*Lost*
Paato Sachiin
*Maigo*
Part Thirteen;
*Lost*
Paato Sachiin
*Maigo*
In the brilliance of space, amidst it's shining stars and endless dance across infinity, a majestic mobile suit lifted it's head in the aftermath of a battle between the light and the darkness. As the light faded, the pilot was unable to see the peaceful light of the stars once again. For his mind was clouded with the darkness of war: a gaping black hole that engulfed Chikyuu in it's entirety and swallowed all of Uchuu along with it.
War had consumed humanity.
One by one, five stars fell in shame to the dead void that had once been Earth.
Never to know the peace of outer space again.
Hiiro Yui opened his eyes and gazed at the cracks in the ceiling. It was morning, and a sweet smelling breeze enticed him from the open window to his right.
The dream... it had changed.
Hiiro closed his eyes. Was it finally over?
" Oi, Hiirokun, " came a plaintive voice from Hiiro's bedside. Hiiro reopened his eyes and looked over. Duo Maxwell leaned in to gaze imposingly at him. " Hayaku ne, we're going to be late! "
" Late? " inquired Hiiro, more politely than he'd intended.
" Yeah, Hiirokun, late, " Duo stepped back and slipped an unfamiliar jacket over his dress shirt and tie. " The first lecture today is in fifteen minutes. You won't have time for breakfast again and you certainly don't have time to shower. So get dressed, get your books and let's go. You did finish your report on vernier boosters and their capability of leaving atmospheres more dense than that of the Earth right? "
" Re... " Hiiro repeated, " ... port? "
Duo gave an exasperated sigh and mumbled, " Great. He's not even awake yet. He's supposed to be in the lecture hall in fifteen minutes and he's looking at me like he doesn't know what's going on... It's Thursday and he's supposed to meet Marquis-sempai for lunch, but he'll forget about that too, he's also got that report and the quiz in calculus and one in astrophysics. Then there's Wufeikun's finals match to go to later on and how exactly did I end up this guy's secretary? I didn't even want a roommate, but oh no, Instructor Futari was all 'Duo you need to be more sociable' and 'Duo, you need to work better with other people'... I'd like to show her-- " Duo walked off muttering to himself.
Hiiro sat up and looked around himself. He had been sleeping in a small bed with crisp white sheets and a stiff pillow. On a chair next to him hung a crumpled uniform that matched Duo's. On a desk at the end of the bed lay a stack of books and a folder. Hiiro crawled to the end of the bed and picked up the folder.
" 'A Study of the Effects of Higher Gravity on the Output and Launch Capabilities of Vernier Boosters' " he read, " 'A report by Hiiro Yui...' " His eyes widened. " N-nani kore? "
Duo came over and snatched the report from his hands. " Ehh, good. You did get it done. I thought you were daydreaming last night. Muttering things all the time. Gah! How am I expected to get any sleep with such a night-owl? Come on, get dressed. I'll get your books together for you. "
Hiiro nodded mutely, and went to get the uniform next to 'his' bed.
[##]
It was a strange day in the life of Hiiro Yui. Or rather, the life of some other Hiiro Yui that this Hiiro didn't have any clue about. A student of 'Ozume School' he was the top of his class, despite being somewhat withdrawn and refusing to work with others (which was apparently why they paired him with Duo Maxwell). He was a brilliant strategist, mathematician, and an average scientist, seeming to lean towards explosives and other destructive forms of chemistry. Enrolled five months ago on the first of April, in the After-Colony year 195. All fees paid by guardian, parents deceased. Father was a high-profile political activist, mother was his supporter. Both were allegedly assassinated. Age 15, but with an IQ. that rivaled...
All the rest was boring.
Hiiro sat back and considered the computer console before him. His records hadn't said anything about his hacking skills, but apparently he still had them.
Hiiro had to admit he was baffled. It just didn't make any sense. Was he dreaming again? Or was he dreaming still? Sickeningly, the thought wormed its way into his head;
Had he been dreaming all along? Was that all the Wing Gundam and the battle against Oz, and Rilina had been? Just a dream? But... it couldn't be. It just couldn't...
One word seemed to jump out at Hiiro from the report as he pondered this. kouken'nin, guardian. Who could that be? Doctor J? Would this guardian have answers for him? He began to check for a communications number, an address, something... While searching he looked to the side at the open dayplanner he'd found within his books at the lecture that morning. He had Calculus in room 377 in ten minutes and after that a finals match that Wufei was participating in. No problem.
While he was here, he might as well keep a low profile.
There. There was a number to reach his guardian at. And the name was...
Hiiro paused. His guardian....
His guardian was Vice Foreign Minister Dorlain?
[##]
The phone rang once... twice.... and then a third.
Hiiro looked at his watch. He had three minutes until Calculus. Why wasn't anybody answering the phone?
" Moshi moshi? "
" Is Mr. Dorlain in, please? " Hiiro inquired.
" Hai, wait just one moment, I'll transfer you. "
Silence, and then, " Dorlain speaking. "
" Mr. Dorlain? " Hiiro began, " This is Hiiro Yui. "
A pause. " Yes? "
Hiiro was mortified to find himself fumbling with words. He was nervous, but he wasn't. Hiiro the gundam pilot was perfectly calm. Hiiro the Ozume Student was not. " I was, I was wondering, if I could speak with you... about my parents... and, and, and um, Wing and... and about Rilina and why I'm here.. and... " Hiiro forced himself to stop the flow of words.
" Hiiro? " There was something unreadable in the voice. Something Hiiro didn't like. " Shouldn't you be in class? "
He checked his watch. " Ee, so desu. "
" Then I suggest you go. " Click.
Hiiro stared at the telephone in shock. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. How could he get back to where he was supposed to be? Where were Duo, the real Duo, and Rilina and Quatre and the Maginak and Wing? What about... Trowa? Where was Trowa?
