MY PATHETIC ATTEMPT AT A SONGFIC (AS LI SHAORAN WOULD SAY)
AT THE BEGINNING,by MastaChilla
Taken from Richard Marx/Donna Lewis song
"At the beginning"(That's the title,too)
**I have no idea how to write one of these, so gimme a break**
As Relena Dorlain looked towards the harbour,her heart let out a silent whisper,an unspoken wish floating across the flat sea. She sighed,lying back onto the driver seat of her vintage open top Boxter,letting the wind shuffle through her brown hair. She missed Heero so much,but today made it even more important. Her first encounter with Perfect Soldier Heero Yuy was at this very spot. She remembered it well.He had just escaped his damaged Gundam and comandeered an ambulance,and she saw him. Although he threatened to kill her on many occasions,he ended up falling in love with the girl instead. Confused,it took him an awful long time to understand those feelings. Relena sighed,waiting lazily for the next boat to dock.
"Hey , honey...I hope you weren't waiting too long."
Relena looked up at her husband,who looked slightly tired yet much like the Heero of old.
"Come here," she cooed. "It's our anniversary,and you're late!" She tried to frown,but the memory of the place was too intense. But he was here, wasn't he?
We were strangers, starting out on a journey
Never dreaming, what we had to go through,
Now here we are, I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you
"Heero..."she whispered,"do you ever think of the time we first met?"
"I do,"he stroked her cheek,"though it took forever for us to get together....but now...now it feels like I want to do it all over again."
Relena blushed,and tried to turn away from Heero's gaze. Everything about him was different now,but the same could be said for her. Heero was right. Relena leaned on Heero and made another silent wish,that they could start all over again on that spot,but without megalomaniacs or ambitous colonists getting in the way. She imagined him on her doorstep holding flowers and candy, nervously pulling his tie,like other 15 year olds on a first date. She imagined herself to be up in her room,wondering what dress to wear.To be "normal".....that's all she wanted. With Heero now with her,a new beginning could be possible....one without strife and sacrifice....
"Relena...would it have been any different if I asked you out like other boys back then?"
It was like he could read her mind. He wasn't even looking at her,but at the wide open sea.
"Duo probably would have gotten you before me then!" he laughed.
"Where is Mister Maxwell,anyway?"
"Probably smooching Hilde in the middle of the junkyard again...speaking of which..."
Heero's smile and posture said it all. Relena just laughed and went into his loving arms.
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"Heero probably thinks we're making out on the scrap heap again...wait till he sees you!" Duo smirked as he flipped the pancake (for lunch,Duo?) over,letting the oil ooze out and the mayo settle in.
"Yeah...it's amazing what two years of marriage can do to you..."she muttered.
Hilde tried getting up, but Duo yelled, dropping the spatula and cradling his heavily pregnant wife back down onto her easy chair. Hilde was insisting that she make lunch despite her condition,but Duo was having none of it. He would not even let a single hair on Hilde fall off without his say so. This feeling of intense responsibility was waaaay different from the Duo of old. The happy go lucky, seat of the pants Duo was dead and buried. Thanks to Hilde, Duo was now Mr Responsibilty.
No one told me I was going to find you
Unexpected,what you did to my heart
When I lost hope,you were there to remind me
This is the start
"Down,girl....before you give me a heart attack...." he huffed.
"Duo...you're always trying to protect me.....now you're still doing everything...." she moaned.
"Hildy....."he looked into her eyes,"You're not something I'm willing to lose....not ever...."
He was speaking from experience. From the Mercurius and Vayate episode till now, Duo never looked back on his growing concern for Hilde, visiting her in hospital,restarting their junkyard business,marrying her.......Duo swore silently in his heart that no one was going to take Hilde away from him,not even their soon-to-be children. Their children would be a new starting point for them,one without the Mobile Suits or even weapons. Just a junkyard couple and their two beautiful children. A happy, junkyard couple.
And life is a road I wanna keep going
Love is a river I want to keep flowing
Life is a road,now and forever,
Wonderful journey
"Duo....," a tear fell from her cheek," You're so gentle now.....I don't ever want you to change....for the kids,and for me...."
