Ch. 3 Memory and Melody
Disclaimer: Ha! This time I actually can claim something in here that I own! All original characters are mine, as is the lullaby towards the end of this chapter. And let me tell you, I'm pretty possessive of that lullaby. Eventually it'll be set to music and then it will belong to my nephews and little David/Natalie (whichever you are), who is due in December. Other than that, I own nothing.
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The images flashing rapidly on the screen were hypnotizing, especially to an exhausted Heero Yuy. He managed to tear his gaze away from the screen long enough to stretch and feel several vertebrae pop back into place. He grabbed the styrofoam cup next to him and took a drink, nearly gagging as bitter, stone cold coffee flooded his mouth. Grimacing, he tossed the half-empty cup into the trashcan and looked back at his screen.
Around him sat old forgotten files and pictures and every piece of information he could possibly gather about Odin Lowe and Dieter Rheinhalt. A week of nearly obsessive and tireless effort had produced pitifully thin files severely lacking in useful information. He knew that Odin had been an expert at covering his tracks, but the lack of information on Rheinhalt was surprising. All he had been able to find was a birth certificate, a death certificate, and a few hospital records. Apparently he suffered from auditory and visual hallucinations. He also possessed one of the highest IQ's Heero had ever seen.
He had managed to talk to a few of the nurses and doctors at the hospital. One nurse had been slightly more helpful than the others had. She had said that Rheinhalt was an excellent artist and poet and she sent him a copy of some of the work he had left behind. The computer had yet to finish it's search, so he turned to the manila folder of the man's work and opened it, feeling more than a little curious about what he would find.
"Hey buddy," Duo called from the open door of Heero's office. "You wanna grab some lunch? There's a new diner-"
Duo was cut off as a pale blonde streak shot past the door. A moment later they heard a thud and loud cursing.
"God damned automatic doors! Open faster next time!"
Heero was on his feet in a moment and stared at the rapidly retreating back of Zechs Merquise/Milliardo Peacecraft. The Wing pilot looked over at his companion who offered him little more than a shrug.
"What in the world was all that about?" Duo asked, scratching his head.
"Pargan just called. Noin went into labor about twenty minutes ago," a voice answered from behind. Both brown haired men turned to look at Sally. "Apparently both Pargan and Relena had tried to page him, but it never got through. You should have seen him curse his pager for not working and toss it out the window. That thing got some distance." Duo whooped out a laugh and Heero chuckled lightly to himself. "Well, if you two will excuse me, I must go bring a new life into this world."
Both pilots bid the doctor good-bye and good luck before Duo asked to use the phone in Heero's office to call Hilde. Heero let his friend do as he pleased and sat at his desk. When his eyes found the picture that had come up on his computer screen he stopped cold, a chill running down his spine. It was an old photo from a newspaper that showed the ruins of a mobile suit production facility and the picture of the apparent saboteurs. What he saw was the blurred security photo of himself at age ten. But below that was a clear picture of a boy with all too familiar amber eyes who had simply been identified as "Lowe."
"Hurry up and run! They've spotted us!" a heavily accented voice shouted at him. Heero felt himself being pushed ahead. He looked back to see his accomplice pull a pistol and another small black object from his vest. The older boy tossed the black object and a moment later there was an explosion. He ignored it as best he could and maneuvered his small body through the wreckage. Something tripped him and he fell hard, hearing gunshots from somewhere above and behind him. Another explosion. Something flew on top of him, shielding him from debris.
"You okay?" a familiar voice asked. He nodded. "Good, now keep running."
Another explosion. Gunshots. Screams. All was chaos. Chaos he had helped cause.
"So," Duo said, bringing Heero out of his trance. "Lunch?"
Heero numbly shook his head; his attention focused on his computer. "Sorry, lost my appetite."
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Heero hated hospitals. It was an odd hate considering how often he was hurt, but that was why he always preferred to treat his own wounds. The less time he spent around doctors and needles the better. The fact that he was walking through the halls of Preventer's General Medical Facility completely uninjured and of his own free will was also disturbing. Well, he wasn't there entirely on his own; Relena walked next to him with a small vase of flowers, a stuffed dog, and a huge smile. If it weren't for her gentle insistence, he wouldn't be there at all, but she had wanted him to come with her when she met her new niece.
