Silent
Waltz by Hikari-chan
Disclaimer:
Strawberry shortcakes and New York style cheesecakes! What does that have to do
with disclaimers? I don´t know either. I don´t own Sailormoon or
Gundam Wing.
AN:
Bwahahahaha! I finished writing this fic! Aren´t you proud of me? XD Yea,
yea, I´ll bet you´re all saying ‘Finally!´ right where
you´re sitting. Don´t lie. I know you are. =P Alright, so I want to
take up this space right here to say a hearty thank you to every person who has reviewed. You
made this story happen, because if it was up to me, I would have discontinued
it completely more than once. So, brace youself:
siren, Faifu,
Aidenn Legacy, Lady Rinehart, Missing In Action, Dream Tenshi, DW, Shibobwa
shingami, Neo Angel Solar System, Uranus2000, Brittney, Ame, Li-chan, setsuna,
Water Spirit, SilverRay, Destiny´s Rose, GoldenGoddess, Anime Princess,
Midnight Angel, Sarisia, JLSCORPIO78, Alilacia, Galexz, Aquarius, MT gal, Moon
Assassin 13, Selene, Narumei-chan, ^_^, Serena Yuy, Dragon, BunnyS, Bon, dillpops,
Sol_Priestess, Miami-Lu, zgurl, PrincessVenus, Minako Winner, miracle,
SailorMakotoChan, Carl P, moonie girl, chibi, VioletHaze, alexz, Cosmos Usagi,
cherry blossoms little wolf2, Purr, Mavan, Daystar Flame, Sailor Asteria, DB,
himesame16, Seraph, Amscray, Li-Cha Chamos Hecate Hellstone, anny, Akana
Akurei, obsessed, Mika-chan, Asuka Serioko, Cybele, Akiko Joy, Sapho, ANjel,
Himiko, Charity23, Midnight Lady, Hell´s Little Angel, Archangel of
Death, Asitha, mimi, White Rose, Lucia, Cosmos12, Tenshi-chan, Starlight, key,
lirpa, RINI, Kae, DemonicCatGirl, cricket, the Iron Duke, Poisyn, frizz-b-gone,
Kakarika Seiya, Gemini Tenshi, ~Jenny~, Darcey, ladijadyi, Moon Dreamer,
CyberAngelOne, Netnut, Samantha, the Desert Fox, Allison, Usagi Asia Maxwell,
V-Babe, SailorWaterfallz, PallaPalla-chan, minako, hiko-chan, Sailor Pixie,
Silvermyst, Vixen, Princess Mimi, Prophetess Of Hearts, Lena Yuy, Morrighan of
Crimson and Sable, The Silent Warrior, liriele, MarsMoonStar, Silver Star
Tenshi, Usagi Yuy Briefs, SweetKawaiiAngel, Jumping Jellybeans, No Blood For
Oil, Meredith, themoonmaiden, Ken-chan, ~*~FireflyPrincess~*~, Britt, Tenshi
Cat, Selene110, Crazy-Gurl, Lisa, kay, Solus Nox, Ashley, Gakkuri Naishinnou,
the Duke of Fenwick, sakura-li, Sylvan Druid, Midnight of Shadows, silva star,
@-------I--------, cryztaltearz, Vash-chan AKA Makoto Almasy, Shinigami2,
FanFare, sele, Angel of Ice, TA, Celestial DreamBlaze, …., Angel,
AngelFlame, AMYANGEL, Heart Soul, LeaD, Bluejello, Megham Reamer, Kagirinaku,
Tempered_Angel, Jupiter (Seifer´s babe), Catteni, Luna the Lune, Shadows
of Glory, MooCow, Aquaria, Fenikkusu o Kiri, hoshi (kakeochi),Britaneia,
tenshi05, MOG, jess, Katlin Grace, Fangboy, Hoshi-hime, Blue Moon,
SerenityLNguyen, serenity_hope, wolfeye, Maddy, Bunny, FateGoddess, Cheska,
adb, Sailor Grape, Green Fire, Rubii Kimu-chan, Christine, Yoseffa Goldman,
Sere Star, sailorericab02, Hildi-chan, BrittbeeLynn, hot brazilin chick, Usagi
Yuy, Desu, cutecj18, solarmistress17, foxfire, liraeth, Silvrei, Blue Angel,
Dark-moon-Angel, moon mama, Lunar Elf, LiLSeReBiTiE, jupiterschild, Darlana,
Silver Shadows, AKA SS Silver, Vegetas Girl, The Kuro no Tenshi, Summer-Night,
Cristina, Michelle, lilmakochan, JupiterAngel, konekochan_hime, Yume no tame
ni, Dream wind, Orion Darkbane, AzureWrath, Liquid Ice, Fia, Aeryn, Star_06,
