April 7, 2004
Author's Notes – Hold, friends! Put down your torches and pitchforks and plasma guns and be at peace!
Wufei – ::quirks an eyebrow:: Plasma guns?
Yeah! Those things sting like the devil! ::shudders:: Anyway, there is no need for violence! As you can see I am a terrible, horrible, beastly liar.
Wufei: ::opens his mouth to add his two cents, but is cut off::
I know I said I'd have this chapter out a while ago, but work has had a way of screwing things up! (what can I say? I NEED that laptop!) Anyways, here is another update for 'Heart of Space, Dove of Peace' for your reading enjoyment. I apologize for its lateness...
Wufei – Its 5 month lateness...
Hush! Which ironic, cuz I think it's been a little over 3 years since I first started this fic... ehehe...
Nataku-chan – That's not funny, that's just sad.
Oh, hush it up. When's the last time you updated 'Look Me in the Eye' or 'Coming Home'? (Nataku-chan-::blushes and skitters away in shame::) Anyway, as I was saying... here is, without further adieu, Chapter 22. Enjoy!
Chapter 22 – The Reason
You do not laugh. You do not cry. Every ounce of available energy in your body must be driven towards your goal. You must not falter. You must not waiver. You have a mission to accomplish. You must succeed. You must not fail. To us, such a concept does not exist.
The Barton Foundation... filled with fools just like those of OZ and Romefeller. They consisted of money-grubbing morons who wanted nothing more than more money and power to gorge themselves upon. Naya had no use for such frivolities. She'd cast aside her old title, her old life to begin anew. The world needed change, and she would be the one to deliver it.
Her father was a fool. Did he think he could continue to smile in the ESUN's face while committing foul, underhanded deeds under the table whilst they weren't looking? He, too, lived for money and power. To save face, he'd alerted the United Nations of her whereabouts. The Preventers had come and put a stop to the Barton Foundation and their plans to reenact Operation Meteor.
But Naya had known. She had known they would fail – which was why she left, forming the underground splinter group that would soon come to be known as the Dark Claw. As she had shed the title Mayomato, she soon came to be known to her subordinates as 'Leader'. She would not repeat the actions of her predecessors. She would not be weak. She would show no mercy. Where OZ and Romefeller had been too crafty, she would be blunt – straightforward. Anyone who even considered forming smaller factions or committing mutiny would be shot execution-style – made an example of in front of the others.
Anyone who dared oppose the Dark Claw would be punished severely, starting with the very first – her own father.
Scorpio had also revealed to her what he had done. How he'd caught Natasha spying on him during one of his shady deals. How could no one have seen he was dealing with the Bartons on the low? Had they been blind? And yet his own daughter – the very one he'd always favored – the one he was raising to be just like him without her knowing; he'd had her silenced to protect his own hide.
She remembered feeling a grim satisfaction seeing his battered body lying helpless at her feet. Even as he lay there bereft of his money and power, he still spouted empty threats. The ESUN would find out what she was up to, he'd said. They'd find out and they'd send their little watchdogs, the Preventers after her. She'd be punished; she'd burn in Hell for betraying her family.
She'd killed him then. Who was he to talk about betrayal, about family? He was not her family – had ceased being so long before. He had taken away the only real thing that mattered to her. And yet, he was not the only one to blame.
There was no peace in the world. Life was not better without weapons; she still had her hatred – it was the only thing she had left. What were all these false promises, these lies? Who would spout such filth and garbage knowing it wasn't true?
It was because of this person that she had suffered. Because of this person, the world was corrupt. She'd had to push her body to its known limits to be fit enough to pilot the Scorpio – the very device with which she alone would bring about change in the world
Like lambs, people were weak in foolish. They couldn't be trusted to make decisions for themselves. Look how easily they had fallen for this pacifistic nonsense? It wouldn't do – she would not let it be. Naya, Leader of the Dark Claw, would track down the source of this nonsense.
'When the head is crushed, the body will die,' Scorpio had told her. And it was right.
Naya would find the head, and crush it – physically, spiritually... whatever it took. She would find a way to get her revenge, even if it killed her.
