Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ It's All Been Done ❯ It's a Hell of a Town ( Chapter 9 )

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

Warnings:
-There is nothing left to warn you about: by now it's all been done (pardon the pun).


Chapter 9: It's a Hell of a Town

"...and if I play the same three chords,
will you just yawn and say...

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


Hiiro.

The name just kept running through my head as I lay there in the black mist. I mean, of all the things to think about after being shot but the name of the guy who shot you! And I just couldn't get the damn name out of my head. After the initial blow, I could hear his voice saying something, but it echoed over itself and the meaning of the words was lost. Then a loud thum, thum, thum, thum, thum, then everything was still. There was nothing after that for a long while; my head was throbbing in a dull rhythm, my heart pounding to the same beat. Everything was hot, clouded, and silent, and in the thick atmosphere I felt secluded, lost, and utterly alone. The black air surrounding me only aided this feeling, and my heart pounding in my chest and head was my only company.


...My heart was beating?

My eyes snapped open as I sat up with a start, my hand flying to my head. I lowered my hand and gazed at it with shock and fear, searching my fingertips, and finding them drenched in sticky warm blood. I screamed without realizing it and didn't stop until something slapped against the side of my face, hard. After a moment of panting, I finally regained my senses enough to see who had hit me: Hilda. After seeing her, I began screaming again, but she only rolled her eyes in response. Eventually, my screams died into more sensible phrases. "What the hell are YOU doin' 'ere?! That's it, I'm SO in Hell! I always knew ya were Satan, I knew it! OhmaGawd, ohmaGawd, ohmaGawd!"

"Oh get over it, Dustyn! You're not dead!" She smiled at the words. "The bullet didn't even hit you."

Still panting, I looked at my bloody hand then held it up to her face. "What's this, huh? It's blood! Blood! I'm bleedin' fa Chissake! Ya said it didn't hit me! Explain that, then!"

With a hint of a smirk, she grabbed the cross around my neck. She then turned both my hand, and cross, towards me, showing how the four points of my cross lined up exactly with four tiny cuts in my palm. I put my other hand to my head and felt around through my hair, but was shocked to find no blood and no holes. Well, shocked in the best possible way, mind you. Other than a bloody hand, I was completely fine. "Bu-- wha-- how?!" Hey, I'd like to see YOU make coherent words if you were in my situation, so don't start.

She laughed once shortly. "I told you, the bullet didn't even hit you. It missed by an inch, at least, and hit the wall behind. If it had hit you, you wouldn't be here right now."

I stared at my one clean hand in confusion. "But, I swear I felt--"

"You fainted." She laughed. "A regular hero, I tell you. Such courage in the face of danger."

"Hero?" I looked around at my surroundings frantically only to find that I wasn't in my prison cell at all. I was in a clean office room sitting on a gray couch. Across the room from me was a desk, and sitting there, working on paperwork was Zeches. He looked up for a second, then once again bowed his head and kept working. A short distance from where I was sitting was an empty chair, and sitting on the couch next to me was Hilda, smirking like a cat. "Where're we? What happened?" I glanced around the room, my eyes resting on the figure at the desk.

Feeling my eyes once again on him, Zeches lifted his head. He raised an eyebrow at the question, but answered solemnly, "In my office. An attempt was made on your life. I heard the commotion, then the gun shot, and when I found you, you were unconscious in your cell. I brought you here and, shortly after, Helene and Lu arrived."

I looked over and shouted at Hilda (who was still smirking triumphantly at me). "I thought I told ya ta stay put!" She shrugged. I looked back down at my hands, then once again ran the clean one through my hair in a nervous way. "Sa I'm not dead? Really not dead? Wait, how'm I not dead?" Then I stared at Hilda with shock, shouting in accusation, "Ya said I was gonna die!"

She continued smirking at me and answered plainly, "I lied."