Lady Hazal, Usagi Princess, tenshi_chikyuu, Lilaclight, Autumn Ice, Laydee
Sakura, Bishienomiko, Sam369, LovelyAngel, Tigerz_Angel, mistress_13, Arella
Hallo, mysticangel, Chibi Shamps, rheia, ejgHorseLady, Z.Z Zarah, Anime
Redneck, Saturnpyroprincess, DarkKnight, Tyrion77, DragonGirl, Storm Demon,
frosty, Silver-Star, starfall13, h, kalika55, Amy@ngel, Tabbes, keri carlson,
moon princezz, Darkclaw, ElberethUndomiel, Dena, Renangel, Shi no
Tenshi/Megami, pisces199, Callisto Star, fireangel, serena yuy, mandybean,
kimeno-pebols, Lethal Purple Crayon, DustBunnies, Serena*, Kazzeh Sodapop,
Kikenbutsu, Naïve Dreamer, Teardrops, Cinnamon, Kiku, dark angel 013,
phishi, A Person, Lita, SailorKagome, Tira Wolf, Me, Tenshi Shino.
O.O Good
Christ! Good luck finding your name in there! It took me an hour to do that.
Now I know why no one else ever tries to list everyone who´s ever
reviewed their fic. >.< You can be sure of two things: I didn´t
know that many people have reviewed. And two, you can revel in that list
because you won´t be seeing anything like it again, at least from me. No
way am I doing this for LMB. If your name appears more than once, then you
either used different names to review (unless I knew, e.g. Vixen and RixiVixi
is the same person. I know that, so you only appear once, Vixen-san.) or
I´m just too tired to remember I already put you. If you don´t
appear, then you either have a name that´s almost exactly the same as
someone already there, so I assumed you were the same person, or I´m too
tired and I missed you. I´m sorry if I did.
Special thanks
to those special people who have pre-read for me, edited for me, given me
ideas, or just been supportive through your emails or IM messages. I sincerely
thank you. You know who you are.
Notes: Wufei's
wife, Meiran, died in his arms after fighting for their colony. Prior to her
death, he didn't have any respect for her, but afterwards, he adapted the name
she called herself, Nataku, for his Gundam and fought for justice. Lady Une was
in love with Treize Kushrenada, who died nearing the end of Gundam Wing series.
Warnings:
Heero is OOC, and open ending (as per usual, it seems). ^^
Without
further ado, I present to you the finale to Silent Waltz.
****************************************************
Chapter 13
– Forever
****************************************************
Usagi´s
eyes snapped open when she couldn´t feel any pain. She found herself
staring at Heero´s back. Panicked, she ran up to him, catching him just
as his legs gave out from exhaustion and pain. Lowering him and herself to the
ground so that his head rested in her lap, she felt her eyes tearing up again.
"I should
have known," she whispered softly, watching him wince slightly in pain as
the blood flowed from his chest.
"Thank
god you didn´t know," Heero muttered in reply. The pain in his chest
intensified, and even though the bullet hadn´t hit his heart, he knew
that it hadn´t been far off. The throbbing pain intensified, and he could
feel a burning sensation in his lungs. The room started to swim in darkness,
and he felt himself drifting into unconsciousness.
"No!"
Usagi cried, tears starting to stream down her face. She clenched his hand more
tightly, not even noticing the frozen figures of her family, friends, and even
enemy around them. "Please, Heero! You can´t give up! Don´t
close your eyes! Don´t!"