Flashback
He'd seemed so helpless, lying there swathed in bandages – propped up on numerous pillows but not looking the least bit comfortable. Beneath his lax features lay pain that was not only due to his injuries. It seemed not even in sleep could Heero Yuy find peace.
Relena found her heart clenching in pain at the thought. He had done so much, suffered so much for people he had never known – would never know. He'd fought, and fought, and fought – pushed himself to limits other men could not even dream of reaching, pushed himself to the brink of madness, and yet he still managed to carry on.
"Heero, you truly are amazing." Brushing a few stray strands of hair out of his faces, she allowed herself a ghost of a smile when he unknowingly leaned into her touch.
At least she could allow him this small amount of comfort. In his waking hours it seemed she did nothing more than confuse him. She couldn't help it really – she always wanted to be able to talk to him, but it seemed no matter how hard he tried he couldn't make sense of anything she said to him.
'He really is like a child,' she thought to herself. 'He tries so hard to please, but it's just beyond his ability to do so.' She frowned slightly; it wasn't as though she wanted the old Heero back, was it?
'It doesn't matter,' she told herself. 'Heero is Heero... a brave man who has sacrificed so much for the sake of peace.'
Peace. Wasn't that something she herself was fighting for? Was supposed to be fighting for? When had she ever bore arms, shed blood on behalf of all her noble ideals? Could she even say she had fought at all?
"I can't." Her eyes turned sad, gazing back at Heero's unconscious form. "I'm not a fighter like you, Heero. I've never been strong, no matter what people say." Gently, she took his hand in hers, tracing her fingers over it gently. "But I will make amends, Heero. I won't stand by and allow you to suffer on my behalf any longer. I'll fight my own battles from now on."
She gazed at the clocking, realizing she didn't have much time before she had to leave for the Space Terminal. Rising from her seat and letting his hand slide slowly from her grasp, Relena made her way towards the door. Risking on last glance at his prone form, she whispered sadly to him, "Heero... I won't let you protect me anymore."
End Flashback
Arch Angel brought down its scimitar with lightning quickness; its target the cockpit of the Scorpio Gundam. However, before it could reach its mark, a thermal blast came out of nowhere crashing against the Black Gundam, damaging it but also moving it out of the scimitar's path.
As her blade rammed into the ground, Relena's head whipped up towards her monitors, staring in disbelief. In the distance stood Wing Gundam, a smoking thermal cannon in hand.
"What are you doing?" she exclaimed.
"I can't let you kill her, Relena." Heero answered her, his voice unbelievably calm.
Her face was drawn, her hands clenched tightly around her controls. Had she... really tried to kill a person? No, Naya was not a person. Not anymore; she was a monster who wished nothing but death and destruction to all of those who stood in her path. She could not allow that to happen. She could not allow the blood of more people to stain her hands.
"She is a threat to the Cinq Kingdom," Relena replied slowly. "A threat to the Earth Sphere. I cannot allow her to cause any more destruction! She has to be stopped!"
"I know that," Heero replied. "But are you willing to take her life?"
His cobalt eyes seemed to be boring into her very soul. However, Zero was much louder. Naya was a threat to peace. As the personification of Peace, Relena could not allow her to continue her actions. The fight... had to be... ended....
"Heero," she replied calmly. "You of all people should understand the necessity of my actions."
She may as well have stabbed him in the chest. His eyes narrowed briefly, but the Perfect Soldier in him refused to let him lose his cool. "You were the one who told me I no longer had to kill anymore." He told her. "Have you forgotten that? Why are you doing this?"
As he spoke, Relena saw an image of a younger Heero stumbling into her arms. He had been so tired, tired of fighting... tired of everything. She had wanted nothing more than to protect him – it had been what she always wanted – it was what she was doing now.
"I haven't forgotten," she replied softly. "But for too long I have been saying things without being able to back them up. I can't use pretty words and flowery speeches to fight my battles anymore."
