Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ A Chance to See ❯ Part 2 ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Vinyl-Koneko 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Mecha / Drama / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.25.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.9K | Visits: 313 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Mecha / Drama / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.25.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.9K | Visits: 313 | Status: Completed
Title: A Chance to See - Part 2
Author: Emily, roguegirl@att.net
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: shonen ai in the forms of 1+2+1 and alluded 3+4+3, language, contemplations of death, weird time-shifts and alternate universe situations, EW-OVA paraphrasing -=sweatdrop=-, angst (almost forgot that one)
Notes: "Speech" - 'Thought' - *Emphasis* - [Flashback]
Comments: While I am writing the story, the idea is actually Sharon's. Visit her site at www.zerotwofan.com and take a look around. -=coughdoujincoverscanscough=- It's sorta-kinda a fusion with "It's a Wonderful Life", but since I never saw the second half of the movie, there is no way in hell I could follow it. ^_^ If you like this genre, check out Yamato's "No Need For Heero" in the serious fic section of www.heerosferret.com (it's good; trust me). Without further ado, enjoy.
"One man's life touches so many others, when he's not there it leaves an awfully big hole."
"You've been given a great gift, George. A chance to see what the world would be like without you."
~Clarence, "It's A Wonderful Life"
*~**~*
Wufei had found him again like he said he would. The Chinese pilot was hiding in an underground bunker back from the days of the ancient Cold War when nuclear weapons were the highest threat possible. The space was barely big enough for the two of them with the equipment Wufei had jammed in the tiny space. The walls were lined with what looked like aluminum foil to deter radar, but Heero had no idea how that would help. Wufei said it worked so far, so he wasn't going to question it.
"Wufei...I need to know; what happened to everyone that I knew?"
The other cut open a can with a multitool and started to eat the contents. "Well that depends. Who did you know? I can't guarantee that I'll know *everybody*, but I help where I can."
Heero thought for a moment. "Relena."
"Darlian?"
Heero nodded.
"Oh...she's dead. Lady Une had some warrant out for her; said the girl was too dangerous because of her ties to the Peacecraft family. I don't remember exactly; it was years ago."
"...Dead?" 'Of course she would be, baka. You weren't around to protect her. You weren't around to protect *any* of them because of your damned thought thinking the world would be better off if you were never born. ZERO has one hell of a sense of humor.' Even though Heero knew that he wasn't in his real world, the fates that his friends seemed to have succumbed to without him was still a tough pill to swallow. "What happened to Treize and Zechs?"
"Still alive, but they don't have any power. I think Zechs is Milliardo Peacecraft now and living in the Sanc Kingdom with Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin, but they haven't been bothering me, so I'm not keeping track. Treize is still a prisoner in Luxembourg because he wanted to be a *loser*." Wufei snorted. "If he wanted to lose why did he start this damn war to begin with? Romefeller just couldn't keep their slimy hands off the ESUN."
"And Sally? Or Catherine and Hilde?"
Wufei thought for a moment. "Dead; dead; OZ." He chewed thoughtfully once more. "Yeah, that seems about right. Sally's rebel group finally got caught; Catherine was devastated by Trowa's death and just gave up her will to live; Hilde's the woman I crossed path's with a few times. She doesn't like OZ, so I get stolen weapons from her."
'She never met Duo and by the time she figured out how wrong OZ really was it became too late for her to get out.' "So you're a renegade; Quatre's insane; Trowa's dead; and I never existed. What happened to Duo?"
Wufei stopped chewing and sobered up. "Um...it doesn't matter. We just need to figure out how to get you back to your own time so I we can all stop being miserable in this one." Wufei laughed dryly, causing Heero to narrow his Prussian blue eyes into a menacing glare.
"*What* happened to *Duo*?"
"I'd leave him alone if I were you; it wouldn't be wise to intrude his privacy. He doesn't let *me* talk to him anymore, and I'm really the only one left. Why would he talk to you if he doesn't even know who you are? That's even *less* of a reason for him to want to see you."
"Nazenara ai shitemasu," Heero murmured under his breath, feeling himself start to blush at the realization of what he had just said.
"What was that?" Apparently Wufei hadn't been paying close enough attention.
"Uh...nothing..." Heero replied dumbly, staring intendedly at his feet.
Wufei sighed, and leaned forward with his forearms against his thighs. "Listen. If you really *must* see Duo, I'll bring you to him, but I'm waiting outside, and you can't say that I didn't warn you. Deal?"
"Deal."
Wufei threw on a hooded trench cloak that hid his face and opened the door. "After me."
*~**~*
They came across a small wooden cabin in the middle of a forest about five miles south of Wufei's hideout. It was more of a rickedy old shack than a wooden cabin. Windows were hanging sideways and the door looked like it was about to split in two. Underbrush grew thick and tall all around the cabin, suggesting that no one had went in or left in a very long time.