Mamoru
watched, no longer able to keep the confusion from showing on his face. This
was the second time J´s Perfect Soldier had done something to save that
girl´s life. Judging the bullet´s speed, Mamoru knew that Heero
hadn´t even stopped to consider any consequences before he ran into the
bullet´s path. Why? He didn´t understand what his once-rival was
thinking. First the earth, now his own life. Was one girl so important to him?
Taking
advantage of the black-haired man´s momentary shock, Trowa and Wufei ran
up immediately to him. The Chinese man dealt a quick karate chop to the hand
holding the gun, making the firearm clatter loudly onto the floor. Even though
Mamoru realized what was going on by then, he couldn´t have acted more
quickly than Trowa, who had his arm twisted behind his back by then.
"Duo, go
get a doctor. Hurry," Relena commanded, practically shoving the braided
boy out of the room. The worry and near-panic tinged in her voice was
noticeable by everyone, but no one commented on it.
Duo nodded,
then, taking Minako with him, he hurried out of the room.
Quatre, having
recovered from his surprise, even though he knew he shouldn´t be, quickly
got to a kneeling position beside his friend, working on stopping Heero from
losing any more blood before the doctor arrived.
Usagi looked
on helplessly. She tightened her hold on Heero´s hand, willing her own
life force to go into him. "Please don´t die," she whispered
continuously, listening to his strangled gasps of breath as he fought
unconsciousness. "You still have to teach me first aid. Promise me you
would."
He stared into
her tear-stained eyes, filled with concern and overflowing with love, and he
knew that even if he died right here, right now, he couldn´t be happier.
He had saved one person from death, even if that was little in comparison to
the thousands he had killed. He had felt many wonderful things despite his
training, even the most fantastic feeling in the world, and he knew he
couldn´t be luckier. She deserved so much better.
"Usagi,"
he choked out breathlessly. "I want. . .to. . .to thank you."
Usagi put her
index fingers to his lips, quieting him. "Don´t," she cried.
"Please don´t. You won´t die. You can´t die. Promise me
you won´t die?"
His eyes
closed momentarily before opening again. This time, they were filled with all
the words he couldn´t say aloud. "I love you," he murmured so
gently that only she and Quatre heard him.
"I love
you too," Usagi replied, the unrestrained tears flowing steadily down her
cheeks. "I love you. I love you. I need you. Please, please hold on."
Neither
noticed the heartbroken expressions on their friends´ faces. While Lady
Une and Trowa´s were both calm on the outside, Lady Une couldn´t
help but feel remorse for the girl who was slowly losing her love. She could
sympathize; she had been there. Trowa, although he was still mindful of the man
who had been the cause of all this sorrow and trouble, felt bad for the couple
on the ground. His comrade was slowly dying in the arms of the woman he loved,
and there were so many things Trowa wanted to say, so many questions about
Heero´s life during the past two years he wanted to ask.
Wufei, for his
part, had turned away. It was like watching himself and Meiran all over again,
except he had lived and turned into a chauvinistic, egotistical man whose
emotion outlet was his fighting. He wouldn´t wish his life on anyone,
especially someone who should have been sunshine personified. He couldn´t
see Usagi living the rest of her life like him. He glanced up at Relena, who
had succumbed to tears the same way Usagi had. Weak, he scoffed characteristically in his
mind, but he knew somewhere deep inside that it wasn´t true of either
woman. They both loved Heero, and they were both watching the man they loved
hold on to life by a thin thread. The only difference was that Usagi had
experienced Heero´s love, and he was injured because of her. She was the
woman he loved. Kenji, although Wufei noted that the man was visibly relieved
that his daughter was alright physically, he was worried about Heero. Kenji
kept shooting dirty glances at Mamoru, who had long since become strangely
quiet and inactive.
Suddenly,
Wufei felt a fury building up inside him. His friends were going through this
because of that man, and unable to hold his temper, he walked over to where
Trowa stood and gave Mamoru a hard punch in the face. "This is your
fault," he snarled.