He understood. "Then let me fight for you, Relena." He said. "I know you don't want--"
"You don't know what I want!" she exclaimed, shaking her head wildly. "All my life, people have presumed to know what I want, what I should do, what is best for me. Has anyone ever considered that I might have the ability to decide those things for myself? No! They were too busy treating me like a porcelain doll to care!"
"I ca—" Heero paused, steadying himself in his chair. "I don't view you that way, Relena."
"Yes, you do, Heero." His eyes widened in surprise. "You most of all." The Relena on his screen looked pale, weary. "At first I was just a distraction... a hurtle that was in your way. Then when you realized what I was trying to accomplish, I became something you felt you needed to protect." He opened his mouth to object but she cut him off. "I don't feel as though I've ever been a person to you."
"You have, Relena." He replied. "You always have been." Wing edged closer towards her. "I know that you were spared from death by your foster father, Vice Minister Darlian. He brought you up in a world where he hoped you would never have to experience fighting or battles. I knew this, and this is why I fought – so that you could continue to live that life. I fought so that you could continue to reach people with your words – so that you would never have to pick up arms and fight."
"Heero—"
"But if you do this... if you take up arms, and take a life – even a life as despicable as Leader's..." He was looking at her now imploringly. "You will be no better... your soul will be tainted like hers... like mine."
Relena was staring at him now as if he were someone she had never seen before. She shook her head back and forth, a look of frustration on her face. "But mine is already tainted!" she exclaimed. "Because I would not fight for my own ideals, thousands of people died in vain! It is for this reason that I decided to take up arms." Determination flashed in her eyes. "I will fight – will forfeit my life – so that no one else has to die."
"Relena—"
Her head was lowered, her bangs obscuring her eyes from view. "I will keep fighting until my enemy is defeated," she replied softly. Arch Angel came to life again, placing its scimitar back in its sheath. "But if you plan to get in my way..."
Heero's cobalt eyes widened in horror, "No..."
The crossbow attached Arch Angel's arm began to hum as it charged up a thermal arrow. "Then you too, are any enemy."
Lifting its arm into position, a shot was fired.
End Chapter 22
Author's Notes – Hold, friends! Put down your torches and pitchforks and plasma guns and be at peace!
Wufei – ::quirks an eyebrow:: Plasma guns?
Yeah! Those things sting like the devil! ::shudders:: Anyway, there is no need for violence! As you can see I am a terrible, horrible, beastly liar.
Wufei: ::opens his mouth to add his two cents, but is cut off::
I know I said I'd have this chapter out a while ago, but work has had a way of screwing things up! (what can I say? I NEED that laptop!) Anyways, here is another update for 'Heart of Space, Dove of Peace' for your reading enjoyment. I apologize for its lateness...
Wufei – Its 5 month lateness...
Hush! Which ironic, cuz I think it's been a little over 3 years since I first started this fic... ehehe...
Nataku-chan – That's not funny, that's just sad.
Oh, hush it up. When's the last time you updated 'Look Me in the Eye' or 'Coming Home'? (Nataku-chan-::blushes and skitters away in shame::) Anyway, as I was saying... here is, without further adieu, Chapter 22. Enjoy!
Chapter 22 – The Reason
You do not laugh. You do not cry. Every ounce of available energy in your body must be driven towards your goal. You must not falter. You must not waiver. You have a mission to accomplish. You must succeed. You must not fail. To us, such a concept does not exist.
The Barton Foundation... filled with fools just like those of OZ and Romefeller. They consisted of money-grubbing morons who wanted nothing more than more money and power to gorge themselves upon. Naya had no use for such frivolities. She'd cast aside her old title, her old life to begin anew. The world needed change, and she would be the one to deliver it.
Her father was a fool. Did he think he could continue to smile in the ESUN's face while committing foul, underhanded deeds under the table whilst they weren't looking? He, too, lived for money and power. To save face, he'd alerted the United Nations of her whereabouts. The Preventers had come and put a stop to the Barton Foundation and their plans to reenact Operation Meteor.
But Naya had known. She had known they would fail – which was why she left, forming the underground splinter group that would soon come to be known as the Dark Claw. As she had shed the title Mayomato, she soon came to be known to her subordinates as 'Leader'. She would not repeat the actions of her predecessors. She would not be weak. She would show no mercy. Where OZ and Romefeller had been too crafty, she would be blunt – straightforward. Anyone who even considered forming smaller factions or committing mutiny would be shot execution-style – made an example of in front of the others.
Anyone who dared oppose the Dark Claw would be punished severely, starting with the very first – her own father.
Scorpio had also revealed to her what he had done. How he'd caught Natasha spying on him during one of his shady deals. How could no one have seen he was dealing with the Bartons on the low? Had they been blind? And yet his own daughter – the very one he'd always favored – the one he was raising to be just like him without her knowing; he'd had her silenced to protect his own hide.
She remembered feeling a grim satisfaction seeing his battered body lying helpless at her feet. Even as he lay there bereft of his money and power, he still spouted empty threats. The ESUN would find out what she was up to, he'd said. They'd find out and they'd send their little watchdogs, the Preventers after her. She'd be punished; she'd burn in Hell for betraying her family.
She'd killed him then. Who was he to talk about betrayal, about family? He was not her family – had ceased being so long before. He had taken away the only real thing that mattered to her. And yet, he was not the only one to blame.
There was no peace in the world. Life was not better without weapons; she still had her hatred – it was the only thing she had left. What were all these false promises, these lies? Who would spout such filth and garbage knowing it wasn't true?
It was because of this person that she had suffered. Because of this person, the world was corrupt. She'd had to push her body to its known limits to be fit enough to pilot the Scorpio – the very device with which she alone would bring about change in the world
Like lambs, people were weak in foolish. They couldn't be trusted to make decisions for themselves. Look how easily they had fallen for this pacifistic nonsense? It wouldn't do – she would not let it be. Naya, Leader of the Dark Claw, would track down the source of this nonsense.
'When the head is crushed, the body will die,' Scorpio had told her. And it was right.
Naya would find the head, and crush it – physically, spiritually... whatever it took. She would find a way to get her revenge, even if it killed her.
Flashback
He'd seemed so helpless, lying there swathed in bandages – propped up on numerous pillows but not looking the least bit comfortable. Beneath his lax features lay pain that was not only due to his injuries. It seemed not even in sleep could Heero Yuy find peace.
Relena found her heart clenching in pain at the thought. He had done so much, suffered so much for people he had never known – would never know. He'd fought, and fought, and fought – pushed himself to limits other men could not even dream of reaching, pushed himself to the brink of madness, and yet he still managed to carry on.
"Heero, you truly are amazing." Brushing a few stray strands of hair out of his faces, she allowed herself a ghost of a smile when he unknowingly leaned into her touch.
At least she could allow him this small amount of comfort. In his waking hours it seemed she did nothing more than confuse him. She couldn't help it really – she always wanted to be able to talk to him, but it seemed no matter how hard he tried he couldn't make sense of anything she said to him.
'He really is like a child,' she thought to herself. 'He tries so hard to please, but it's just beyond his ability to do so.' She frowned slightly; it wasn't as though she wanted the old Heero back, was it?
'It doesn't matter,' she told herself. 'Heero is Heero... a brave man who has sacrificed so much for the sake of peace.'
Peace. Wasn't that something she herself was fighting for? Was supposed to be fighting for? When had she ever bore arms, shed blood on behalf of all her noble ideals? Could she even say she had fought at all?
"I can't." Her eyes turned sad, gazing back at Heero's unconscious form. "I'm not a fighter like you, Heero. I've never been strong, no matter what people say." Gently, she took his hand in hers, tracing her fingers over it gently. "But I will make amends, Heero. I won't stand by and allow you to suffer on my behalf any longer. I'll fight my own battles from now on."
She gazed at the clocking, realizing she didn't have much time before she had to leave for the Space Terminal. Rising from her seat and letting his hand slide slowly from her grasp, Relena made her way towards the door. Risking on last glance at his prone form, she whispered sadly to him, "Heero... I won't let you protect me anymore."
