Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Love Among the Ruins ❯ Strangers ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the story as a whole.

Pairings: 1xR? 2xH? 1xH? This will be a mystery to the end. ^_^

Surprises: Of course there are! Don't be ridiculous!

Genres: Drama, angst, and well… stuff.

Warnings: It's an operafic, so get the Kleenex and prepare your threats to get me to release more chapters. ^_^

AN: To my beta Daniel, and the reviewers. Thanks for the love. ^_^ The brackets indicate opera libretto.

Gundam Wing: Love Among the Ruins

Act 10: Strangers

By Sailor Celaeno

"Sometimes, when I think back to that day I saw Duo again, I found it hard to believe that he could ever be so sad. I thought he was so happy with life, but I could see that he was more hurt than I thought he would be. It was after he spoke to you doctor. He was seeing you because Simon and Felix did die at the raid. I'll never forget him as he was that day," Hilde said softly.

*****

[the tears of pain]

Duo walked down the hallway from Doctor Carlyle's office. Hilde's department was not far away and she soon spotted him walking near her cubicle. She quickly went towards Duo and called out, "Duo! Wait!"

Duo reluctantly stopped and waited for Hilde to approach. "You wanted to talk to me Preventer?" he said with a businesslike tone.

"Duo… What's with the formality?" she asked meekly.

Duo had a small chuckle. "This is Preventer Headquarters. We're on duty, Preventer, so we should address each other accordingly."

"You're going to be like that, are you?" Hilde said with some annoyance. "If you want to be that way, Preventer, then so be it," Hilde replied.

"Was there something you wanted to speak to me about?" Duo continued his disinterestedness.

"I thought you were on Mars. What are you doing back here?" she asked.

"Some of the guys thought I should come back for a visit. See a shrink," he spoke casually.

"Shrink? Why?" she frowned with concern.

"Simon and Felix are dead."

Hilde gasped. "They… they are? Oh dear God. What… what happened?"

[My history is brief]

"They were on a drug raid. There was a shootout. They both got hit. I was their closest friend, so they wanted me to take leave for a couple weeks. Get grief counseling and all that. You'll be seeing me around again for the next couple of weeks. Then I'll be off to Mars again," he replied with little emotion.

"Why won't you talk to me?" she went straight to the most important issue on her mind.

"I don't have much to say to you, Hilde."

"Duo… I just wanted to talk. Do you hate me that much that you won't even give me ten minutes to tell you what I really wanted to say to you?" she began crying as she looked at him with tender, sad eyes.

Duo looked at her and replied quietly. "Fine. Let's go outside."

[Do you understand me?]

They were alone outside and Hilde was excited by the opportunity. Duo had shoved his hands into his pockets and was silent the entire time. "Duo?"

"Yeah?" he answered to make sure he didn't make her cry again.

"I've missed you."

"I see," was his reply.

"Is that all you have to say?" she looked up at him.

"Not much to say at this point you know Hilde? I don't see that it's the time to talk about this anymore, Hilde."

Hilde frowned. "Why must you make things so difficult? Can't we have a civil conversation without having another argument? I don't want to make it more difficult," she said sadly.

Duo sighed. "What else is there to say? You're with Heero, and I'm alone again. What's more is there to talk about?"

"Things aren't doing so well with Heero."

"Oh?" Duo feigned surprise. "What can't decide what color the apartment walls should be?"

"He can't forget Relena. And I… I can't forget you."

[All of a sudden, it is silent]

Duo just stood there silently listening and pondering what she was telling him.

"Duo?" she asked him. She reached her hand to touch his face gently.

As she gently rubbed his cheek, he reached and touched her hand. "Why did you have to tell me that now?"

"I can't explain it. It felt like I had to say it or I'd regret not saying what was in my heart," she said.

He quietly wrapped his arms around. "Oh Hilde…" he leaned down and kissed her deeply and more passionately than he had in a long time.

When he let her go, her heart fluttered. "Duo…" she sighed.

