Haruka's Wings

by EpyonZero23

Gundam Pilot Heero Yuy is strewn across time and space, only drawn to the image of a woman the ZERO System conjured during a desperate trial run. Will time prove to be a space that would keep them apart? Or will he defy the odds that separate them?

17. Chapter 17 Tears of the Tragic Truth

Author's Bit: For those interested, certain scenes from HW17 was inspired by the soundtrack, "The Memory 2" from the Korean drama "Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy". Credit to this style of reading fanfics with soundtrack accompaniment goes to my friend, Operation Meteor.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, Amagami SS or any of its characters. I wrote this fanfic for my own pleasure and purely entertainment. If I had the skills, I would've drawn a doujinshi manga while if I had the money, I would've created an anime for this. =)

The most highly anticipated reunion between our star-crossed lovers is about to unfold.

Beset in tragedy, tears and truth.

Chapter 17 - Tears of the Tragic Truth

The snow... fell ever so slowly.

Lightly.

Gently.

All around them.

Made from crystals of thin ice that dissolve into nothingness with but a mere touch.

Blanketing everywhere in pure white.

The season... its magnificence... reigned and showered all over them.

On Heero and Haruka.

The brown haired boy felt his heartbeat hammering through his chest the moment he removed the motorcycle's helmet and laid eyes upon her. He thought the light snow complemented her beauty perfectly, she seemed... so serene and majestic. He wanted to keep his emotions tightly shut, kept hidden like always but he knew that his cobalt blue eyes betrayed him. Ever so subtly. They stirred slightly... spilling the longing... the yearning he had for Haruka. Heero had... so much wanted... needed to see her, and if accorded the possibility... have her once again. He deeply desired to take her into his arms, enclose her in one embrace befitted to a man that had not seen or been separated from his woman for ages. Yet he restrained himself, to the best of his abilities, to the fullest extent. The Perfect Soldier wanted to take in everything regarding Haruka slowly and deliberately. He wished to burn this moment inside him... that of being reunited with the love of his life.

How could he be faulted?

He had moved heaven and earth, bended time and space, defied fate and destiny... just for this one chance. He did all he could to earn the right to see her, face her again. He bettered himself... conquered his inner demons, made peace with his past and sought forgiveness for his sins. He went way beyond his limits and made the impossible a reality to be granted this opportune moment. He was tried and tested on every given turn. He was a very patient man, along with it comes the fact that he was also a highly determined person. Despite the number of failures and setbacks that besieged him, he never gave up.

He never lost hope.

A lone glimmer which sternly declined to be consumed by the ever expanding darkness.

A hope that drove him... endlessly.

Ceaselessly.

Tirelessly.

To be with his beloved.

His heart pounded heavily as he took in everything in front of him. She was there... standing, separated only by a small distance from him. His thoughts were still in disarray when a soft gale blew gently past them... swaying the locks of her long curly raven hair. She instantly moved one palm to shield her face from getting lashed by a few stray strands of hair. Her action brought back the memories that accompanied the intoxicating fragrance coming off from her wavy black hair. Her scent... always filled his senses. It had a soothing and calming effect on him each time he was able to inhale the sweet, light aroma from her curly tipped raven hair. The Perfect Soldier continued to observe her in wonderment as she slowly removed and placed her hand to the side. Heero lightly exhaled in anticipation as the windows of her soul was revealed to him.

He was unable to stop the influx of reminiscence brought by her kind, lovely and vibrant eyes. Those two cornflower blue orbs that could always hold him hostage in a powerful gaze. Her sky blue irises that could weather and stand up against his in a match of stares. And those two ocean blue pearls that would accord one very special loving glimpse reserved only for him. It was there... during those moments they were lost in each other's eyes that both discovered they carried the exact, same emotions within their hearts.

Light and surreal.

Like the ocean and the skies.

Like the petals of cornflower.

That was how he remembered her.

She was so dazzling and full of life.

Heero was completely unprepared though as he met the pair of foreign orbs coldly staring at him.

Ashen grey irises.

They were lifeless, empty husks.

Hollow.

Haunted.

'H-Haruka...'

He was frozen right where he stood. Unable to move his feet upon seeing her eyes were now devoid of any warmth... of any passion. Far from the kind and lively person he remembered... a polar difference to the qualities of the lovely young woman he fell in love with. He easily concluded the reason was him, yes, the very cause of all the pain, sorrow, suffering and everything else miserable that happened in her life. Heero felt the harrowing sadness inside his heart as he continued gazing at Haruka. Her heart had been shredded into pieces for the grief and anguish he had brought her. The Gundam Pilot knew that he hurt Haruka thoroughly after witnessing her pitiful lamentations in a secluded part of her veranda. But he never imagined that this would be the extent… the consequence of his actions... Haruka will be broken in this manner and be left on such a miserable state.

It was a sin... so severe that it gnawed and seared deeply into the folds of his soul.

Burning... every part of his conscience.

Scorching the very quintessence.

'N-No... H-Haruka... I-I'm the cause of all this...'

Twenty five feet.

The moments crawled ever so slowly like the falling snow around them. His feet seemed to have been nailed from where he stood. Try as he might, the brown haired boy could not lift them, they were rooted and fastened firmly on the ground. Was he wavering? Was he faltering? Hesitating? No, his heart had a ready answer for him. Heero Yuy, the young man trained to scoff at fear and be the epitome of stoicism was shaking and also hurting inside. He was now staring at the very face of the gravest mistake he had committed. For this woman, the only love of his life, whom he had abandoned, shattered and unjustly treated was staring back at him... reflecting the exact portrait of how he was after returning to his timeline. How badly broken he was. How piteous he became. She was no longer alive. She was hopeless. It pained him deeply and severely crushed his heart to see the very woman he has so cherished be reduced into a shell of her former self.

Twenty two feet.

He held his breathe upon noticing that she had resumed her pace. Haruka slowly trudged the snow covered ground, the crunching of her footsteps was a weary reminder of all the pain and sorrow she had to endure after his sudden disappearance. The snowflakes drifted lazily around them, the gentle gale that blew earlier had already dissipated and the muteness of sound only heightened the emotions he was now placing a good deal of effort to keep at bay. His heart... wanted to cry out for her. His soul... only desired to reach out to her. And his mind... was in turmoil, desperately searching for the right avenue to approach her. Heero thought he was all prepared and ready for this confrontation... but as the truth unfolded in front of his eyes, he found himself lost. He was gripped with an unspoken fear, clenching the resolve out from his core.

Sixteen feet.

She was getting nearer with each passing step, yet as she closed the distance... it also seemed that she was going farther and farther away from him. Haruka only had a fixed empty stare on her cold ashen grey eyes as she casually plodded through the snow swept ground. The Perfect Soldier thought his sentience had betrayed him when everything suddenly began to slow down drastically. He was able to capture every detail of her movement while the absence of noise left an ear piercing vacuum that all the more enabled Heero to focus his gaze at the raven haired young woman approaching him. Her smooth thin lips were pursed together into a small line. Devoid of that cherubic smile or impish grin usually hanging by its edges whenever she had something silly in mind. Her face was pale and dreary, far from the bright aura or warm glow normally radiated by her exquisite features. Lastly, what trouble him most were the two ashen grey orbs that were filled with nothing. Empty. Barren.

Eleven feet.

'I've done nothing... but made you cry.' He pondered as the memories of that night inside her room flowed through his mind.

"Why did you abandon me? Was it something I said or done? If you disliked something, why didn't you tell me? I told you we have to be honest with each other. You could tell me everything and I promised that I'll try to understand you. I will do anything... no... everything for you! That's how much I love you! Yet you still left me!" Haruka uttered in frustration while looking at their picture together inside the Arcade Center Photo booth.

Six feet.

'Those ashen grey eyes... it was the price you had to pay for my stupidity.' The brown haired boy contemplated while gazing at the windows of her soul.

"I cared for you! I fell for you! I... I trusted you! I gave everything to you! Isn't that enough for you to realize how much you mean to me? How much I love you? I did all of those because you are everything to me! But why do you have to abandon me? Don't you want me anymore? Don't you need me anymore? Don't... don't you love me anymore?" She continued, talking to the picture frame she held as tears streamed down her sky blue orbs.

Three feet.

"If there was something troubling you why didn't you approach me? If there was anything you don't like about me, just tell me... I will change... I will do it for you! I am willing to, because I love you! But why... why did you have to leave me? I thought we belong only with each other? I belong to you alone... Don't you want to belong to me anymore? I could feel how much you care for me, how much I mean to you, how much you love me! My heart feels your heart... and we feel the heartbeats of one another... Heero... tell me... please... The pain is truly unbearable... It hurts too much... my heart could not take this... I'm going to die without you!" The lovely young woman truthfully admitted, overtaken with grief, hapless in her current state.

'Please... let it not be too late for us... Haruka.' Heero deeply hoped soon after the remembrance dissipated and vanished out of his thoughts.