Wufei scaled a tree and sat between two of the branches. "I'll wait here and keep look out. You go on ahead."
Heero looked at the cabin cautiously. 'Something isn't right here.' He rolled his eyes at the thought. 'No shit, Sherlock. *Nothing* is right in this *entire* alternate universe or whatever the hell it is.' He slowly opened the door. There was a small furnace with a fire going against one wall, a wooden plank on the floor that seemed to be serving as a table, and a dingy looking mattress against the other wall. Heero felt his breath hitch in his throat when he recognized the form lying on the mattress, shivering under a threat-bare blanket.
Duo was curled in the fetal position. His skin was taunt; Duo had always been thin and lithe, but now he just looked small. There were scars that looked suspiciously like burns criss-crossing his hands and going up the sleeves of his customary priest uniform, but how far they went was hidden from Heero's view. Heero reached out to stroke the familiar braid to prove that this boy before him actually *was* the Duo he knew and loved, but quickly dropped the plait of hair. It was a third the length it was supposed to be.
Heero gently stroked the back of his hand against Duo's face. He couldn't believe it was real. He just couldn't. Duo parted his lips and his breath became jagged wimpers. 'He's having a nightmare.' Momentarily forgetting the different circumstances, Heero lied down besides Duo and wrapped his arms around the other boy, trying to calm him, but the contact seemed to have the opposite effect. Duo's eyes shot open; they looked like bruises set against his pale skin. Duo didn't seem to notice that Heero was hugging him, and the boy took on a confused expression when he couldn't get loose from the strong grip he was so firmly held in. He craned his neck, and when amethyst met sapphire, his mouth dropped open and he screamed.
The scream sounded more animal than human, and it was enough for Heero to jump away from Duo and Wufei to come racing into the small cabin. Duo was breathing heavily, on the verge of hyper-ventilating, and he looked like he was going to cry. 'That's ridiculous. Duo would never cry. Ever. Just as much as he wouldn't lie...'
"*Maxwell*!" Wufei roared. "Get ahold of yourself and calm down!" Duo appeared to calm down in recognition of Wufei, but his actions still suggested that of a caged and wounded animal.
"Wu-Wufei..." Duo looked back over at Heero, and the unadulterated fear in the violet orbs sent chills racking throughout his body. "Who the fuck are you and what the hell do you want!?"
Heero didn't know how to answer. It was becoming too much. Duo, terrified and badly shaken from some horror that Heero was yet to find out about, living in a shack in the forest with no contact to the outside world whatsoever. Duo had such inner strength and spirit that the bruised and battered form of the boy in front of him made the mental connection between this other and the Duo he knew, the Duo he loved, nearly impossible.
Heero had never been taught how to cry, and he wished he could as he ran from the cabin and into the woods to lose himself from this horrible world he wished himself into.
*~**~*
Wufei caught up with him minutes later. Heero was collapsed against a tree, sobbing and wishing he could mourn; wishing that his training could let him be fully human for just this one instant, but only dry, choking sounds were the closest he could get to actual tears.
"Yeah...I warned you that it was bad..." Wufei said when Heero seemed to be done.
"What happened to him?" Heero was surprised by even how quiet and distorted his own voice sounded.
Wufei sat down in the moss across from him. "Duo got cocky. He knew that he was the best pilot out of all of us, and OZ was after him for such a long time. There was a price on his head; Duo was wanted dead or alive, but when he finally did get captured, death seemed to be too good of a punishment, so they locked him away. He was beaten, tortured, raped, starved...you name it he got it. His pride held out throughout, though; you apparently know how Duo was. It wasn't until they cut off his braid that he finally broke. The idiot kept all his identity in his hair. I don't know why. He should have hid it with something that couldn't be touched by others, but Duo put it in something tangible, and when he lost his braid, *he* went with it. When OZ and Romefeller took over the UESN, they let go all prisoners of war, and it took me months to find him. He wasn't taking care of himself at all; he was practically dying. Hell, he *is* dying. Those bastards that broke him didn't leave anything out. He has every single STD and STV possible. Nobody can touch him; he doesn't trust anybody anymore. I almost considered sending him away with Quatre, but that required revealing *my* location, and that's too risky."
"Fuck..." was all Heero could manage. 'Duo...loving, caring, beautiful Duo... This is what happens to you? How is it that *you* are the only reason that I am not as miserable as I deserve to be when in retrospect *I* am the only person keeping you from suffering more than you already have?'
"Yeah...fuck..." Wufei repeated.
Heero looked at the sunlight peeking through the trees. It was the complete opposite of how he felt inside. 'That's what we were for each other, weren't we, Duo? The sunlight peeking through the cracks to offer warmth... How could I have been so stupid to reject you? I was afraid, Duo, but I promise you, I won't be any longer.'