My mouth nearly dropped to the floor. "Ya... you... whadda ya mean ya lied?! Ya can't lie! That's not.. that... I mean... ah!" I nearly tore my hair out with frustration. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate gypsies? I have? Well not nearly enough, then. I hate gypsies. I goddamn hate them! It's like they live just to fuck around with your life! I bet she got some sick pleasure out of all of this!

"Yesterday, when I read your fortune, I didn't see anything in that bowl of water." She shrugged again as if it weren't anything important. "There was just nothing there (well, nothing but water and a silver chain). It didn't say where you would die, so I made it up." Again, she said it as if it were no fucking deal. I can't believe her. "I guess it was just... fate... that I happened to name the exact place you were almost killed in."

I stared at her in shock. "Ya muth-- Why didn't ya just tell me!? I almost 'ad a 'eartattack! Y'almost killed me! What kinda evil witch 're ya?!"

Shocked expression, she retorted "Witch?! It was for your own good!" I muttered the contrary, but she continued. "I know you, Dustyn, and if I had told you the truth, you would've gotten over confident and blown it for sure."

"Well," I started, "Ya don't know that!" She gave me "a look" and I muttered. "Well, ya don't." After a moment of replaying my near-death experience over in y head to see what I could've done had Hilda told the goddamn truth for once, I looked up with a start, my eyes roaming quickly around the room. "Wait, I need ta talk ta Lena. Soon as possible. Preferably sooner than possible, if that's possible. In fact, now'd be good. Can I talk to 'er now?"

At this, Zeches looked up and eyed me warily, like a wolf deciding whether or not to strike at an unsuspecting deer. "What for?"

"Uh..." I said hesitantly, "It's a kinda personal thing for 'er, I think... ya know, something she might wanna talk 'bout in private. That sorta--"

The man's glare deepened and he went into defense/kill mode. "What for." He repeated, an icy edge in his tone.

I laughed nervously. "It's nothin, bad, I swear! I just really really gotta speak with 'er."

Zeches' glare remained steady, but Hilda butted in (for once I was grateful) and convinced him to at least call Lena up and ask. I smiled my thanks and the gypsy girl just smirked and shrugged. I tell you, all that smirking and shrugging was really starting to piss me off, though. Smirk, shrug, smirk, shrug. She's got some kind of superiority complex thing going, or something. I hope her shoulders fall off one day.

For the next few minutes, we all sat in utter, horrible silence. I kept running my hands through my hair and taking my own pulse, Zeches kept glaring at me, looking down at his paperwork, then glaring at me again every two seconds (really! Every two seconds! I checked my watch!), and the gypsy girl just kept smirking at me like a damned Cheshire cat. Maybe she was one in a past life; she certainly is both crazy and annoying enough. Well, after what seemed like forever, we all looked up at the sound of a bell and the door gliding open. I jumped up, and dashed through the doors and into the main lobby, Zeches and Hilda close at my heels. I couldn't help but smile as I met Lena (again). What can I say? Don't die when you're destined to and suddenly smiling spontaneously doesn't sound so crazy, really. (Plus with my present company, I was glad to talk to ANYONE else.)

She looked past me and addressed her brother, "You wanted to speak with me, Brother?" The girl folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head. Apparently, she was still a bit upset about the argument they'd had the day before. Zeches didn't look all that happy, either, but he never does. Instead of answering (because that would've been the easy, sensible thing to do), Zeches just tossed a glare at me and waited for me to say something. Gee, thanks for the introduction.

"Lena?" I asked hopefully, knowing full well that's who she was, but I had to confirm it anyway. I don't know, but it just didn't sound appropriate to start the conversation with, "Hi, ya boyfriend just tried ta kill me." Yeah, 'cause that would've went over well with the whole family.

"Yes," She said hesitantly, dropping her arms to her side. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"No, not really." I replied frankly, "But I really gotta speak with--" I looked over at Zeches for a second, then back to Lena. "Uh, can we go in the next room er somthin'?"

Taking a precautionary step backwards away from me, she asked suspiciously, "Why? What do you what to talk about?"

I paused at that, thinking of how to respond with Zeches in the room. "Uh... well, it's kind of, ya know, private." I tried to motion my eyes from her to Zeches, but if she caught my look, she was still too suspicious to go anywhere with me. Man, people now a days are so untrusting, don't you think? I mean, I'm only a thief, in a prison, with a bloody hand, and a complete stranger asking to go into a separate room with her! It's not like I was asking her to marry me or anything.

"What do you mean, 'private' ?"

I sighed heavily. She wasn't making this any easier. If I hadn't known better, I'd've thought she WANTED me to talk about her and blue eyes in front of Zeches! I opened my mouth to argue once more when a bell chimed. All eyes in the room turned to the open door and the figure that had just walked in. Upon recognizing who had just entered, my mouth nearly dropped to the floor and my eyes went wide. Of all people to come through that door! I shouted, "Holy shit!" and ducked behind the person closest to me: which happened to be Hilda.

At my exclamation, I managed to catch the warr-- I mean, Hiiro's attention. Apparently he was just as happy to see me as I was to see him, since he immediately pulled out a gun from God-knows-where and aimed at me. In a chain reaction, Zeches then pulled out HIS gun from under that trench coat that he never takes off and aimed it at Hiiro. As for me, I hid behind Hilda so that my killer didn't have a clear shot. What?! You would've done the same! And better her getting shot than me. In fact, I wish he HAD shot at me just to kill HER in the process! "Dustyn! Get off of me!"

Ignoring her, I peered around Hilda's shoulder at Blue Eyes. "Go 'way! I'm not gonna die, the pot 'a water said so!"

I tell you, everyone in the room gave me the strangest looks at that... Then Zeches shouted at Hiiro, "Put the weapon down!"

Ignoring us both, Hiiro stepped forward (which caused me to step, and pull Hilda, backward) until he was even with Lena. Still glaring at me from over the barrel of the gun, he asked her, "Are you all right?"

Oh, I'm so glad he's got his priorities straight. You know, everything was JUST fine until he walked in and pulled a gun on me. As if I was going to touch his girlfriend anyway! I just wanted to talk to her, damn it! But nothing goes my way, ever. I swear, I have the worst luck!

"Hiiro! What do you think you are doing?! Put the gun down!" Lena grabbed his arm and attempted to lower it, but to no avail. Well, at least she tried.

Still not looking in her direction (He was too busy glaring at me. It was weird, he didn't even blink! Ten minutes straight of not blinking. Who can go ten minutes without blinking?! The guy's not human, I tell you.), he asked, "What's he doing here?"

Poking my head from around Hilda's shouder, I happily answered for Lena, "Whut'm -I- doin' 'ere?! I was taken inta custody by a police officer. This's Police 'eadquarters. Now whaddaya THINK I'm doin' 'ere?!"

Seeing the glare intensify, I quickly ducked back behind Hilda, who sighed in response. "I swear, Dustyn--"

"Hiiro, what are you doing?" Lena asked, a genuinely confused expression on her face, "What is all of this about?"

Not wanting to give her a straight answer but not wanting to lie, Hiiro didn't answer at all. He just kept glaring at me, gun raised.

Deciding that SOMEONE should answer, I took the inniative, "I'll tell ya what this's all about, he's tryin' ta kill me again!" I glared at Lena, "And ya know WHY he's tryin' to kill me? 'Cause Tres told 'im to!"

Guess I said the right thing, because that finally got some attention. Zeches' gun lowered a bit and his and Relena's eyes went wide with shock. I could feel Hiiro's glare intensify a bit, so I ducked back behind Hilda. Hey, I never claimed to be brave. Zechs was now glaring at me, too. Great. "Tres? What's he got to do with this?" Then he turned and glared at Hiiro. "Alright, who are you, really?"

Relena was just staring at Hiiro, her eyes slightly wide. Hiiro looked from Zeches to her, then looked down slightly, still not saying anything. He is quite the conversationalist, isn't he?

Sighing, I stepped out from behind Hilda. "Screw this." Fine, they were going to make me do all the dirty work. That's how it ALWAYS is, ya know? I get the bad end of every damn situation. Someone definitly hates me. Maybe it's everyone. Maybe the whole world's out to get me. You know what? I think that's it. I think it's all a big conspiracy to fuck with me. Ha ha, real funny, World. I decided to get it all out really fast, just to get the whole damn thing over with. Let them deal with the consequences, and just let me out of the circle. I was so sick of it all by now. "Look, Tres wants you" I looked at Zeches, "outta his job as comish, so he's tryin' ta frame ya about the whole," I gestured at Hilda, "gypsy... thing. Now that I'm 'ere, I'm gonna take the wrap, and his framin' ya deal won't work. So Tres blackmailed 'im," I pointed at Hiiro "ta kill me and get me outta the way. That way, I'm dead, you go ta jail and he lives 'appily evah aftah." I sighed. "God, this is like a soap opera er somthin'."

Hiiro sighed and put away his gun, but said nothing. In response to the lowering of the gun, I sighed in relief. Zeches just stood there for a minute, taking this all in. After a moment, his head shot up and he shouted at Relena, "You see, I told you he was no good!"

Relena rolled her eyes, "Oh, please don't start this again."

I plopped back into the couch behind me as the two began fighting again for the next twenty or so minutes. Man, those two can argue! Of course, in the end, neither of them won, making the argument completely pointless. After about another hour, the five of us got our stories straight. Zeches found out exactly what Hiiro was being blackmailed over and Relena had to take his gun away quickly before he could kill Hiiro. Another long, boring Pececref Family Argument ensued. Finally, they worked out all of their stupid little life problems: Hiiro agreed not to kill anyone, and Zeches agreed to allow Hiiro and Lena to go out as long as they kept their clothes on at all times. I told you: twisted soap opera.

Okay, the next few days were boring as hell, and I lived them, so trust me, you don't want to hear about them. It was all court proceedings and crap. Long story short (heh, this hasn't really been all the short of a story, has it?), I went and testified that I helped the prisoners escape, and that Zeches was the clueless blonde he looks and didn't know about any of it. Er, not in so many words, but you get the picture. But a funny thing happened, though: Treize and Une never showed up for the trial at all. In fact, they completely vanished... not that anybody really misses them or anything. I was found guilty and tossed back into jail. I don't know how long I would've stayed in there, but Zeches bailed me out pretty quickly. I guess the guy's not all bad. Not only that, but he gave me a job! Cool, huh? I've got to go get trained, then I become a police officer. While it's not the best job I could think of, it's a hell of a lot better than no job at all. But you know what the best thing out of all of this is? I'm going to a police academy in Florida. Florida! Not only do I get out of New York and go half a country away from all of the gypsies and psychos, but I get to go to a beach!

Maybe life's not as bad as I make it.

Er, knock on wood.


That's about all I have to tell, except for a bit of what happened earlier today. I was in a pretty big rush to get out of the damn city, but I figured it was only right to say good-bye to the guy who got me the job. I mean, I only saved Zeches' career and his future family's lives, but I still have to thank HIM. Anyway, I went to the station to say "thanks and so long" to Mr. Comish, when who did I meet there but Hilda. I swear, that damn girl is everywhere, just like, following me, or something.

"So, you're going?" She asked a bit hesitantly (as if she didn't see my coat or the suitcase in my hand).

"Yeah. I need a break. Gotta get outta the city for a while." She nodded, but didn't say anything. After a minute, she looked up at me exclamation, "Oh, I almost fergot! I hadda ask ya a question." She waited expectantly. "When ya told me ya didn't see anythin' in the damn pot, that was a lie, too, wasn't it?" I glared at her suspiciously.