Zero feet.

Haruka slightly tilted her face downward causing her long curly raven hair to partially cover her face as she nonchalantly... moved past him.

His heart hammered furiously that he thought it would burst out from his chest the moment she was but an arm's reach away from him. Yet Heero was pathetically glued from where he stood. The brown haired boy could only raise his head a little when she passed the opposite side from his shoulder.

Leaving him bewildered... and frustrated.

He desperately wanted to speak... say something... even just one word.

But nothing escaped from his mouth.

He was unable to do anything.

"This is the moment you have long been waiting for. Remember what you went through just to be here right now, this very moment. Don't waver. Don't lose your resolve now." A monotonous and resolute voice echoed inside his mind.

"To be that... someone who can stand beside her, you sought forgiveness for the sins you've committed in the past. Now is the time... to seek atonement for the one mistake that drove you to be better. You said it yourself... the road will be difficult, yet it will be all worth it once you put all your effort for the one person that matters to you most." An innocent and childlike voice sagely spoke coming from his soul.

"You promised to do everything, right? Let her know how much she means to you. You refuse to be hopeless anymore... we won't be homeless again. Remember, the heart will see what the eyes do not. True courage is facing hopeless odds with an indomitable will and a steadfast heart. This is the chance you have prayed and worked hard for... the chance to be with the most important person in your life once again." A kind and gentle voice soothingly whispered that resounded within his heart.

'This... this is the... this is the chance I have worked so hard to earn. No amount of blood or tears could measure what I have gone through... to defy fate... because I don't want to accept that my life has been pre-determined for me. I will control my destiny. Not because I was trained for it... but because it was a decision done from my freewill. I'm a man... and I sure as hell will give it everything that I've got or die trying to take back my woman.'

Summoning every ounce of courage... he strengthened his resolve and turned to face the raven haired young woman who was determinedly moving further away from him.

'I have a purpose.'

The intensity in his cobalt blue eyes appeared once again, emitting radiance similar to that of a lighthouse. The watchtower that serves as a beacon for battered ships and weary sailors after a long journey and non-stop tussle with the vast, mighty ocean. The Perfect Soldier was being driven forward by all the difficulties and hardships he had endured and weathered just to reach the place where he stood right now. Heero was pushed to the very brink, his back had always been close to the ledge, he came so close to being utterly defeated, no one would blame him if he just gave up, anyone with a sane mind could easily determine with a single glance that it was a lost cause. Yet he remained defiant, unwilling to concede, pushing himself well past his limits and by accomplishing the impossible... his painstaking efforts and zealous perseverance were ultimately rewarded as he eventually won what had been a long, hard fought battle.

'My purpose has a name.'

To be a better man... to be that person who could stand rightfully beside her... to be that someone who truly deserves her.

He will have hope.

He will redeem himself in front of his hope.

'It's name is...'

"Haruka." Heero called out, finally... given the opportunity to utter the name of the one woman he had solely cherished.

---

The moment he spoke her name... everything turned upside down for Haruka.

Her new world... was being threatened... was being rocked to the very core... to its very foundation.

By the same boy she was now trying to forget.

The lovely young woman was never prepared at the prospect of seeing Heero this early since her fateful decision to give up all feelings for him after losing all hope in their relationship. An invisible wall seemed to have been erected at the very space in front of her, impeding any further movement. She was all the more frustrated upon learning that her body had been left powerless by a rebellion instigated by that one potent culprit residing at the center of her chest. Try as she might, yet both of her feet would not take another step forward. Both of her legs seemed to have lost the willpower on increasing the distance separating her from the young man that caused her once simple and happy life to become complicated and miserable after he had abandoned her.

"..."

How does she respond?

How could she utter anything?

She had been stunned since his sudden appearance… this person who had left her with nothing but pain and sorrow.

"Haruka..." He called out again, now softly... enough to send a wave of shivers deeply into the very center of her whole being.

The way he spoke was driving her crazy. Her thoughts were getting disarrayed the more she hears his cool deep voice.

"..."

"Haruka..." He called out once more, meekly... but it felt like a nail was being driven through her heart.

Her heart… was throbbing… heeding his call even as she made her best effort to ignore him.

Life was rushing back to its cold, hollowed halls, through every vein and vessel.

It was responding… that very part of hers she needed to kill in order to move on and forget him.

Gently… smoothly… touching and melting down the barricades she had installed.

"Kuh..." She could only murmur, inaudibly with her back still facing him.

"Haruka..." He carefully repeated, getting more emboldened.

'Why? Why is this happening to me?'

It was turning too hard to overlook… the lovely young woman thought she was being choked as her chest tightened up more and more each passing second.

That one part of her that had been flayed and left dead was doing its best to reach out. Tugging at her with all its might… begging for her to listen.

She wanted to ignore its call but the more she does… the harder it pulls back at her.

Haruka found herself stifled with both of her shoulders beginning to shake from the burden and conflict now raging between her heart and mind.

"K-kuhh..." The young woman muttered, still indiscernible as she attempted to maintain her rigid stance.

"I..." The Gundam Pilot started but was cut in mid-sentence as she finally spoke.

'No! Don't… don't talk to me! I need to do something!' Her thoughts cried out in panic as she broke the silence.

"I don't want to hear anything... any word... coming from someone like you." She coldly replied not even bothering to turn and face him.

"Haruka..."

His voice was beseeching her… in a gentle manner… pulling at the strings of her affections.

It was becoming more difficult for her to bear… to hear him… speak her name.

She knew… she'd fall apart if this continued.

She would not falter... not to this person.

Not to this individual who only…

Who only…

"Huktt..." She softly blurted, struggling to contain and balance the insurmountable weight that was being placed on her shoulders.

She refused to be crushed, she will not yield.

Gathering her composure, she retorted in a deadly serious tone, "Don't... say my name."

"Please, hear me out... just..."

'Don't talk anymore! I don't want to hear your voice!' Her mind screamed, but under the current circumstances she knew that this confrontation was now unavoidable.

If such was the case, then she would have to face it head on.

Despite the turmoil raging inside her heart, mind, body and soul… she will go through it.

Alone if need be!

"Why would I? You never gave a damn about me the day you suddenly vanished. You simply disappeared, never even bothering to let me know. You... you never even had the decency to leave a note saying goodbye." Haruka frostily recounted never moving her back to face him.

"It's because..."

"What am I to you? Do you think I'm some trash that you can just set aside when you no longer want me?" She continued in a detached manner.

"No... I... came back... because..."

"You thought... you probably thought... you could just readily pick me up once again after you realize my worth? Like a puppy wagging my tail excitedly at you to come and get me?"

"Please... let me explain, Haruka."

She felt a tingling sensation raze through her defenses the moment he said her name once again. It was slowly becoming a downhill struggle for Haruka… as her heart pounded even harder in response, the moment she heard him mention her name.

It throbbed repeatedly with resounding force… banging through the very doors.

She wanted to calm herself down… but the tension was becoming too much. Like she was being crushed and mauled between two opposing forces. She closed her ashen grey eyes and concentrated… in a bid to toughen her resolve… but the feelings she had for him… those she wanted to forget and left buried were fiercely defiant. They were… slowly… resurfacing… being unearthed the more she wanted to ignore their earlier pleas.

In a clash of ideas, suppressed emotions, logic, reason and that one resounding feeling… Haruka was placed forcibly into the breaking point.

Her back pressed against a wall with pressure coming from all angles.

All of these… because her heart adamantly rejected the thoughts she was feeding inside her mind.

It asphyxiated her… she never thought suppressing one's true emotions… would only serve to heighten the passion, longing and anger dwelling inside her memories.

"Don't call my name! You... you made me feel like garbage! That I'm no better! That I'm no good for you! That I should be thrown away when not needed! That I am so worthless! That I am so undeserving! That's all I am to you!"

"Haruka, please listen to..." The campus idol heard Heero appealed but was unsuspecting when he suddenly yet gently held her by the right wrist.

The touch of his hand burned through her skin…

It was commanding… while evoking those feelings that she sought to be erased from the very annals of her memoirs.

Her heart brimmed with pleasure the moment he held her wrist… blood furiously pumped across its arteries… giving life once again to the barren wasteland she became after losing hope.

'NO! I WILL NOT YIELD!'

She turned to face him… meeting his piercing cobalt blue eyes with a vicious glare from her ashen grey orbs before slapping him angrily at his left cheek with her right hand.

It carried every conviction and vindictiveness that had been stored inside her.

Yet it also bore all the pain, anguish and sorrow inside her heart which left her badly wounded and severely bleeding up to this day… has all been revealed to Heero.

The impact threw the young man's face the other way… leaving a hot, stinging sensation to her palm.

But the raven haired young lady never thought that it would also leave an equal amount of grief to her.

She felt her heart reeled in pain, like a part of it… got shattered and fragmented into pieces.

