*Return home to Outer Space*
Paato Chuenchitsuu;
*Uchuu ni kaeru*
Part Twenty-two;
*Return home to Outer Space*
Paato Chuenchitsuu;
*Uchuu ni kaeru*
In space, I see music.
In the brilliance of space, amidst its shining stars and endless dance
across infinity, a white and blue mobile suit lifted its rifle and
spewed golden fire into the darkness. The light from the fire mingled with
that of four other Gundams to create a brilliant flash of light. The light
of war outshone the peaceful light of the stars and, in a moment, the mistakes
of the past had been forgotten, only to be repeated.
One by one five stars fell to the Earth in shame.
Never to return.
Never to feel the peace of space again.
Hiiro rolled over in his sleep and gazed at the ceiling. For a long time he lay there, reflecting on the dream and considering what the morning would bring. Hm, he couldn't take Wing to space. The Gundams were no longer welcome there. The others could take theirs if they so desired. But he wasn't about to. He could be so much more effective without his Mobile Suit.
Hiiro slid out of the scant covers and stealthily moved towards the flap of his tent. Pushing it open, he was struck by a moment of deja vu. Gazing up at the stars... he wondered.
He wondered what might have been.
But wondering didn't do him any good.
Hiiro slipped into the night and moved towards where the Maginak had stored Wing and the other Gundams. As quietly as he could he got into the cockpit and started the suit up. His hands flew over the controls and Wing lifted into the air. Hiiro pushed the lever and switched to flight mode. With one unavoidable blast of the engine, Hiiro disappeared into the night.
[##]
On scarlet carpet
Was this flower surfacing
To the top into the darkness
Where sorrow is born.
Shinku no jyuutan ni
nita
konno yo no hana wa mina omote
sonno shita ni nagareru yami
kannashimi wa soko kara umare
[##]
Duo heard the blast as Hiiro took off and moaned as he rolled over. Staring across the tent, he noted the empty cot and didn't need to think too long to figure things out. Rolling back onto his good side, he scowled at the tent wall and muttered, " What's he up to... that guy? "
Not that it mattered. Duo knew that Hiiro would be back in the morning. They had all decided to go back into outer space... and Hiiro wasn't the type of guy to go back on his word.
The other fact of the matter was Duo was still injured. So were Quatre and Trowa. Trowa would heal soon enough, his wounds were mild. Duo would likely be the last to heal. That would go over well in a space battle. Duo smirked at himself in the darkness.
A slight wind tousled his hair. Hiiro had left the flap open: and the air was cold at night in the desert. Duo shivered, but didn't favor the idea of actually getting up and closing it. He pulled the blanket around him tighter and winced at the effort.
Thinking about it, he mulled as he yawned, it was still a fair ways until dawn. Hiiro could have pretty much gone anywhere. Which again brought to mind the question...
Just what was Hiiro doing anyway?
[##]
Aa, how long can we live deceiving our hearts?
We'll only be determined puppets.
Still, we embrace the ones we love,
Protect the ones who are small.
Today, somebody shouts.
aa, kokkoro sae
itsuwatte ikuruno ka
hito wa sadame ni ayatsurareru dake
tada, itoshiki monno dakishime
chiisaki monno mamoru tame
kyoo mo dareka ga sakebu
[##]
Out of nowhere, Trowa had the thought that he should probably contact Kathrine at the circus. She had to have been awfully worried. He wasn't sleeping anyway...
Getting out of bed, he pulled on his shoes and carefully slipped out of the tent. Peeking back through the flap, he saw that Quatre hadn't awakened and headed for the main tent.
Once there he greeted the Maginaks and accepted a cup of coffee offered to him. He noted an empty console and walked over to it.
" Can I use this? "
Abdul eyed him. " What for? "
" I need to contact the circus I was staying with. One woman in particular will be concerned at my absence, " he explained blandly.
Several of the Maginaks started nudging each other and chuckling at the mention of a woman.
Abdul chuckled right along with them and conceded, " Sure, go ahead. "
" Thank you. " Trowa sat at the console and placed the headphones on. Typing in the code, he waited patiently for the signal to lock. Eventually the Ringmaster's face appeared on the screen.
" You! " was his gracious greeting.
" I apologize for my absence. I will be gone for a longer time now, I may not even return. Just thought I should let Kathrine know. "
The Ringmaster looked miffed. " Why don't you tell her yourself? He turned his head to the side and snapped, " Kathrine! Trowa wants to talk to you. "
Kathrine's worried face was the next to appear, made up to show she was about to perform. " Trowa? Trowa! Where are you? I was so worried. "
" I know. "
" Some soldiers came and said you'd been taken in. They said you were a terrorist! "
Trowa's tone turned thoughtful, " Maybe I am... "
" What? "
" Nothing. " Trowa leveled green eyes on Kathrine's image and explained, " I'm going to be gone for a while longer. I might not come back. Just letting you know. "
" Trowa?! "
" Good-bye Kathrine. " He closed the connection.
[##]
We run from our lives,
Burning inside of time.
