I'm ba-ack! This fic is parallel to 'Learning To Live', only this time it's from Relena's POV. Please tell me what you think and whether you think I should do a sequel. I might make it a songfic series, if I find the right songs. If you have any suggestions or anything, please e-mail me at wingscythe12@hotmail.com (can you tell what my two fave Gundams are?). I altered the lyrics to the song 'You're Gone' a little so that they'd fit the story better, BTW. OK, now you can read the story.
Disclaimer: Why do we have to do this every time? *sigh* I don't own Gundam Wing. That belongs to Sunrise and Bandai and probably some other companies that I don't know about. I don't own the song 'You're Gone', either. That belongs to Lila McCann.
You're Gone
By Angel of Death
Relena's POV~~~
I looked at the vidscreen in front of me in shock and disbelief, a single tear sliding down my pale cheek. Heero had just told me that there was only a moderate-sized cluster of the enemy, that he and the other Gundam pilots had been fighting, left. That may seem like good news but the fact was that he was the only Gundam left at the battlefield, because the others' Gundams had been damaged almost beyond repair and they had left, and he was out of ammo and firepower. The look he gave me said that there was only one option left.
"No . . ." I whispered, shaking my head slowly. He looked at the oncoming enemy MS for a moment then looked back at me, more emotion in his eyes than I'd ever seen. He closed his eyes and shook his head, as if in apology, and lifted a cruel red switch. He opened his eyes again and I watched as a solitary tear slid down his cheek, leaving a damp trail behind it. Then, without warning, he lifted the switch and pressed it. Sudden horror welled up inside me as I watched the screen black out, but I didn't move. I didn't make a sound. I didn't cry, I couldn't. He'd already cried enough for both of us . . .
*****
"Tell me one sweet lie,
Tell me you'll be just fine
And everything will be alright
Say you're not gonna leave,
That you'll stay with me
And it'll all be over tonight
That look is in your eyes
And all I can hear is the sound of 'goodbye'. . ."
*****
2 YEARS LATER~~~
I stepped out of the shuttle that had brought me from the L1 colony to the L2 colony where my best friend, Hilde, lived. She had called two hours earlier and had told me to get over to her place immediately. I still remember how nervous and apprehensive she'd sounded . . .
***FLASHBACK***
I was sitting in the conference room on the L1 colony, wrapping up a meeting when my sister-in-law, Lucrezia Noin, had walked up and told me that I had a call from Hilde.
"She said it was urgent." Noin whispered, motioning for me to get up. I turned to the old men sitting around me.
"This meeting is adjourned, gentleman." I said and followed Noin out to the phone outside the room. I picked it up and placed it to my ear, wondering what was so urgent.
"Hello, Hilde. How are y-" But she cut me off with a curt,
"I'm fine, 'Lina. Listen, I need you to get over to my apartment ASAP. Don't ask why, just do it." she said and a moment later I heard the dialtone, which meant that she'd hung up. I brought the phone down and looked at it, puzzled. I thought for a moment, then turned to Noin and told her that we were going down to the shuttle-bay so I could get on the first flight to the L2 colony.
***END FLASHBACK***
I sat in the taxi, anxiously awaiting to arrive at Hilde's apartment. Noin had decided to go back to Earth, to the Sanc Kingdom where my brother, her husband, Milliardo Peacecraft a.k.a. Zechs Merquise is waiting. I'd already checked into a hotel about twenty miles away from Hilde's apartment and I now drove up to the apartment building. I reached up to the front of the cab to pay the driver.
"Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen dollars. Here you go." I said, handing the money to the driver after I had counted it out.
"Thank you, miss." he said politely, then looked at me again, closer this time.
"Hey, you look like-" I stepped out of the car and hastily walked toward the apartment complex, not giving him the chance to finish his sentence. I rode the elevator up to Hilde's floor and walked down the hall to room 359. I reached up to knock on the door but it opened before I had the chance to and Hilde pulled me in, shutting the door behind us. She dragged me over to the vidscreen in the corner of her living room, ignoring my protestations, and pointed to the person on the screen. I looked at the screen and was mildly surprised to see that it was Duo, a close friend.