The man
managed to look up at Wufei in a combination of fatigue, satisfaction, and
confusion. "I did not make J´s Perfect Soldier run into the path of
the bullet," he answered calmly.
"But you
caused all this," the Chinese man hissed, signaling to the main computer,
meaning everything from the hasty arrival of Usagi and Minako.
Mamoru let a
small smirk reach his lips before it disappeared into bewilderment. "I
want to know," he began quietly, "why you chose to die."
"I´m
not going to die, goddamn it!" Wufei yelled, his already thin patience
running out.
"I want
to know," Mamoru clarified, looking up at the couple on the ground a few
yards away from him, "why J´s Perfect Soldier chose to die. For a girl.
Why did you risk your own life for her?"
Trowa looked
down at the man he still held captive. "Why do you want to know?" he
asked, knowing that was the question on Heero´s mind, if he was even
aware of what his childhood rival has asked.
"Because
I don´t understand," Mamoru admitted, still staring at the still
form of the former pilot of Wing Gundam. "You´re the same as me.
According to J, you´re even more perfect than me. You shouldn´t
have done what you did." He spoke as though it had been Heero who had
asked the question, as though he didn´t acknowledge that the boy he had
tried to hurt in revenge for the hurt he himself had suffered at Dr. J´s
hands when they were children wasn´t lying on the brink of death, but
perfectly healthy.
"There
are a lot of things I shouldn´t have done," Heero breathed hoarsely.
"What you don´t understand, is humanity."
"Humanity?"
Mamoru echoed.
"Look
around," Usagi told him softly, watching as he obeyed her, his eyes
leaving them and resting on Lady Une, Relena, Kenji, and the other pilots.
"They´re here because they care about something, or someone. Wanting
to protect people is a small part of humanity. When you fight because you
don´t want other people to get hurt, you´re feeling humanity."
"We´re
not supposed to feel anything," Mamoru replied mechanically.
"That´s
impossible," Usagi muttered, recalling the stories that Heero had told her
in a happier time. "Dr. J´s ideal is impossible. Humans are born to
feel. The only way to live a good life is to do it according to your
emotions."
Heero managed
to nod slightly in agreement. He looked up at Mamoru´s eyes, and for the
first time in their lives, the two shades of blue agreed on something.
"Ironic
coming from you, Perfect Soldier," the black-haired man commented,
smirking slightly.
Silence
ensued, and the only sound in the room was the laboured gasps of breath coming
from Heero and the soft, soothing sounds Usagi made as she stroked her
boyfriend´s hair.
"I love
you," Usagi repeated, bending down and pecking him gently on the his lips.
"Don´t die on me."
With more
effort than anyone could possibly have suspected, Heero tightened his hold on
Usagi´s hand and whispered, "I love you too. Forever." His eyes
closed from exhaustion and pain, letting the darkness overtake him, and Usagi
stifled the cry that was lodged in her throat. Instead, she prayed silently to
whatever god was listening at the moment that the doctor arrived soon.
In the
quietness of the room, everyone had heard the verbal confession. It stunned
them more than they would want to admit to hear Heero, of all people, say that
aloud. True, almost everyone had known. After all, actions spoke louder than
words. And if Heero´s previous actions hadn´t indicated his undying
love, then nothing would.
"Love
doesn´t exist," Mamoru muttered, more to himself than to anyone
else, but everyone looked at him anyway.
Wufei pointed
almost accusingly at Heero and Usagi. "There´s living proof right
there," he responded, suddenly feeling violently ill and jealous. The
couple was able to do what he and Meiran couldn´t – admit they love
each other before it was too late for regrets. On one hand, he was grateful
that they did have the chance that he didn´t, but on the other hand, he
was bitter that he had realized his own feelings too late that day so long ago.
Before anyone
had a chance to add to Wufei´s comment, Duo, Minako, and a tall, blonde
in her early thirties came bursting through the doors.
"Sally,"
Une greeted with a small smile and a nod.
"Lady
Une," Sally Po replied. She took one look at the young couple on the floor
and dashed over to them, signaling Duo to come over with both her medical kit
and a stretcher, which some nurses were carrying in.
