Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Fallen Angels, Broken Hearts ❯ Ch 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Ryo held her husband's hand tightly as they walked to the doctor's office. She had about two more months before the baby was supposed to be born and this was just a check up.
"Angel, it's going to be okay. It's just a check up," Duo kissed the top of his young wife's head. "You've been doing this for the past seven months. You know the routine."
"I know... I just don't like doctors." Ryo sighed.
"It'll be fine. I'm going to be right here with you the whole time."
After what seemed like forever and several routine tests, the Maxwells were leaving the office. In the car, a special announcement cut through the song that was playing.
"This is Kent Davis with breaking news. At one a.m. this morning a city in Brazil was awoken by a controlled bombing. The home that was targeted was said to be housing a terror-" the announcement was cut off by Duo switching the channel.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Ryo screeched, switching back to the station.
"I thought-"
"Shh!" she turned the radio louder.
"-it is not disclosed at whether the terrorist escaped or not, but authorities have informed us that if she did she will be badly wounded. Police warn to be on the lookout for a woman around her twenties with serious burns and injuries. Thank you for your patience and you will now be returned to your regularly scheduled program." Music began playing again.
Ryo turned it down and sat back in the seat.
"What was that all about?" Duo asked.
"I just wanted to listen." Ryo said nonchalantly.
"You nearly bit my head off."
"Sorry. Moody I guess," She smiled and kissed his cheek.

Quatre was in his quarters in a Maganac underground base in Saudi Arabia when he received the call. It had been converted into one of the many smaller branches of Preventors that were scattered throughout earth and the colonies after the war. Unlike Preventors HQ, though, these branches were hidden and, as far as anyone besides the employees knew, didn't exist. They had been created to oversee the earthsphere and keep the peace without arousing political suspicion. Most would decide that Preventors possessed too much power and would view them as a potential threat, so they kept a low profile. Quatre was visiting the Arabian base just to observe what progress had been made. He had been assigned to the base for a month to head operations and oversee their actions. It was just a routine check. There were plenty of these the last few years because Preventors wanted to be ready in case more trouble arose. But there had been peace for three years so far, and war didn't look like it would ever be coming anytime soon.
Quatre was sitting at his desk overlooking paperwork when the phone rang. He picked up the phone to hear a Maganac soldier's voice.
"There's a call for you, Master Quatre. It's a woman. She won't give us her name but she said to tell you that a long lost friend wants to speak with you if you have the time." He gave Quatre a quizzical look.
Quatre's mind worked fast. Long lost friend . . . that was Li! Was it her?
"Thank you, can you please put her through and switch us to a secure line?" Quatre asked quickly.
"Yes sir." There were two clicks in a row.
"Li?" Quatre said after a second, heart beating fast. He hadn't seen his friend in two and a half years.
"Hey, Quet." She answered.
"Where have you been! You just up and disappeared one day! You could have told us." Quatre was a bit angry at her. After all, he'd been worried for quite a while.
"I don't have time for explanations right now, Quatre, I need your help. I'll tell you everything later." Li had an edge of caution in her voice that made Quatre worry once more. She sounded more strained than he had ever heard her be before. Something was definitely wrong.
"What?"
"I need you to pick me up and soon. Can you do that?"
"Of course. Where?"
Li gave him the coordinates and then paused. "Don't stand out, Quet. I need to leave without being seen or noticed by anyone."
"Okay. Where will we meet you?" Quatre listened as she gave him his instructions.

Ryo was browsing through the morning paper. She seemed to be looking for something.
"Morning beautiful," Duo said planting a light kiss on her neck before going to the coffee maker. "You're up early."
"Mm hmm. I started the coffee already so don't pour it out," she said her eyes not leaving the page.
Duo paused with the coffee pot above the sink, "Oh, thank you."
She turned and looked at him, "You were really going to pour it out? It's hot. You can see the steam rising off it. It's not yesterday's or it would be cold," she smiled, "Honestly, Maxwell, use your head." she turned back to the paper.
"Hey, it's routine..." he said laughing slightly in his defense.
"Uh huh. Sure," she smiled to herself as Duo walked up behind her and rested his chin on her head. "You sassing me again?" he asked.
"What if I am?" she replied.
"That mouth of yours is really getting on my nerves."
She turned in her chair to look at him, "What are you going to do about it, braid boy?" she asked smirking.
He set down his coffee and pulled her to her feet, "I'm going to have to keep it otherwise occupied." He kissed her softly.
She smiled and wrapped he arms around his neck and stood slightly on her tiptoes so he wouldn't have to lean down so far. She kissed him back. "Ought we to have breakfast first?" she said.
He smiled at her and unwrapped her arms, "Alright, your call. Breakfast it is." He picked up his coffee and headed to the refrigerator. "What do you want this morning?"
She looked slightly hurt, "I was only kidding." she hugged him from behind.
"Nope you're right. Besides you are eating for two," he began pulling eggs out of the fridge. "Is pancakes alright with you?"
"As long as I get chocolate chips in mine..." she pouted. "What do you need me to do?"
"Nothing, just sit down and relax."
Ryo sat back down and looked through the paper again. A moment later she flipped back to the front and began cutting an article out.
Duo looked over to her, "Umm, Ryo. I haven't read that yet."
"It's not an important article anyway," she finished her cutting, got up, kissed Duo lightly on the cheek, "I'll be right back." She walked out of the kitchen and headed towards the baby's room. She returned momentarily, empty handed. She sat back down and flipped to the middle of the paper and pulled out the Sunday comics.
Duo looked at her and shook his head. That was the Ryo he knew. He didn't know when she had taken an interest in the articles of the paper, but he had found several other papers with cut out articles. He smiled; maybe it was just a hobby she had taken up to show their new baby what had happened the year he was born.