The moment her hand landed on his cheek.

'I… I…'

She knew her glare at him was stirring…

'What… no…' The campus idol mused as she felt something hot streaked down her left cheek.

It was warm, colorless and saline.

'No… I…'

Another one raced across her right cheek.

Followed by another drop.

'Why won't it stop...?'

And another.

'Of course… it won't… because… it can't…' She bitterly pondered before drawing her breath, never removing her stare from him.

"I despise you..." Haruka uttered with nothing but sorrow and resentment in her now livid eyes pausing ever so slightly while she seethed in fury,"...with every fiber of my being."

The brown haired boy only remained silent, unable to say anything.

"Betrayer." Haruka spitefully said, taking one last glance at Heero before running away.

---

He was left there… standing still like a statue after Haruka ran off. He sighed deeply while looking at her slowly retreating form… for the Prussian blue eyed young man had fared badly on their initial confrontation. The snow continued its lazy descent… showering everything with pure white. It brought a sad reminder to the poignant memories they shared that Christmas evening when Haruka confessed everything to him. He wanted to chase after her but his strength and willpower seemed to have left him after hearing the scornful words she had uttered. Heero knew she had every right to say all those things to him… every word, every phrase, every sentence… she had all the liberty of throwing them at him. Right on his face. He had wounded her deeply, the lesions were still fresh and his mere reappearance was more than enough to agitate such a sore spot.

The Perfect Soldier exhaled sharply… his warm breath coming out like a smoke of steam in the midst of the cool weather. He pondered hard into his mind… desperately wanting to understand. What had been more painful… was it the stinging sensation still burning from his cheeks? Or the emotional trauma brought by the entire weight of Haruka's feelings… the suppressed anger and grief that finally… poured out? The amount of pain and resentment… had been too enormous. The burden eventually took its toll after Haruka shouldered all her miseries and sorrows in solitude.

"That's why it hurts too much! He abandoned me without telling me in person! He didn't even leave a single note! Maya sensei showed me the transfer papers! I don't mean anything to him, Hibiki... What have I done to disappoint him? Am I being a burden to him? Did he even love me in the first place? I'm confused... I'm frustrated... I... I want to wake up from all of this! What's worse is despite all that is happening, everything about me is crying out for him! I need to have him back! You have to help me find him, Hibiki!" Haruka wailed to someone over the phone which he surmised was no other than her best friend, the night she arrived after learning he had deserted her.

His heart ached and winced… exactly the same way as Haruka did.

'I am such a fool.'

Heero was purged from his contemplation when he felt the scrunch of snow shoes coming nearer from someone at his rear.

"Yuy-san… how could you do this to Haruka?" Hibiki dejectedly inquired as she approached him.

"Tsukahara… sempai…" The brown haired boy trailed after fully facing Haruka's best friend.

"Who… who gave you the right to do this to her?" The normally calm and serious swim team captain agitatedly asked while staring at him.

Hibiki moved even closer to him as she continued, "She waited for you all this time you went missing. Going religiously… to those places that had been special to your relationship… waiting for you to return."

He was astonished to see the usually composed and stern upperclassman place a palm to cover her nose as her eyes gradually… became even mistier as she stared at him.

"Everyday she did that, with the hope you would come back for her. She never deserved any of this Yuy-san. Why… Why, did you do this to her?" The swim team captain resentfully said before she started to pound his chest with a clenched fist in frustration.

"What did she ever do to you for her to be treated this way?" Hibiki continued, her own foxy dark orbs now welling with tears as she continued beating his chest.

He was never in any way hurt physically when Hibiki pummeled his chest. The young woman's substantial strength even though she was an athlete never affected him. But his heart had once again taken the brunt of the blow. It struck him emotionally… deeply. He just let her… go on… till the hits became weaker and weaker then eventually stopped.

That was all he could do.

"You know how stubborn she is, yet why did you let this happen to her? You promised to take care of her! Didn't you promise to love her?! To cherish her, Yuy-san?!" Hibiki spoke in sorrow burying her face on his chest.

Heero decided not to respond… there was nothing that he could say which would give reason… or excuse for what he did to Haruka. How could he justify himself or at the very least make an alibi when it all boils down to the fact that he simply abandoned her? And making the situation worse, was the knowledge that he just left without… at the very least… break up with her properly. He only left Haruka bounded in chains. She fervently waited for his return and her deep affections for him resulted to her own downfall as the raven haired young woman was crushed from the weight of carrying the burden of his actions all by her lonesome.

"Haruka… Haruka almost died when you left her!" Hibiki furiously told him while mournfully crying above his chest.

The Perfect Soldier felt an excruciating and jarring pain similar to the sensation of getting clobbered penetrate through his heart. It was not only scathing… but it was also severely debilitating. The disclosure of the truth behind Haruka's devastation hammered his chest thoroughly… squashing and smashing it cruelly. How hard had it been for her since he left? How difficult were the circumstances she had to face all by herself? How would you move on… when you wake up one day and realize the most important person in your life suddenly disappeared? Left all alone… thrown away… like a worthless piece of trash. No explanations. No excuses. Not a single reason.

Haruka bled tears for him each and every day. Hoping… praying… believing he will return.

It did not take too long for him to realize his mistakes. Heero bettered himself and did all he can to be reunited with her. He has returned. However… in the span of time they had been separated… the damage has been done.

The wounds are there… the scars will ever be present.

They will forever leave a mark.

The damage was greater than he had expected. He could only hope that… he was not yet too late. For if he lingered any longer the effects would forever alter her mindset… it could even destroy her pure and kind heart permanently.

'Died…' Heero pondered before a sudden jolt shook him at his very center.

It was similar to being gutted deeply in the abdomen.

"Look at her now! Look at what you did to her! Look at how you destroyed her! You took away everything from her the day you disappeared! You might as well have killed her since you took away the very reason she was living!"

"…You have always been her happiness, her joy... her everything. Yet you abandoned her." The little girl truthfully told him.

'Living…' He mused soon as the memory ebbed away while feeling the pangs of conscience claw viciously at his soul.

Those two words pierced him severely… gnawing mercilessly at his mind, heart and soul.

It also reminded him of what he has to do.

Why he returned.

Why he came back.

"Tsukahara sempai, I have to leave you for a while. I need to get to Haruka." The brown haired boy resolutely said while he held Hibiki on each shoulder.

Heero did not wait for her to respond as he returned to his motorcycle and fitted the headgear back on before fastening its strap.

His heart drummed wildly whilst he kicked the gear shaft into action and twisted the accelerator with his right hand. The big red motorbike sprang into life, its impressive frame and powerful engine madly driven to action despite the snow-laden terrain ahead of him.

"Come back to me…"

"Save me…"

---

'It hurts… It hurts so much…' She screamed within her thoughts while running further away from that place.

Pressing the school bag closer, Haruka dashed down the pathways as the snow idly fell across the skies. The raven haired young woman felt a sharp, incapacitating pain stab through her heart the very moment she had slapped Heero on his cheek. To make matters worst, the fury that had so wanted to consume her was replaced instead by heartache. It was no different from hitting herself squarely on the face.

'Who do you think you are, Heero Yuy?!' The campus idol angrily mused as she continued her pace.

Tears… continued to streak down… unabated.

Despite her best efforts… they would not stop from falling.

Instead of getting that much awaited reprieve after finally unleashing the suppressed emotions that she had long carried… Haruka found herself in pain even more.

'Why… why… am I crying like this?!'

She wanted to ignore the whispers and pleadings of her heart and soul. But how could she? When both were still…

'Why am I the one in pain?! Why is this happening to me?! Why am I being like this?!'

Questions abound her, she wanted to understand.

She desperately needed to comprehend the emotions that abound her. Why was she being like this, since he reappeared? Why was she so conflicted? Haven't she made up her mind to give up and let him go? She already decided to move on. She was using the pain caused by his desertion as her fuel to get over him.

Yet why?

Why is this young man… turning her world upside down once again with his return? Yes, it might not have been too long… but the mere reminder of the hell she had been through because of him… left a very traumatizing experience that forever scarred her. She wanted to get even at him… let him feel the pain and sorrow that she harbored during the time he went missing. She wanted to say more, she needed to drive the issue to him earlier… but she can't.

It became too heavy.

Much too heavy for her heart to bear.

Why can't she hurt him the way he had done to her and more? She sought to purge these… emotions thoroughly out of her system… yet they were like trumpets blaring loud inside her mind. Crying out… calling out to her… frantically wanting to reach her… somewhere within.

'Why… why… am I FEELING like this?'

They were pulling at her heart. Tugging hard at her mind. Yanking at her soul.

She repeatedly tried to keep them at bay. But the force was torrential… no dam or barrier could ever hope to hold it. She sought to ignore them… but the more she did… the stronger it gets. Vaguely… she was aware of what it was. Yet the more she denied them… the more they struggle to burst out.

