Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ It's All Been Done ❯ Rome ( Chapter 1 )

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

Disclaimers:
Inspired by Gundam Wing, the title's namesake, and the possibilities of Fate (none of which I own). I don't own anything I make allusions to either. No money is being made off this, and it's all in good fun. I mean no offence to Roma, (or anyone else for that matter) no matter what the narrator may say.

A/N
-Rated "R" for violence, gore, language, and intense angst. Not recommended for the weak of heart, mind, or stomach, and Duo fans should prepare for the worst. (It's not rated "R" for nothing, kiddies.)
-I'm not using (most of) the time period's language or dialect. Believe me, if I could, I would (and then translate it), but I'm just not that skilled.
-Everyone is approximately the age they are in the series at the beginning of the fic. However, Zechs, Noin, Trieze, and Une are all about 28, and Sally, poor, poor, Sally, I've aged to 40-something.
-Relationships from the series (i.e. family members, marital status, love interests) may or may not hold. You'll see. Just don't hurt yourself trying to figure it out.
-I apologize for making anyone out of character, but I have kept them as close to the original as I know how. Mainly, this goes for Hilde since I don't know her character that well. Sorry, Hilde fans. I did TRY to make her three dimensional, though.
-Knowledge of the mangas (Eppy Zero, Ground Zero, Blind Target) is not necessary.
-Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Actually, they've been changed for a different reason... Assume any "mispelled" names are NOT typos.
-Refferences to Pluto are to Hades' (God of the Underworld in Greek/Roman mythology) Roman name, not the planet. Similarly, Jupiter = the King of Gods, and Mars = the God of War.


Warnings -for this chapter-:
Alternate Universe, evil cliffhangers, corny name changes, ranting about Fate, past lives, anachronisms, cursing, tiny tiny hint of shounen ai (Male x male love, but it's so small you probably won't be offended by it), death. Oh, the death. (Heed the proceeding caveat! This IS a death fic! Well, sort of...)


Chapter 1: Rome

"I met you before the fall of Rome,
and I begged you to let me take you home...

It's all been done...
It's all been before...."

"It's All Been Done"
- Bare Naked Ladies


This week just plain sucked. It's like the whole week was cursed or something. And as the week went on, it just seemed to get worse. Something about that one day, though... I just knew it would be bad. Sunday: the last day of the week. It's supposed to be bad, sure, but what happened wasn't bad, it was just ridiculous!

I stole some jewelry from this woman. I should've known that wasn't a good idea, just by the way she looked. I'm a thief, I should know this sort of stuff. Well, I wasn't thinking and I stole a few golden hoop bracelets anyway. I figured I could sell stuff like that anywhere. It was a good idea... at the time.

It's still a blur about what actually happened, though you'd think that by now I'd know. Well, one minute I was running like heck out of that woman's grasp, and the next thing you know I ran into this tall guy (who was also dressed oddly). His clothes didn't match and they were far from the normal sheets for shirts I was used to seeing. Well, this blonde guy saw the bracelets in my hand and lifted me up by my poor tattered toga into the air until my feet were literally off the ground.

His icy blue eyes stared into me and I knew I was as good as dead. No way I was getting out of this one. Good job, Dus, you just ended your career as a thief and landed a one-way ticket to Gods only know where: straight to Pluto's gates, judging by this guy's look. The woman I stole the bracelets from walked over and joined in the "Stare at the Thief" game. Man, they looked mad... They spoke to each other in some weird language, but it was all Greek to me. Actually, it wasn't, 'cause I'd heard Greek before, and that wasn't Greek.

Just as I was sure the tall guy was about to strangle me, a girl about my age came over and started talking to them in the odd language. The girl had short dark hair (weird, she was a girl but had short hair, then again, who am I to talk what with my braid and all) and deep blue eyes. Life and energy just radiated off her as she spoke fluently in that quick language. She cast a glance over at me with a smirk and continued talking. By the way she played with her flowered skirts, toyed innocently with the many bracelets on one hand, and avoided the couple's glares, I'd bet anything she was their daughter. That and the little fact that she looked almost -exactly- like the woman I had robbed (except that the older woman had bright violet eyes instead of blue).

