I Heard the Bells

Author's Note: Yes, I know it's not Christmas, its only October, but this idea just popped into my head. By the way, I absolutely LOVE this carol and it has ALWAYS reminded me of Duo for some reason so…

I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the characters therein. This poem was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Bold= song

~I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.~

Christmas.

I remember how it used to be my favorite holiday. How all of us kids used to get up early to sing carols outside the church and feel appreciated for once. Hell, we all knew that we could sing, and adults love to hear kids sing. They'd even give us money, you know, pennies, but it was the most money I saw all year. In the end, we would collect it all together and buy something special.

Some years it was cookies or a pie, but my favorite was the one year we got candy canes. I had never tasted peppermint in my life, but that first taste was enough to last me forever. Even now, as a pilot, I've found myself craving that bite that the candy gives you on the tip of your tongue. The tiny stab of pain, washed away by the pleasure of the first taste.

I didn't even know what sugar was back then, but I knew that after having our Christmas treat I felt better, more energized, and I knew that I was acting like a maniac.

But no one cared, because it was Christmas.

I thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along th' unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Now, walking through a city on Earth, trudging through that odd powder, snow, I can hear the singing of some children. They're wrapped only in rags and some homemade scarves. All of the scarves are threadbare but the kids are fingering them with such excitement, these must have been their gifts. Their faces are bright, rosy cheeked, and their eyes glint with the merriment of the day.

They're singing Jingle Bells, the first one I ever learned. Solo taught me that one, the one Christmas we didn't forget, and I never could erase it from my mind.

Solo.

As I pass the kids by, I hand one of them a couple bucks. He's got longish blonde hair and gray eyes, gaunt cheeks as though he hasn't eaten properly in a few months. He stares at me, bewildered, then whoops loudly smiling brighter even than before. "Share it," I tell him. "Buy everyone candy canes. You'll like them."

Then I walk off, without waiting for a response.

And in despair I bowed my head

"There is no peace on earth," I said,

"For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

It really is too bad that OZ decided to piss me off today. Normally, this is my favorite day of all the year. Even alone, the memories are enough to cheer me up. But they destroyed Deathscythe today.

They will pay.

Usually, I can forget about my problems on Christmas. But war is cruel. And 'Scyth is so much a part of my life.

And so's hate.

Let's face it, Christmas isn't the same holiday as it used to be for me. I used to believe in all that Peace on Earth crap, but I spend most of my days worrying about what happens if Earth ends up in Pieces.

Forgive my morbid humor. They made me this way.

I stared at the sky. Still gray, probably with more snow. Great.

Father Maxwell, if you're up there, could you tell God to hurry up and make the bad guys see their mistakes? 'Cause Christmas always makes me see how much I hate killing. My hands are so red by now that I'm not sure even God can see the skin beneath.

I don't care what happens to me, I guess. I'm worthless now, irreparable. But the victims. The more there are, the worse I feel. And one of those kids over there could be next.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail

With peace on earth, good will to men."

The song changed. Now the distant choir is singing Silent Night.

Those orphans, and they could be nothing else, are the next generation. They grew up during a war. They know the horrors of war.

And why would they want war after that?

And that's when I see it. That's where the hope is. 'Cause God's with these kids. Even if he's not with me.

So all of us fighting, we'll all die. But the innocents, they'll inherit peace when we're gone.

Till ringing, singing on its way

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Good luck kids. The world's in your hands.