Haruka continued to run… increasing her pace. Without any care on the snow crystals that seemed to waltz slowly around her. Yet the season was unforgiving… as much as she desired to wash out those precious memoirs… they made one strong push to remind her.

Remember.

"You're… the most important person in my life too." Heero calmly stated, using the exact same line she told him that desperate evening he fought the gang members in the back alley.

Reflect.

"I am… in love with you, Haruka." He confessed to her while cupping her chin softly with his palm.

Realize.

"Please stop crying Haruka. I… belong to you alone. Remember?" His words echoed out that time they resolved the misunderstanding caused by another party.

The memories stormed through her whole being. Her heart winced and shuddered even as the remembrance slowly ebbed away. It was replaced with the apprehension that… all things considered, despite everything that happened, in spite of so much heartache she had endured…

Heero Yuy was still…

'O-of course… because… I still…' Haruka recognized but was unable to finish while shaking her head sideways in frustration.

Even if he had broken her heart, Heero was still very much in it.

'Because… I still…' The raven haired young woman trailed as tears ran down abundantly from both of her eyes.

The realization penetrated her intensely, leaving her confused, perturbed and frantic.

The only thing Haruka could do was press onward, run faster, pick up her speed as she neared the main intersection.

'I still…'

---

The big red motorcycle pounced on the snow swept pathways like a tiger chasing its prey. The roar of its powerful engines was reminiscent to a lion defiantly announcing its presence in the Serengeti. Heero gripped the accelerator and twisted it even further as the motorbike growled while veering into a turn. Despite the slippery road due to the residue of melted snow, he audaciously kicked the gears without any concern as the red Honda pursued relentlessly after Haruka.

"Not all hope is lost, Gundam Pilot. There is still time… chance." He remembered the little girl sympathetically replied.

'Haruka, I will keep you safe! I did not return here just to lose you!'

"Time is no longer a luxury… both you and Haruka have." The little girl mysteriously concluded before he woke up from the dream and came out of his coma.

'I defied fate and destiny, because I want to see you live. Even if you won't accept me anymore… I will be content knowing you're alive. I can accept you turn me away… go back to After Colony… as long as you're living here in your time.'

His heart throbbed uncontrollably.

He knew that adrenalin was rushing madly into his mind.

And he was all too willing to give up everything… to protect the one person that had unconsciously, saved his soul.

'Nothing else would matter if you're gone… even if I have to lose you forever… I will risk my own life if need be.'

Heero swerved the last corner as his red Honda pounced mightily, scattering the snow that was slowly swathing the roadways.

'Please, I know You helped me a lot to get back here. But it won't mean anything if I lose her. I'd gladly sacrifice my life for her… so please… help me on this! Even if she won't take me back, give me the chance to save her life! I love her!' He earnestly prayed while covering more ground as the motorcycle zoomed ferociously.

"Come back to me…"

The words repeated softly inside his head, whispering urgently into his heart.

"Save me…"

The Perfect Soldier… the ultimate weapon… war incarnate… the epitome of a killer and merciless slayer, titles bestowed to him during his bloody life while fighting the Eve Wars. He has taken many lives, but just this once, this very moment, if he could just save one, that of the person who matters to him most, he would die trying if need be.

Heero continued to race through the path, focusing solely on locating the raven haired young woman who he knew was running towards the direction of the main intersection. The thought immediately brought a flash of memory to the Gundam Pilot. It was the scene he dreaded seeing most since the first instance it had been shown to him during his cowardly return to his rightful time. The recollection was once again brought back into life when Quatre confirmed her intended fate while he was inside the Epyon's cockpit.

'Intended… fate?'

The pair of words brought a chilling grip inside his heart, along with a gruesome realization.

'No! I… I was the cause of it! It was meant to occur because I was set to return! No!'

Haruka… running down the sidewalk, unmindful of everything that was happening while her eyes were blood soak red and brimming with tears. She was unaware of everything. She only pressed her school bag closer to her while sprinting through the streets. Tears… steadily streamed across her cheeks.

She had reached the intersection when a ten-wheeler trucker cruising at full speed suddenly appeared.

The rest… was too ghastly and morbid to remember.

Haruka will die because of him. He was the reason she was running blindly across the intersection.

Fate… destiny… both seemed to have intended it to happen.

"… There's a fine line separating those who only accept their fate and people who try to take control of their destiny…" Duo's words drifted into his senses.

Steeling his resolve greater than ever, the Perfect Soldier firmly made his choice.

'No, I refuse to give up, I won't back down! I will not live my life as dictated by either fate or destiny! I will live or die accordingly because of my decision!' He grimly pondered as the motorcycle coasted along the way after attaining top gear.

He had traversed both time and space just to get back to her. Risked and wagered everything, challenged fate and destiny… all that to return to her side.

He cannot allow it.

He sternly rejected it.

Not when she is the meaning… the purpose he has long sought.

The one hope to his very existence.

Not especially this time after coming into terms with his past.

And never… no… because she is the one woman that he so dearly loves.

"I will not lose hope! I will not lose Haruka!" He muttered under his breath.

It was then that he saw the outline of a person, a young woman actually, running ahead of him.

They were near the intersection.

"Fate… Destiny… I'll say it again! Damn both of you!"

Heero redlined the Honda super bike. Its tachometer pushed to the brink as the vehicle accelerated like there's no tomorrow.

"I'm so much in love with you! I really do!" She confessed to him that night, during Christmas Eve.

Everything else seemed like a blur.

The motorcycle's velocity was comparable to a bolt of lightning as he closed in on her.

"I've never fallen this deeply in love with someone before. I have never loved anyone in such a way."

At such a critical instant, timing and precision were of utmost importance. The moments… mere milliseconds in real-time seemed to take forever as sound and noise vanished without a trace. Heero narrowed his eyes as the haunting events slowly began taking place.

"It's the first time I've ever wanted to keep someone for myself. You're the first person I've fallen in love with!"

It was preordained to end in tragedy. His return was meant to happen for Haruka to die. It was bitter, cruel irony. So if his arrival was destined… thus, it also sealed the fate of the woman he solely cherishes. Yet there was no more time to ponder about such matters, the only thing left was his firm resolve to do all that he can for Haruka.

He could still stop there… wait, stand back and watch, see for himself her gruesome death.

Witness with his own eyes, the demise of his beloved.

Or make the call.

"You have accepted who you were. You know who you are. You are striving to be the best at who you could be right now. Don't lose the tenacity to challenge even the bleakest possibilities. I am here to answer your summon. Mission accepted." A deep, cool voice calmly spoke within his mind.

It was a choice he never had any difficulty in deciding.

'I can die peacefully knowing you're alive and well. But I can't live a day knowing you're lost to me forever.'

He felt a surge of energy flow through him, greatly enhancing his already exceptional reflexes. The unusual flood of vigor had been cohesive enough to steady his blood circulation and channel the rush of adrenalin into a perfectly balanced state.

His vision suddenly became pinpoint lucid, richly defined, encompassing and all-seeing. His focus… transitioned to a more heightened, solid and absolute awareness similar to the times he was utilizing the ZERO or EPYON Systems. He was able to view everything down to the slightest movement and smallest detail. Up ahead, he saw Haruka still running… albeit, in what seemed to be in a drastically slow motion.

"You resonate with her. She is the only one that you share a very deep affinity… one that defies and transcends the boundaries of time and space. Don't give up, no matter what. Don't lose her." A small, childlike voice said to him at the very core of his soul.

They were just a couple of meters away from the intersection.

He saw the silhouette of the fast approaching ten-wheeler truck peek into his peripheral.

Haruka unaware of what was about to happen, continued sprinting… bag close to her, tears falling down from her eyes.

'I'm sorry for all the pain and sorrow I've caused you, Haruka. But just for one last time, let me save you. I can't guarantee my survival on this but I'll be happy knowing you will live.'

The big red motorcycle was side-by-side with Haruka when he made that… eventful move.

Hardening his stare while concentrating underneath the headgear, Heero leapt off the Honda and lunged desperately at Haruka.

He sensed the violent flow of air lash at his skin brought by the passing speeding truck while still suspended in mid-air at the opposite direction parallel to it on the roadway.

Contact.

The brown haired boy then felt her soft, statuesque form press into his body as he fiercely pulled her into his arms. He twisted very slightly so that she'll be placed above him once they hit the ground.

'Maybe… this will be the last time I'll get to hold you like this… Haruka.'

They were still in mid-air when he heard a loud crashing noise just a couple of meters away from them.

The impact between the truck and the motorcycle had been tremendous as various parts of the bike were strewn all over.

'Fate or destiny… you would not take Haruka away… at least not today.'

He felt his back viciously collide with the cold hard ground the moment they landed.

Heero smiled contentedly as consciousness started escaping from his grasp.

Before darkness slowly… then completely overcame his awareness.