The whole family was just... off somehow. They all had this air of danger and mystery that surrounded them... not to mention the strange clothes and language. Heck, even their skin was a few shades darker than mine (at least the two women's skin was). I wondered, as I hung there from the iron grip of the blonde man, just where they had come from that they looked and spoke so differently.

After a few minutes of the girl's talking, the woman and man exchanged glances, then nodded. I was very relieved to feel the dirt beneath my bare feet once again as I was set, none too gently, back on the ground. Before I had the chance to run off, or even say anything, the young girl with the dark blue eyes grabbed my arm. I swear I heard her say, "Come with me." But it was so heavily accented that I could've been wrong. Either way, she pulled me along behind her towards wherever she was heading.

Rather than risk the wrath of her parents, I followed the girl out past the boundaries of the city. There she pulled me into a tent and sat down on a few blankets. She gestured for me to sit as well, so I did. Like I said, better to listen to her than face the adults. We sat in silence for a few minutes, the girl just staring at me, before I spoke.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." I said grinning at her. The girl nodded and smiled, just sitting there. It was weird. I was starting to think that she didn't speak my language at all... I looked around the small tent to find some answers, but found only the tent's walls and a few blankets and the like scattered along the grassy ground. Huh. "So... what's your name?"

The girl smiled slightly mischievously before replying, "Hilda."

"Hilda. Hi, nice to meet you. I'm..."

"I know. Dus Maxillus, right?"

I nodded, unable to verbally affirm her assumption because I was so shocked. ....that was just weird. It's not like I was famous or anything... How did she know my name? Who was this girl? So many questions rattled through my mind, I barely knew where to begin. Before I could get out the first words of my next question, though, she spoke again, nodding.

"My parents. I told them that there was no point in killing you since they could just take my mother's jewelry back. I also said that you'd be good practice for me."

I had to raise my eyebrow at that, slightly fearing what she would tell me, I asked, "practice?"

She giggled and I swear she blushed, though I couldn't tell: her head was bent down slightly, glimmering blue eyes staring up at me as she responded. "We're Roma. My mother tells fortunes for food and goods, and I need to practice so that I can help provide for the family. I'm getting better, but... I still need more practice."

"Whoa, wait... Fortune telling? You mean you guys are gypsies?"

She rolled her eyes at that remark and rested her elbows on her knees. She sighed slightly, still smirking, answered, "you could say that, I guess," and rested her cheeks on her hands. Those glittering eyes never left me.

"So, you want to tell my fortune?" I asked the obvious question hesitantly, though I don't know why. Something about her just made me nervous. "Is that why you brought me here?" She nodded. I laughed lightly and leaned back onto my arms. "Sure, go ahead."

Still with the mischievous smile, she sat up and said, "I need something close to you, like a lock of your hair." I glared dangerously and grabbed my braid with both hands protectively. She sighed, "Okay, well, clothing would work, too." Her smirk deepened, "the hair or the toga, Dus?"

I gaped at her through my slight blush. "Come on, there's gotta be a third choice!"

The girl continued smirking without answering for a moment, really enjoying my uncomfortable state, before nodding. "Well, jewelry would work too, I guess."

I sighed silently as the pressure was released. I had jewelry. Thank the Gods I had my necklace on. I lifted the silver chain off my head and untangled it from my braid. Just before handing it to the gypsy, though, I asked, "You're not gonna hurt it, are you?" Hilda thought about this for a second then shook her head, raven bangs fluttering across her shining eyes at the motion. I nodded and handed her the necklace.

The girl took it and admired the pendant for a minute. She then held up the silver "x" and asked, "What's this stand for, Dus?"

I shrugged. "I dunno, it's been in my family for ages. My mother said it had something to do with the Gods and protecting me or something." I grew a bit suspicious of the strange girl, "Why do you ask?"