End Flashback
Arch Angel brought down its scimitar with lightning quickness; its target the cockpit of the Scorpio Gundam. However, before it could reach its mark, a thermal blast came out of nowhere crashing against the Black Gundam, damaging it but also moving it out of the scimitar's path.
As her blade rammed into the ground, Relena's head whipped up towards her monitors, staring in disbelief. In the distance stood Wing Gundam, a smoking thermal cannon in hand.
"What are you doing?" she exclaimed.
"I can't let you kill her, Relena." Heero answered her, his voice unbelievably calm.
Her face was drawn, her hands clenched tightly around her controls. Had she... really tried to kill a person? No, Naya was not a person. Not anymore; she was a monster who wished nothing but death and destruction to all of those who stood in her path. She could not allow that to happen. She could not allow the blood of more people to stain her hands.
"She is a threat to the Cinq Kingdom," Relena replied slowly. "A threat to the Earth Sphere. I cannot allow her to cause any more destruction! She has to be stopped!"
"I know that," Heero replied. "But are you willing to take her life?"
His cobalt eyes seemed to be boring into her very soul. However, Zero was much louder. Naya was a threat to peace. As the personification of Peace, Relena could not allow her to continue her actions. The fight... had to be... ended....
"Heero," she replied calmly. "You of all people should understand the necessity of my actions."
She may as well have stabbed him in the chest. His eyes narrowed briefly, but the Perfect Soldier in him refused to let him lose his cool. "You were the one who told me I no longer had to kill anymore." He told her. "Have you forgotten that? Why are you doing this?"
As he spoke, Relena saw an image of a younger Heero stumbling into her arms. He had been so tired, tired of fighting... tired of everything. She had wanted nothing more than to protect him – it had been what she always wanted – it was what she was doing now.
"I haven't forgotten," she replied softly. "But for too long I have been saying things without being able to back them up. I can't use pretty words and flowery speeches to fight my battles anymore."
He understood. "Then let me fight for you, Relena." He said. "I know you don't want--"
"You don't know what I want!" she exclaimed, shaking her head wildly. "All my life, people have presumed to know what I want, what I should do, what is best for me. Has anyone ever considered that I might have the ability to decide those things for myself? No! They were too busy treating me like a porcelain doll to care!"
"I ca—" Heero paused, steadying himself in his chair. "I don't view you that way, Relena."
"Yes, you do, Heero." His eyes widened in surprise. "You most of all." The Relena on his screen looked pale, weary. "At first I was just a distraction... a hurtle that was in your way. Then when you realized what I was trying to accomplish, I became something you felt you needed to protect." He opened his mouth to object but she cut him off. "I don't feel as though I've ever been a person to you."
"You have, Relena." He replied. "You always have been." Wing edged closer towards her. "I know that you were spared from death by your foster father, Vice Minister Darlian. He brought you up in a world where he hoped you would never have to experience fighting or battles. I knew this, and this is why I fought – so that you could continue to live that life. I fought so that you could continue to reach people with your words – so that you would never have to pick up arms and fight."
"Heero—"
"But if you do this... if you take up arms, and take a life – even a life as despicable as Leader's..." He was looking at her now imploringly. "You will be no better... your soul will be tainted like hers... like mine."
Relena was staring at him now as if he were someone she had never seen before. She shook her head back and forth, a look of frustration on her face. "But mine is already tainted!" she exclaimed. "Because I would not fight for my own ideals, thousands of people died in vain! It is for this reason that I decided to take up arms." Determination flashed in her eyes. "I will fight – will forfeit my life – so that no one else has to die."
"Relena—"
Her head was lowered, her bangs obscuring her eyes from view. "I will keep fighting until my enemy is defeated," she replied softly. Arch Angel came to life again, placing its scimitar back in its sheath. "But if you plan to get in my way..."
Heero's cobalt eyes widened in horror, "No..."
The crossbow attached Arch Angel's arm began to hum as it charged up a thermal arrow. "Then you too, are any enemy."
Lifting its arm into position, a shot was fired.
End Chapter 22