"So what are you going to do?"
"I want to go back to my time now; I want to make things right again."
*~**~*
Tsuzuku
Author: Emily, roguegirl@att.net
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: shonen ai in the forms of 1+2+1 and alluded 3+4+3, language, contemplations of death, weird time-shifts and alternate universe situations, EW-OVA paraphrasing -=sweatdrop=-, angst (almost forgot that one)
Notes: "Speech" - 'Thought' - *Emphasis* - [Flashback]
Comments: While I am writing the story, the idea is actually Sharon's. Visit her site at www.zerotwofan.com and take a look around. -=coughdoujincoverscanscough=- It's sorta-kinda a fusion with "It's a Wonderful Life", but since I never saw the second half of the movie, there is no way in hell I could follow it. ^_^ If you like this genre, check out Yamato's "No Need For Heero" in the serious fic section of www.heerosferret.com (it's good; trust me). Without further ado, enjoy.
"One man's life touches so many others, when he's not there it leaves an awfully big hole."
"You've been given a great gift, George. A chance to see what the world would be like without you."
~Clarence, "It's A Wonderful Life"
*~**~*
Wufei had found him again like he said he would. The Chinese pilot was hiding in an underground bunker back from the days of the ancient Cold War when nuclear weapons were the highest threat possible. The space was barely big enough for the two of them with the equipment Wufei had jammed in the tiny space. The walls were lined with what looked like aluminum foil to deter radar, but Heero had no idea how that would help. Wufei said it worked so far, so he wasn't going to question it.
"Wufei...I need to know; what happened to everyone that I knew?"
The other cut open a can with a multitool and started to eat the contents. "Well that depends. Who did you know? I can't guarantee that I'll know *everybody*, but I help where I can."
Heero thought for a moment. "Relena."
"Darlian?"
Heero nodded.
"Oh...she's dead. Lady Une had some warrant out for her; said the girl was too dangerous because of her ties to the Peacecraft family. I don't remember exactly; it was years ago."
"...Dead?" 'Of course she would be, baka. You weren't around to protect her. You weren't around to protect *any* of them because of your damned thought thinking the world would be better off if you were never born. ZERO has one hell of a sense of humor.' Even though Heero knew that he wasn't in his real world, the fates that his friends seemed to have succumbed to without him was still a tough pill to swallow. "What happened to Treize and Zechs?"
"Still alive, but they don't have any power. I think Zechs is Milliardo Peacecraft now and living in the Sanc Kingdom with Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin, but they haven't been bothering me, so I'm not keeping track. Treize is still a prisoner in Luxembourg because he wanted to be a *loser*." Wufei snorted. "If he wanted to lose why did he start this damn war to begin with? Romefeller just couldn't keep their slimy hands off the ESUN."
"And Sally? Or Catherine and Hilde?"
Wufei thought for a moment. "Dead; dead; OZ." He chewed thoughtfully once more. "Yeah, that seems about right. Sally's rebel group finally got caught; Catherine was devastated by Trowa's death and just gave up her will to live; Hilde's the woman I crossed path's with a few times. She doesn't like OZ, so I get stolen weapons from her."
'She never met Duo and by the time she figured out how wrong OZ really was it became too late for her to get out.' "So you're a renegade; Quatre's insane; Trowa's dead; and I never existed. What happened to Duo?"
Wufei stopped chewing and sobered up. "Um...it doesn't matter. We just need to figure out how to get you back to your own time so I we can all stop being miserable in this one." Wufei laughed dryly, causing Heero to narrow his Prussian blue eyes into a menacing glare.
"*What* happened to *Duo*?"
"I'd leave him alone if I were you; it wouldn't be wise to intrude his privacy. He doesn't let *me* talk to him anymore, and I'm really the only one left. Why would he talk to you if he doesn't even know who you are? That's even *less* of a reason for him to want to see you."
"Nazenara ai shitemasu," Heero murmured under his breath, feeling himself start to blush at the realization of what he had just said.
"What was that?" Apparently Wufei hadn't been paying close enough attention.
"Uh...nothing..." Heero replied dumbly, staring intendedly at his feet.
Wufei sighed, and leaned forward with his forearms against his thighs. "Listen. If you really *must* see Duo, I'll bring you to him, but I'm waiting outside, and you can't say that I didn't warn you. Deal?"
"Deal."
Wufei threw on a hooded trench cloak that hid his face and opened the door. "After me."
*~**~*
They came across a small wooden cabin in the middle of a forest about five miles south of Wufei's hideout. It was more of a rickedy old shack than a wooden cabin. Windows were hanging sideways and the door looked like it was about to split in two. Underbrush grew thick and tall all around the cabin, suggesting that no one had went in or left in a very long time.
Wufei scaled a tree and sat between two of the branches. "I'll wait here and keep look out. You go on ahead."