"Of course not, Hildy.....of course, I have Quattre to thank........he made me aware of all this....the original gentle Gundam pilot....Dorothy's not such a bad catch either....but in my eyes,no one compares to you...."
He was basically talking to himself,as Hilde was fast asleep,exhausted by her attempts to get up and make lunch. Duo pulled the blankie over Hilde and went back to the oven, constantly looking over his shoulder as he flipped the pancakes yet again.
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"Master Quattre! Madam Dorothy!!!" Abdul called from the lower level, throwing a sandbag towards Rashid.
"What's wrong, Abdul??" Quattre asked,one hand on his robe, the other in Dorothy's hand as they rushed to Abdul's side.
"The river has burst again, Master Quattre.....flooding extends to several villages....we're trying to stopgap it here,but it's not easy...."
Quattre and Dorothy rolled up their sleeves and grabbed bags themselves. Auda tried to stop them.
"No,Master Quattre! You and Madam Catalonia get to safety!! We'll hold the floodwaters back!!"
Quattre paused,looking at Rashid,his longtime mentor and captain of his Maguanarc Corps.The big man gently moved Auda aside and let Quattre through. Quattre smiled at him, and Rashid answered back with one of his own,before going back to his own location. Auda sighed and went back to the river,which was threatening to drown them all in its might. Quattre ,Dorothy and the other Maguanacs were holding firm, but Rashid's end was slowly collapsing,water dripping through the sandy barrier. Quattre was unable to help him, being stuck in his own pressure prison,even as he pushed with all his might.
"Rashid!!!!!" he yelled as the waters breached his portion, washing him away like soap suds in a bathroom.
Lucky for Quattre, Dorothy had called in the cement mixers, who were now filling in a separate part of the river, diverting the raging stream towards the sea in a flash. Quattre immediately went to his fallen friend,pulling his head up and prompting him to spit out massive amounts of water,and even a fish or two.
We were strangers,on a crazy adventure
Never dreaming,how our dreams would come through
Now here we stand,unafraid of the future
At the beginning with you
"Rashid!! Thank God you're alive...." Quattre was sobbing, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you....it's all my fault."
Dorothy saw it all,but she knew that Rashid already had a special place in Quattre's heart long before she had even met him. Quattre saw him as a father figure and big brother at the same time,making him one to be looked up to both literally and figuratively. They had fought countless battle together,but their bond was strengthened by their constant support of each other and the other Maguanarcs,even out of battle. She was comforted to know that Quattre and the Maguanrcs held no grudge against her,but she knew all along that she was an addition to Quattre's life,not a replacement. Quattre had pledged his heart to her,but his soul still belonged to the Maguanarc Corps.
"Don't scare me like that, Rashid......"Quattre hugged his friend.
"I'm not going just yet, Master Quattre....." he held the poor blond man in his large arms and patted his back. Abdul put up his sunglasses ,Auda and Ahmad looked away. They , like Dorothy knew how Rashid was important to Quattre,even as the Winner heir was already past his 20s. They also knew the strength of friendship.
And life is a road I wanna keep going
Love is a river I want to keep flowing
Life is a road,now and forever,
Wonderful journey
--------------------------
"That's the last of it! Phew!" Noin fell flat onto the garden,exhausted. The flowers stood bright and tall, seeing that Noin had spent the last three hours making tham that way. Noin forgot why she took up gardening,but she was cursing herself for letting the green bug bite her today.
"You better get some rest,Noin," Zechs looked down at her.
"Sure, after I -whoa!!!"
Zechs scooped her up in his arms,lifting her off the ground, dirt falling from her slacks.
"No excuses. You're getting on that deckchair if I have to kill you to do it."
"If you put it that way, Zechs....but I still think the garden is -whoof!" she grunted as he dropped her onto the deck chair without warning,taking the adjacent seat immediately.
"Don't look at me, Noin. You were always the one insisting on helping me all the time, remember?"
"Well, don't rub it in, Zechs!" she laughed, soothing her slightly bruised bottom.
"Those were the days...you,me and everyone else running around Mars....trying to terraform everything....still,you wanted to help me. Tallgeese,you were there. White Fang,you were there...... Is your middle name Helper?" he joked.