Personally, he was feeling a bit nervous and awkward. He and Zechs had only recently come to some sort of peace agreement, if only for the sake of Relena and work. Heero did consider Noin a friend, though the term was used loosely. However, as far as Heero was concerned he could deal with the shaky non-relationships that were awaiting his arrival. What bothered him the most was that, for the first time in his memory, he was going to be in close, direct contact with a baby. Was there a specific way he was supposed to act? How quiet did he need to be? What if something went wrong and an emergency came up? What would he do then? What if they wanted him to hold it? He let out a heavy internal sigh.
Dealing with such things must have been in my training somewhere, he thought, Hn, if they did cover it I must have missed that day.
Relena's sudden stop jerked him out of his thoughts and he watched as she expectantly looked at him. It took him a moment to realize her hands were full and she couldn't open the door. Swallowing, Heero gently knocked on the door before reaching to turn the handle. He took an involuntary step back when the door was thrown open and an expectant Duo stood in front of them.
"Well, look what we've got here. I expected the princess, but Yuy is a nice surprise."
"Duo, stop your mouth for one second and let them come in," Hilde sighed from behind him.
Deciding to be obedient for once, Duo stepped aside and allowed the two newcomers to enter. Relena went straight for Noin and the small pink bundle she was holding while Heero hesitated, keeping a safe distance. He managed to keep a small smile to himself as he watched Relena fawn over her new niece. Beside him, Duo was watching Hilde with a much more visible grin.
"Good timing. We got here just a few minutes before you did, right when Zechs was heading out."
Heero simply nodded and kept watching the women across the small room.
"She's beautiful, Noin. What's her name? You never did tell me what you and Milliardo had agreed on." Relena asked.
"Alexa Rosalie Peacecraft," came a deep and rather proud voice.
Heero glanced over at the door and watched as Zechs walked in, apparently oblivious to the presence of his former adversary. The new father sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to gently stroke his daughter's soft head. He and Noin exchanged a look that spoke volumes and Heero swore that he could breathe the contentment and happiness that emanated from the two.
Looking at the young family and then glancing at where Duo stood with his arm around Hilde, Heero suddenly felt very uncomfortable and out of place. This was a family moment, and he belonged to neither the Peacecrafts nor the soon to be married Maxwells. The familiar aching began to creep into his chest, but it was soon replaced with anxiety when Relena motioned for him to come over. He did so stoically, hiding his unease with his expressionless mask. He stopped next to Relena and took a closer look at the new person.
"She looks pretty healthy," he heard himself say. It was as close to a sincere congratulations as he could get at the moment and it was taken in stride. Zechs even smiled a bit before nodding and turning his attention back to his wife and daughter.
A moment of silence descended on the group, broken only when Noin shifted and said, "My arm's asleep. Relena, would you like to hold her while I get some feeling back?"
Alexa's new aunt jumped at the chance and eagerly held out her arms as the baby was carefully transferred. Heero took a sly step back, once again putting some distance between him and the others. After a few moments, the baby was transferred to Hilde, and then to an awkward but enthusiastic Duo. With each transfer, Heero edged a little bit further away from the group. Duo had been observing his distance and gave a sly wink to both Hilde and Relena. Without hesitation he closed the gap between himself and his friend and stood right in front of Heero.
"Here Heero, give it a try. It's real easy, just make sure to support her head."
Heero had little time to protest as Duo handed him the baby. Unsure of what to do he remained rigid. Sensing his discomfort, Alexa began to whimper softly. On instinct, Heero adjusted her in the crook of his arm and held her closer to his body, but his muscles refused to relax. With all the power of her tiny lungs, the youngest Peacecraft let out a cry, sending Heero into the unfamiliar realm of distress. In that moment he felt helpless, but he refused to look to the others for help. He could do this. He was the Perfect Soldier. He could find a way to fix this. All he had to do was follow his emotions.
A soft, melodious hum filled the silent room and it took him a moment to realize that he was the source of it. The melody seemed to sooth the child somewhat so he continued and felt his own tension begin to slip away.
