Hereafter

Chapter 18

March Madness Prompt #20

"Happy Birthday"

"Heero, no one expects you to," Noin said. "Lady Une can—"

"I have something to say," Heero interrupted. He modulated his tone. None of what he was feeling should be directed at any of the Preventers. "I think Relena would want me to say something."

Noin put a hand again on Heero's shoulder. This time, the weight didn't feel so awkward. To his surprise, Trowa put a hand on his other shoulder. He began to tremble slightly, like the last leaf clinging to the twig before the snows. But he was grateful.

Squaring his shoulders, he took a step forward.

"Wait," Noin said. "Don't just walk over and grab a microphone."

Heero paused. He had been about to do exactly that.

"I'll organize a press conference," Noin continued. "Give me an hour."

Heero remained with Trowa as Noin made her way down to the tents where Lady Une was presumably still fielding phone calls.

"What are you going to say?" Trowa asked him.

Heero didn't answer. The setting sun was throwing long shadows out before him, stretching each pocket of darkness into an exaggerated, alien shape. Night was coming. Somehow, it seemed to Heero like a curtain drawing. When the sun fully disappeared, he would accept that Relena was dead. If he slept, he would wake in a new world bereft of her.

"What do you think the chances are that she's still alive?" he asked Trowa.

"It's possible to survive for days, even weeks, but it's a slim chance," Trowa said. "Quatre and Dorothy only made it because they were in the corner of a stairwell, which is reinforced. Relena was in an open auditorium with no furniture. She would have crashed five stories and had the whole floor above fall on top of her too."

That explanation made Heero's blood run cold. He had to close his eyes and let the twilight air blow across his forehead and cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Heero," Trowa said. "I hope they find her alive, but I just don't know how."

"I want to look," Heero whispered. He had to pause because the thought of finding Relena's corpse still made his insides twist. Acid bubbled up his throat, but he swallowed the bile and continued. "Before I tell the world what she would want, I need to make sure she can't tell them herself."

Trowa nodded.

So it was that Heero found himself fitted with a hardhat to explore the rubble alongside the work crews. A lead engineer named Tom told him to stay out of the tunnels, but that they could look around and call for Relena.

"If you hear anything," Tom said heavily. "Come find me."

Heero and Trowa limited their search to the area Tom's work crews had identified as the auditorium. Heero peeked into some of the tunnels but there wasn't much to see, just shattered concrete, wood, gypsum, and steel. Seeing a buried slab of dark granite countertop was about as interesting as it got.

Heero shouted Relena's name until his voice was hoarse. But he heard nothing. The sun slowly set as they searched. The red gold of the horizon deepened into purple, and then to blue.

"It's time," Heero said. The day was over. Soon, the first stars would start to burn through the sky's twilight fabric.

Noin had set up a simple wooden platform with a podium and microphone for speakers to address the media. Over a dozen reporters had gathered before it. All the Gundam Pilots had gathered behind. Heero felt support in their silence, softly encouraging him just by being there. He wasn't alone.

Tom, the lead engineer, spoke first, emphasizing that they wouldn't stop digging until all souls had been found. Lady Une announced that they had a person of interest in custody. Then she turned to Relena—and what her death might mean for Unification.

"There's always hope," Lady Une said. "We won't stop looking until we find her. But we do have someone who would like to say something on her behalf—her boyfriend and former Gundam Pilot Heero Yuy."

Heero stepped up to the podium. It was a simple stand of wood, not at all like the monstrosity that had been crafted for the grandeur of the ESUN auditorium. He still felt awkward in front of it.

"Relena's birthday is next week," Heero began. "I don't think there is anything I could get her that she would want more than Unification between the Earth and the Colonies."

He paused. Should he have said "could have gotten"?

"I know there's been talk of war," he continued. "Some people don't like the idea of Unification. One of those people tried to take Relena's life. It's possible they succeeded." He had to stop again, choked with emotion, but he forced himself to go on. "This is a tragedy, but not because it will lead to war. Peace doesn't depend on Relena. If Relena were here right now, she would confirm that. Peace doesn't belong to her. And she doesn't belong to you. Relena is my girlfriend. I failed to protect her. I love her. I am devastated. But Relena would not want her work to stop. Relena is not a solider, but she fought hard for peace. We don't honor those who fought by giving up on what they were fighting for, not even if they die. Unification will continue because that's what most people want. That's all I have to say."

Heero closed his eyes.

Happy birthday, Relena, he thought.

He caressed the podium, knowing this wasn't the same one behind which Relena had given so many speeches, yet trying to draw something of her essence from it anyway. The podium Relena had spoken at had been almost as tall as she was—a great hulking thing carved of hard wood and dark granite that made her look diminutive behind it. Her whole body could have—

His thoughts stopped. His hands froze. His eyes flew open.