She shrugged, knowing smile once again on her lips, "No reason, really." Hilda placed my necklace on a blanket in front of her. She then took a thin flowered cloth from around her waist and put it next to my necklace. After some rummaging through a near by sack, she placed a small pot and a pitcher on the blanket as well. I was confused, but my eyes were glued to her nimble hands as they danced around the objects efficiently. She poured some water out of the pitcher and into the bowl, then offered it to me. "Take a sip." With no room to argue as the bowl was pressed to my lips, I obeyed, then continued watching in a trance-like state. The girl wrapped my chain in the cloth, then put them both into the water. Once they were soaked, she took a sip.

Hilda took the soaked cloth out of the bowl and unraveled it. My necklace fell with a small splash back into the small pottery. The strange girl then put her cloth to the side and stared into the pot. I watched her for a minute. She just sat there staring. Wondering what could possibly be so interesting in there, I leaned over and joined her in looking into the water. I wasn't shocked by what I saw. My eyes met with the bottom of the pot, my necklace, water, the reflection of a pair of deep blue eyes, and the reflection my own blue-violet eyes. I sat back, sighing and waited for her to finish. Who knew fortune telling could be this boring? After a few more minutes, the girl frowned and looked up at me. I blinked in confusion. "What? Do I have something on my face? What did you see?" The girl dumped the water unceremoniously out into the ground next to her and handed the pendant and chain back to me.

"Are you sure you want to know, Dus?"

I laughed, "Yeah, why not? It's good to know the future, then you know what to expect." I winked at her, but the girl didn't share my cheer. Her face was serious and deep creases marred the tan skin of her forehead.

"Are you really sure?"

Not quite understanding why she had asked twice, I nodded again, "Yeah, of course." Hilda sighed lightly and looked back up to me.

"You're going to die tonight."


The words stopped my breath and I blinked in shock. I must've misheard her or something, that had to be it. "W- what?" She nodded again solemnly. I shook my head in response, "Not -tonight- tonight, right?"

Her shoulders dropped as if to say, 'you're kidding.' "What other 'tonight' is there?"

I kept shaking my head, "No, you must've read the water wrong or something. You're still practicing right? Here." I pushed my chain back in her general direction. "Try again. Do it right this time."

She glared, "I -did- do it right. I may be young, I may be inexperienced, but I know what I saw, Dus." Hilda sighed and pushed my hand back. "I'm sorry."

I sat in silence. No way. I couldn't die. Impossible. I was only fifteen. It's not possible to die at fifteen. I had to be at -least- thirty-five to die. At -least-. But... but what if she was right? Then I was really going to.. die tonight? My voice was soft as I questioned, "How?"

"Hm?" She looked up from where her eyes had rested on her hands.

"How am I supposed to die?"

She corrected forcefully, "You're -going- to die in the Coliseum."

I laughed in relief. "Now I know you're kidding! Only gladiators die there." I sighed deeply. "You almost killed me right here! Don't scare me like that, Hild! I actually believed you for a second..."

Her demeanor remained serious, her eyes remained hard. "I'm not kidding. Fate has determined that you will die tonight, in the Coliseum, by a warrior's hand." She paused, her strong eyes lowering with regret. "I'm sorry, Dus. I don't decide these things."

My mind ran through the possibilities. "No. Uh uh. No way. It's not going to happen. I'm not gonna let it happen. I'll.. I'll just avoid the Coliseum! Yeah!"

She shook her dark head, "Dus..."

Ignoring her, I continued "I'll leave Rome right now and get as far away as possible before nightfall. Then, I can come back, like, tomorrow or sometime after, and pretend I never even met you!"

"Dus, you can't..."

"No! I'm -not- going to die tonight!" I shouted at her. Bad manners, I know: shouting at a girl, a stranger no less. I didn't exactly -care- at the time, though. It didn't really matter anyway, because Hilda wasn't even moved by my screaming.

"You can't run from Fate, Dus."

"Oh yeah?" I stood, prepared to leave. "Watch me."

As I was about to storm out victorious and all manly, she called out, "Wait!" and I was forced to stop. I turned and waited to hear what she said. "I see you intend on fighting your destiny. I can't stop you, no matter how much of an idiot you are." Before I could get in a snide remark, she continued, "However," She held up a finger, "I don't want you making the same mistake repeatedly." The girl sighed lightly. Knowing what her pause meant, I reluctantly sat back down. My nerves were on end, though. I could die at any minute, right? I had to get out before... before what? I just had this gnawing feeling in my gut that I had to leave this tent - and fast.