"Hiya, 'Jousan!" he said jovially, waving. I smiled.
"Hello, Duo. How are you?" I asked. Before he could answer, Hilde spoke up.
"Just tell her already, Duo." she said impatiently. "I'd like to get this over with."
"Whatever you say, Hilde." Duo said, shrugging. He turned to me, not so jovial anymore.
"Relena, a friend of mine and I would like for you and Hilde to join us for dinner tonight at nine." he said. His expression was so serious that I had to laugh.
"You guys are acting all serious over a dinner outing?!" I asked, my laughing subsiding. Duo looked at Hilde before replying.
"I think you should know who my friend is before you come. Way before." he said, and I saw him motion for someone to join him. Before the other person came on, Hilde nudged me into the shadows, where whoever was about to come on couldn't quite see me, but I could see them. I gave her a questioning look but she just nodded at the screen. I looked up at the screen and my heart stopped.
"Hilde, I'd like for you to meet my friend. Hilde, this is Heero."
*****
"You're gone, no two ways about it
Though you stand in front of me it's real easy to see
That you're gone, and it's time to face the truth
That my world just fell apart and I don't know what to do
You're gone . . ."
*****
There, right in front of me, was Heero. Not bloody or mangled, and certainly not dead. In fact, he hardly looked any different from when I had seen him last, minus the wounds. Man, was I glad he couldn't see me. If he had, he would've seen the stream of tears sliding down my cheeks, would've seen me drop to my knees and cover my face with my trembling hands. Hilde looked over at me and quickly told Duo that she'd see him at nine and switched off the vidscreen. She knelt down and put a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Now you know why I wanted you to come over." she said. I looked up at her.
"How long have you known about this?" I asked, thinking that she'd be in deep trouble if she'd known about this since Heero had 'died'. I guess she knew what I was thinking, for she backed away slightly and raised her hands defensively.
"I found out five minutes before I called you, so don't kill me." she said, trying for humor, I guess. I wasn't laughing.
"Okay, I won't." I said, my voice wavering, and started to cry again. Hilde put her hand back on my shoulder and patted me reassuringly. I was grateful, I really was, but I just couldn't stop crying. An hour later I had stopped crying but I was still on the floor and I still didn't think I had the strength to do anything. Hilde had told me that Heero had lost his memory with little chance of getting it back. That had made me cry even harder, but I had managed to pull myself together. Somewhat.
"Now, about dinner-" Hilde began but it was my turn to cut her off.
"I'm not going." I said firmly, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at her. She smiled.
"You do a pretty good imitation of Heero's Death Glare." she said, chuckling, which made he glare at her even harder.
"I'm not going." I repeated. Hilde looked at me for a moment before grabbing my arm and dragging me to my feet.
"Yes, you are." she said, proceeding to pull me to the bathroom.
"As soon as your face is washed up we're going to go shopping for a pair of dresses. I need a new one, anyway." she said, handing me the soap and a washcloth. I calmly set them on the counter and crossed my arms again.
"I'm not going."
* * * * *
An hour later I was standing in front of Hilde's full-length mirror in my new dress with Hilde checking me over to make sure everything looked right.
"I want you to look like an angel tonight." she had said earlier when we were shopping for dresses.
"Why?" I had asked but she responded with only a secretive wink.
"Are you done with me yet?" I asked, drifting back to the present. She stood up straight, looked me in the eye, and stared me down.
"If I go and finish getting ready, will you promise to stay here and not run off or anything?" she asked, eyeing me with suspicion. I rolled my eyes, sighed, and nodded.
"I promise."
"Good." she said, walking toward the bathroom. Before she reached it, however, she turned around and looked at me.
"Just think about this. What would Heero do if he were you?" she asked rhetorically, turning back around and going into the bathroom. I thought for a moment and realized that she was right. If it were Heero, he'd slip into his indifferent role and grin and bear it. And that's exactly what I would do. I reached up to my neck and opened the keepsake locket I wore. It opened to reveal a worn picture, of me, my brother, the Gundam pilots, and all of the girls-Sally, Hilde, Catherine, Noin, and Dorothy. I lightly touched the spot where Heero's face was.
