For the Grace of Knights and Angels
By Doctor Megalomania
Chapter 39: For the Grace of Knights and Angels
Song: Two Mix – Last Reflection (Endless Waltz)
If there are looks that communicate
better than words,
people can all live on
freely, not losing their way.
In space, the colonies were witness the brightest explosion they had ever seen. The dark chi's cannon and station exploded like a dying sun. It was magnificent.
Overcoming our faults,
we realise what true kindness is,
because you and I found
a strength called love...!!
On Earth, the deserts were covered by a new darkness. One that brought death and release. It travelled across the golden sands like night's cloak.
I believe your love
As we trembled,
we repeated our wish in a kiss
(You are here... and so am I...)
Please don't ever forget...
It seemed like it was going to take forever to clean up after the battle.
So many had died, so many had been evacuated, so many were struggling to believe that something so massive could affect every man, woman and child on Earth and in the colonies. It took a year to list the dead and the missing. To establish who amongst the returned had actually stayed on, and who had sunk into the deep shadow of the desert. In the three years to come, the Earth came together in a spectacular way to re-establish the new relationships on the colonies and to place all the people who had been evacuated.
Relena and Dorothy were reunited shortly after the battle, and together they worked to bring order back into the world. Rashid and his men gathered themselves up and took stock of their losses. They returned to the desert only to wish their dead a fond farewell before returning to the colonies to await Master Quatre's return.
Zechs was amazed when Otto and Walker had found him after the battle, Noin was in a terrible condition and they had come to find him. Helen and Odin were with Noin, they'd found her after the battle and moved to the medical facility. It was a terrible time, an incredibly long night filled with fear. Many who had made it to the medical facility didn't make it through the night and the shadow of the desert had come to them in their beds, making them disappear before anyone had chance to give them last rites.
The shadow crept toward Noin's bed but hesitated.
Zechs saw this, but he said nothing to those gathered around Noin. Silently, he begged the shadow to leave her. It slithered in under the makeshift walls and stalked from bed to bed. Zechs clenched Noin's hand as her breathing dipped and Sally had sworn as she tried to bring Noin's heart beat under control once again. The shadow crept closer, but ultimately it crawled over to the fourth bed from the door, and swallowed the young man there. Zechs hated the sudden swell of relief he had felt in the moment that the young man had died and Noin had been spared.
Sister Helen had been visited by the shadow as well. Her bullet wound was very deep, and the doctor attending her had almost made the decision to amputate. The shadow had pooled by the bed, as if waiting. Helen thought that perhaps Odin had seen it too. He was stubbornly refusing to look down, and kept reassuring her that she would be fine. She felt it as it touched the bed, the sheets were suddenly cold and there was a weight on the bed that hadn't been there before. She too was spared, though she thought perhaps at one point she had felt the kiss of Death upon her brow.
Trieze was one of the last to leave the battle field. He had waited for the knights to return from their battle. All around him, he watched as the shadow stalked across the desert sands. It took many, those who were dead and fighting upon the side of evil, those who had died in the battle… it took them all, their bodies sinking deep into the ground. It moved like crude oil, a tangible and terrifying thing to behold.
It worked throughout the night.
And in the dawn, it lifted and faded like a shadow met with the sun.
All the bodies it had taken into its dark depths had disappeared along with it.
I believe your dream.
Feelings that intensify...
Turning affection into a prayer
I want to show you my heart's pounding
So hot, so fierce...
So far away
Strife alone
can never achieve, for anyone or anything,
this pure excitement I want to give
to young hands.
The warmth of the sun shining through the leaves
calmly marks the passage of time...
This is surely what everyone wants to hold on to
forever and ever...!!
Quatre was still sleeping, as Trowa awoke early the next morning. Trowa raised a hand and touched the blonde crown of hair as if he couldn't quite believe that Quatre was lying here with him. The battle's toll had taken much from the former Knight of Time. Dark circles marred his paled features, and his breathing was deep. He would not be waking for hours. Quatre had collapsed as soon as they had returned from the battlefield, falling into a deep sleep. Trowa had silently gathered him into his arms, and carried him to a bed.
The others had followed him just as silently. Nobody approached the five as they moved.