Quatre soon found himself with two other Maganac soldiers driving through the back streets of Seoul. The small car had tinted glass and bulletproof windows, as the soldiers had insisted that he at least go with that little amount of protection. Quatre was used to this by now, so he had agreed. Besides, considering the way Li had acted on the phone, they might need it.
Quatre nervously played with a pen as they drove, urging them to go faster. He felt apprehensive, and he knew he'd feel much better as soon as he saw Li and was reassured that she was alright. They were almost to the place that Li had directed them to, and Quatre sat up straighter in his seat, taking in his surroundings.
The road they were on was so narrow their car barely had enough room to squeeze by the closely packed buildings it passed. It was nighttime, and the moon was full, providing the sparse light that they were using to see as they drove, because they dared not turn on the headlights since doing so would draw unwanted attention. Quatre watched nervously as they emerged from the small road into a dimly lit area that wasn’t much more than a small gap in the center of the city. The car slowed to a stop, and, spying a dark figure waiting in the shadows of an abandoned building, Quatre hurriedly got out of the car.
“Li?”
She nodded and he ran over to her. “You made sure you weren’t followed?” She asked softly.
“Of course, the war hasn’t been over so long that I’d forget old habits.” He smiled, which quickly turned into a frown as he noticed the way she was standing. She was leaning against the wall, weight braced against it and her right leg. “Wait a second, are you injured? What happened?”
She grimaced, “In due time, Quatre. Long story short, yes, I’m hurt. I’ll tell you the rest after we’re out of this place.”
Quatre bit back the tide of questions that rushed to his mind at her answer. He sighed, “Can you make it to the car?”
Li eyed it unhappily, “Yes, but it would probably . . . Take me a while . . .” She said this last bit with so much difficulty that Quatre got the distinct impression that it took a lot for her to admit it to him. Li had always been the type that hated her own weaknesses.
“Then I’ll help” Quatre let Li sling an arm over his shoulder and put most of her weight on him so she could walk. It was in this way that they made it to the car. He helped her into the back seat then went to the other side of the car and jumped in. “Let’s go,” He said to the driver.
“Yes sir, Master Quatre.” The car began to move and quickly left the alley behind.