As she worked,
she spoke to Une, "Noin brought some Preventers with her. They´ve
secured the base and are placing the soldiers under arrest."
Une nodded
again. "Good work," she complimented. "Kenji, if you´ll
just clear out the computer here. Trowa, Wufei, you bring that man to Noin.
Quatre, help Sally out. Relena, Duo, come with me." She paused, looking
down at Usagi. "I would like to speak to you as well."
The blonde
nodded solemnly. "Afterwards," she replied, her eyes never leaving
Heero´s wound.
"Make
sure the boy lives, Sally," Kenji growled roughly.
Sally glanced
up at the coworker who was famous for his dislike of boys, especially those who
got within fifty feet of his daughter or his niece. Judging from the position
Heero and Usagi were in, they were closer than friends. However, she also knew
that this was no time to joke around. Kenji was serious, and she sensed it.
Heero´s wound didn´t look good, but it wasn´t impossible for
him to live.
"I will
do what I can," she answered, watching him stalk over to the giant
computer system and started working on clearing the plans. "Bring him to
the helicopter outside," she commanded her helpers. She looked at Usagi, a
small smile making its way onto her face. "Would you like to stay with
him?"
Usagi breathed
a sigh of relief. She had thought the doctor would insist he be left alone. And
if she did, then Usagi would have worried herself to death over Heero´s
condition.
"Yes,
thank you," she answered.
Sally nodded
and walked with her, following the stretcher and Quatre.
~*~*~*~*~
Lady Une
sighed as almost everyone who had been involved with the recent event brought
in paperwork that they had completed. The latest near-disaster need not be
publicized, but the record was needed on file. They had lots of things to
discuss.
As they seated
themselves around the large, mahogany oak table in the most secure of the
Preventers´ meeting rooms, Une studied each of their faces, noticing the
tension and suspense that was still as thick as butter in the air.
"I
believe we should start with a quick briefing," she began quietly once
everyone was seated. "Kenji?"
The
tired-looking, middle-aged man nodded and stood up. He gave a brief synopsis of
the events that started the whole escapade, his tone grief. He couldn´t
stop blaming himself. If only he hadn´t started the plans at all, this
wouldn´t have happened. But as he sat down, Quatre, who had been sitting
next to him, put a reassuring hand on his, and smiled at him in understanding.
"It´s
not your fault," the blond spoke loud enough for all the occupants to
hear. "You couldn´t have controlled all that had happened.
We´re all responsible one way or another."
Lady Une
nodded her agreement. She signaled Trowa to give a brief summary of what had
happened at Quatre´s mansion while they were "protecting" the
two girls, and how Usagi´s kidnapping set into motion the events that
followed. Once he had spoken up to the disappearance of Heero this very
morning, he stopped, knowing that everyone present knew what had happened
afterwards.
Relena handed
some government papers to Une, and quietly, she added, "That has all been
typed up for the file. I have made sure that this will be a confidential
file."
"And
copies of the early plans have been made as well," Quatre continued,
handing a large black folder to Une.
The woman
flipped through it quickly, then tucked the papers Relena gave her into it as
well.
"The
power to the base has been disabled, the computers cleared of the information
they contained, and the whole area has been marked off as dangerous
grounds," Duo said from where he sat, an uncharacteristic frown on his
face. He was worried about his best friend, and the sooner they could leave
this building, the better. He looked impatiently at the clock, hoping that Usagi
was holding up at the hospital.
"The
guards and men that worked there have been put under arrest," Wufei tacked
on, impatient to leave as well. The tapping of his foot under the table was
clear evidence of his unrest. "Their trial dates are pending right now,
and they face anything between a small fine to five years in prison,
depending."
"As for
Mamoru Chiba, the man who was the mastermind behind the whole plan, as many of
the soldiers freely admitted," Noin chipped in, "he has been placed
under arrest, and face an undetermined sentence. We have decided it´s
best to place him under specialized mental care until he is fit enough for
society, which can be anytime from two months today to the rest of his
life."