A prisoner. Quatre had said he was a prisoner. Of Oz.
Was Hiiro a prisoner too? Was this all a dream, or a delusion? Hadn't
he already asked himself that? Sudden pain seared through Hiiro's head
and he dropped his books. Reaching down to pick them up, he noted that
he was late for Calculus, and headed in that direction in a hurry.
[##]
Hiiro sat slouched in his seat all through Calculus. It was boring anyway; a quick skim of the day's chapters in the textbook had proven that he already knew it all. He sat looking out the window in a blatant show of disinterest that had nothing to do with rebellion. Outside it was pleasant, nothing much had changed since he had woken up. He felt the urge to yawn and stifled it.
Finals match with Wufei... Duo was his roommate... they were meeting Quatre and Dorothy there... lunch with Zechs.... where was Trowa? Trowa... Trowa would understand... Trowa would know whether this was real or not. Trowa was the pilot Hiiro identified with the most. Trowa and Zechs, and Zechs had proven to be a dead end. 'Marquis-sempai' hadn't known anything, in fact, he had completely missed all of Hiiro's hints at his dilemma.
No one knew anything. Dream or Reality? Both? Neither?
Wufei was pretty sensible when he calmed down. Maybe he would have some
answers, if Trowa was a prisoner.
[##]
" Where's Trowa? " Hiiro asked.
Duo looked at him. " Nah, he won't be able to make it, he's got a problem with Yuu. "
Hiiro puzzled over this.
" A problem with Hiiro? " Quatre inputted, also confused.
Duo turned to him, " No, a problem with Yuu. "
Quatre looked heartbroken. " A problem with me? What did I do? "
Duo fumed a moment. " Trowa's. Got. A. Problem. With. YUU!! "
Dorothy turned around from where she sat in front of them. " With me? " she purred, " but we've never met. "
Duo scowled at her. Dorothy tried to look innocent (she didn't). It was at this moment that Hiiro noticed another person attending the finals. He stood up and waved his hand, " Marquis-sempai!! " All the while his mind raced, asking the question, why did I just do that?
The tall, blonde upperclassman looked over to see who had called him, and then waved back, before weaving his way up through the crowd on the bleachers towards the three boys. He and Hiiro exchanged greetings, and then went back to awaiting the match.
Hiiro sat there, feeling the sun on his shoulders, and listening to Duo chatter away to Quatre and Dorothy...
" ... so I told her, 'Hildey, baby you know I ain't cheatin' on you, honey,' " a snort, " 'especially not with Hiiro Yui...' "
" Then what? " Quatre prompted.
" Then she slapped me and said we were over, " concluded Duo in misery. " Sucks too, cuz her mom really liked me! "
" Well then, " Dorothy inputted, " all is not lost. You've still got the mother. "
Duo stared at her, utterly appalled, until it took Quatre, Hiiro, and Zechs to hold him back. Dorothy merely giggled and returned to failing her attempts at looking innocent.
It was that moment in which Trowa did arrive, accompanied by his sister Kathrine. Kathrine immediately sat next to Quatre and they laced hands.
No one seemed to notice.
Trowa sat in between Hiiro and Zechs and met Hiiro's gaze.
" You're stupid, Hiiro, " he stated flatly.
Hiiro was taken aback (much to his own chagrin). " Nan? "
Trowa and Zechs gave the boy an odd look. " I said 'Yuu is stupid' " Trowa reiterated, " He's fighting for the wrong reasons. "
...fighting for the wrong reasons...
" Hey, the match is starting, " Zechs observed mildly.
All eyes went down to the ring at the centre of attention, and to the two opponents entering the ring. They entered from opposite sides, clad in white gis, and holding their backs straight. The one coming from the left was slightly taller, with jet black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. The one on the right had indigo hair, pulled into a ponytail as well. In fact, the only thing that told the two apart was the fact that the indigo haired one had bangs, and their gender.
Duo leaned forward, pushing Dorothy aside in his excitement. " Wufei, the all time woman-hater's opponent is a GIRL?! " He burst out laughing, then cupped his hands at his mouth and hollered, " YO, WU-MAN!! GO GET 'ER, BUDDY!!! "
Down in the ring, Wufei's solitary thought in response to this was, damn that Duo...
Dorothy shoved at Duo and snapped, " Get off me! What are you doing? "
Duo brought his hand down from where it was shielding his eyes and gave her a bright grin, " Just trying to figure out which one's prettier, Wu-man or the chick! "
" They do look alike, " Kathrine remarked.
Duo leaned back and put both hands behind his head, " No mystery there what the kids'll look like, " he scoffed, then contented himself to watch.
But before the match could start, Zechs looked down and blinked. " Hey, who's that? "
All eyes went down to where Zechs was looking, to see a young girl with blonde hair pulled back by a black ribbon advancing towards them. She wore a white military dress, and all the trimmings. She stopped right before them, and raised her head, to let the light into her face.
" Rilina... " Hiiro trailed off.
" Hiiro Yui, " she stated, her voice clear and crisp in the sudden silence. She raised a gun and placed the barrel against his forehead. In monotone she stated, " Omae o korosu. "
BANG!
**
[Um.... okay... ~nervous laughter~ and I thought section one of this
story was confusing! What the hell is going on?! What is a dream and what
is reality? Poor Hiiro. Anyway, did Rilina really shoot Hiiro? Is this
the end of Mugen no Dansu?! (boy, that would really be a let down, wouldn't
it? I wanna know what's going on as much as anybody! Which is sad, because
*I'm* the WRITER!!!) Find out in Part Fourteen of Gundam Wing Infinite
Dance! See ya! ~wink~]
[Written by Inseiko, 2000]