"Do you believe in past lives?" I gave her a, 'what do you think?' look. "Well, you should. Fate can't be changed. This life, or the next, Dus, you're still going to die on this day." Again, before I could argue (I was getting pretty pissed at her continuously cutting me off and talking like she knew -for a fact- what my future was), she continued, "Everything you've done in your life has been done before and will be done again. The only way I can make you understand this, though, is to let you see it for yourself."

"Really?" I didn't quite understand, but it sounded like she was letting me re-live my life over again? Something like that. Whatever it was, it sounded interesting.

Hilda nodded, "In the future, I can make you aware of your past lives. You can't change Fate, and this will prove it."

My heart was beating faster. This was so twisted... I don't know why I was even believing it.. but I did. "Yes. Prove it. Try. And I'll prove to you that I'm not going to die yet."

She smiled sadly and nodded. Touching the pendant around my neck, Hilda muttered some foreign words and closed her cyan eyes. When she opened them again, she said, "From this life onto the next, you'll remember this day. I hope you realize the consequences."

Damn. There always had to be something, didn't there? All my life as a thief and I -still- didn't know that you can't get anything without a price. "Consequences?" I stuttered out.

The flaps to the tent opened and revealed her father. Hilda nodded to him and the man grabbed me by my collar. "Hilda! What're you doing?! Stop him!"

She shrugged, her eyes glistening with knowledge and mirth. "I'll see you next time, Dus."

"Hilda!" I was dragged out of the tent by my heels and back into the harsh midday light. As he dragged me away, I tried to talk my way out of it, but the blonde didn't respond to me. How could she let her father just take me like that? She -wanted- me to die, didn't she? I didn't know where I was being dragged to, but I had this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach.. and with good reason, too.

When I was finally stopped and hauled up to my feet, I came face to face with a tall woman. She had rich brown eyes and hair to match; said hair was tied up tightly in a bun on the top of her head. The lady was looking down at me with all the ferocity of a tiger. This was so not good... Then I noticed: she was decked out in full armor.

A woman in armor was hard to come by, which just showed how fierce this lady had to be. It also meant she was some sort of warrior. I swallowed deeply. Very not good... The tall blonde man exchanged a glance with her. As crystal blue met the depths of hazel, he spoke one word, "thief."

Oh, great. The one word of my language he probably knows and it has to be my occupation. How lucky can a guy get?! Man, the Gods must hate me... or, uh, Fate does. I was then brutally knocked once to the ground. While my face was in the dust, my arms were forced and tied behind my back. I was actually starting to believe what Hilda had said about my dying... The lady picked me up and held a spear point against my back. Muttering curses, I was forcefully directed closer and closer to the palace of the newly crowned Emperor. Things just kept getting better and better.

Today was definitely not my day.

I was directed into the large white building where I was once again pushed to the floor (but marble tastes a lot better than dirt, trust me). Lucky me, there was a rather large audience to watch me fall on my face. Through one eye I scanned the room. I noticed that some sort of play was being put on, a few of the oddly dressed actors had stopped to stare at me. Nobles and scholars were all around watching the play, men and women alike. In the center of the room, I just barely saw two blondes: one tall woman with twin curls lacing the sides of her face, and one boy about my age with a gold leaf crown resting in his golden hair. I had never seen the Emperor or his mother (the late Empress) this close before, but I didn't exactly have time to dwell on it.

The woman in armor spoke a minute later, "I'm sorry to interrupt your entertainment, Highness, but this boy is a known thief and needs to be dealt with." I sighed, my hot breath leaving a ghost of mist on the cool marble which quickly vanished. Oh yes, I was -so- dead. Thieves aren't normally brought into the palace; they're just thrown into prison. They must've known how long I'd... "This one boy has been plaguing the city for years, but I've finally caught him. I await your permission to deal with him properly."