She paused,
glancing around the room and knowing that the next issue was going to be
touchy, because of the current situation. But Noin had never been one to shy
away from the words that needed to be spoken. "From what I have been
informed though, he has suffered the same childhood training as Heero, and
judging from Heero´s personality, it will be very hard, if not
impossible, to teach this man the true meaning of humanity. I personally
believe he will always be a threat to society."
"Heero
learned to love," Duo pointed out.
Instantly, the
room went into absolute silence. Reminded of what they had witnessed in the
control room of the now-abandoned base, every person´s face filled with
anxiety, worry, and sorrow.
"He´ll
make it," Quatre whispered, breaking the silence. "He has to."
"Are you
trying to convince us? Or yourself?" Une asked.
"He has
to," Duo agreed with his fellow Gundam pilot. "I want to be the best
man at his wedding."
Wufei
snorted. "He´s more than likely to shoot you before the
ceremony´s over," he muttered.
Duo gave him a
hurt look, but before he could reply, Une spoke up. "I take it that
we´re more interested in Heero´s welfare than this formal business
of discussing the near-catastrophe that happened," she noted with slight
amusement. "Should I temporarily adjourn this meeting?"
No one said
anything, but the sudden shoving back of chairs as the pilots, Kenji, and
Relena scrambled out the door to get to the hospital down the block was enough
of an answer for her.
Une glanced at
Noin, who was the only one left sitting calmly in her chair. "You are not
concerned?" she asked the other woman as she stood up to put the black
folder away before heading over to the hospital herself.
"I have
confidence in Heero," Noin answered, standing up as well to accompany her boss.
"He and Zechs have more in common than they´d like to admit."
~*~*~*~*~
Ikuko rocked
her only daughter back and forth in her arms. She could not remember the last
time her daughter had needed her so. And she could not believe that things had
turned out this way. What she wouldn´t give to have been the one in the
hospital emergency room instead of that boy. At least she could have died
knowing that her child would be taken care of and wouldn´t be lonely for
the rest of her life. But now, who knew what would happen?
On
Usagi´s other side, Minako held her cousin´s hand comfortingly, but
not offering any words to soothe the sorrow she was obviously experiencing.
Minako knew that had Duo been the one in the emergency room, no words from
anyone could help her, so she would not futilely attempt to try for Usagi. It
would only remind her of what happened and make her feel worse.
"I should
be in there," Usagi whispered, her tears starting again. "I should be
in there. I should have been the one who was shot."
"Don´t
say that, sweetheart," Ikuko murmured. "Fate has a funny way of
deciding things."
"Well, I
don´t find this the least bit amusing," Usagi answered bitterly.
"I´ve already lost him once, Mom. I can´t take it again. I
love him so much."
"I know,
Usagi, I know," Ikuko replied softly. "But life doesn´t always
work out the way you want it to."
The three
women fell back into silence, a silence that was suddenly broken by the sound
of the door banging open as a group of people ran into the waiting room. The
boy with the long braid was leading the pack, and he hurried to them.
"What did
the doctor say?" he asked urgently as Minako leapt into his arms, trying
to reassure herself that he was still here.
"They´ve
been in the operation room this whole time," Ikuko answered for her
daughter.
The sound of
someone clearing their throat interrupted the would-be conversation. When the
whole group looked at the man, who was probably in his fifties, he spoke.
"Are you Mr. Heero Yuy´s family?"
"He
doesn´t have a family," Duo blurted out. "We´re his
friends."
The man
frowned slightly. "I´m Dr. Fujisaki, but protocol has it that I can
only release Mr. Yuy´s current status to his family members. Anyone with
a relation to him is fine. A brother, sister, parent, wife?" he prompted.
Everyone shook
their heads, but surprisingly, after a moment´s contemplation, Wufei
hauled Usagi to her feet and out of Ikuko´s arms. He pulled her to the
front of the group. "She is the closest thing he has to family," the
Chinese declared.
The doctor
peered at her, noting her tears and the look of distress that was obvious on
her face. "Of what relation are you to Mr. Yuy, Miss?" he asked,
bringing out his clipboard.
