*Found?*
Paato Fuoochiin
*Setsuritsu suru ka?*
Part Fourteen;
*Found?*
Paato Fuoochiin
*Setsuritsu suru ka?*
In the brilliance of space, amidst its shining stars and endless dance across infinity, a majestic mobile suit lifted its 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 its 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.
Groaning he rolled over onto his side and curled himself into a ball. No... this was wrong. All wrong! What was happening to him? This couldn't be true!
It couldn't!
" Rilina... "
Rilina had shot him. Right there at the finals match. Rilina couldn't have... it wasn't Rilina... she would never have shot him... would she have? But Rilina was a pacifist. Hiiro Yui was a pacifist. But not this Hiiro Yui, his namesake. Namesake? Who was his namesake? His political activist father? Assasinated? By Dorlain? Dorlain was Hiiro's guardian... Dorlain was Rilina's father. Nothing made sense anymore. Hiiro couldn't think.
" Oi, Hiirokun... "
Hiiro shot up out of bed before Duo could finish. He reached behind him for his gun, only to find it wasn't there. Of course; Ozume students didn't carry weapons. Duo blinked at him curiously. The match? Had it never happened?
Hiiro's voice wavered as he asked, " What's going on... "
Duo was beginning to look frightened. " Hiirokun... calm down, okay? You're scaring me, man. "
Hiiro eyed him cautiously. He wasn't prepared to trust anybody. " Wufei's match? "
" You got sunstroke or something and fainted. Marquis-sempai brought you back here, where you've been sleeping it off ever since. "
" Rilina? "
" Eh? Rilinachan? You passed out right as she got there. Didn't I tell you she was going to be late? She was practicing her lines for the next play with Renada-sempai. Hiirokun... I thought I'd told you... she came in costume even, Marquis-sempai didn't even recognize her! "
Hiiro backed against the wall and fisted both hands, pressing them against his forehead and sucking air through his teeth. " Uso! Trowa...? "
The door opened, as if on cue, and Trowa entered the room. The stoic
boy surveyed the room and closed the door behind him.
" Hiiro? " he inquired in his soft voice. Hiiro looked at him, and
felt the immediate calming effect of the other boy's gaze.
" Trowa... " Hiiro trailed off, and slumped to the floor again.
[##]
I want to protect this image of you
Believing in the love that changes sorrow
into strength
Anata no manazashi
momoritai
Kanashimi tsuyosa ni kaeru ai wo shinjite
[##]
Music...?
Beautiful lyrics that touched his heart... It was a nice change to the dreams.
Once again, Hiiro opened his eyes. But this time it was to a completely different environment. The smell in the air was one that was all too familiar. He was in a medical room.
To his right, a portable radio played the music that had ebbed and flowed within his unconciousness, driving away the dreams that only confused him more. This strange world couldn't be reality. All that fighting, all his memories couldn't have been a mere flight of the imagination.
Could they?
Hiiro hated being uncertain.
" Saa... I've always loved this song... " sighed a voice next to the radio.
Hiiro looked over at the owner. It was a woman... no, just a girl. About his age, with shoulder length indigo hair and brown eyes. He'd seen her before, though he didn't know her name... Oh, now he knew, she was the girl whom had been Wufei's opponent at the finals. Hiiro wondered absently who'd won.
" Kimi wa? " Hiiro inquired.
She smiled at him. " Sorou Nara desu. You were Hiiro Yui, right? "
At his answering nod, she held out a card. " From what I've heard you aren't the flower type, so I just went with a card. It's kind of taboo to give a boy anything else anyway. " She gave a short laugh and sat in the chair next to Hiiro's medical bed. " So, how are you feeling? " She picked up the clipboard on the table next to her and flipped through the charts.
" Are those really any of your business? " Hiiro asked.
" Mm? " She pointed at a nametag pinned to her left breast. " I'm one of the medic students. I'm supposed to be your nurse today, but, I hate this job, so I figured I'd just visit. " She continued to flip.
" I don't even know you. "
" Neither did Wufei when I kicked his ass, same thing for different people. " She offered nonchalantly.
Hiiro returned his gaze to the ceiling. " So you won the match? "
" No. He did. " She said, a competative edge working it's way into her voice, " Next time... "
" Hn. "
" Maa, " Nara stood again and set the clipboard back down. " You don't seem to be dying or anything. Feeling okay? You never answered. "
" 'm fine. "
" Ja mata ne! " She moved towards the door. " So long Hiirokun. Get plenty of sleep, okay? Far as I'm concerned, that's all you need. "
Doubt clouded Hiiro's mind in the form of a question. " Sorousan? "
" Hai? "
" Have you heard the word... Gundam? "
" Gandamu... gandamu... gandamu... " She visibly contemplated this, " Iie. I don't think so. What is it? "
Hiiro looked away in disappointment. " Nothing. "
[##]
Painfully, violently, I want to focus on this
In this tearful situation, only you are precious
Setsunaku hageshiku
mitsumetai
Nakitai kurai ni anata dake ga itoshii
[##]
The same song? The radio was playing the same song the next time Hiiro awoke. It was night this time, another refreshing change. Hiiro was beginning to think it wouldn't be so bad if it had all been a dream, a figment of his imagination. He could be content here, with no one to fight or kill. He could just be himself.
But the arrival of Minister Dorlain at his bedside cast deep shadows across the picturesque life of an Ozume student.
Hiiro stared at the man for a long time in silence. Mr. Dorlain didn't seem to want to be the first to break it. Finally he did, stating the name of his ward. Hiiro returned the abstract greeting with a nod of his head.
" Hiiro, what are you doing? "
Hiiro was unable to think of an answer. He looked away in thought.
" Look at me! " Dorlain commanded sharply. " I asked you what you were doing! What way is this for a warrior to act? You're weak! You took it upon yourself to protect Rilina before you even realized it yourself. "
Hiiro's eyes widened. What was Dorlain saying?!
Dorlain glared at him bitterly. " How are you doing my daughter any good here? "
" Where is here? " Hiiro asked.
" You have to ask? " queried Zechs, coming out of the shadows to stand next to Dorlain.
" Am I dreaming? "
" More likely, " next to emerge was Trowa, standing at the foot of Hiiro's bed and capturing the other pilot's gaze, " you are just awakening. "
" To what? " Hiiro was suspicious all of a sudden. He could be sure this was a dream now, but that didn't tell him what reality was. It was all so ambiguous... and he hated ambiguity.
Trowa laughed. Not cruelly or sardonically. He just laughed, and Hiiro was neither affronted or afraid by it.
Just wild beat communication
Don't surrender anything
Because, if we understand each other,
we'll be able to fight as one
Just wild beat
communication
Nani mo yuzura naide
Wakari aeru hito ga ireba
tatakau koto dekiru kara
That same song.
[##]
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. On the window sil sat a portable radio, playing the same song.
Just wild beat, Communication
" Hiiro... "
Hiiro turned his head away from the window, and the radio that had pulled him out of his subconcious. There he found a familiar face, framed by blonde hair and masked in a concerned expression.
" Rilina... "
**
[Ano.... well, that was an...er... interesting little soiree into Hiiro's
subconcious.... I... think... Maa! In the next chapter... I guess we'll
catch up with the other characters and see just what we missed! Has Trowa
escaped Hitori Yuu? Is Wufei still stuck with Nara? Is Zechs still sick?
Has Dorothy gone *clinially* insane? Find out (possibly) in the next part
of Gundam Wing Mugen no Dansu!!]
[Written by Inseiko, 2000]