Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Love Among the Ruins ❯ Shot Through the Heart ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: I don't the GW characters or the music. Then what the hell DO I own? Nothing much really.

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

Surprises: There are some. That's all there is to it. ^_^

Genres: Drama, angst, some fluff, and other delightful things.

Warnings: Since this is an operafic, my characters will be even more emotional than they would be as in the original series, so they might be OOC.

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

Gundam Wing: Love Among the Ruins

Act 11: Shot Through the Heart

By Sailor Celaeno

[I shall go far away like the echo of the pious church bell]

"So, what is the plan, Dash?" Duo asked with a cool air in his voice.

"Pretty simple, Maxwell. We're doing an infiltration," replied his new boss, Arnold Ashland.

"Infiltration, eh?" Duo had a bemused smile on his face. "Sounds like the old days back in the war."

"You're one to talk. You're not more than twenty yet and here you are talking like an old man," replied Dash. Dash was a nickname the men called him. As a MOPS commander, he led the special team that Duo had been assigned to.

Duo had so much experience that he was the best resource the elite team needed. "Well, war and conflict age people faster than anything. Some of your other boys should know that better than anyone else."

Dash had a winsome smile. "I know. If only we didn't have to deal with shit like this." Dash sighed. "I'm getting too old to deal with bastards that try to make life so fucked up."

Duo smirked. "Yeah well, these things pop up every now and then. I needed the chance to do something with my life."

"You're a goddamn Gundam pilot. You saved the goddamn world from destroying itself. That's something to live with."

"That's the past, Dash. A man can't live on the glories of the past only. He needs to know he still has a place in the world now. You know what I mean, don't you?" Duo had a slightly sad tone in his voice.

"That doesn't mean you can't think of the past, Maxwell. Mankind needs to see its past to understand why they ended up in the place they are."

"A man looks at his past because he's about to die. He needs to know that his life was worth something before he kicks the bucket. What will I see when that day comes, Dash? Is that time of being a Gundam pilot the only thing worth remembering? If it is, then I've had a pretty short, dull life." Duo simply walked away from Dash with a silent aura about him.

*****

[dreams and visions, and castles in the air]

"You ever heard the story about the monk and the butterfly?" Hilde asked.

Dr. Carlyle nodded. "A monk sleeps in a field and dreams he is a butterfly. And when he wakes…"

"He sees a butterfly like the one in his dream fly by. He asks himself…"

"Am I man dreaming I'm a butterfly? Or…"

"Am I a butterfly dreaming I'm a man?" Hilde smiled a little as she finished the story. "I almost wonder whether or not I'm in some crazy dream that will never end. I wish it was a dream," Hilde sighed. "I thought that I'd wake up in Duo's arms and everything would be fine."

"What about Heero? How did he feel?" asked Carlyle.

*****

[And how do I live? I live.]

Hilde had entered the kitchen with the scent of freshly brewed coffee waiting. Heero was already sitting at the table drinking and reading the paper. "Good morning, Heero."

"Morning Hilde," he looked up long enough to greet her.

"Anything interesting this morning?" she inquired as she poured herself a cup of the aromatic java.

"There's going to be a summit in Rome about the Martian situation. You know who will be there," he said without looking up.

"I see," Hilde said quietly as she looked into her coffee mug. "Are you going?"

Heero was silent for a short moment. "No."

"I know you want to." Hilde had a stern look on her face that matched her tone.

"Relena and I understand that we have completely separated from each other. She doesn't need me around. And I have you with me. She and I are living without each other. Are you able to do the same with Duo?" He retorted and gave Hilde a stern look of his own.

[And murmured in a sweet, melodious voice: "You must live!"]

Hilde appeared sad, but her expression soon hardened. "I am. And I will Heero." She stared into her mug again. "I just wish we didn't have to go around with this life with so much sorrow with ourselves."

"You're really worried about where Duo is." Heero didn't need to hear a word from her. He knew by her silence. "Looks like I'm back and using my hacking skills."