Before anyone
could say anything, Wufei blurted out, "His fiancée."
Suddenly, the
whole group was starting at Wufei instead. The doctor, however, seemed to deem
this satisfactory. He frowned a little, as though recalling something, then
signaled for Usagi to follow him. The blonde looked over her shoulder a little
desperately, silently asking one of them to go with her, but Duo shook his
head. It wouldn´t have been allowed anyway. Sighing, she followed the
doctor into his office.
As soon as the
two were out of earshot, all their attention was diverted back to Wufei. Duo
slapped the Chinese man´s back, which earned him a dirty glare, and if it
hadn´t been for the situation, a death threat as well.
"Good
thinking, Wufei," Duo commented.
"It
was," Quatre agreed. "Otherwise, we never would have found out how
Heero´s doing."
"I only
did it," the Chinese explained, "because I understand what
she´s going through."
He looked
away, not wanting to see his temporary moment of weakness. Please, Meiran, he prayed, if you´re
watching somewhere up there, let him pull through.
~*~*~*~*~
"What. .
.what do you mean you don´t know whether he´s alive or dead?!"
Usagi blurted out.
Dr. Fujisaki
ran a hand through his hair. He could imagine how hard it must be for her to
accept. He had already explained that he was the hospital´s expect doctor
on bullet wounds. When Sally Po had brought the boy in and asked him to
operate, he could already see the life slowly draining away from the body, but
it hadn´t stopped him from trying. Still, he had been almost sure that
this one would die. The bullet had struck a major artery, and it had been too
close to the heart to have high hopes, but the boy was a fighter, and had
surprised him, even with all his years as a surgeon.
"He´s
physically alive, as in his body functions," the doctor explained.
"But he´s dead spiritually, so to speak. In other words, he´s
in a coma."
"A
coma?" Usagi echoed stupidly. It was just too hard to accept.
"A
coma," Dr. Fujisaki confirmed. "He´s in a state between life
and death, unconscious but still breathing."
"Is. .
.is there any way to know whether he´ll come back?" Usagi asked,
fear and worry evident in her voice.
"If
you´re asking me when he´ll wake up," Dr. Fujisaki stated,
"the answer is I don´ t know. He could wake up tomorrow, but he
could also never wake up. It´s all up to him. The bullet has been
removed, and we´ll continue to care for him, physically and health-wise,
but the rest is up to him."
That
wasn´t the answer Usagi wanted to hear. She wanted to know that he was
going to come back to her. She wanted desperately for him to hold her, kiss
her, reassure her that everything would be alright. But it may never happen.
"Can I
see him?" she asked instead.
"Of
course," the doctor replied, a little solemnly. "It´s room 319
on the third floor."
Usagi turned
and started to head out the door, but the doctor suddenly called out,
"Your first name wouldn´t happen to be Usagi, would it?"
Surprised,
because she hadn´t told him her first name, only her last, she looked
back at the doctor. "How did you know?" she asked.
"I have a
message for you, then," he whispered, almost painfully. "Your
fiancé woke up a few minutes prior to the operation, and he said,
‘Tell Usagi to be happy. Tell her not to give up´ before he went
unconscious again."
That was more
than Usagi could take. Barely managing a ‘thank you´ to the doctor
for delivering the message, she ran out of the office and into the elevator,
not bothering to get the rest of their friends or her family. The tears flowed
down her cheeks, even though she had thought she had cried them all out
already. Slowly, she leaned back against the back wall of the elevator and slid
down it, until she was sitting in a fetal position, hugging her knees and
crying softly.
When the
elevator dinged, Usagi stood up and walked into the quiet halls. Blindly, she
found her way to room 319, and without knocking, she walked in.
The room was
all white and smelled almost musky, as though no one ever used it. On the bed
laid the still form of the boy she loved, hooked onto more monitors than she
cared to name. Not knowing how she got there, she sat down on the chair next to
his bed and slipped her hands into his.
"Heero,
please wake up," she pleaded. "You promised me not to die, remember?