Heero looked at the cabin cautiously. 'Something isn't right here.' He rolled his eyes at the thought. 'No shit, Sherlock. *Nothing* is right in this *entire* alternate universe or whatever the hell it is.' He slowly opened the door. There was a small furnace with a fire going against one wall, a wooden plank on the floor that seemed to be serving as a table, and a dingy looking mattress against the other wall. Heero felt his breath hitch in his throat when he recognized the form lying on the mattress, shivering under a threat-bare blanket.
Duo was curled in the fetal position. His skin was taunt; Duo had always been thin and lithe, but now he just looked small. There were scars that looked suspiciously like burns criss-crossing his hands and going up the sleeves of his customary priest uniform, but how far they went was hidden from Heero's view. Heero reached out to stroke the familiar braid to prove that this boy before him actually *was* the Duo he knew and loved, but quickly dropped the plait of hair. It was a third the length it was supposed to be.
Heero gently stroked the back of his hand against Duo's face. He couldn't believe it was real. He just couldn't. Duo parted his lips and his breath became jagged wimpers. 'He's having a nightmare.' Momentarily forgetting the different circumstances, Heero lied down besides Duo and wrapped his arms around the other boy, trying to calm him, but the contact seemed to have the opposite effect. Duo's eyes shot open; they looked like bruises set against his pale skin. Duo didn't seem to notice that Heero was hugging him, and the boy took on a confused expression when he couldn't get loose from the strong grip he was so firmly held in. He craned his neck, and when amethyst met sapphire, his mouth dropped open and he screamed.
The scream sounded more animal than human, and it was enough for Heero to jump away from Duo and Wufei to come racing into the small cabin. Duo was breathing heavily, on the verge of hyper-ventilating, and he looked like he was going to cry. 'That's ridiculous. Duo would never cry. Ever. Just as much as he wouldn't lie...'
"*Maxwell*!" Wufei roared. "Get ahold of yourself and calm down!" Duo appeared to calm down in recognition of Wufei, but his actions still suggested that of a caged and wounded animal.
"Wu-Wufei..." Duo looked back over at Heero, and the unadulterated fear in the violet orbs sent chills racking throughout his body. "Who the fuck are you and what the hell do you want!?"
Heero didn't know how to answer. It was becoming too much. Duo, terrified and badly shaken from some horror that Heero was yet to find out about, living in a shack in the forest with no contact to the outside world whatsoever. Duo had such inner strength and spirit that the bruised and battered form of the boy in front of him made the mental connection between this other and the Duo he knew, the Duo he loved, nearly impossible.
Heero had never been taught how to cry, and he wished he could as he ran from the cabin and into the woods to lose himself from this horrible world he wished himself into.
*~**~*
Wufei caught up with him minutes later. Heero was collapsed against a tree, sobbing and wishing he could mourn; wishing that his training could let him be fully human for just this one instant, but only dry, choking sounds were the closest he could get to actual tears.
"Yeah...I warned you that it was bad..." Wufei said when Heero seemed to be done.
"What happened to him?" Heero was surprised by even how quiet and distorted his own voice sounded.
Wufei sat down in the moss across from him. "Duo got cocky. He knew that he was the best pilot out of all of us, and OZ was after him for such a long time. There was a price on his head; Duo was wanted dead or alive, but when he finally did get captured, death seemed to be too good of a punishment, so they locked him away. He was beaten, tortured, raped, starved...you name it he got it. His pride held out throughout, though; you apparently know how Duo was. It wasn't until they cut off his braid that he finally broke. The idiot kept all his identity in his hair. I don't know why. He should have hid it with something that couldn't be touched by others, but Duo put it in something tangible, and when he lost his braid, *he* went with it. When OZ and Romefeller took over the UESN, they let go all prisoners of war, and it took me months to find him. He wasn't taking care of himself at all; he was practically dying. Hell, he *is* dying. Those bastards that broke him didn't leave anything out. He has every single STD and STV possible. Nobody can touch him; he doesn't trust anybody anymore. I almost considered sending him away with Quatre, but that required revealing *my* location, and that's too risky."
"Fuck..." was all Heero could manage. 'Duo...loving, caring, beautiful Duo... This is what happens to you? How is it that *you* are the only reason that I am not as miserable as I deserve to be when in retrospect *I* am the only person keeping you from suffering more than you already have?'
"Yeah...fuck..." Wufei repeated.
Heero looked at the sunlight peeking through the trees. It was the complete opposite of how he felt inside. 'That's what we were for each other, weren't we, Duo? The sunlight peeking through the cracks to offer warmth... How could I have been so stupid to reject you? I was afraid, Duo, but I promise you, I won't be any longer.'
"So what are you going to do?"
"I want to go back to my time now; I want to make things right again."
*~**~*
Tsuzuku