"Zechs...."
I'll be there till the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
In the end I want to be standing at the beginning
With you
(Exactly!,Noin thinks.)
"I know,I know,Noin.....don't make you repeat yourself,repeat yourself,repeat yourself....."
The last thing Zechs saw before passing out was a flower pot flying at 100mph.....
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Trowa Barton, or rather Triton Bloom pulled up another rope as the Big Top fell towards the colony floor. Yet another brilliant performance by the Bloom Circus,he thought. Catherine was talking to the tiger again, joking with her old friend in a corner somewhere , sipping tea made by the ringmaster. The rest of the circus crew , exhausted with the tents finally taken down, took the oppurtunity to head to the trailers. As the boss, Triton had to make sure everything was there before they left. He sighed and checklisted the items on the ground,making sure some circus baboon hadn't left with the bearded lady's banana stash or something like that.. Then a hand came to rest on his shoulder.
"Catherine, could you....you.."
"Hello ,Nanashi...."
"You....Midii....what..what are you doing here....?" Triton was speechless.
Midii looked different ,much more different than the little spy Trowa had met a long time ago, the one that almost turned him in to the Alliance, or rather turned on him. She was now taller than him, her dark brown eyes peering down at him, probing him. Her cashmere hair now flew in the wind.She reminded him more of Lady Une,her older namesake back on Earth.She still wore her trademark cross, draped across her black shirt and brown overcoat. Seeing it brought back painful memories for Trowa, memories of the time he discovered the transmitter in the cross,when the resistance was discovered.
"How..how are you, ...uh.." she tried to start.
"I...my name is Triton.......and I'm just fine...umm.."
Where did the rage go? Wasn't he supposed to be angry at her? But her eyes were trembling,not the type he was expecting from a spy. He couldn't turn away from her gaze,yet he didn't want to look at her.
"I found out where you were from the Preventer Agency,Triton.....no games this time...I..I want us to come clean...even after all this time...it's okay if you don't want to..."
"Midiiii,"he finally looked away..."it's not easy for me like this......"
"I'll just get straight to the point, Triton," she offered her hand," I've been carrying a torch for you all this time. I thought it'd be alright,but I can't shake it...I'm sorry, I just had to tell you....goodbye... Triton Bloom." she said as she began to turn away.
"Wait," he gripped her forearm.
"Huh?"
"I want to tell you....I haven't forgotten you....or that cross.....not at all....."he smiled. Her returning smile was just as radiant,if not more. "After that incident I never thought about it....I was wrong....certain...people have taught me not to ignore my own heart....,"he looked at Catherine,still with the tiger.
"Triton..."
Knew there was somebody somewhere
That may love in the dark
Now I know that my dream,will live on
"Triton...."she stepped back. "Triton.....my nanashi no more...your heart...am I..am I still welcome?"
He paused, making her heart beat faster and faster. "Of course....there's nothing to forgive anymore....but ..but I...."
"Triton?" her face filled with uncertainty.
I've been waiting so long
"But I don't need all that garbage from long ago........" he held out his right hand and grasped hers."My name is Triton Bloom, Miss....."
He cocked his head to one side, his hair draped across his face, appearing to be in a confident manner.
"Midii...Midii Une..." she mumbled.
"Midii Une," she said again, with more gusto. She tried not to scream as her inner self was celebrating, doing cartwheels in her heart. She had never expected him to forgive her betrayal, yet he simply threw it all away...his "garbage". From the outside, she looked like a confident business like woman, but inside, she could feel her jugular thumping against her larynx,confirming her joy.
"Miss Une...what about coffee in my trailer?" Trowa bowed. He was happy too, as he would never have to tell Midii about Trowa Barton, the HeavyArms pilot. Hand in hand, they headed to the trailer.
Nothing's gonna tear us apart
"And then, tiger.....hey, who's the hot chick with my brother? Hmmmm"..."
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MastaChilla leaned on the sandy beach as he looked upon his laptop screen , proud of his acheivement. Blowing out the candle he used to keep himself company,he sang a soft tune to himself.
Life is a road I wanna keep going
Love is a river I want to keep flowing
In the end I want to be standing at the beginning
With you
THE END