Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Through a Child's Eyes ❯ Through a Child's Eyes ( One-Shot )

Through a Child's Eyes

By: Cece Williams

Me: Okay, Duo, take it away.

Duo: Cece here don't own "Gundam Wing." So suing her will be a waste of time.

Me: Thanks, Duo! Here's a Klondike Bar.

Duo: *takes Klondike and runs off saying* And she don't own "Episode Zero!"

Me: *smiles* Anyway, I own Caitlin, however, and what she goes through.

((This is set when she and Duo were little, and it's in her POV.))

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The year is AC187, and I am only six years old. My big brother, Duo, always tells me all the time that everything's going to be okay, but with all this stupid, senseless war going on, how am I, Caitlin Aphrodite Maxwell, supposed to believe that? Yes, that's right; I'm Duo's little sister. Duo's what some people call my bodyguard, because he looked out for me ever since I was little.

Okay, from the time that Dad died, which I was not too young to forget. Mom had died the same day I was born. Dad told me that God wanted to take her home. I had asked him why couldn't God take me home, too, but he had told me that it wasn't my time yet. So, I never knew my mother. Pretty miserable, isn't it, when you can't even remember your own mother, much less who you were named after with your middle name? Duo knew her, but I was clueless.

Just after Dad died from something that I can't even pronounce to begin with; simply put, wherever Duo went, so did I. I guess you could say we were inseparable, like glue. Since I was an orphan, the Federation could really care less about my brother or me. They tried hunting my big brother and me around. Of course, we had escaped them.

But after we were captured was what really scared me. They were yelling and everything, even when I had my ears covered. I wanted it to stop, the yelling, the arguing, the anger; I wanted it all to stop. After all the anger subsided, Duo knelt down in front of me and pulled my hands from my ears, causing me to look up at him. "Looks like we've been taken in," he said.

I didn't know what he meant, but as soon as I saw a huge church, I immediately ran behind Duo. "I'm scared, big brother," I said, fear creeping into my voice like I had just seen a rattlesnake.

He held my small hand. "Don't worry about it, kiddo," he answered; smiling at me although I could tell he was a little scared himself. "We're going to be okay."

Looking into his cobalt blue eyes told me that he was probably just as scared as I was, but he couldn't show it. Not in front of me, anyway. "I wonder what they're like," I said to my brother from behind him.

"I just hope they don't hurt you," was his only answer to me.

Two people were at the door, a priest and a nun. The nun looked towards my direction, but I hid as soon as I saw her. This was where Duo and I were going to stay? Was my brother out of his ever-loving mind? I couldn't trust her; I had no idea if she was from the Federation, the same one that almost separated Duo and me.

As for the priest, I didn't know; he looked too nice to be from the Federation, but still … I didn't know yet if I could trust either one of them. I grabbed on the back of Duo's tank top, burying my face into his back.

I felt my brother move, so I moved in step with him, still burying my face in his back. I took my face from his back and looked around. It was a big place, lots of pews, a really big altar, but what really made me freeze was the stained glass window. It was so beautiful, a dove in the middle of a thunderstorm. It reminded me of how many times Duo held me from all the nightmares I had.

"Hi there, little girl," a voice said from behind me.

I wheeled around, frantically looking for my brother. Where was he? I started backing myself until I was against a wall. Trapped like a rat, as the old saying went. My breathing started getting more sparingly as I looked up; it was only the priest.

"There's no need to be afraid," he continued, reaching one hand to my head. I didn't move, not that I really had a choice. "What's your name, child?"

I guess you could say that my voice was stuck in my throat. I couldn't tell him, not without my brother near me. My cobalt blue eyes looked around again for my big brother.

"This is my little sister," a familiar voice said from behind me. I turned around and saw my brother. Tears welled in my eyes as I grabbed his arm and held on. "It's okay, sis; he's not going to hurt you," I heard him saying to me.

I looked up, suddenly embarrassed at myself. He wasn't trying to hurt me at all; he just simply wanted my name. "I'm Caitlin," I managed to say although my voice didn't want to cooperate.

