Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Bond of Friendship ❯ Epilogue

'...' denotes thoughts

~~...~~ flashbacks

The Bond of Friendship
By Mika-chan

Epilogue

Quatre slowly opened his eyes, blinking and waited for his vision to clear. Once it did his eyes met calm green ones. It was then that he felt something cold on his forehead.

"Quatre?"

The Arabian looked up curiously at the brunette and slowly sat up, pulling off the cool compress as he did. He brushed a hand through his blonde hair. "What happened?"

Trowa took the white cloth from his hands before turning away, placing it into the water basin beside him. "You fell ill two days ago after the mission at Balsi. When we landed and you didn't come out of your Gundam, Duo found you unconscious in Sandrock. Your temperature was very high and you were hallucinating at times, much so, that we had to restrain you." He turned back to the bed. "Are you feeling better?"

Quatre blinked. "A-Aa. I am. Thank you."

Trowa nodded and lifted up the basin and walked to the adjoining bathroom.

Quatre raised a hand to his temple. 'It was all a dream??' He sighed, closing his eyes. 'It seemed so real . . . '

~~"KA-TO-RUUU! Come out and PLAAAAAA-AY!"~~

~~"Thank you for the ice cream, Quatre."~~

~~"MAXWELL!! Come back with my bokken!"~~

~~"How in the WORLD did we ever let you talk us into this Maxwell?!"~~

~~"What? I think Trowa looks pretty cute with red hair. Don't you think so Quatre?"~~

~~"Get that hat AWAY from me!!"~~

~~" . . . you killed it, Heero!"~~

"Duo, omae o korosu!"

"Why thank you, Heero! I love you too!"

Quatre opened his eyes at the familiar loud voices and watched as his other three comrades appeared through his doorway. Wufei was currently trying to restrain the Wing pilot from terminating Duo right then and there as the braided teen entered his room. "Yo Quatre! You feeling better?"

"Aa," Quatre replied, removing his hand from his forehead. "Much better."

"That's good," the braided pilot said as he sat down in the chair that Trowa had just so recently occupied, and then inhaled a big breath. "You scared the crap out of us when we found you in Sandrock! What the HELL were you thinking piloting when you were sick?! You could have gotten yourself killed!"

Despite the brash scolding, Quatre didn't shrink back at all rather he smiled. "Thank you, Duo," he said, voice sincere. "For worrying about me. You truly are a great friend."

"Eh? Oh, sure . . . " Duo scratched his head in puzzlement and then pointed a single digit at him. "Just don't ever do that again . . ."

Quatre nodded before Duo leaned forward.

" . . . I don't think Trowa could take another shock like that." Duo moved back and gave his trademark cheeky grin and a wink as Quatre sat, a bit stunned by the words.

"Maxwell, you're not purposely trying to make Quatre have another relapse are you?"

"Duuu-O! My name is Duuu-O. Can you say that? Let's try together. Duuuu-O!"

Quatre had to cover his mouth before he could laugh out loud, watching the all too familiar display.

Wufei stared uncaringly at the American and the latter threw up his arms. "Forget it! Come on Heero," he said latching onto the pilot's arm. "I wanna try out some of those new explosives you got."

"Duo . . ."

Quatre watched as the two left, leaving only him and Wufei in the room.

"It's good to see that you are well again, Quatre."

"Thank you Wufei. Did I miss anything while I was . . . out?"

Wufei sat down on the chair, giving his negative. "The only excitement we've had around here was when Maxw--Duo stole some of Heero's C4 and began detonating them in your backyard. I hope you don't mind a few more holes."

"Er . . . no, not at all."

Trowa took that point to reenter the room, hands wiping on a paper towel.

"I have to go practice," Wufei said, standing up. "I'll see you later, Quatre."

Quatre waved as he left and then leaned back on the headboard closing his eyes, random images beginning to flash across his mind.

'It was such a nice dream . . .'

~~Duo laughing. _Really_ laughing as he chased Trowa around the lawn with Wufei's bokken.~~

~~Wufei pointing his bokken at Duo's nose.~~

~~Heero accepting an ice cream, lips curving upwards.~~

~~Trowa's happy face as they played tag.~~

No war.

He didn't want to open his eyes.

If he did, reality would smack him right in the face.

"Quatre?"

But for that voice . . .

He opened his eyes. Trowa looked at him strangely, and he could guess why.

"Thank you, Trowa," he said after some time. "For taking care of me."

Trowa was silent, settling into his seat once more. "You know you'd do the same for us," he said simply yet in his detached Trowa way.

~~Aww, you know you'd do the same for us, right guys?"~~

Quatre smiled and looked out his bedroom window to the blue sky outside. Five youthful boys looked back at him smiling, arms slung around each other's shoulders. He turned back and stared into green eyes, his own eyes holding an overall sense of understanding. "Aa," he said quietly. "We are friends after all."

War or no war, the bond of our friendship will last for all time.

The End

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes
Lyrics by Mack David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston

A dream is a wish your heart makes
when you're fast asleep
In dreams you will lose your heartache
whatever you wish for you keep

Have faith in your dreams and someday
your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
if you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true

No matter how your heart is grieving
if you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true.

Additional Note (December 10, 2000):

Ano~ *scratches back of head* I didn't think people would have trouble understanding this story as I felt it was pretty straightforward ^_^;; But I suppose I may have been wrong (??). In any case, yes this entire story was a dream, save for the epilogue. And as for Quatre's wish, *takes on a professor's tone* if you look at the lyrics or even the title of the song above "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes," Quatre's dream was what he wished for: a world without war and where he and the other pilots could have a childhood = fairly normal life. Now you might be saying "but that was ten-year-old Quatre making the wish, not real life Quatre," but they are one in the same. Dream Quatre is really the subconscious of Quatre. Umm, hope that made sense ^_^;

Mika-chan
April 10, 2000
Revised: October 26, 2000