could remember the day the world fell around him. At length he turned back to the ticket teller.
"There is one thing you can do for me," he murmured dejectedly. He pulled over a scrap of paper and pen and wrote down his cell phone number and handed it back. "Call me if you learn anything more. And don't worry, I have my phone with me," he assured the man. He pushed off from the counter and walked aimlessly away into the crowd towards the gates. Urgency trickled out of every pore and opening in Duo's body as he walked away, an odd, strained calm filled the space around him. At each gate that he passed, he raised his eyes to check for the familiar stance of Trowa but to no avail. It was like his best friend had died.
Luckily for our hero, Trowa was not dead but happened to be at the very last gate of the docks. Before we continue, an explanation of the docks layout is in order so that we can better understand why Trowa is so far away from Duo at the moment. The docks, for simplicity sake, should be imagined as a rectangle that's been curved to fit along the outer wall of the colony. Along the smaller ends of this concave rectangle are the ticket teller counters on both sides and along the outer curved section of the docks lie the gates that open up to the shuttles awaiting to transport people and cargo to Earth. When we last left Trowa he was at the ticket teller counter on the far left side of the docks, nearest to the last gate. Unfortunately for nail biters, Duo is on the other end, closest to the first gate.
While Duo seems to be getting a very short stick indeed, Trowa thinks he's getting the luckiest break he's had since he first saw Dorothy stretched out on the sofa in his niche at the bookstore so long ago.
Trowa looked back at the retreating couple with a smile and soft look of his green eyes. The man had been assigned to an engineering job on Earth in Neo-America while the woman had to stay behind due to a lack of money to pay for both their fares to Earth. However, once Trowa had recounted his story to the two, offered them sufficient down payment there, and a promise of reimbursing them not only for the ticket cost but for the money he would have earned on Earth, the two were more than happy to take the chance to remain with each other.
"Thank you once again!" he cried after them in joy. The two looked over their shoulders and waved, smiling.
"Enjoy Earth for us!" the man shouted back. He seemed to speak for the two of them, since she seemed too choked up to talk, let alone shout. Yet she gave Trowa the best smile she could and waved her thanks vigorously while holding his hand. They turned again and kept walking, arms twined around each other; happy to be together and happy to give two others the chance to be together.
Trowa waved one last time, his earlier frustration melting away completely. It was now replaced with a new hope, a lightness filling his whole body because he knew that saving Dorothy was know in his reach. This whole time that she'd been with Quatre would be duly made up for with hours of holding her close and never letting her out of his sight again. He turned away from the entrance to the gate and sat down on a chair. The couple were going to change the man's name on the ticket over to his own and all Trowa had to do was sit and wait for his name to be called. He finally got his break from Knight in Shining Armor duty.
With Trowa taking a break from being hero for awhile, the duty gets passed on to the closest gundam pilot at the moment; Duo Maxwell who was now passing by Gate 24, the middle point of the docks. As he walked past he looked inside the entrance to the gate, the hope that rose a level within him each time peaking as he passed the doorway. However, it fell exponentially further than it originally been when Trowa evaded his sight yet again. Hanging his head and slumping his shoulders, the pilot who was known for his cheery out look on life was already mourning the temporary loss of his friend. He felt ready to give up his search and call Sally to tell her to give Dorothy the bad news.
With Trowa on Earth it wouldn't be so bad, Duo reasoned. The two wouldn't be separated forever. However, a year was a long time for two young lovers to be away from each other; Duo remembered how hard it had been being away from Hilde for only a few months and he was still able to at least talk to her over vid-phone. No, no matter how temporary this separation would be, it was still a separation the two didn't deserve and so Duo couldn't give up. Picking up his head, he marched on towards Gate 25 and when that showed no sign of Trowa he only let it roll of him as he moved on.
The couple that had given Trowa their ticket to Earth were passing by the right side of Gate 27 and entering Gate 26 when the passed our current hero Duo.
"I can't believe he's following her all the way to Earth," a woman's voice floated on the air as the two passed by him. Duo's inherent good ears pricked but he only listened casually as he kept walking.
"I'd have done the same," the man interjected with a wolfish grin and a nudge to his girlfriend's ribs. She laughed, her eyes still red from crying.