It was so painful.
Duo was gone.
They couldn't deal with that missing number. They were five, when they should have been six.
The Earth rejoiced wearily, uneasily. The celebrations of that night were muted, reduced to brave smiles, and quick looks to the deep shadow that took the dead. Trowa was mechanical in his movements, as he pulled the boots and armour from Quatre. Their weapons were carelessly discarded. After so long of caring for the weapons, they just cast them aside as they sought their beds. While Trowa got undressed, Wufei and Meiran worked with Heero to make the small tent habitable for five. They each went to sleep, alone in their own thoughts. Meiran wrapped herself around Wufei, pressing her pale lips against his cheek hard. Se tried to ignore the tears that tracked down her husband's face, knowing that each of the men was mourning in their own way.
Trowa looked now over at them.
In the makeshift bed opposite them, Wufei and his wife lay wrapped around each other. Dark circles and red rimmed eyes were the strong indications that the two had stayed up longer than the others. Trowa looked down at Quatre; his pale lover exhausted by the huge amount energy had used to repel the Sesshou Cannon's blast. Trowa stretched and looked over the makeshift bed that Heero had slept in. It was made already. Trowa dipped his head and sighed. He felt the dawn's warm light on his bare back. Raising his head, Trowa looked out the medical tent's plastic window to see the shadows that still covered the sands fade away.
The last signs of Duo's magic lifted like fog in the startling sunlight.
I believe your love
Never give up...
Spread open your wounded wings.
Flying up to the sky, you sketch
a boundless dream, so far away...
I believe your dream
Show me a smile,
even though you're overflowing with sorrow,
since someday you want to be proud of
this irreplaceable moment...
So far away
Overcoming our faults,
we realise what true kindness is,
because you and I found
a strength called love...!!
Heero had watched it from outside of their medical facility, wrapped in a blanket and clutching a cup of hot coffee. He watched as his Angel walked silently across the sand toward him. Fully grown, Katana approached him. The angel walked across the desert, barely leaving a trail. The wind quickly erased all trace of the angel's light footsteps moments after him. His long white cloak danced around him.
"I'm sorry." Katana spoke without moving his lips, "You could never have known. You would not have made the right choice."
"This was a choice?" Heero replied, staring beyond the angel at the golden sands. The wind moved across it, throwing up large strands of sand. Katana moved to stand beside him, his large white cloak billowing all around him. Together, the pair looked majestic and grave. Katana nodded as his voice sounded again.
"Yes, it was. You could have chosen to save him."
"You didn't give me all the information; you led me into the 'right' answer…" Heero asked quietly, watching the golden sands as they held the answer, "Where's the choice in that?"
"Knowing what you do now, would you choose any different?"
Heero didn't answer, but Katana nodded as if he had.
"I know…" Katana spoke again, "And for this I am sorry. Sometimes we forget. We've seen this so many times before, and we forget how hard it is to loose one that you love. Forgive us…" He paused, to look at Heero with depthless eyes. "We are immortal and know not the pain of separation by eternity."
"You will repeat this, again and again, won't you?" Heero turned to look at his angel. "Again and again, the knight of mercy will choose to sacrifice his love for the planet."
Katana nodded sadly, "Yes. Until the end, this will always be the choice. The mission or the love."
"Why couldn't there be another way?"
"Because you would never have let Duo, the Knight of Death, the portal into the next world, die… and allowed his blood to create the portal." Katana sighed and looked out across the desert sands, "You have given greatly for this world, before this time… in your time of Gundam. It seems unfair that you must give so much and never receive anything in return…"
"Mission success." Heero sipped his coffee and turned away from the golden sands. "Perhaps that's all I need."
"This is not the end," Katana stepped forward, shaking his head, moving away from the knight. "Wait, Heero… please keep waiting for the storm…"
I believe your love
As we trembled,
we repeated our wish in a kiss.
(You are here... and so am I...)
Please don't ever forget...
Trieze woke up, his body sore and wounded. Beside him, Une stirred. Trieze smiled, running a hand down her bare shoulder. He leant over her, and pressed a kiss against her unbound hair. "You are more precious to me," he admitted in a breath, "Than anything I have ever beheld before."