---

[Play, "The Memory 2"]

Somebody suddenly threw himself upon her, causing the raven haired young woman to be flung aside on the pathway barely a meter away from the intersection.

That was the last thing she could remember before a deafening crash resounded near her.

She had been too overwhelmed with her emotions, ranging from grief, frustration and anger… to that of yearning and something else. It was similar to being at the middle of two opposing forces while unable to do anything. Her whole being was torn, like getting ripped at the center forming two halves. One wanted her to remain firm, stay strong and forget everything about him. While the other, implored her to listen, be honest to herself and go back to him.

The pretty campus idol slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying on top of this person. Instinctively, she slowly raised herself and checked her body for possible injuries. Her eyes then darted between the individual lying beneath her and the vehicular accident on the main road that had just taken place. The raven haired young woman thought her breath was taken away the moment she recognized the person.

It was a man.

He wore a red helmet, mocha brown trench coat over a green collared t-shirt, a pair of black pants and matching hiking boots.

There was no mistake… the rider of the motorcycle whose wreckage now strewn across the intersection had saved her.

Her heart… thumped uncontrollably as she easily recognized her savior.

Even though, his face was still covered by that red head gear.

"No…"

Her breathing… became difficult.

It was stifling her… choking her air passage.

She had to know.

She had to see him.

She had to confirm if he was alright.

Slowly… gently… even if it was not advisable yet, Haruka removed the helmet off the person's head.

The raven haired young woman thought all the blood from her body was drained the moment she laid eyes on his face.

The mass of chocolate brown hair… messy bangs… handsome face… closed eyes… and a… peaceful smile.

"H-Heero…"

Whatever… hatred and anger still lingering inside her seemed to have dissipated the very instant she saw his current state. Everything else succumbed… her mind, body, heart and soul to that one very powerful emotion.

-oxo-

Her shriek was cut short the second she felt strong arms caught her body. She had intuitively closed her eyes during her fall, as they fluttered open to look at her rescuer, the raven haired beauty was all the more delighted upon knowing it was Heero.

"Yuy-kun…"

"Are you alright, Morishima sempai?"

"Thanks… I'm fine." She replied while smiling warmly at him yet her heartbeat was racing madly out of control.

It was to be but the first of the many times that he would save her.

-oxo-

"Heero…" She breathlessly uttered, lightly touching his cheek.

"W-wake up… please… wake up…" The pretty campus idol softly said while looking worriedly at the Gundam Pilot.

-oxo-

It was damn painful.

After the metal bar landed on top of her foot, Haruka clutched it with both hands as the pain shot through her nerves. She closed her eyes while wondering… what hurt more?

Was it the physical pain coming from her foot?

Or the emotional pain coming through her heart?

The pain of seeing him… sharing and enjoying a happy moment with another girl.

Someone not her.

The young woman did not have much time to think as she felt herself being lifted from the cushions then getting cradled by two lean yet strong arms. Limbs… she was all too familiar with. Yet her teary, sky blue and doe-like eyes still widened in surprise after becoming sure it was none other than him.

'Heero.'

-oxo-

"It's me Haruka! Open your eyes please!" Haruka said in a raised yet concerned tone.

"Come on… wake up… please… it's me… Haruka!"

-oxo-

"Yuy-kun… Thank you for saving me. I'm also sorry for leaving the hiding place even when you told me not to. Please don't get angry at me." She apologetically spoke while they were on their way home after the brawl that left five gang members… badly beaten and crippled from the young man she loves.

Heero only shook his head sideways before taking a glance at her. She had already stopped walking while her head was bowed down in apparent shame. The raven haired beauty had avoided his gaze… fearful he might be mad at her for placing herself in danger.

"Morishima sempai, you can't do anything that will make me mad at you." He lightly said to her before tenderly holding her on both shoulders. His cobalt blue eyes pierced deeply into her cornflower orbs as he continued.

"I will never let any harm come to you. I will… protect you, Morishima sempai."

Her eyes gleamed and sparkled after hearing him say those words. She smiled at him warmly while gazing dreamily at his face… confirming the truth behind what he had just uttered.

"I'll hold you to that, Yuy-kun. You have to take responsibility for making me cry."

He only nodded and smiled subtly at her in understanding.

-oxo-

He had always made her cry.

He had always caused her tears to fall.

But in spite of it all… he had always saved her.

Whenever he was present… whenever he was around.

He was always there… never missing.

Just like now.

Once again… he had saved her.

"Somebody help us!" She hollered as the memories of that evening cleared out from her heart and mind.

"Somebody!" Haruka screamed in panic after seeing there was still no response from him.

"Help us!"

"Please!"

The campus idol saw a man in his early thirties, which she surmised was the truck driver nod repeatedly before rushing to the telephone booth at the other side of the intersection.

"Oh God… please, open your eyes!" Haruka pleaded to the brown haired boy as… warm tears fell from both of her eyes.

No reaction.

"Heero… please… wake up! God… don't make me lose him again!" The raven haired young woman yelled in fright.

Still, no reaction.

"Don't… don't leave me again…" Haruka muttered in sorrow as she cushioned his head on her lap.

There were a few people looking on at them… but she didn't care.

She didn't give a damn anymore.

Of what she had to say… of what she wanted or needed to tell him.

She was scared… she could not bear the thought that she would only lose him after rescuing her.

Her heart… was gripped with terror. Her mind… was a total wreck.

Her soul… was in a complete distraught.

'I have to tell you…'

"I'm… still…" She uttered in between chokes as tears streamed uncontrollably down her eyes.

'I can't lose you… I… I can't bear to be apart from you again!'

"I'm still your Haruka!" She honestly stated while touching his face with her palm.

Nothing… no reaction.

"I still love you!" The pretty young woman confessed in heartrending words.

'Heero… please… God… don't take him away from me…'

"I am still so much in love with you!" Haruka declared wholeheartedly in full conviction, clutching Heero closer to her while sobbing inconsolably as tears made their way steadily from the windows of her soul.

[Stop, "The Memory 2"]

---

"Hey, now is not the time to be sleeping don't you think?" A kind, gentle voice lightheartedly told him as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Haruka?" He softly uttered while looking at the young woman in awe.

She smiled tenderly at him before shaking her head sideways.

"Oh… you're…" Heero trailed upon realizing who it was.

"Yes… and you've rested here long enough." She answered after extending her hand to him.

"Did I die?"

"Nope. Now go and get back to her! She's waiting for you. The true test of courage… is about to begin. Our hope… lies in your hands." The visage of his heart thoughtfully stated before pulling him up on his feet.

---

He could only hear haphazard buzzing noise the moment his consciousness returned.

As such these… various indistinct sounds seemed to puncture lightly into his thoughts and linger gradually while he began to regain control of his senses.

First his hearing… soon his vision followed.

Slowly… his eyes slit open, partially revealing the Gundam Pilot's intense Prussian blue irises.

Everything was hazy.

The images… were fuzzy.

He could barely distinguish anything surrounding him.

Except for the lone silhouette that hovered and obscured his eyesight… there was nothing he could differentiate.

His eyes… closed themselves… without leaving him any choice.

"Am I… dying?"

As he tried to ascertain his senses, he felt something warm wet his cheeks.

It soon drenched the area above his eyelids as well.

Warm.

'Huh? Are these… raindrops?' Heero mused when he heard a voice.

Pleading… and heartbroken.

"Don't… don't leave me again…" Haruka muttered in sorrow while his head was comfortably cushioned on her lap.

'H-Haruka…'

It was clear… the grief and pain had been evident from the way she spoke.

His face... was damp with her warm crystal tears.

He heard her choke repeatedly while sobbing uncontrollably.

'She's crying… because of me again.'

He attempted once again to open his eyes, yet he still had no command over the optic nerves and the muscles of his eyelids.

"I'm still…" The brown haired boy heard her trail in mid-sentence while weeping in sadness.

'Don't… worry, Haruka…you're safe now…it's all that matters to me.'

He wanted to open his eyes so badly, or at the very least say something to comfort her.

Yet he was powerless.

The Perfect Soldier desperately tried, but the strength he had earlier seemed to have abandoned him. He briefly wondered if it was just a momentary rush, that he'll be drowned into a coma once again.

'She'll be very sad, if that happens. I'll even cause her more pain. I don't want Haruka to end up blaming herself once again.'

He was totally unprepared however soon as the next set of words escaped her grasp.

"I'm still your Haruka!" The raven haired young woman stated in full honesty while gently touching his cheek.

'Huh?! Haruka…'

Somewhere… in the deepest region of his heart, a small flicker seemed to have caught fire.

It's embers slowly… surely… evolved from mildly warm to blazing hot.

Life… was surging back to him.

It was returning to his essence… to his very soul.

His strength was being restored.

"You belong to me and I belong to you…" The memory of her words back then drove him even further, rousing him to clamber for anything… steady himself… and get back up.