[dream away]

He let her go. "Don't let it go to your head. I thought I'd give you something to remember me by. It might make you sleep easier with something pleasant from me," he replied frankly.

"You're being mean and cruel," she retorted.

"You're one to talk," he huffed. "You're telling me things that don't even matter anymore. You think that saying that you can't forget me would make things easier and we'd be happy again. Don't be foolish, Hilde. I'm here to wrap up some business that has nothing to do with you."

"Are you really that bitter and vengeful?"

"Not bitter, not vengeful. I'm just a man trying live his life all over again, trying to find a new life for myself. That means leaving the past behind. That's why I'm here."

"I see."

Duo walked away. Hilde was left with one thought. She'd find a way into his life, even if she had follow him to Mars.

*****

[I only think of you]

"Relena?"

"Heero?" She looked at him as he approached her. Her eyes were wide with surprise at seeing him by her office.

"I want talk to you," he replied.

"Aren't we doing that already?" she offered him an amused smile.

"It's important."

"I see. Then sit down," she gestured to the chair opposite hers.

"I'm glad to see I caught you at a good time. You've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to see you. Are you getting enough sleep?" he continued the conversation with the sound of worry in his voice.

"Enough to get by." Relena watched as his countenance turned into a look of disapproval. "Don't you start about that. Nine hours of sleep is a luxury to me now. They simply haven't invented enough hours for a person to get things done!" she replied with an angry huff.

"Grumpiness is a sign of insomnia," Heero replied.

"Don't you dare! Just tell me what you wanted to say to me so badly. You know I don't often get a relatively peaceful hour anymore," she returned with a slight growl of annoyance.

"Fine then. I was hoping we could start over," he said with no attempt to make any fancy speech.

Relena stared at him with disbelief. "What?"

"I realized that we ended things the wrong way and that I should have been more careful of what you really needed." He paused to watch her reaction. When she didn't interrupt, he continued. "For a while now, I began looking back on how things were going and I knew how hard it was for you to find out about me and Hilde. It was never easy for any of us. It's selfish of me loving you, while I was with her, just as it was it was selfish of me to have feelings when I was with you. It's no excuse, but…" he paused to sigh. "… I was as confused too. I don't make sense do I? How can a person not know how he really feels?"

Relena listened to him silently. She could see the turmoil in his face as he tried to explain himself. "No… I do understand."

"What? You do?" he looked at her with surprise.

"It's part of being human… to have feelings for people. We don't… we aren't born loving one person. How could we? It's selfish to have someone only love you and no one else isn't it? We can't help whom other people love. That's real love, Heero. The ability to care for someone… and understand that they won't be next to you 24/7. Sometimes loving someone is pain, but…"

[the pain of death]

"But?" Heero spoke quietly.

Relena had a sad smile as she continued. "…but the pain is worth it because the memory of their presence makes you warm inside."

"Is it too late? Is it, Relena?"

"I don't know, Heero. I'm not sure."

"I'll always remember… the memory of your presence."

Relena just watched him with a tender sparkle in her eyes.

*****

[fluttering inside night and day]

"I'm no one special. Yet how can I be feeling such love, longing, and fear like some… heroine in a great tragedy? It doesn't make much sense. Why does my life have to be this way?" Hilde murmured as she stared up at the ceiling again.

"No one ever wants bad things to happen. As for these feelings you're expressing, it means you're human. You're alive. You think you're no one special, but you are. You're special to the ones that love you. Isn't that what matters?" the doctor replied.

Hilde had a sad, tiny smile. "I wish I had I heard those words earlier. They might the rest of my story easier to deal with."

To be continued…

1)"Vesti La Giubba" from "I Pagliacci" by Ruggero Leoncavallo

2) "Mi chiamano Mimì" from "La Bohème" by Giacomo Puccini

3) "Votre toast, je peux vous le render" from "Carmen" by Georges Bizet

4) "Recondita Armonia" from "Tosca" by Giacomo Puccini

5) "Der Hölle Rache" from "The Magic Flute" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

6) "Non Piu Andrai" from "The Marriage of Figaro" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart