Silent Waltz          by Hikari-chan (Comet~Princess)

Disclaimer: I´ve already screwed over the original storyline of both Sailormoon and Gundam Wing so much with this story that you can tell I didn´t come up with the original. =P

AN: When I first hinted that Heero and Usagi had a past together, almost every person who reviewed asked me how they knew each other. In the past couple of chapters, I´ve also hinted that Heero has a history with Mamoru, but only two or three reviewers seemed to have picked up on it. -_-;;; Is this supposed to tell me something? O.o Oh well, whether you´re interested or not, I´m going to develop Mamoru´s character a little more in this chapter. I have a feeling you´ll just be more confused though. -_-;;;

Angel of Ice: I honestly don´t know. I just visualize it as the perfect ending to the chapter. The "perfect ending" is always a cliffhanger though. -_-;;;

siren: Yea! One more person who noticed that Heero also has a history with Mamoru!

To everyone else who reviewed: *tackle glomps* I love you all! Even if you hate me after the last chapter. =D I really do appreciate all your comments. The good, the bad, and the ugly. ^^ And if you mentioned wanting to kill me in your review, line up. =P I lost count of the number of people. Oh yea, and you have to wait till I get my cloning machine in here. *runs out*

I hope you like! Enjoy, minna!

****************************************************

Chapter 10 - Perfect Soldiers

****************************************************

Duo felt a cold chill run through him like nothing he had ever experienced before. How was Heero supposed to make that decision?! On one hand, preventing the enemy from getting their hands on the cannon plans was part of their mission, and Heero never ever failed a mission. On the other hand, they couldn´t just give up on Usagi. Heck, even if he and Trowa were willing to give up on the blond haired girl´s life, Mr. Tsukino wouldn´t, and he had a good hunch that Heero wouldn´t either.

Duo opened his mouth to comment on this condition, but Kenji beat him to it with a loud cry of "WHAT?!"

Mamoru rolled his eyes and cast a brief glance at the older man, never loosening his hold on the girl. "This has nothing to do with you. Stay out of it," he stated coldly.

"That´s my daughter!" Kenji answered. "You can´t kill her!"

"Is that right?" Mamoru replied.

He was about to say more when Usagi interrupted them. "Dad, it´ll be okay," she reassured him. "Just stay calm. If you can´t win the fight against your emotions, you won´t win the fight on the battlefield."

Heero gave a start, realizing that she had just quoted something he had taught her. Mamoru also noticed that those words were familiar. He turned back to Heero, deciding to ignore his earlier conversation with Kenji. "You wouldn´t want this wonderful student of yours to go to waste, would you?" he taunted. "Give me the cannon plans, and I´ll release her."

"How can we trust you?" Trowa asked suddenly, his visible eye gleaming with suspicion.

"If there´s one thing I pride myself on, it´s my word," Mamoru answered, not bothering to look at the former pilot of Heavyarms. "J´s Perfect Soldier knows perfectly well that I will do what I say."

"I´ll give you the plans!" Kenji burst out, having gotten over Usagi´s earlier comment to him. "Just don´t harm my daughter!"

Mamoru gritted his teeth. "My choice was offered to the Perfect Soldier. I want no other input," he forced himself to reply calmly. "If you say anything else, I will shoot her regardless of the cannon plans."

Kenji snapped his mouth shut, frowning in frustration.

Duo tried to think of a way of getting out of this with Usagi and the cannon plans, but nothing came to mind. He did, however, come up with a mean to prolong their time. "We don´t have the cannon plans here," he informed the annoyed Mamoru. "We´ll have to go get it."

Mamoru narrowed his eyes. "Too bad this was a one-time offer. I don´t wait," he answered darkly, getting ready to pull the trigger.

Usagi closed her eyes. She wasn´t quite sure whether or not she was afraid of death, but she knew that she didn´t want to die yet. There were so many more things in life that she hadn´t had a chance to do, so many things she never said, but it looked like she might never have those chances. . . .

"Wait," Heero´s calm voice rang out.

Mamoru raised an interested eyebrow, his finger still on the trigger.

Slowly, as to make sure that the soldiers with the rifles know that he wasn´t getting a weapon, Heero reached for the disk he had slipped into his waistband before he came into the base. He looked across the room with unreadable eyes at his teammates before stating softly, "Mission aborted."

Duo and Trowa both looked at him with surprise written clearly in their expressions. Of all the people in the world who would do something like this, Heero was certainly the last on the list.

"Here are the plans," Heero continued in his monotone. "Release her."

Mamoru smirked, giving a brief nod to the soldier closest to him. The soldier got up and walked towards Heero, taking the disk from him. He walked to one of the many computer terminals and inserted the disk. Kenji´s eyes widened considerably when he realized that the blueprints now flashing on the giant screen of the control room were, indeed, the plans he had designed.

"Good, good," Mamoru muttered, clicking the safety back onto his gun and hauling Usagi over to Heero. "And as promised, here´s your girlfriend."

Usagi blushed as Heero wrapped a protective arm around her waist. She glanced at her father out of the corner of her eye to note that he had not missed the black haired man´s comment. She sighed softly, realizing that she and Heero would have a lot of explaining to do after they got out of here.

"I must say that I´m pleased, surprised, and disappointed all at the same time," Mamoru mused aloud, signaling a few soldiers to escort Duo, Trowa, and Kenji over to them. "My plan worked wonders, yet, I´m rather surprised at your choice. I was expecting the opposite, especially from you."

He ignored the death glare that Heero was sending his way, finding it rather amusing if anything. "I´ll have three of my guards escort you to the exit," he continued. "I´m sure you will cooperate." He picked up the gun Heero had dropped to the floor earlier, spinning it on his index finger like a cowboy from Western movies. "After you, Perfect Soldier. I´m sure we´ll meet again."

Wordlessly, the group walked out of the control room, followed by three guards whose rifles pointed at their backs. Kenji used all of his willpower to keep his control while watching Heero and Usagi walk in front of him. It seemed to him that they were walking closer and closer together with every corner they were told to turn. It took everything in him not to go over there and throttle the boy who had his arm around his precious daughter.

Soon, they reached the way they had come in, and with a quick push of a few buttons, the large doors opened. Usagi squinted at the sunlight, having been inside the base for a long time. As soon as Duo, the last person in their group, stepped through the door, it hissed shut, leaving them outside.

Before Kenji could open his mouth, Heero spoke up, "Let´s find Quatre and Wufei and get out of here. We need to come up with a new plan before we act again. We´re currently greatly outnumbered, and Mamoru won´t refrain from gunfire for long."

Duo and Trowa both nodded, getting their guns from their waistbands. Heero took out one from inside his jacket and looked questioningly at Usagi.

"I have one," she stated calmly, removing the gun he had left with her before. "He took out the bullets though."

Heero nodded in understanding, and gave her an extra clip that he carried. She expertly loaded the gun right in front of Duo and Kenji´s shocked faces.

"Usagi. . . ." Kenji trailed off, not knowing how to respond to seeing his "innocent" daughter load a gun that she carried on her.

"I´ll explain later, Dad," Usagi replied, purposely avoiding his eyes. "Let´s get back to Quatre´s mansion first."

Kenji nodded dumbly, and accepted the extra gun Trowa handed him. Today had been full of surprises for him. . . and it wasn´t over yet.

~*~*~*~*~

Usagi stumbled backwards as soon as she was tackled by a sobbing Minako.

"Usagi, I´m so glad you´re safe! I´m so sorry! I should have been there with you!" she continued to apologize.

Usagi smiled, hugging her cousin tightly. "I´m okay now. Don´t cry, Minako. I´m sorry too," she replied.

She looked up to see Ikuko standing behind Minako, and she smiled shakily at her mother. "I didn´t know you and Dad were here, Mom."

She removed herself from Minako´s bear hug to embrace her mother, who returned it heartily.

"The mission was successful then?" Lady Une asked from the end of the large hallway.

Duo glanced nervously at Trowa, who shrugged in return. How were they supposed to explain this turn of events? Quatre and Wufei looked curiously at the two of them once they noticed this exchange of looks. Since Usagi had been alive, they had merely assumed that the mission had gone as planned, much to the blond-haired boy´s relief.

"No, it was aborted," Heero stated calmly, walking away without another word to any of them. They watched silently as he turned the corner and climbed up the set of stairs to the second floor, disappearing from their sight.

Une frowned, looking back at the other pilots, confused. "Aborted?" she echoed.

Trowa pointed silently to Duo, who muttered, "Me again? Doesn´t anyone else here know how to talk?"

"Just spill it, Maxwell," Wufei snapped, impatient.

Duo stuck out his tongue at the Chinese boy, who grew red with rage. However, before he could say anything, Quatre quickly stepped in between them. "Later," he commanded, shooting a glare of his own at Wufei. "I think we all want to know what Heero meant. Go on, Duo."

The braided boy shrugged. "You know the mission," he started. "Well, Usagi was held at gunpoint, and the guy, I think Heero called him Mamoru, told him to choose between the cannon plans and Usagi. Considering Usagi´s alive, I think you understand what Heero chose."

"Wait, Yuy handed over the cannon plans to save the onna´s life?" Wufei questioned.

Trowa nodded in confirmation, and even Kenji, who had been the other person present, sighed in agreement. "Yes, I suppose I should be grateful to the boy," he mumbled.

"But weren´t we not supposed to care about her life unless we didn´t have to hand over the plans?" Wufei blurted out.

At this, Kenji, Ikuko, Minako, and Usagi all looked shocked.

"What?!" Kenji exclaimed. "I thought you said you would do everything in your power to save her!" He glared accusingly at the boys and Une.

Une winced under her employee´s intense glare. Seriously, that man could be worse than Heero if he wanted to be. "Yes," she admitted, "but as the leader of the Preventers, you must understand that I cannot exchange the safety of the world for the life of one person."

"That´s not an excuse!" Kenji shouted.

"I´m not making an excuse," Une replied calmly, trying to make Kenji understand her position. "I´m telling you the truth. Kenji, will you try to look at it from my point of view? The cannon plans have the potential to destroy the world. I cannot give them up just because one person´s life is in danger, whether that person is me, you, or your daughter."

Kenji´s glare never faltered. "That boy could! Why couldn´t you?" he retorted.

The sentence rang through the otherwise silent hallway, and it seemed like the impact of Heero´s decision truly hit them for the first time.

"He. . .gave up everything, for my life," Usagi whispered to herself, almost in a trance. "The mission, Earth, all the people. He chose me."

"Hey," Duo suddenly interrupted. "Does this mean that he´s officially failed his second mission?"

Usagi´s eyes widened at Duo´s comment. The last time Heero had "failed" a mission, he had tried to get himself killed. She turned to her father and grabbed both of his arms in her hands. "Dad, promise me something!" she pleaded.

"What?" Kenji asked, looking down at his daughter.

"Don´t hate Heero, please," Usagi requested softly. "You don´t have to like him just yet, but don´t hate him."

Kenji´s face reddened, suddenly remembering the scene as they walked out of the base. "Wait, there´s something I need to ask you about that boy," he started.

"I´ll explain later," Usagi replied quickly. "I promise. But I´m so worried about him right now. I´m. . .afraid he´ll do something really stupid. Just don´t hate him. He saved my life, if anything. You owe him that much."

Kenji sighed, falling victim to his only daughter´s pleading. "Alright, alright. I promise I won´t hate him," he grumbled.

"Thanks Dad!" Usagi said, giving her father a kiss on the cheek before running to the stairs.

"Wait, Usagi!" Ikuko´s voice stopped her. She had been wondering about this as soon as she heard that the young man had chosen her daughter´s life over the safety of the earth. "Tell me honestly. What is your relationship with him?"

Usagi paused, looking down at them from about midway up the large set of stairs. She debated whether or not to tell them, and how much. Well, it was all going to come up eventually anyway. "I. . .love him," she answered quietly.

Taking advantage of the stunned silence, Usagi ran all the way up the stairs, going in search of Heero´s room. She needed to talk to him.

The silence hung in the air for another few minutes, until Duo blurted out, "When did this happen?"

"I think there´s a lot more to their relationship than we think," Quatre spoke up.

"They knew each other before this protection mission began," Trowa told them. When everyone turned to look at him, he continued, "She´s much better at self-defense and handling weapons than she should be if she had only learnt it from us for a few days. And Duo, if you recall, Heero had a different gun when he came to the Preventers´ office."

The braided boy nodded. "Yea, I remember," he confirmed. "I made fun of him."

"Did you notice who had the old gun?" Trowa continued.

Duo blinked, as did Quatre, Wufei, and Une. "Wait, you mean to tell me that. . . ." Duo trailed off, his eyes widening at this new piece of information.

Trowa nodded, then went back to being mute. His job was done.

Kenji scowled and stated, "I can´t  believe this. I´m going to go up there and-"

He was cut off by his wife, who grabbed his arm suddenly. "Dear, let´s give them a little time, alright? If he was willing to give up the world for Usagi, then he won´t hurt her," she reasoned.

~*~*~*~*~

He stood on the balcony of his room, leaning on the railing as he watched the sunset. The colours of red, orange, yellow, pink, and lavender blended together to form a beautiful scene. He couldn´t help but wonder what would happen next. Since that day he had met Usagi, his world had been turned upside down. He didn´t know what was right and what was wrong anymore. He didn´t understand anything. And now, he had just exchanged the lives of every single person on this planet for her.

He closed his eyes. Why? Like Mamoru said, he shouldn´t have. The Perfect Soldier would have chosen the world. And he was the Perfect Soldier. So why? His heart squeezed painfully, reminding him of the horror he had felt when he had seen the gun at her temple. Outside, he had been the epitome of coolness. Inside, he was terrified for her life. He didn´t want her to die. He didn´t want her to suffer.

He felt her presence before he heard the sound of the balcony door sliding open, but he remained motionless.

"Heero," her soft voice called him.

He didn´t answer her. He didn´t know how to answer her, so he merely stood, looking into the horizon. She seemed to sense his loss of words, and she came up next to him, looking up at his profile, framed by the light of the setting sun. The wind blew gently, keeping his hair just out of his eyes.

"I´m sorry," she whispered.

"For what?" he replied gruffly. "You didn´t do anything."

"That´s just it," she answered. "I should have done something. Remember? You said that you didn´t want me to put my life on the line, but I did. I wandered off the property, and it´s because of me that the cannon plans are now in that guy´s hands! It´s my fault you had to abort that mission!"

He turned to look at her sharply. "You know about the mission?" he asked.

She nodded, lowering her eyes. "Duo told everyone just now," she stated.

Heero nodded in understanding. Of course, they had to explain to Lady Une somehow. "It´s not your fault," he responded. "It was our mission to keep an eye on you. You did nothing wrong."

"But it´s not your fault either!" Usagi argued. "It´s because of me that the whole world is in danger."

"Because I chose to put it in danger," Heero replied, never looking at her. "I didn´t have to give up the plans."

"But you did," she finished, "for me. Why, Heero? Why didn´t you just let me die?"

He went silent again. His mind whirled, and his glazed eyes suddenly cleared up. "I was wondering that just now," he started. "I´m the Perfect Soldier. I´m not supposed to feel. Mamoru knew that. But for you, I broke all the rules. For you, I felt. When I saw you there, at his gunpoint, I couldn´t describe the blind panic that threatened to consume everything I knew."

He paused, then turned to look at Usagi, whose curious expression made her look the more innocent in the faint gleam of light from the setting sun. "I chose you over the world because you were more important than the world to me," he finished softly, completely losing the monotone she had known so well. "You are my world."

Usagi´s eyes filled with tears of happiness. She threw her arms around Heero´s neck and savored the warmth she felt when he wrapped his arms around her slender waist, pulling her close to him. He dropped a light kiss on her temple, tightening his hold on her.

"Usagi," he began hoarsely. "I. . .You shouldn´t be near me at all. You´ll put your life in danger, just like at the base. You were only captured because of me."

"Don´t push me away, Heero," she pleaded, burying her face into his chest. "I put you in as much danger as you put me in. You were lured onto enemy territory because of me."

He couldn´t deny it. He couldn´t tell himself that he didn´t want her light, her warmth, her comfort in his life. He didn´t want to push her away. But was their moments of happiness, no matter how brief, worth the danger they would have to face everyday?

"Usagi, this. . .me and you, we would never work out. I can´t. I can´t put your life in danger because of me," Heero reasoned. "I don´t want you to suffer."

Usagi looked up at him, her wide eyes revealing nothing but understanding. "Heero, you´re making me suffer more by pushing me away," she explained. "I want you to be here with me. I want you to be here for me. I don´t care about the danger! I don´t care about anything else! I just want this, you and me, forever. I love you!"

Heero´s eyes widened in disbelief. "You. . .love me?" he uttered. "Even after all this? I put you in danger."

Usagi shook her head. "That was nothing compared to what I felt when you left me, you know?" she responded softly. "I feel like I can face anything and everything as long as you´re with me."

"My life can end in the next twenty-four hours," he told her seriously.

"Then why don´t you let me treasure the time I do have with you? Do you not care about me at all?" she asked, knowing full well how he felt.

Heero tightened his arms around her waist in response, pulling her body close to his. He leaned down, lightly touching her lips with his. She sighed softly, her sweet breath tickling his skin. Her innocent action enticed him, making him want more. He closed the small space between their lips, thoroughly tasting her for the first time in months. Usagi responded wholeheartedly, pouring all her passion and love into the kiss. She felt the light pressure of his tongue on her lips, and she opened her mouth to give him better access. She reached up, running her hands through his hair, moving down his broad shoulders.

Heero slowly broke the kiss, his breath coming out as unevenly as hers. "I do care about you, Usagi," he choked out. "I told you that you´re my world, and I didn´t lie to you. I love you. I have never stopped loving you, even though we´ve been apart for six months. God knows I´ve tried."

Usagi smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. So she had been right all along. "Then stop trying," she stated softly. "Let me be here for you. Let me love you."

Heero closed his eyes, trying to find his common sense. Every logical thought told him to let her go, to give up on ever having a relationship with her. But with her this close, he couldn´t think clearly. The illogical thoughts were winning. His heart was winning. His eyes opened and he cupped Usagi´s face in his hands.

"I really should say no, Usagi," he began softly. "Whether I put you in danger or you put me in danger, our relationship won´t be a normal one. I can´t do for you all the things that other guys do for their girlfriends."

"But I don´t want any of that," Usagi answered. "I don´t need any of that. Everything you´ve ever done for me is enough. It´s more than enough. I don´t know anyone else who would give up everything for a girl. You´re you, Heero, and I love you for it. If you´re so worried about my life, then stay with me. Stay and protect me."

Heero remained silent as he thought everything over. He really shouldn´t, but didn´t he want her to be happy? If he truly was hurting her more by not being with her, then shouldn´t he stay? He stared into her crystal blue eyes, where determination flashed. She had already sorted through all her feelings, and she would not give up on them. Slowly, he nodded, realizing that it was time to consider her feelings as well as his own. He would protect her. He would never let anything harm her again. "Then, I´ll stay with you for as long as you want. I´ll protect you forever, and we´ll be together for as long as you love me," he decided.

"And as long as you love me," Usagi replied. "I don´t want to force you to be with me even if you feel nothing for me."

"That won´t be a problem," Heero responded in monotone once again, returning to look at the setting sun. "I´ll love you forever."

~*~*~*~*~

He watched as the red wine swirled slowly in his wineglass. The rich dark red seemed to glow in the faint light of his room, giving it an unnatural gleam.

"When will we proceed with the next step, Mr. Chiba?" the guard who had just served the wine asked.

"When I say so," Mamoru replied coolly. He picked up the glass and took a small sip, savoring the taste of the rich red wine. "Dismissed. I will call you when the next step is ready to go."

The guard nodded and left the room as quietly as a mouse.

Mamoru turned on his laptop, bringing up the pictures of Heero and Usagi. "Why did you give up the world for her, Perfect Soldier?" he asked the picture on the screen. "Don´t all humans work for their own gain? Why do you care so much about someone else´s life? Isn´t your mission all you care about?! Why do you care for other people?!"

He slammed the glass onto desk, sending its shards flying across the table and onto the floor. The wine spilt onto the papers that were laid out on the wooden desk, turning them a shade of red.

True, he had gotten what he wanted, and he had to admit that a part of him always expected it to turn out this way. But there was also another part of him, which had always been certain that he could hurt Heero worse that the other boy had hurt him, and he had thought that, he could succeed by making Heero lose the person he loved most.

*Flashback*

He blinked a few times in order to adjust to the darkness of the room. The little five-year-old turned to look at the older man behind him, whose hair was turning gray. He wore a pair of glasses, through which he examined the little boy.

"You are the perfect candidate!" he exclaimed almost happily. "You don´t have a name, correct, boy?"

The little boy´s midnight blue eyes looked at the man, seemingly afraid of him. "I. . .can´t remember," he whispered, tears slowly clouding his vision.

He let out a cry when the man slapped him. "Silence," he ordered. "From now on, you won´t cry. You will never feel sadness. You will never feel anything."

"But-" he started.

"No buts," the old man replied, signaling the little boy to follow him.

The two continued soundlessly down the hallway. The little boy was afraid to say anything to the man who "adopted" him. They stopped in front of a metal door that resembled the gate of the local jail. The old man opened the door, revealing a square room with plain gray walls. There was a tiny window on the far wall. A small twin bed stood in one corner with a matching dresser.

"This is your room," the old man told him. "From now on, you´ll live here."

The little boy nodded slowly. "Do I call you ‘dad´ then?" he asked innocently.

"No," he answered crossly. "You can call me Doctor J."

"Alright," the boy responded.

"Boy, let me ask you again. What do you remember before you woke up in that hospital?" J asked.

The boy felt tears well up in his eyes. "I. . .can´t remember anything," he whispered. Quickly, he wiped the tears away before the old doctor could hit him again.

"Good, good," the doctor commented joyfully. "Then surely, no one would miss you."

"Dr. J," the boy spoke up timidly. "What´s my name?"

J looked thoughtful for the first time since the little boy had met him. "Well, considering what I need you for, I suppose. . .Chiba Mamoru would be a good name," he muttered. "Yes, your name shall be Mamoru."

"Protector of the Earth?" the little boy asked, confused. "Why would I protect the Earth?"

"Because I´m going to train you," the doctor answered with a smirk. "You will become my Perfect Soldier."

*End Flashback*

*****************************************************************

End of Chapter 10.

AN: Before you yell at me about the date, I´ll let you know that I finished writing this on June 18, 2002 at 8:20 p.m. Toronto time. =P That means I am on time, but ff.net was having hardware problems and wouldn´t let people update.

07/10/02: Also, I wanted to let you guys know that I´m going to leave for Hong Kong for a little more than a month. I don´t know whether I would be able to write while I am there, however, motivation would help. *hint* Review! *hint*  ^_~  Email would be nice too.

08/20/02: I'm back from HK, and I found ff.net actually working. =P So I posted. I'll be working on the next chapter soon. I did plan on posting before I leave, but that didn't work out, seeing as ff.net wouldn't let people upload, even on the day I had to leave Toronto. However, this has been sitting on my site for a month and a half now, so big huggles and toodles for the people who checked my site AND sent me an email. I appreciated them. ^^ Again, please review!

Alright, see you all later! ^^v