"You'll look for him?" Hilde watched him tenderly.

"You're not the only one who needs to make peace him. I need to move on. We all do."

Hilde nodded. She walked over and softly kissed Heero. "You are a good man. That's why I fell in love with you."

*****

[Do I alone hear this melody?]

Relena wanted to cry. She missed having Duo cheer her up when she had a bad day. It wasn't often that she could find anyone who she could confide all her woes to. She wanted to find a human being to connect with. She lost Hilde, Heero, and now Duo. What was left?

Relena had one person to talk with. She waited at the restaurant and soon spotted Sally approaching. "Good afternoon. Sorry to keep you waiting, but you know how work can be."

"It's all right. I wasn't expecting you to come on the dot. How are you?"

"I'm doing pretty well. Only thing is that Wufei is his usual self. Are you going to stay on Mars long? You look like you need a serious vacation," Sally had a worried look on her face.

[lamenting delight, telling it all]

Relena sighed as they took their seats at a table. "Only in my dreams, Sally. Mars isn't getting any better and I only hope it'll stop. I often wonder will it be like this forever…"

"You haven't slept much, which hardly surprises me. But really, Relena. You should try to find some peace within your heart. When you find that peace, your vision clears and you'll find the answers you're looking for." Sally leaned back into her seat. "It's funny the things you get when you do enough reading, you know?"

Relena smiled back. "I see, Sally. You do surprise me."

"Now, what's the special of the day?" Sally mused as she opened the menu.

*****

"Duo was unabashed about his feelings with Dash. I was glad that Dash talked to Duo after he was reassigned from MOPS. It made me understand how Duo felt before…" Hilde paused.

"I'm sure it was some comfort to you, Hilde."

[How these fragrant words wander around in my mind]

"Yes. I often wondered what Duo felt and did after we split up. Did he resent me? Did he forgive me? I just didn't know what to think. It just wouldn't leave me alone. How could I go on without knowing what was going through his mind? It left me ill at ease. Even now… I realize he died without even mentioning my name. Really, why should he? I broke his heart. So maybe he was better off not thinking about me," Hilde said as she stared at the ticking clock. Not time yet.

"Perhaps. But what happened after your conversation with Heero?"

*****

Hilde and Heero sat at their computers and began searching through the many files attempting to locate the information on Duo's location. "Where do you think he is now?" Hilde broke the short silence.

"Don't know. If I know him, he'll want something interesting to keep him on his toes," Heero had a slight smile as he thought of his old friend.

"Do you suppose he's on… Mars?" Hilde was a more than a little concerned at the idea.

Heero was grim. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

[You feel as if you're dying]

Hilde wasn't sure that she had anything to say in reply. Her heart sunk as she knew in her own heart he was there. He was putting his life in danger just to get away from her and everything that was about their life together. "I…" she just sighed sadly.

Heero reached over and touched her hand. "I know that you still love him. When you find him, tell him what you want to say. Don't go on regretting things that weren't said." Heero turned back to what he was doing.

Hilde looked at him. "Thank you."

"Found him."

Hope at last.

[Tremble with love and hope!]

*****

"So we went off to Mars. I needed to feel like things weren't completely hopeless. I just wanted to see him again. I didn't want him to die. He'd die still hating me. That was what I was most afraid of," Hilde began crying again.

Carlyle sat back in his chair letting his patient release her emotions. "I completely understand. Letting all this off your chest will help you deal with things better."

Hilde wiped her eyes. "All I have to tell you next is… Mars."

To be continued…

1) "Ebben! No Andro Lontana" from "La Wally" by Alfredo Catalani

2) "Che Gelida Manina" from "La Boheme" by Giacomo Puccini

3) "La Mamma Morta" from "Andrea Chenier" by Umberto Giordano

4) "Mild und leise" from "Tristan und Isolde"

5) "Quando men Vo" from "La Boheme" by Giacomo Puccini

6) "Nessun Dorma" from "Turandot" by Giacomo Puccini