"I still love you!" Haruka confessed in heartrending words as he felt her pull him into an affectionate embrace.

'Please… God… don't take me away from her…'

"I am still so much in love with you!" Haruka declared wholeheartedly in full conviction, clutching him even more closer to her while sobbing inconsolably as tears made their way steadily from the windows of her soul.

'Please… I love her so much too.'

Destiny.

Fate.

They might have conspired to bring them together, tear them apart and separate them forever.

But Heero… defiantly carved his own after getting out from the pits of despair. They were destined to meet. They were destined to fall madly in love with each other. They were destined to get separated. They were destined to fail.

No… the brown haired boy had proven himself. He wrested and took control of his destiny the moment he realized his mistakes and worked hard to be a better man for Haruka. Were they fated to be with each other? It was something he wanted to be decided by him and Haruka alone.

It was good… very special… highly exquisite… and utterly rare to be accorded such an honor.

Be fated with one another. Be destined for each other.

Yet he knew that nothing will be more exceptional if all the effort and hardships poured, all the storms and deluge weathered along with all the tests and trials are completed by their… decisions.

Decisions made from the heart.

Choices made freely… from pure, unadulterated love.

It was free will… the ability to make choices… the choice given by the Divine to mankind.

Free will… that had been born from honesty, sincerity and of course, true love.

"There's a fine line separating those who only accept their fate and people who try to take control of their destiny. I've seen you claw yourself out from your intended destiny as a weapon whose only purpose was to accomplish his mission barely three years ago." Duo sagely and honestly explained to him that one night everything started to fall into place.

He smiled slightly, feeling the dynamic sparks from the synapses in his brain, feeling the warm glow residing inside his soul, feeling the steady beats of his heart.

He opened his eyes.

---

"They're… blue…" Heero said in a raspy voice as he strained his gaze at the one woman who meant everything to him.

The pretty campus idol eased up her embrace and gently pushed herself back to look at his face.

Haruka felt her jaw drop soon as she met his cobalt blue eyes.

Her reflection appeared very clearly in his piercing Prussian orbs.

"Your… eyes…" The brown haired boy softly told her, smiling lightly.

The windows of her soul have returned to what they truly are.

Cornflower blue.

Sky blue.

No longer… dead, ashen grey.

"Heero…" She uttered, feeling her eyes stir from the influx of emotions upon learning that he was now conscious.

"Haruka…" He replied, gazing at her sky blue eyes that were now welling with tears once again.

The mobile suit pilot slowly raised himself and sat opposite to her.

"Are… you… ok?" She worriedly asked.

He softly nodded before placing his right thumb to flick away the tears that were gently crossing down her cheeks.

"Are you hurt anywhere, Haruka?" Heero inquired while tenderly watching her with his intense cobalt eyes.

She shook her head sideways before pointing to the area directly above her heart.

"Only here."

The pretty campus idol swallowed smoothly to relieve the building tension inside her chest as she spoke the words contained within her soul.

"I miss you."

He spared a glance at her cornflower eyes, smiling lightly as he continued wiping the tears away from her cheeks.

"… So much… it hurts." She admitted while looking at him tenderly... spilling all the yearnings of her soul.

"Not as much as I miss you." Heero answered before pulling her close to his arms and kissing her passionately on the lips.

Her mind went blank instantly.

The feeling of his moist lips pressing on to hers… sent a warm tingling sensation to her heart.

His kiss contained an ardent desire to let her know and feel, how much he longed for her… missed her.

The recently concluded accident they had just endured added to the length of time they were separated compounded the yearning they had for one another.

She can't lose him anymore. She doesn't want to go back to those dark days… she wasn't like that. An angry and bitter young woman pleased with the miseries of others. It wasn't the life she envisioned, yet when happiness and hope abandoned her… where does she turn to?

The raven haired beauty hardened her self, attempted to kill her heart in the process. Face the harsh realities in life with her lonesome. Never trust – because aside from being a weakness you only end up getting hurt. Be betrayed.

Now… the very cause of all this has reappeared… the man who still undoubtedly owns the entirety of her heart. What does she do? Turn him back away? Haruka did so earlier… and the consequences proved to be almost fatal for both of them. Yes, Heero rescued her yet it doesn't remove the fact that he abandoned her. She wanted to know. She needed to understand.

She definitely must.

But for now… she will lose herself in happiness. She utterly missed the sensation of his smooth and delicate kisses along with those that were fiery and full of passion. He nibbled her lips lightly and gently, in a restrained and considerate manner. Heero might have toned down from the scorching kisses he initiated earlier, but she did not. She missed him a lot, it was evident as Haruka never relented… pressing her lips on his even more after getting past the initial shock.

She still loves him. It was the truth she had no lie or alibi that could prove otherwise.

She was guilty of that emotion, her affections, her feelings, her everything.

And she was back to where she belongs.

Back in the arms and loving embrace of the young man she had solely given her heart.

She was breathless soon after they broke the kiss, yet as she gazed into his deep piercing cobalt blue irises, Haruka found an assurance… a guarantee of her place inside his heart.

She was all that is inside it. She was still the owner of his love.

"Heero…" Haruka gently whispered, smoothly feeling the outlines of his face through her fingers.

The cornflower eyed young woman smiled tenderly as her fingers traced across his cheeks, his brows and his bangs.

Heero gently pulled her on to his chest before locking her once again in a loving embrace with his lean yet strong arms. She buried her face contentedly near the crook of his shoulder as the Perfect Soldier caressed the locks of her raven hair.

They remained unmindful to the attention of the small crowd that has gathered around them.

All that matters was they were together, finally, reunited at last.

---

"You've cleared the CT Scans and the post traumatic psychological evaluations. But shouldn't you at the very least spend the night confined in the hospital?" Minoru Takeda advised while looking at him concernedly.

The middle-aged CEO of GDT Builders had signed although hesitantly the hospital waivers which released Heero under the medical facility's responsibilities. Earlier, the Gundam Pilot along with Haruka had been rushed to Kibitou Central Hospital using the ambulance called by the truck driver responsible for the accident. After their arrival, physicians inside the emergency room were quite astounded upon learning the details of the brown haired boy's amazing save on the pretty campus idol. Their injuries had been minor and limited to superficial. Heero only suffered a bruised elbow, though the Radiologic Technologist responsible for the CT scan alongside the supervising physician cleared him, both men have recommended he remain for further observation. However, wanting to avoid any further repercussions while inside the hospital, Heero instead requested to be discharged that same evening despite his attending physician's advise for a more thorough check on possible symptoms of a concussion.

"We really have some place to go Takeda-san. I can't make her wait any longer." Heero explained, referring to Haruka who was standing at the hospital lobby near the entrance, the raven haired young woman had been taking glances at them while talking with her best friend Hibiki.

The older man took a brief look at Haruka before turning back his attention at him and smiled.

"She's the reason you turned down my Chizuru and your sudden disappearance right?" Mr. Takeda correctly guessed as they resumed watching Haruka and Hibiki talking with each other.

"Yes, Takeda-san. She's… the one."

The GDT Builders CEO nodded in understanding before fishing out a keychain from his pocket.

"I'll let the accident with the motorcycle pass because of Chizuru. But make sure to take care of this one."

"My apologies on that, Takeda-san… and thank you. I really, appreciate this. I won't wreck it."

The kind gentleman laughed heartily after hearing his response before tapping his shoulder.

"I am just kidding. I… owe you a lot for what you did to Chizuru." Mr. Takeda thoughtfully said before sighing in satisfaction.

"But, you might have to go back and work at GDT for me to let this go."

GDT Builders had been acquitted and cleared to resume operations by the Public Commission for the construction incident, in an act of good faith - the company still shouldered the expenses of the affected families despite the ruling of operator error on the now demised forklift driver.

"Of course, Mr. Takeda. I will think about it." The Gundam Pilot responded, smiling subtly at the elder man.

---

"Isn't that Minoru Takeda, Chairman and CEO of GDT Builders?" Hibiki inquired with astonishment upon recognizing the elder man talking with Heero.

"Hmmm… his name sounds familiar. I just know he took care of the matters involving the accident. Isn't he just Heero's boss?" Haruka replied while taking a quick look at the older man.

"Yes, he's Yuy-san's boss and basically, the owner of GDT Industries!"

"Ohh… Now I remember, I think my father has business meetings with him in the past." The pretty campus idol remarked before nodding softly in apprehension.

Minoru Takeda and his attorney settled all the matters related to the vehicular accident. It was also discovered that the truck driver aside from losing his vehicle's air breaks had been intoxicated with alcohol after a Breathalyzer test was conducted. This evidence coupled with the GDT Builders CEO's connections swiftly and discreetly resolved the mishap vastly in favor on Heero's cause.