She shrugged and looked off at the wall behind me, "I don't know what you're talking about, Dust."

Dropping my glare, but still questing her I asked, "Ya know when 'n where I'm gonna die, don't you. Why won't ya tell me?"

Her eyes dropped back to mine and she smiled smartly. "Because unlike you, Dustyn, I try not to make the same mistake twice." I glared at her for a moment, and her smile gradually changed until it was genuine. Stepping forward, she hugged me lightly, and whispered, "Sometimes, it's just better not to know." Hilda stepped back, and just stared at me for a minute, then smiled sadly and said, "Have a nice trip."

"Uh, thanks..." I muttered as she walked away. "I think..." After she left, I walked into Milliard's office and got my ticket. You don't know how good it felt to have that thing in my hand... a ticket to freedom from insanity. I got out of the station pretty quickly, grabbing a cab with some cash Milliard gave me.

I felt like I was leaving it all behind, putting the past behind me. I'd escaped death, gave Fate the finger, and now I had a whole life in front of me. But, of course, the past just refused to stayed buried. The whole way onto the plane, I kept seeing people I knew. I mean, not really, but I imagined seeing them. I headed into the airport, turned in my ticket, then decided to grab a snack at one of those mini-McDonalds they have in every airport in the world. So I waited in the line, and when the girl turned around and said, "May I take your order?" I could've sworn it was Hilda asking.

Totally random occurrence, scared the shit out of me. I blinked a few times then asked stupidly, "Beg ya pardon?" She repeated her memorized phrase, and I saw it was just some random teenager and a complete stranger. Hesitantly, I ordered my fries and a soda and got out of there.

Freaky Occurrence Number 2: I went to the men's room and washed my hands. Those fries are good, but damn greasy. When I looked up in the mirror, though, I saw something in the reflection shine, like light hitting metal. When I focused on that section of the mirror, I saw Hiiro standing behind me, a gun raised and aimed at my back. I jumped up straight and turned around, but there was no one there. The room was completely empty. Understandably, I ran out of there pretty damn fast.

Of course, I wasn't done freaking out yet. Nope. When I was sitting in one of those uncomfortable plastic seats waiting for my row number to be called for boarding, another hallucination hit me: literally. I was reading a newspaper I had picked up when something hit the back of my head. I turned around and saw an apple on the ground. Assuming that's what hit me (I felt an apple-shaped bruise forming on the back of my head), I glared behind me, looking for the perpetrator. When I saw, her, though, my jaw dropped and my heart sped up. A few feet away from me stood Marie, that damn little redhead who had pretty good aim for a blind kid. Her dead-looking eyes were wide and she looked like a deer caught in the headlights for a second. A moment later, the expression dropped, and she grinned at me. I tell you, I never thought a little kid could look so evil. Just then, the woman behind the desk called my row for boarding; I turned instinctively, and stood up. When I turned back, the little girl was gone. I assumed she had run off or something. Muttering, I looked down for apple she had thrown, you know, to see if some death-threat were attached to it or something, but it, too was gone. Sure, someone could've picked it up, but I doubt anyone did. Something tells me I just imagined the whole thing. It wouldn't surprise me.

Well, the plane ride's almost over now, and nothing fucked up has happened. I don't think it's going to, though. Call me psychic, but I think everything's going to go okay. Like I said before, everything's finally starting to go all right. I'm going to go to this beachy place, take a few lessons, get a nice easy job as a cop, and relax for a few years. I think I deserve it. Yeah, I DO deserve it. And it's about damn time something went the way it's supposed to for me. I beat fate, this is my reward now: a long, happy life devoid of Killer Warriors and Power-hungry Psychos, Evil Gypsies and Curses that Backfire. Just plan, and simple peace.

Peace.

I could get used to that.