"But would your hair have looked so good doing it?" she joked, tugging at his hair. Duo stopped in his tracks and turned in the direction of the couple. The man brushed aside the girl's hand and gave her a mock glare as his hands descended to tickle her sides. Her laughter and pleas only made the man laugh along with her as he pulled her into their 22nd hug within that short time of meeting Trowa.
"Excuse me, but is the man you're talking about look like this?" Duo asked the two as he approached them and handed them the photo. The man stopped his merciless tickling to look at the photo.
"Yes," he said, slightly out of breath from laughter. "Why?"
"He's a good friend of mine and certain circumstances have made his current path a bit unfavorable," Duo replied, trying to be as vague as possible. "Do you know what gate he's leaving from and when?"
"Gate 48 but he should be leaving in," the man paused to check his watch, "10 minutes. Why is him going to Earth 'unfavorable'?" he questioned but Duo had already taken off down the hallway towards Gate 48.
Hilde watched as Wufei gently picked up Dorothy and carried her from the car to an awaiting wheelchair at the front entrance of the hospital. Sally was already rushing inside to prepare treatment for her friend. The German girl followed closely behind, not letting her precious extra weight slow her down. Although logic told her that Duo might not be able to reach Trowa in time, the instinct of a mother-to-be told her never to lose hope, especially in the father of her child. Hilde's hope was strong and she knew that she'd need that strength to keep Dorothy's hopes up until Trowa returned. Should it take him a few hours or a few months, Hilde would be there to help.
Dorothy felt sluggish and limp as Wufei rushed her down the corridor. These were probably effects of the drugs she'd been administered earlier but she currently blamed their mental effects on the lack of Trowa. Closing her gray eyes was the only thing her foggy mind could think of to do to fight off the terrifyingly wonderful memories she had of her and Trowa, she was frightened now more than ever came the wispy conclusion as they set her down in her own bed in a quiet wing of the hospital. She was more afraid now of losing Trowa than she had been of losing her independence to a man, more afraid now than she was when it was possible she'd become Quatre's wife. Trowa was her life support now, the only fish in the sea that would help her when she started drowning.
She opened her eyes to find a world that was obviously moving fast but to her was moving painfully slow. She was suddenly reminded of the night Trowa had chased after that android and she had to run to their apartment to call for help. It seemed like decades ago and at the time those few seconds felt like days. Dorothy rolled her limp head towards Hilde who was standing in the doorway and fixed her with a questioning face. If a few seconds felt like days and a few months felt like decades, what would this possible year without Trowa feel like? How old would she feel when she finally got to hold him again, kiss him, tickle him, simply be with him again? The questions in her head went unanswered by Hilde but her face did not. It beckoned the pregnant woman over to her like a child's cry and she pulled Dorothy's pale hand into her own.
"I'm here Dorothy," she whispered, using the voice she knew she'd one day soon use to soothe her own child. Dorothy smiled weakly and tried to whisper a thank you but it came out as a rasp instead. Hilde smiled and nodded in understanding while brushing back the blonde's soft hair. "You're gonna be okay, everything's gonna be just fine, you'll see," she reassured her. Dorothy's response before she drifted off to sleep was a weak squeeze of her hand and tear falling down her thin cheek.
Hilde stroked her hand a bit longer until she was sure the other girl was asleep before pulling her hand away and getting up to find Sally. It didn't take long, the older woman was found just outside the doorway reading a chart.
"How's Dorothy?" Sally inquired.
"She's asleep, she seemed worried about Trowa but I told her it'd work out fine," she replied. Sally gave her a sad smile before turning back to the chart. "It seems that Dorothy will be fine, that phony doctor was lying; she doesn't even have that severe of frostbite. She did have some on her nose, feet, and hands, but nothing that the other hospital couldn't treat. The severe frostbite was most likely a ploy to get Dorothy to Earth," Sally said, her eyes locked on her chart. She didn't want to look up and see the hope she kept losing in Hilde's eyes.