"-You- caught me?!" My voice sounded oddly rough in comparison to the elegant speaking manor of those around me. "You did not! I was caught by that.. uh!" I was kicked in the stomach. Okay, that hurts enough when a normal foot hits you forcefully in the gut, but when a foot in a metal case hits you... ow. Really ow. I was dizzy with pain for the next few minutes, so I missed exactly what was said. I picked out a few bits and pieces.

"I think that's a little extreme...."

"...this dirt isn't good enough to line your prison cells."

"If I may suggest..."

I know glances were exchanged and more was said, but like I mentioned, I was too busy being curled up in pain to see and hear them. More conversation went on. All I heard was the sharp contrast between the woman's deep alto voice, the young Emperor's higher tenor, and another man's smooth voice which fell somewhere in between. Next thing I knew, I was picked up again, dragged down a lot of dark passages below the palace, and tossed into a prison cell. Apparently, I -was- good enough for the prison. Lucky me. I sat down there in the dark, occupying myself by listening to dripping water of some unknown source. That got annoyingly repetitive after only a few minutes, so I took to thinking instead.

Mainly about Hilda's words and Fate. So... I was going to die in the Coliseum, she said? That'd be better than down in this cell at least. Dying honorable's an okay way to die.. if you have to die at all, I mean. Sure, the Gods weren't all that nice to me when they handed out lives: life as a thief isn't the greatest. Still, any life is better than none. Understandably, I didn't want to die - at least not yet. Wait a few years, then ask me. Maybe though... Maybe Fate wasn't real. Maybe my future could change, and I could still be saved. Yeah, that's it. The future isn't written in stone; I could still change it, I knew I could.

I had to.

I wasn't in that cell for long, actually. At least, I don't think I was. When you sit in the dark just thinking, the passage of time is kind of hard to estimate. Anyhow, I was soon pulled out of my cell, hands still tied tightly behind my back. I was led - guess where?

The Coliseum.

Yup, someone up there hates me. Which God had I angered? Probably all of them, knowing me. That takes talent, you know - there are a lot of gods and goddesses. To anger them all, whew. That's quite the feat. Go me.

I still wouldn't accept it, though. Who cares if Hilda was right about the Coliseum? No way I was dying tonight. I was too young, too unprepared. Give me a few years to prepare. Unfortunately, Fate wasn't about to change her schedule because of me.

I was led into the huge Coliseum and left there - hands still tied, stomach still bruised and throbbing. I looked around and noticed just how huge this place was. It was mind bending. I felt so small in comparison to the open space around me and the gigantic blue sky which was growing darker by the second. Hundreds of thousands of eyes were all watching me, some cheering, some hissing, some just watching. I just wanted to crawl up and die... er, that was just a badly worded expression. I just wanted them all to stop looking at me. I -really- didn't want to die.

The young Emperor came out of a center side of the arena, followed shortly by his mother, a tall man in armor, and two blonde girls about my age, all of whom were dressed in finery for the "event." The Emperor made an announcement to the crowd, his thin voice echoing in a resounding boom across the Coliseum. I couldn't quite make out the words because my eyes had found the opposite doors which drew all of my attention to them. Two large hinged doors stood shortly from me in all their intimidating glory. I didn't know who or what would come out of those doors: a lion? two lions? tigers? a gladiator? a lot of gladiators? something worse? The horrific possibilities were endless. The only solace I had was that Hilda said I would die "by a warrior's hand." ...but she didn't say if I would be attacked by one or more "warriors." I shuddered at the thought. I didn't want to die!

The doors slid open, my heart stopped until a thin figure emerged from the darkness. Loud cheers began as a man in layers of shimmering silver armor stepped out into the setting sun. The light played on his shimmering silver breastplate throwing rainbows of color on the ground before him. The man walked slowly toward me, two swords in hand; each step he took was followed shortly by a clank or chime of his metal armor. Breastplate, gloves, large boots, back plate, helmet, and two swords. I'm willing to admit - I was scared shitless. Who wouldn't be? This guy looked straight from Mt. Olympus, a regular Jupiter himself, and he was holding two (not one, but two) swords like twin lightning bolts: one in each gloved hand. Meanwhile, my hands were tied behind my back and I had no weapons. None. I didn't want to die!!