However, their stay inside the hospital was a different issue. Haruka was greatly relieved upon learning that Heero had cleared the CT Scans and post trauma psychological evaluation without any setbacks. It took them no less than three hours to finish all the tests and treatment of their injuries. But, the brown haired boy's refusal to even at least spend the evening inside hospital had her concerned. According to the attending physician, they would like to place the mobile suit pilot under observation to ensure he had not suffered from any concussions but Heero elected to be discharged immediately upon getting the go signal. Along with Mr. Takeda, she had also tried to persuade him but to no avail. The Prussian eyed young man stressed that there was somewhere they need to go and talk. She was finally dissuaded when Heero assured her that he will return to the hospital for a thorough checkup on the following day.

"Don't you find it somehow… weird, Haruka?" Hibiki suddenly opened, waking the lovely young woman from her train of thoughts.

"What do you mean, Hibiki?"

"Well according to your statement and accounts from the witnesses, Yuy-san arrived and rescued you in the nick of time. He jumped precisely at the moment you were about to cross the intersection. If you had taken one step further…" Her best friend trailed while taking a contemplative glance at Heero.

True enough, even she had been left wondering after realizing the facts surrounding her rescue from the fatal accident. The precision and timing was inhuman. It was as if Heero already knew what was going to happen. And he did all that while cruising at high speed on a motorcycle at snow laden ground.

"Y-you're right… but… the only thing I can think of right now is he saved me. And that he's safe. It's all that matters." Haruka replied as she was also unable to comprehend the events that had just passed.

'It's like… he knows… what was bound to happen. Oh… I'm thinking weird things about him again.'

Fortunately, the brunt of impact had been absorbed well by his motorcycle's head gear. Yet the raven haired beauty still found it astonishing that he was all good and well after the mishap. Plus, he had only suffered a contusion on his elbow after regaining consciousness.

"It ended well since both of you are safe. But… are you just going to let him off the hook easily? He left you without any notice almost two months ago. Yes, it's true you owe him your life after he had saved you… but it doesn't remove the fact that he still left you." The swim team captain seriously reminded her.

"I'm very much aware of that, Hibiki. What you just said is true. That's why… we would still need to talk about a lot of things."

"From how you answered and when I saw the two of you at the accident scene… it's obvious both of you still have feelings for each other." Hibiki concluded before sighing.

"I thought… I could just move on and let him go. But I still love him, Hibiki. You know how much I do."

"I'm still quite angry at him, Haruka. You may be indebted to him, but don't forget the times you wallowed in sorrow because of him."

"That is why I must know. I have every right to know what really happened… why he suddenly disappeared for almost two months. Don't worry. He's not out of the woods yet." The raven haired beauty stated while gazing at Heero.

"Haruka… I know it would be difficult but don't make it easy on him. You must tell him everything you went through to drive the point properly." Hibiki tactfully reminded her.

"Thank you, Hibiki. From what you told me earlier… I appreciate everything you did." She answered, referring to how her best friend confronted Heero prior to his rescue of her.

"At least… we have the old Haruka back." The often serious and foxy eyed young woman noted before smiling at her lightly.

---

After dropping off Hibiki in front of her house, Heero drove the car north of Kibitou. Haruka was left wondering where they were headed. Aside from the farmlands and wheat fields near the borders of the province, the rest of the countryside was covered by dense wooded area. Further past, would be the mountain range at the northeast region.

They remained silent most of the trip, it was already past 9:30 in the evening yet she never thought twice on coming with Heero the moment he told her there was somewhere they needed to go and talk. She was normally curious and conversational especially in his presence. Yet… something seemed very different or peculiar with the way he asked her to come with him.

"We could do this tomorrow, Haruka… it's quite late already. Your parents will be worried especially when they learn of your involvement in the accident." He attempted to dissuade her soon as they left her best friend's village.

"No… you told me and Mr. Takeda there's something we have to talk about that's why you were quite stubborn in foregoing the hospital's advice for observation. If that's the case, I won't wait for another night or day till you tell me." She stoutly replied knowing he can't back down now after using his earlier statement on her.

"Ok…there's really something I have been meaning to tell you, Haruka. I owe you a lot of explanation for all this time I went missing. You'll… know everything once we get there." Heero carefully explained as he relented to her persistence.

'What… is it that you'll reveal to me? Yes… I admit…I want us to sort everything and go back together... shouldn't it be that simple?'

But for reasons she found strange and unexplainable, her instincts were ringing a multitude of alarm bells inside her mind. Her intuition was nagging unbearably within her heart. There was… something bound to happen yet she can't put any words into it yet. Something... like an amalgam of complex puzzles was about to be finally solved and disclosed to her.

The raven haired young woman was uneasy at the thought. But even after the adrenalin and elation had subsided from their tearful reunion, she knew that deep inside her heart, he was still the one. And she'd be damned if she will let this opportunity to pass. The cobalt blue eyed boy was a matured and composed individual, but she hardly knows anything about him. She wanted, no, she needed to learn everything on him. She deeply desired that once he's able to properly explain his absence, they could go back to how things were.

But his words, continued to present an enigma to her. She sheepishly stole glances at him, unable to stop herself, however, each time she did so, Heero always had that small smile waiting for her. Haruka knew her heart would crumble every instance he let out that simple curl of his lips. The mobile suit pilot barely smiled and the young woman was pretty sure that on the rare occasions he does so, she had always been the reason. Yet even with the satisfaction in her heart, some part of it held an unspoken anxiety as they went on towards their destination.

It was similar to that feeling… or hunch whenever she's in deep thoughts on the identity of her boyfriend. That ominous intuition… during the times he disappeared while she contemplated on the various moments he did something subtly unusual… or out of the norm but was extremely difficult to seize unless full attention was given.

She was reminded of his lonely smile while working on the centerpiece during the last Foundation Day in Kibitou Senior High.

Or the one time he openly smiled after extending both hands in an attempt to catch the snowflakes falling all around them inside the View Deck Park. Even after getting aware she was watching him, he never made any attempt to hide that warm and sincere smile.

And that contented beam on his lips while she was catching gold fish on New Year's Eve at the Shrine Festival.

There were small, barely visible cracks on his tough exterior if one would make a very cautious and thorough check. Of course, it would also depend on how much he would unknowingly allow himself to lower his seemingly impenetrable guard.

It deeply bothered Haruka after recognizing that those smiles were similar to the ones he was giving her right now.

"Heero, we're not eloping right?" The pretty campus idol teased, hoping to lighten up the mood.

"Of course not, Haruka." He answered sparing her a quick glance before continuing, "You'll get home late though."

"Hmm… isn't it a bit too early for something like that?" She replied, wanting to break the ice between them since they took the road.

He smiled lightly at her.

"There's something you must know about me. I promise, I will reveal everything to you once we get there." He responded with a soft sparkle emanating from his cobalt blue orbs.

"Ok. I trust you, Heero." Haruka stated while smiling tenderly at him.

They were silent once again for the next couple of minutes before the nagging curiosity inside her mind prompted Haruka to resume their conversation.

"Heero… you're not married are you?"

"No, Haruka. I'm not."

His answer was brief yet it had an authority and assurance enough to calm her that he's telling the truth.

However, she quietly noted that his responses were constrained. He seemed focused but somehow… worried over something.

As their car continued traversing the road, Haruka again felt that odd sensation… was it woman's instinct calling out for her?

Well, she has to know, one way or another.

'Better ask for something… quite drastic but realistic. Oh… but I do hope, I'm just getting paranoid!'

"Are you… a single dad with a love child? I… I think… I could handle it you know."

The vehicle came to an abrupt stop as the Gundam Pilot inadvertently stepped on the foot break. Luckily, both of them were strapped securely on their seat belts.

Haruka immediately recovered and was the first one to speak.

"A-ha! You cheated on me! I knew it! That's why you went-" The cornflower blue eyed young woman fumed before Heero suddenly… chuckled.

That… soft and honest chuckle she was accorded whenever he found her funny… witty as the brown haired boy fondly tells her.

"No, Haruka. Everything we had was a first for me." He answered, she was greatly satisfied and appeased from his response yet found it… quite troubling the way he included the word "had".

'Aren't… aren't we getting back together?'

Her eyes… seemed to have given her away as the Perfect Soldier gently held her cheek and calmed her down by looking deeply into her eyes.

"Haruka… I won't hide anything from you. This is one promise I don't have any intentions to break ever again. I want you to know, who I really am. Who… what I truly am."

"Ok… but… you're not an alien right?" She inquired with her sky blue eyes hinting mischief and an impish smile hanging on her lips.

"No. And I am not abducting you." Heero replied freeing himself from the safety belt before hugging her gently.

'Heero…'

"Once we get there… I'll leave everything in your hands."

---

After closing the car door, Haruka turned her head curiously as she scanned the surroundings. They had just arrived on their destination. They were within the premises of Kibitou's long closed down private airstrip, Sakura Yamato airport. The raven haired lady was still wondering about their location when Heero moved to her side and led her towards the massive hangar standing just a few meters ahead of them.