You have to keep your promise. I know you´re mad because I put myself in
danger for you, but I can´t sentence you to die. Don´t you see?
Please live. You can´t die. I love you."
She was
babbling, she knew, but she couldn´t care less. All she wanted was for
his eyes to open. If she could see those Prussian blue eyes again, she
didn´t care if someone raped her or killed her the very next day. The only
thing that mattered was Heero´s life.
She sat like
that for almost an hour, just dumbly telling him all her memories of the times
they spent together, alternating between smiling and crying, pleading and
threatening. Slowly, she realized that he wasn´t going to jump up and
tell her it was all a joke.
Finally, she
decided that she had to tell their friends downstairs what was going on. She
tightened her hold on his hands and whispered, "If I keep the promise
I´m going to make you, will you keep yours? I promise I´ll try to
be happy. And I promise I´ll never give up, ever. But you have to promise
to keep trying. You have to keep trying to wake up, and come back to us, to
me."
She watched
for any sign of acknowledgement, and when the wind blew softly into the room,
sending a ripple through the sheets on the bed, she took that as his agreement.
"It
doesn´t matter how long it takes you to fulfill your promise," Usagi
finished achingly. "I´ll wait for as long as it takes. I´ll
wait. Forever."
~*~*~*~*~
Some time
later. . . .
A
blond-haired, little girl ran as fast as she could towards the swings in the
park, her little legs barely able to keep up with her enthusiasm. Her eyes
sparkled as she suddenly turned around, waving widely at a blond-haired woman
behind her.
"Hurry,
hurry, Mother!" the little girl shouted.
The woman
laughed. "Slow down, darling," she replied, finally catching up with
her overzealous daughter. She seated herself on a nearby bench as she watched
the girl climb onto the swing and play. She smiled softly, thanking the gods
for everything they had given her. She was truly blessed.
It was so
strange. The girl took after her in everything from looks to personality. The
only proof that she was her husband´s daughter as well were her eyes. They
were so amazingly similar in colour to her husband´s eyes that there was
no denying it.
Out of the
corner of her eye, she caught sight of her husband´s familiar brown hair.
"Isn´t she wonderful?" the woman asked.
The man
glanced down at her from where he stood. "As wonderful as her
mother," he confirmed. He sat down next to her, draping his arm around the
back of the bench.
She let her
head rest against his shoulder, closing her eyes momentarily. "I wish. .
." she started in a wistful voice.
The man looked
down at her. "You wish?" he prompted.
"I wish.
. .you would kiss me," the woman amended, turning her laughing blue eyes
to his.
He shrugged
with a roguish grin. "That can be arranged."
*******************************************************
End of Chapter
13.
End of
Story.
Ending
Notes
Yes, the man
and the woman in the ending are supposed to remain anonymous. While I´m
sure that most of you will jump to conclusions and assume that it´s Heero
and Usagi, I wanted to point out that Duo also has brown hair, and Minako is also blond-haired and blue-eyed and
generally enthusiastic and happy. And don´t bother asking who I intended
them to be, because the answer is simply ‘I don´t know´. I
wrote the last part to be ambiguous, so I meant it to be that way. There are
hints of either couple. I wanted to let your imagination take over. Which couple is
it? You tell me. ^_~
Final AN
It´s
done!!! It´s done!!! It´s done!!! I can´t believe it!
It´s done!!! How many months have I slaved over this story? Too many for
me to count. I´m just glad it´s over. I´m sure many of you
are surprised with the ending. I´m sorry if you wanted a totally sappy,
mushy, ending. If it´s any comfort, the original version of this chapter
had Heero and Usagi live happily ever after, but it was so drab. It had no
colour and was expected from beginning to end. I love unexpected and open
endings. It´s a Squaresoft thing that rubbed off on me. =P So when I
thought this up one fateful afternoon, I decided it was perfect. I hope you
enjoyed reading this story, even if it did take me a decade and a half to
finish. >.< Please review! I´d love to know your thoughts on the
ending. ^^ Until next time! Bye-bye!
Don´t
ask for a sequel! The answer is NO! Thanks. ^^