Oh yeah, Mars hates me. It has to be the God of War. Who else would do this to me? Have me die like this?

There was no way I could fight without a weapon and with my hands tied. No armor, no weapon, no chance. Not to mention that I was a thief, not a gladiator. So I stood, tried to put on a brave face, lifted my chin, and waited for this guy to slit my throat. When he finally reached me, I saw his helmet move up and down as he surveyed my appearance. 'Yeah, I look pathetic, I get it, just kill me!' But my throat wasn't working, so I kept my morbid thoughts to myself. The gladiator looked around at the crowds, as if asking a silent question. They threw him verbal affirmations in response. They wanted blood, but they wanted a fight, too. Apparently, the warrior saw this. He dropped the two swords on the ground with two small clangs, stirring the dusty earth up in small clouds. I looked at him curiously. He then took off both gloves and dropped them as well. The man continued stripping himself of his armor until only his boots and helmet remained. He then took off his helmet and dropped it to the ground as well.

Damn, the guy was beautiful. He had the most gorgeous blue eyes I'd ever seen... they were intense and flooded with emotions that I couldn't quite recognize or pin down. I can't even describe his eyes, like twin lakes bathed in moonlight or some other poetic shit. Yeah, I'm about to die and I'm admiring my future killer's eyes. Got to hand it to me, I have no priorities. I couldn't help it! The guy was hot beyond words! Give me a break!

So this beautiful warrior, who's got to be only a year or two older than me if that, picked up the two swords again. He then circled behind me; that was the worst thing he could've done. I couldn't see him so I didn't know when the blow would hit. I just bent my head forward and prayed that they guy would be kind and kill me quickly.

He didn't. He did something totally unexpected: he cut the rope tying my hands together. I felt the release and immediately stretched my arms and wrists. I turned and looked at him shocked, searching for an answer. Those beautiful eyes so full of hidden emotion were emotionless to me as he handed me one of the two swords I was holding. Oh, right, the whole fight-to-the-death thing. And here I thought he was just being sweet.

I swallowed deeply and took the sword. I'm not a fighter. Sure, I can take care of myself, but I wasn't like this guy. He held his own sword up toward me as if it weighed nothing. Meanwhile, I struggled to hold my sword up at all. When he was sure I was ready, the guy just charged me and took a swipe! I held up my sword, but the reverberations as metal hit metal made my hands shake and tingle. A few more of the same hits and my hands were numb completely. Foolishly, I tried to take a swing at the guy. He easily sidestepped and landed a huge swipe across my back. The stinging made my back arch in pain and I remember seeing a few droplets of blood hit the ground at my feet. The crowd cheered. -Cheered-, damn them.

I took one hand off my sword to clutch at my injured back. The gladiator took this opportunity and landed another harsh uppercut to my side. I shouted in pain and groaned as my knees gave out from under me. I couldn't hold my sword with one hand and still use it, while the other hand was holding my gaping wound (which was currently dousing the dust in think oozing drops of blood between my fingers). Even worse, my mind was going blank except for the awesome pain which was driving right into my spine. Still, I kept one hand on my useless sword as another skillful slash landed across my chest, forcing me to fall on my back. Utterly helpless, and shaking with pain, I lay there waiting to die. My vision became distant as the red mist began closing in on my sight. I stared straight up into the evening stars and saw the harsh, uncaring face of the gladiator as he rose his bloodied sword for a final time. I whispered, "I can't die..." but no sound escaped my lips; instead, a short scratchy wheeze caused a few droplets of blood to trail down my chin.

The last thing I saw were the boy's piercing blue eyes as his sword pierced into my chest with the grating sound of metal against bone. And for a second, I could hear the crowds cheer as my vision blacked out and my steaming blood fled from my grasp and into the dust. As the cheering died down (or when my hearing was lost), I heard the mumbled words so close to my ear that I swear Hilda was lying next to me.

"I'll see you next time, Dus."