"Heero?"

"There are a lot of things… you should know about me, Haruka. Tonight, I'll explain everything to you."

"W-what do you mean? W-what are we doing here?" The cornflower eyed young woman asked as she stopped in front of the entrance while Heero was unlocking the doors of the enormous hangar.

"Do you still trust me, Haruka?" The Perfect Soldier inquired kindly in return, gazing at her deeply with his cobalt blue irises.

"Yes. I do."

"Come, follow me inside." Heero softly said before extending his hand to her.

She nodded then held his palm as they went inside the hangar.

---

The interior was clouded in pitch black. She was barely able to see anything except the thin beam of moonlight passing through the small gap created by the slightly opened gate. Normally, she would have freaked out if left alone inside a dark place, but she was relieved by the fact that Heero was by her side.

"Haruka, don't worry, I'll just open the generator. So it would be easier for you to see." The brown haired boy told her as he let go of her hand.

'I…I'm getting scared… for reasons I don't know. But Heero's with me… everything will be ok.' Haruka pondered before that ominous feeling began to encroach upon her senses.

It made her uneasy. That familiar yet foreboding sensation whenever she was in deep thoughts about him back then now hovered around her. She could feel the beatings of her heart through her chest, there was fear… and anticipation on what he would show her in a little while.

She heard the rugged clanking of the generator's motor soon after.

It was followed by the illumination of a few sodium-vapor lamps placed strategically around the hangar.

Yet despite that, the room was still partially blotted with darkness. She was however, able to decipher his outline as the young man she dearly loves approached her.

As soon as he was visible to her, Heero had that… very same smile he had on his lips during those completely unguarded moments she had been able to take a few peeks of his inner self.

"Haruka… are you, holding well?"

She nodded apprehensively, various thoughts were racing inside her mind, yet she could not process any idea or lest even make an assumption. Her heartbeat meanwhile was racing faster than she could ever remember.

What was she about to know?

What was she about to learn?

What was she about to discover?

"Voice activation code, Zero Wan Hotel Yankee Oscar Zulu Wan Tree Mike Sierra… Initialize Epyon System." She heard him speak in his deep cool voice.

'What are you… talking about?'

There was a brief moment of silence, before the beeps of electronic systems going online became audible. It was followed by the low hum of mechanical components getting activated.

"W-what's happening, Heero?" Haruka uttered in fear as she moved behind the brown haired boy and clung tightly at his shoulder.

The words had barely left her when they were suddenly basked from the radiance coming off from a large emerald sphere.

A gigantic behemoth found at the center of the large hangar was revealed to her. It was on bended knees with both limbs and hands resting on the floor. She was then able to distinguish its head which seemed to be staring at her right before a pair of smoldering harlequin green light emanated from what appears to be its eyes.

'W-what is this?'

She felt the brown haired boy hold her tenderly on both shoulders before turning her to face him.

"Y-you… said you weren't an alien…" The raven haired beauty nervously said.

He gently nodded his head in confirmation to her.

"I'm not an alien. I am also a human like you." He carefully answered with his cobalt blue irises never leaving hers.

"I-I… I don't understand… You suddenly show me this robot… d-did you built it all those times you went missing?"

"That… robot over there is called a mobile suit. No, it's not like the one we made during the School Festival. It is fully functional." Heero supplied while intently observing her.

"What do you mean? Y-you're kidding right? All of this is just a movie set. I could understand if you went away because of work."

"Haruka, what I'm about to tell you is something quite difficult to comprehend." He gravely said to her while seeking some sort of assurance.

"I… don't get… you…"

She noticed him draw his breath tensely before sighing.

"Haruka, I am not from your time." Heero calmly told her as his eyes gazed intensely into hers.

'Not from my time? What kind of joke is this?!'

The raven haired beauty found it difficult. There was no logic to what he was saying. Was this his way of giving an excuse? For all the times he went missing… she can even turn a blind eye to it. That was how much he means to her! But right now… he was not making any sense at all. She was struggling to understand... to get the proper handle on the evidence that has been laid out right before her very eyes.

It was difficult, much difficult… to come into terms with what he just stated.

How does she answer that? What does she have to say?

Does she simply take everything he said as real?

Or the truth of the matter was that she does not accept it? If such is the case… does she want to ignore it?

How could she even hope to comprehend such a revelation?

And how does she believe that in the first place? Because of the huge thing he showed her?

There were so many questions… her mind was whirling with a crowd of thoughts and suppositions.

How does anyone handle the knowledge that someone they know claims they are not from this time?

It was swamping her logic, the natural order of things, the equilibrium between facts and theories, and the very laws that define physics.

"I… I don't… no, I can't believe you… what you just said is not true! What kind of excuse is this? That thing over there is made from cartons and fiber glass! You just returned from Europe!" Haruka replied in panic, there was too many, too much for her to digest.

'What's going on? Heero... you… you're not a time traveler!'

As if the Gundam Pilot heard her musings, the next words he spoke confirmed his previous statement.

"I'm a time traveler, Haruka. Albeit, an accidental one, thrown back around two millennia from the future."

"Stop it! I already told you I don't believe you! I could accept the fact that this thing you worked on is just similar to the ones we see in the movies! That was why you were gone for two months!" She defiantly stated, a plethora of emotions swirling inside her heart and mind.

"Could you not come up with a better excuse? I told you earlier, not because you were near death! Not only because of the situation! I still have you here!" Haruka stressed, placing her palm above the middle of her chest.

"Do you think showing that is enough for me to believe your excuse? Can't you come up with something better? For two months! Two months I was like a fool! I waited for you like a crazed fanatic on all the places that were special to us!" The raven haired beauty fumed as she shared her insights to his supposed revelation.

"Showing me something from a movie set or a hobby you are deeply engrossed with makes me all the more restless on my place in you!"

To prove her point, she bravely made her way towards the thing the brown haired boy called "mobile suit" with every intent to feel its surface. Heero seemed to have anticipated this as she noticed him trail closely behind her.

"Epyon, open hatch." He ordered.

The machine… or whatever it is, responded.

A low hiss followed by mechanical movement a few feet below the centermost part of its chest cavity where the large emerald sphere was located, revealed an entryway leading to the interior of the colossal machine. The very core of this behemoth exposed a highly advanced technology she knew was only possible through sci-fi movies.

'What are you...?'

"I'm sorry Haruka… I'm… really not good with words. I don't even know how to handle this matter properly. One thing I do know is you're the only reason I came back. And… and this is the only way I can think of to prove to you." Heero truthfully said as he faced her and gently held her at each shoulder.

She noticed the surreal glimmer in his Prussian blue irises before he nodded lightly.

He did not wait for her response but instead went on his way and mounted the robot called mobile suit.

The cobalt blue eyed boy coolly sat on its cockpit before its entryway slowly sealed down.

She was all the more astonished as the gigantic behemoth gradually stood up and towered over her.

"No… way…" Haruka muttered, her head craned upwards while staring at the colossus in confusion.

It was the last words she spoke before fainting and losing consciousness.

Author's Notes:

Well, similar to Heero's disappearance, it's been two months since the release of HW16. I wanted the update to focus mainly on our star-crossed lovers tearful and near fatal reunion... so the full revelation will have to wait until HW18. While doing HW17, I was reminded of the time I finished HW08, the arcade date/back alley brawl chapter, as the events of this release all happened on a short span of time. It's a high octane, hyper-charged emotional confrontation where a very angry Haruka and a remorseful Heero meet again after his abandonment, hope the readers like it.

Haruka's Vindictive/Vengeful Persona (HW16) – taken from her bad ending on the Amagami Visual Novel. It was also one of the drivers/flags why I have Heero's return take place two months after his disappearance. Since the span of time wasn't that long, her transition to this personality and back to how she normally is made it realistically possible. Should the length of their separation have been any longer, things would be very difficult if not impossible for any reconciliation.

Sanc Kingdom's Collapse (HW16) – setting of Heero's dream sequence and eventual confrontation with his inner demons. I have chosen this canon scene in GW as it depicts the moment he lost control of EPYON System which also symbolizes or defines his former self (ergo his past).

The Memory 2 – This is an OST taken from a drama series my wife downloaded on the net. The first time I heard it, I easily pictured out that desperate scene where Haruka thought Heero had died. It was very touching, at least on my own perspective… actually it was the track I constantly listened to while writing all the scenes of that unforgettable reunion. You could try listening to it separately or while reading the suggested scenes.

So what do you think of HW17? Loved it? Liked it? Hated it? As always, my sincerest thanks to all the reviewers and readers who had been loyal and patient with Haruka's Wings, it's been almost two years already since its first release and without your support and response, I wouldn't have had made it this far.

Don't hesitate to ask questions and for updates you could check my profile.

See you on HW18! Please don't forget to review! =)