"Please come back, Heero . . ."
*****
"I have to turn my head
Forget what we said
And the silence that cut like a knife
Whether I go or stay
You're gone either way
And I'll love you for the rest of my life
I knew your mind was set
The words you didn't say I will never forget . . ."
*****
I gripped Hilde's shoulder to steady myself. We had just gone to the Ladies' Room so that I could re-steady myself. I had been about to mention something that Heero had done, before he'd lost his memory, and the recollection had been too much. I had come dangerously close to breaking down there at the table. Luckily, Hilde had helped me get composed enough to go to the Ladies' Room and collapse there. We were now returning to the table when I heard some familiar music play and got an idea. Hilde sat down but I went over to Heero and reached out.
"Dance with me?" I asked. I saw a slightly puzzled look cross his face briefly before a pleased one replaced it and he lead me to the dancefloor. The song was a waltz, namely, the one that had been playing at the school party that night so long ago. As we danced, I remembered that night, us dancing, OZ attacking, the tower falling, Heero saving me, then flying off in Wing. It was one of the best nights of my life. I almost started crying again when I realized that he couldn't even remember . . .
*****
"You're gone, no two ways about it
Though you stand in front of me it's real easy to see
That you're gone, and it's time to face the truth
That my world just fell apart and I don't know what to do
You're gone . . ."
*****
Now we were standing on the 'side porch' at the hotel I was staying at. Duo rode home with Hilde in a taxi and Heero drove me to the hotel. He asked me if we could get together again, and I could see that he meant it. I don't know whether what happened next was a good or bad thing, but it happened. I started to laugh, which lead to near-hysterical giggling. I couldn't help it. The one thing I'd wanted to happen ever since that night he saved me from the falling tower just happened and it was hysterical. The Heero I knew would never, under any circumstances, ask someone if they could "get together again". And here he was doing so. My laughter subsided but left happy tears in my eyes. I smiled.
"We'll see." I said and walked into the hotel, leaving him with a smile on his face. I reached my room and sat down on the bed, resting my tired feet. I reached into my suitcase, which I'd had sent there, and pulled out a zoomed in picture of the same thing in my locket, but it was only me and Heero. I looked closely at the small smile I saw on his face and thought about how things had been before that fight when he'd self-detonated. I put the picture down but my eyes stayed on it for another minute. Hilde said there was little chance of Heero's memory returning but that's more than none. As long as there's a chance, I can promise that I'll get his memory back. And I will. I thought resolutely. I will . . .
*****
"I'll never give up believin'
And I know one day I'll get you back
And you'll love me just like I love you
But right now it's a matter of fact . . ."
*****
I got up the next morning and went over to Hilde's apartment. When I got there, Hilde opened the door with a smile and motioned for me to go in. I saw, to my pleasant surprise, that Duo and Heero were there.
"Hilde, Heero, and I were just discussing having a card games tournament, guys versus girls." Duo said, grinning. Relena smiled at her ever-cheerful friend.
"That sounds good to me!" she said brightly, sitting down in one of the four chairs in the living room. Hilde opened the door to the closet that was across from her guests.
"I've got a card table in here somewhere." she said, her voice slightly muffled. When she came back out she was lugging a black and white card table that was folded up. Duo stepped forward.
"Hand it over to Heero and me, we'll open it. You needn't dirty your hands, fair maiden." he said in mock chivalry. Relena watched, chuckling, as Heero and Duo tried unsuccessfully to open the card table.
*****
"You're gone, no two ways about it
Though you stand in front of me it's real easy to see
That you're gone, and it's time to face the truth
That my world just fell apart and I don't know what to do
You're gone . . ."
*****
"You may be gone now, Heero, but you won't be gone for long." Relena whispered to herself, making a silent oath to bring back the Perfect Soldier's memory, no matter what . . .
*****
"You're gone . . ."
*****
The End(for now)~~~