"But the pain that Dorothy felt-"
"Probably a drug they administered, we'll run some tests to make sure. That doctor could find himself in a world of trouble after all this is done," Sally said, putting the chart back in its holder. Just as the metal holder clicked close, Wufei appeared behind the two girls with a to-go container with three Styrofoam coffee cups.
"Thought everyone would need something, seeing as there's nothing else we can do now except wait for Dorothy to get better and for Maxwell to call," he said, his voice a bit lower than normal. Hilde looked at him, her large eyes shining. It seemed everyone was losing hope in the situation. She took the offered cup and extended her hand to place it on his forearm in a reassuring gesture. Wufei turned to her, his black eyes lifting slightly in surprise. However, they softened and he gave her a small smile, which made Sally smile. Hilde maybe in a delicate condition, but she was most assuredly the strongest of them all.
Heero Yuy had never felt so happy in his life as he set down his carry-on briefcase on the chair next to his own. He realized with a smile that he'd been fidgeting playfully with the trench coat draped across his arm. He couldn't remember the last time he'd fidgeted. Behind his sparkling Prussian blue eyes was one continuously repeating image he'd already played out a thousand times; Relena standing at the Earth's airport, awaiting his arrival. He'd spent his whole morning zooming in on those aquamarine eyes, the honey blonde hair, the sweet, pink lips lifting in a smile and opening in a happy cry as she rushed into his arms. He almost hugged his trench coat in an effort of imagination to feel her embrace.
"Flight 241 will be boarding in 10 minutes, again, Flight 241 will be boarding in 10 minutes," an automatic computer voice interrupted Heero's thoughts. He shook his head to clear it and looked around him. The flight would be quiet; he could see no little children around. Yet as reassuring as silence was to him, he wouldn't have minded watching little children play on their way to Earth. Every little child he saw, he almost immediately changed it in his mind. Even if the child was the complete opposite of himself and Relena, he found something of her or himself in them. The thought of children reminded him he needed to check something.
He turned to his brown leather briefcase and opened up. Slipping his hand inside, he wrapped his fingers around the familiar wooden box that he'd so often held in hopes of getting his courage up to give it to Relena. Pulling it out, he stared at it as though taking his eyes away would rip the box away from his hand forever. He opened it up to reassure himself that the precious trinket inside was still there. It was.
Twinkling back at him was a promise ring. It was a simple dark blue sapphire on a sliver band, but it meant the world to him. He knew that asking her to marry him would be rushing their tentative relationship; their polar opposite jobs would make things tougher than any normal marriage. But their polar opposite personalities were what drove Heero to buy this ring. He needed to promise her that someday, somehow he'd make her his wife and himself her husband. His smile even broader, he closed the box and placed it back in the briefcase.
Suddenly a flash of black clothing with a brown tail whipping behind it caught his attention. His mind whipped itself back into alertness and he stood up like lightning. Running to the entrance where the black blur had passed he looked down it and caught a fleeting glimpse of what could only be Duo Maxwell's telltale brown braid. Whatever his best friend was doing flying down the dock's main corridor was beyond Heero but his curiosity was sparked. Duo's fiancé Hilde was due soon and there was nothing in this world that could pull him from her side unless something terrible was happening.
"Flight 241 will be boarding in 5 minutes, any fliers are advised not to leave the Gate at this time," the computer voice chided as Heero went to take a step after Duo. He stepped back, knowing that chasing after Duo now would make him miss his chance to see Relena and whatever terrible thing was happening would have to wait until he could get Relena to have Duo vid-phone him on the shuttle.
Trowa looked out at the shuttle's that were beginning to board passengers. The half hour shift had come when shuttles that had been on Earth 4 hours earlier were returning to bring more to their destination. He sighed and leaned his head against the window, wishing his own shuttle would arrive soon. They'd had announced only a few minutes previous that his flight would be delayed an extra 5-10 minutes due to space debris. He clunked his forehead against the window pane; after all this time waiting for his luck to change 5-10 minutes really shouldn't have made much of a difference but it seemed like an eternity to him. In 5-10 minutes, Quatre could have brainwashed Dorothy or gained her respect with his treachery. She was weak and defenseless and she needed Trowa more than ever and 5-10 minutes was too long of a wait for either of them he reasoned.
With another clunk, he groaned and pulled away, sitting down in his seat. Scanning the group that he'd be traveling with he was reminded that he had no clothes and very little money, especially after paying the couple that had given him their ticket. He also didn't have a plan after rescuing Dorothy. He hated to think of having to take her on the run with him for a year before they could contact Une at Preventers HQ.
"Flight 405 has arrived and will begin boarding in 5 minutes. Thank you for your patience," a young man announced at the head of the room. Trowa smiled and hefted on his jacket in preparation. He pulled out a bag of peanuts he'd bought with what little of his money he had and opened it up. Popping it into his mouth, he realized he hadn't eaten at all. It seemed odd that only this morning he'd been to the hospital searching for Dorothy. He finished the bag of peanuts in record time, his stomach still growling now that it had its first taste of food in hours.
"I hope they serve a meal," he muttered to himself. A few last minute arrivals entered the room and were scanned for approval casually by Trowa. He heard the shuttle secure itself in its holdings outside and stood up with the others as names began to be called. He briefly paused to hope that the couple had changed the name of the ticket to his but pushed it aside when his name was called.
"Trowa Barton!"
Trowa pushed his way to the front and handed him his ticket and boarding pass. The same man that had thanked them for their patience inspected the ticket for authenticity before ripping the end of the ticket off and handing it back. He inspected the pass and nodded.
"Seems in order, now I'll need some I.D.?" he asked. Trowa nodded and pulled out his wallet, flipped it open with an F.B.I.-ish flare to show his Preventers badge and I.D. The man's eyebrows lifted and he smiled appreciatively of the spectacle before saying "Good to have you aboard Captain Barton, step this way." And he pointed towards the narrow hallway that led to the shuttle's awaiting doors. Trowa's heart lifted as he stepped past the man.
"TROWA!!!" came a familiar shout in an American accent. Trowa looked up to see Duo Maxwell pushing his way down the line towards him.
"Sir, unless you have a ticket, you'll need to exit this gate," the man that had inspected Trowa's ticket said, stepping in front of the Deathsycthe pilot. Duo ignored him and tried to push past him but the guard stopped him.
"I need to talk to Trowa!" Duo cried in the man's face. Trowa rolled his eyes and pushed towards the struggling pair.
"I'll talk to him, he's another Preventer," Trowa informed the man. A low murmur sprang forth at the mention of Preventer amongst the crowd. Trowa ignored it and led Duo away from the rest. "What's wrong?" he whispered in a low voice.
"Dorothy's not on Earth Trowa!" Duo cried, not following Trowa's example of quiet voices. The third gundam pilot's emerald eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"What do you mean, she's not on Earth? She wasn't at the hospital, Duo-"
"She was, they had her hidden! But we transferred her to Sally's hospital and-"
"Who's we?" Trowa interrupted, his tone harsh. Duo stopped, his mouth hanging slightly open. Trowa rarely, if ever, spoke harshly to him; there was always the subtle hint of amusement and caring behind his words.
"All of us, Wufei, Sally, Hilde, they've taken her to Sally's hospital, she should be there now. Trowa, don't tell me you don't believe me?" he said, unbelieving. Trowa growled and pushed Duo aside.
"I don't have time for this Duo, I know Quatre took her to Earth and that's where I'm going," he said, walking determinedly towards the doorway that led to his shuttle.
"Trowa, she isn't there man!" Duo called after him. Trowa wheeled around and grabbed Maxwell by the shoulders, his hands biting.
"I never thought Quatre would get to you too Duo," Trowa said quietly before roughly shoving Duo into a row of chairs. Duo fell head over heals over the chairs, his head hitting a metal arm sharply. Landing with a thud, he tried to pull himself back up to stop Trowa, but he had already passed through the doorway with the last passengers. He launched himself over the chairs despite his injuries but another guard held him back as they closed the door and locked it. Duo's head fell to his chest as the guard let go of his arm, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. The Gate vibrated as the shuttle engines started and the holdings let go of the ship.
Trowa had left the colonies.
Uh-oh, this isn't good. Hope you enjoyed this chapter; next part should be up soon!!
Love you all!
MadameHotaru.of.87