"That's a beautiful name," he answered, kneeling in front of me. "I know you're scared here, Caitlin, but I promise you, you'll like it here."

"Who are you guys?" I asked him.

"Well, I'm Father Maxwell, and that nice lady over there is Sister Helen," he answered, patting my head lightly with his hand. "We're going to take care of you and your brother."

"You're not going to separate us, are you?" I asked him.

"No, we wouldn't dream of it," he answered. "I understand how siblings are supposed to stick together, and your brother's here, too. So, you shouldn't have anything to worry about."

I nodded slightly, blinking rapidly for a few seconds until he had left my view. The next thing I saw was my brother's hand on my shoulder. "We'll be okay here, Caitlin," Duo said, walking in front of me and kneeling in front of me.

"What about death, Duo?" I asked him. "Death separates people, doesn't it, big brother?" I looked up at him with tears in my eyes.

He shook his head, smiling. "Nah, death can't do a thing to us, sis," he answered, holding me in a hug. "No one's ever going to tear us apart again."

I hugged him back, or as much as my little arms could handle, feeling his hand stroking my hair, which covered half of my back. "You promise?"

"I promise you that, Caitlin," he answered, patting my back near my shoulder blades. "Not even the Federation can tear us apart."

A few weeks went by, and one day, I went into a room in the church and saw a person sitting in a chair. I thought he looked familiar, but he had a long braid, much like mine, except I had two. I walked in the room to see who this person was, and much to my surprise, it was none other than my own brother. "Duo, they did your hair, too?" I asked him.

Duo turned his head towards me. "Yeah," he answered, smiling as he usually did. "That's really a cute look for you; you look like a cute little Dutch girl."

My hair was in two braids with part of my bangs framing my face. Everyone else thought I looked cute. I had to admit, a long river of hair is never a good thing, especially if your older brother's got longer hair than you. "Wow, everyone I talk to thinks I'm cute," I answered him.

"Yeah, but that's what you are," he answered me. "Cutie."

I rolled my eyes. "Duo, no one's ever did my hair before," I told him. I felt important, possibly for the first time since Dad died. I looked at my clothes, a nun's outfit that was a little bit too big for me. Then, I looked at my brother; he had on a priest's uniform that was a little big for him as well. I spun around, not realizing that it was still too big for me, and fell to the floor; luckily, he caught me.

"Caitlin, I wouldn't try that again if I were you," he said to me.

I smiled, one of several traits I got from my brother. "You got it," I answered him, feeling him wrap an arm around my shoulders.

For almost an entire year, everything was great. Father Maxwell thought of me as if I were his own daughter. I think Duo saw that as well. I sang almost every single hymn in the old church hymnal, developed a sense of trust with them, and loved them as if they were the only parents I had. I was starting to have a real family again. I felt as if my life couldn't get any better, but one day, everything and everyone that I knew was going to be gone.

The year now was AC 188, and I had finally turned seven. I woke up that day, and I heard people groaning, possibly from fighting, from another room. Yawning, I opened my eyes and walked to the door of my room; I had slept in my same clothes. Inside, there were almost twenty or so soldiers in the church; one of them had grabbed my shoulder.

As I looked up at him, he looked about twenty or so, maybe older. "Miss, can you please tell me where the others are?" he asked.

Being the nice person that I was, I couldn't help but answer his question. "Sure; I think they're in a room about five doors to your left," I answered.

As he left, I heard him say, "Thank you; you're an angel." I looked back down the hall to where the sanctuary was, and I saw another several soldiers standing in there, talking about getting a Mobile Suit. I leaned against the wall, hearing the conversation.

"All we need is one more suit," one of the soldiers said triumphantly.

A very familiar voice shot through my skin like a hot knife through butter. "Haven't we had enough of this?" Father Maxwell, my "dad", was standing off against them. Was he a total idiot? He's going to get himself killed!

As I stepped closer to the doorway, the conversation got heated … really heated, possibly to the point where there was going to be smoke coming out of someone's ears. As the Father was talking about peace, the guy hit him with the butt of his rifle. Tears swelled in my eyes as I watched him fall to the floor. I suddenly couldn't take anymore; I ran out to where he fell. "Father!" I knelt at his side, brushing the hair from his forehead. "Father, please wake up!"

He seemed to open his eyes a little. "C-Caitlin," the first word he could get out. "Please, get out of here; may God bless you … my daughter."

The last two words shocked me. My daughter? Fighting back tears, I nodded and sprinted to the door, only to be met by another soldier, who grabbed me by my neck. I was struggling to breathe, thinking only one thought: Is this how I'm supposed to leave this wretched life?

"You said you wanted a Mobile Suit?" a familiar voice shouted.

I struggled to move my head a little and see Sister with a mark on her face; she must have been slapped or something. She was next to Father, but who was that voice? I focused my eyes a little to my left and saw Duo standing there, an angry look on his face, a look that I had only seen several times. "Duo!" I screamed, although the pressure on my neck was not a good thing.

From what I could see, he didn't look happy about my situation … not one little bit. "Let her go; she's only a child!" he shouted to him.

He set me back on the floor on my feet, but I then fell to my knees, coughing. I had really thought that that guy was going to kill me. Duo's voice sounded warped; perhaps it was from almost being choked to death. "I'll steal one for you, but I want you guys out of here!" It sounded like he was in demand.

I looked up at him; he looked so defiant at what they were doing. I held a hand to my throat, squinting my eyes shut. The pain was worse than I thought. I opened my eyes again, this time seeing Duo turn to go. They seemed preoccupied with them, so I snuck back through the door until I heard gunfire only several feet away from me. I managed to get into another room and stay where I was until the noise receded. Maybe they thought they got me.

After about three hours, the noise finally stopped, causing me to open my eyes again. I wasn't hurt; maybe headaches that will last a few hours, but nothing major. All of a sudden, a thought came to me: Duo. Was he all right? Was he hurt? I didn't want to think about what else could have happened to him. My heart was beating to the point of it almost popping out of my chest. I walked around the rubble, trying to find any other people alive. Father Maxwell, Sister Helen, … and possibly my big brother as well, were all gone. The tears filled my eyes and slid down my face like two blue rivers.

Amidst the chaos, I started crying for the three people that I had cared so much about … and how they were suddenly taken from me. "Why did you kill my family?" I ended up screaming. "What have they ever done to you?" Several more years seemed to pass by quicker than I thought.

AC192. Now, I am eleven. The chaos seems to be getting worse by the day. Without my big brother to protect me, I guess I'm really screwed. I ended up being in a shelter until I ran away. Now, I'm still running, hearing a rumor in my head that someone had "made a deal" with the God of Death. My eyes shoot open upon hearing this. My brother always talked about him. Maybe he wasn't dead after all! It's still a possibility, but I can't help it; if my brother is alive, I will be the happiest person in the colony.

I end up walking through a hallway, looking around cautiously. How am I supposed to know who can and cannot be trusted? What am I going to find … or most likely, who? Hopefully, my brother's somewhere in this place.

All of a sudden, someone grabs my arm in a tight hold. I try to break free, but evidently this guy's grip's stronger than my resistance. He ends up dragging me down the hallway, but we stop at a door. This isn't where I wanted to go. Why is he taking me here?

"We found an intruder," he tells some guy. When he turns around, my eyes literally almost pop out of my head. His face looks so familiar, yet it looks different. When he saw me, his face was almost like mine.

My eyes travel to his hair; when I saw the braid, my eyes tear up, mouthing his name, "Duo." I look up and try to dry my eyes, but he is now in front of me. "Caitlin … I thought …" was all he could get out.

I run up unexpectedly, hugging him as tight as I could. "Duo!" I ended up crying out his name. "I thought you were dead."

I had finally found my brother, but as Duo had told me when I was younger, "This is only the beginning." He's right, you know. Ever since I found him, my life will never be the same.

((Now that you know about Caitlin, please R & R.))