I believe your dream.
Feelings that intensify...
Turning affection into a prayer
I want to show you my heart's pounding
So hot, so fierce...
So far away
Noin opened a sore eye and groaned quietly. Turning her head to seek out the sound that woke her, she saw Zechs folded uncomfortably over a stool. He looked completely exhausted, his hair still covered in dried blood. She'd woken because he was snoring. Noin tried to smile, but the pain in her lip stopped her. Behind him, Walker and Otto sat against the tent wall, exhaustedly leaning against each other. So grateful was she that they had lived through the night.
The pain of tears shed
For someone held dear
Pierces the earth, and drenches the land...
I want to end this sorrow!!
Sally dragged a hand through her loose hair wearily, as she moved through the sleeping doctors and nurses. Finally she found a spot where she could rest. Dropping to her knees and crawling down by the tent walls, she stared at the darkness that still stole across the floors. She reached out to dip her fingers into the shadow, and was not surprised when it recoiled from her living flesh. "I… I just wanted to say thank you." She whispered as she dropped into sleep, "Thank you so much, Duo. Thank you… for everything."
I believe your love
Never give up...
Spread open your wounded wings.
Flying up to the sky, you sketch
a boundless dream, so far away...
Relena was almost frantic as she arrived in the early hours. She arrived at the site, and stared shocked by the darkness that crept over the sand. Relena had never seen such devastation on such a grand scale. She'd heard that only one of the Gundam Pilots had been killed, feeling a bright surge of relief when she heard Heero was alive and such crushing guilt that she'd felt when she found out it was Duo. When she finally found Dorothy – still standing, barking out orders despite her injuries – Relena had almost collapsed and cried.
She threw her arms around her beloved friend, and sobbed into her shoulders. Uncaring of the people who could see as the former Queen of the World broke down and was thankful that her dear friend had made it through the long night of war. Dorothy kissed Relena's crown, and breathed in deeply. Relena smelt of peace, she thought, clean, fresh, and a hint of a sweet vanilla. Dorothy closed her eyes, and finally allowed herself to stop and rest.
I believe your dream
Show me a smile,
even though you're overflowing with sorrow,
since someday you want to be proud of
this irreplaceable moment...
Wufei opened sore eyes, and knew that he would fall back asleep before very long. He moved an arm, and was comforted to feel the soft brush of his wife's breast against his body. He turned his head and pressed his face into her hair. "Thank you, Duo." He whispered, sleep taking him. His wife was alive, because Duo had given his life. Wufei would never forget this great debt. He and his wife were reunited, and he would never let her die for him ever again. He rolled over to wrap his other arm around her, and pulled the woman close.
He sighed gratefully.
I believe your love
As we trembled,
we repeated our wish in a kiss.
(You are here... and so am I...)
Please don't ever forget...
Quatre woke up and tilted his head slightly.
On the floor, the darkness was pooled and waiting. He frowned as he rolled over to drop a hand into the shadow. "Don't leave yet…" He managed to whisper. Behind him, Trowa wrapped his arms around Quatre's middle firmly. Quatre felt tears track down his face, as he noticed that the shadow was fading away. "Duo." Quatre murmured mournfully, as the very last of the shadow turned to murky mist and dispersed.
He closed his eyes, and smiled bitterly.
He had known that it would have been this way.
Quatre had seen this moment.
Beside him, Trowa whispered in his sleep. "I love you."
Quatre's eyes snapped open. The tears sprung up again, fresh and pained. Then a beautiful smile blossomed on his face and he fell back to sleep.
Duo's death had given him this moment; Duo would not have wanted it any other way.
Quatre gave thanks to Allah for permitting him to know the depth of human kindness and for giving him such a merciful and wonderful friend.
I believe your dream.
Feelings that intensify...
Turning affection into a prayer…
Heero glanced over his shoulder, as the angel disappeared.
He paused, and looked up.
The pale blue sky was so beautiful.
I want to show you my heart's pounding
So hot, so fierce...
So far away
Arch Four: Past's Beginning, Future's End.
Fight Boldly For The Future
For The Grace of Knights and Angels
DrM: So, there is now just one chapter, the epilogue, left. Thank you.