Close your eyes, hear the night bird sing
Rest your mind, let it drift to dreams
Calm your heart, release your soul
And listen to the music
From somewhere far away
In my heart I'll hold you close
My love is yours, and yours is mine
Together we'll dream of warmth and light
And listen to the music
From somewhere far away
Whether the distance be great or small
I'm with you, and you're with me
Our dreams will glitter like gold
And we'll always hear music
From somewhere far away
Alexa was quiet now, her eyes having closed in peaceful slumber. Heero shook his head, slowly coming back from his trance. When he looked up he was greeted with surprised and bewildered faces. Ignoring the expressions, Heero walked over and carefully gave Alexa to her father, feeling a bit confused as well. What had he just done, and what had possessed him to do it?
"I didn't know you could sing," Relena finally said. "That song was beautiful, but I've never heard it before…"
Heero's vision blurred for a second as images flashed through his mind.
The sound of a soft voice singing. Tender hands stroking his hair. A delicate face with a gentle smile. The soothing scent of vanilla and lavender.
"Heero?"
Relena's voice brought him back to reality, though the others seemed to have been oblivious to his momentary trance.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I asked where you had learned that lullaby."
"I…" Heero felt his throat close a little and took a moment to clear it. "I'm not sure."
In his mind a soft voice whispered, From somewhere far away.
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Restlessness was something that Heero was not accustomed to. Neither was agitation. All his life he had been taught to be calm and collected, to think things through logically. Yet, there he was, pacing the floor in the wee hours of the night, the only light coming from his single desk lamp and his open laptop. The herbal drug and soothing tea that Sally has prescribed him was of no use as his mind refused to rest. Thoughts and questions raced through his mind at a dizzying pace, each thought refusing to stay for more than a split second before running off again, leaving him grasping at nothing. To say he was frustrated was putting it mildly.
Taking a calming breath, he walked back over and looked at the picture on his laptop. It was the same picture of the young boy he had found the other day, the one who had simply been identified as "Lowe."
Lowe. That's not his name. It's something else, I'm sure of it. But how do I know? And why is he so damn familiar? He glanced to the side at the picture of Dieter Rheinhalt that was lying on his desk. And what about you? Why is it that I remember you, and yet I have no idea who you are or how I know you?
He closed his eyes and turned away from the pictures. He tried to calm his mind, but as it had done since that morning, lyrics of a strangely comforting lullaby ran through his mind. Where did I hear that song? Why can't I remember any of this?
Slamming his fist down on his desk, Heero scoured his mind for answers, but once again came up empty. Out of the corner of his eye he spied the large envelope that the nurse had given him after Rheinhalt's death. Desperate for answers, Heero finally removed its contents, hoping that within the stack of papers he would be able to find an answer.
The first thing he removed was a sketchpad. Heero idly flipped through it, taking in the beauty and talent of some of the drawings. The first half of the sketchbook consisted mostly of landscapes and animals, particularly birds, but the last half of the drawings were abstract, and Heero couldn't quite figure out what they were. Is looked as if the pictures recorded Rheinhalt's decline in mental stability as they became erratic; some of the pictures were in color while others were scratched out in pen or pencil. The pictures contained only geometric shapes connected with random lines. Sometimes there were letters and symbols and the occasional word, but for the most part it was undecipherable.
Putting the sketched aside, Heero then picked up a stack of crinkled pages that had seen better days. From what he could tell, the writing was in German, though at times he caught a phrase or two that was in Latin or some other language. There were even a few haiku poems written in Japanese kanji. The handwriting was beautiful, fluid, and flawless. It made Heero wish that he could understand the words.
Absently he thought that he should run the poems and other writings through a translation program, if only to find out what Dieter Rheinhalt had been talking about. But then something caught his eye. It was a single piece of paper towards the end of the stack that contained a picture as well as writing. Setting the other papers aside, Heero examined the page closely, noting three things: One, the piece was the only one that contained a date, March 13, AC 191. Two, there was a sketch of a young boy's face with particular attention paid to the eyes, and three, below another poem written in German were to lines written in Standard.
Upon closer inspection, Heero noted that the boy looked all too familiar. In fact he saw what was left of him every time he looked into a mirror. His hand began to tremble and he took a deep breath before he read the script at the bottom of the page.
"In the eyes of the young, we find hope. The smallest hero shall also be the greatest."
"The smallest hero," he whispered.
Images flashed across his mind, images of five young faces that were smiling, that gave him comfort; that called him a little hero.
Dawn found Heero Yuy asleep at his desk with a firm grip on a picture of a boy that someone believed to be their greatest hero.
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