Leigh Lou Cheng sighed a quiet sigh of happiness as she stepped off the transport and made her way over to grab her baggage before heading over to her brother and best Friend's house.
It had been quite some time since she had been back here, especially with Quatre now stationed on earth. After a short breakup during the adjustment period, they were back together, happy and simple, letting things take time and grow before taking a plunge of any form.
Lou had been devastated when Li disappeared, she wasn't terribly close to the woman, but for Ryo, knowing that the young hearted girl would take everything hard and most likely be angry and confused for a long time. And now she wished she had returned sooner.
Selfish thoughts were what kept her away, and for the first time since she met her exclusive group of friends, she wasn't in touch when she felt needed. Instead she was in the back hills of Europe and Asia, looking for items to put in her well known antique and knick-knack shop. And when she came back, Quatre had been talking to Wufei, who was quite explicit with the harsh realities and reactions both Cody and Ryo were taking to the situation now. The protecting instinct took over, and with Quatre insistence and agreement, she came back to the colonies to stay with Duo and Ryo for a while. An undefined time, until she felt she wasn't needed anymore.
And so this is how she found herself standing on the Maxwell doorstep, knocking loudly and smiling as her adopted brother and guardian opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief.
Duo looked at Lou a moment before wrapping her in a tight hug. "Hey, sis."
Lou smiled slightly, "Hey yourself."
He pulled her inside setting her bags on the floor beside her. "I thought your flight was later in the day. I was going to come pick you up."
"I know, but I had a chance for an earlier flight, so I took it," She looked around him, "Where's Ryo?"
"She's napping. Carrying a kid just drains her with everything else." he sighed.
"Seems to be draining you as well." Lou crossed her arms and looked at him.
"You think so? Let’s go talk in the kitchen. Do you want something to eat?" He did his best to be a good host.
She followed him, "Just a cup of tea. I ate on the flight." She sat down at the table while he fixed the drinks. "So how has Ryo been doing? Quet says she wasn't doing too well for a while."
"She's getting better. The medicine is really helping. But sometimes she forgets to take it and I catch her getting down on herself, and blaming herself for Li leaving. Those days are hard... I just wish Li would hurry up and come home. Maybe then Ryo and Heero would go back to normal."
"Heero?"
"Yeah, he's been real out of it since she left. Hell, he hasn't been himself since they split. He wishes they could have worked it out. He is still in love with her."
"Who's in love with whom?" Ryo yawned as she stumbled in the kitchen, "Duo who are you... Lou?" Ryo's eyes brightened.
Leigh Lou stood, "Hey, sweetheart. You look beautiful."
"Don't give me that. I look like crap." Ryo smiled and held out her arms, "Get your butt over here and hug me." She hugged Lou tightly.
Lou held Ryo at arms length, "Ryo, sweetheart, why are you crying?"
She sniffled and wiped her tears as she smiled, "I'm just so glad to see you. And I was hoping to look all pretty and together when you got here. But you came early and ruined my plan. I wanted to make you think I was alright."
"Oh, Ryo. It's okay. You know I can see through that anyway."
"I know... But I just feel so bad for having to drag you away from your antique shop. I know Quatre and Duo asked you to come. I thought that if I could pass off as being okay, you'd be able to go back to your work. I know you love it..."
"Ryo, you are more important than my work. You're my best friend, my sister-in-law; I was planning on coming for the baby anyway. I wouldn't dare miss my first nephew being born." She smiled.
Ryo smiled, "...Okay... You want to see the baby's room?"

Under the jet's lighting Quatre got a better look at Li. She had a deep gash on her face running from the bottom of her left eye all the way past her cheek bone and down almost to her chin. It was still slightly bleeding and it hadn't been tended to. Surrounding the gash were bad bruises. Her neck was cut as well, though not nearly as bad. Because of Li's outfit Quatre couldn't see any other damage but he knew there was more. He shook his head as he rummaged around for the medical kit. He found it and brought it over to her. Sitting down next to her, he opened it and began laying out supplies on his lap and the seat next to him. Li watched him unconcernedly.
"Are you going to tell me how you got in the shape you're in?" Quatre asked again, giving her a stern look. He reached out and began cleaning the gash on her cheek.
Li flinched slightly, then sighed. "Okay." She was quiet in thought for a few seconds, "I'm correct in assuming that you heard about that terrorist in Brazil, right?"
Quatre nodded, "The one that got away after the bombing?"
"Yeah," Li gave him a look.
Quatre stared at her for a few seconds, "Are you telling me that was you?"
She nodded slightly so as not to disturb his work.
"But wait, why would they bomb you, Li? You're not a terrorist. I mean, unless these last two years you've decided to change your ways . . . "
Li grinned, "Not yet, Quatre. No, I'm not a terrorist. I'm injured because I had no idea I was going to be bombed and no warning. It came out of nowhere."
"Do you know who could have done it?"
"No, of course not. If I knew then I wouldn't be here I'd be out there trying to get my payback."
Quatre laughed. "I can see you doing that."
"I know I'm stubborn. It just makes me angry to have no idea what's going on."
"Do you have an idea of a motive?" He asked, "Hold still, I'll need to stitch this gash closed."
"Okay." There was silence for a few minutes as Quatre quickly tended to her wound. Li didn't pay attention to him, looking straight ahead deep in thought.
Quatre straightened up from his work. "Done. It's pretty deep, so you'll most likely see some scarring there."
"That's fine."
"It could have been worse. Half an inch higher and you would have lost your eye. You got lucky"
"Don't I always?"
"You can't rely on luck forever."
"I know that, Quatre. I know that very well. To tell you the truth, I can't even figure out why I'm still alive right now." Li said softly.
Quatre frowned, "What do you mean?"
"I was right in the center of that blast, Quatre. Right before that bomb blew I had no idea it was there. In the last few seconds, though, I got a call from one of the people who were trying to kill me."
"And?" Quatre asked softly.
"All he said was 'See you in hell, Kamiya'. As soon as he said that I knew I was dead. Then the bomb went off."