Just for that moment, we kiss.
konno inochi sae mo nagedashi
toki no nakade moetsukiru
sonno isshyun ni kuchizuke o
[##]
Quatre's eyes opened, only to be greeted by darkness yet again.
He couldn't sleep. He almost didn't want to. With sleep came dreams, and he was dreaming reality. For be it awake or asleep, a hundred thousand people were dying at the hands of a merciless war. He could see them, feel them, practically touch and become them. His heart ached with the resounding cries of the victims of Oz's control over Chikyuu.
But it wasn't just Oz. It was the Gundams. Rilina Peacecraft even, had caused pain and suffering as a result of their actions. Be it direct or without intention, they were all responsible for the peoples' suffering. They all had to atone for their actions.
It was with this thought, that Quatre fell back to sleep... and dreamed of his father.
[##]
A desire in the filthy street
Only blows winds towards the sky
As we tread on love
And reminisce our tears
yokuboo ni yogoreta machi
fukinukeru kaze dake sora e
fuminiji rarete yuku ai
tte no hira ni nokotta namida
[##]
This world had no justice.
No sense of honor.
Why? The question repeated itself over and over, disrupting his sleep and extending its reach to the waking world. He was a fool. A fool for so many reasons.
Even through his anger and grief, when he closed his eyes he could feel her, the same as the night previous. Leaned against him... her arms around him... that soft, earthy scent. If he weren't so angry and angst filled he might have cried, and then hated himself all the more.
Wufei leaned his head back and watched Wing Gundam disappear into the night sky. Hiiro seemed to be chasing the dawn. Wufei envied him... for now, with his failure against Treize, his failure for Nara, and his general weakness... he only awaited the end of both night and day.
How could he have honor in an honorless world?
[##]
Aa, can we live smiling till it's taken away?
Everyone's hurting hearts are crying.
Now I kneel praying, looking down at the ones I protect.
My chest crosses the cuts
aa, egao made ubawarete
ikiruno ka
daremo kizutsuki kokkoro mo naiteru
ima, hizamazuite inori o kakan nai monno mamoritai
mune ni jyuuji o kizamu
[##]
Morning came all too swiftly to the Cinq Kingdom, filling Rilina Dorlain-Peacecraft's room with warm sunshine. She opened her eyes to watch the light creep across her bed. It was a perfect day.
Which made the odd sense of foreboding all the more ominous.
[##]
Unable to stop,
This thing is crushing my soul.
Still, I believe
konno tomerarenai nanika
o
osaerareru tamashii o
tada shinjitai itsumade mo
[##]
Hiiro walked back into the Maginak encampment mid-morning, saying nothing as to where he had been or where he had left Wing Gundam. The Japanese pilot met most questions with silence, and eventually everyone just let it pass. It was almost comforting, his solemn statement of not needing his Gundam to return.
The rest of the morning and much of the afternoon was spent planning. Quatre proved himself to be an extraordinary strategical planner, and with help from Trowa, Duo, and Hiiro, they were able to come up with a viable way to break into the spaceport and steal ships before Oz's main enforcements arrived.
Only Wufei didn't help with the planning. He stayed through the session, and offered vague opinions when asked, but most of the time he seemed preoccupied. Until near the end when he brought up a very important question.
" Once in space... where will we go? "
The other four Gundam Pilots stared at him, a variety of expressions (or non-expressions as the case may be) on their faces. Wufei regarded them all with obsidian eyes and elaborated, " What colony are we headed for? Are we going as a group, which is pretty obvious, or are we going to split up when we get there? "
Duo crossed his arms and leaned against the table. " Splitting up seems pretty logical. I mean, according to the reports, Oz is pretty spread out up there. We also got word that they've come up with a few new designs on Mobile Suits. " He met Wufei's stare with his own violet eyes. " What do you think, Wufei? "
Wufei looked away in contempt. " I have no 'home' to return to if that's what you mean. "
Duo shrugged. " Suit yourself. I think we each have our own sub-reasons for going back into space. " His gaze turned cool, " But we have to remember that our missions are the same. "
Wufei snorted and rose to leave.
" Don't forget the dreams, " Hiiro inputted softly. Wufei paused, Hiiro continued, " I've established that we've all seen dreams of Outer Space. For whatever reason, something is telling us to return to space. "
Trowa spoke up, " I think that Outer Space is far more important than we or Oz knows quite yet. "
" Then it's settled, " Hiiro declared, catching Quatre's gaze.
Quatre nodded in agreement, both hands on his heart.
[##]
The clouds disappear, stars are visible.
The wind stopped, the birds sing.
The light of the water melts into the sky.
You can feel the end of the night
kumo ga kiete hoshi ga
mieru
kaze ga tomari tori ga utau
umi ga hikari sora ni tokeru
yoru ga owari kimi o kanjiru
[##]
At twilight four Gundams took to the air, and shot towards the horizon. The Spaceport was on the coast of the Indian Ocean, several hundred kilometers from the Maginak encampment. Quatre had convinced the Maginak to stay behind, and Hiiro had ridden with the small Arabian boy in Sandrock's cockpit.
" When we get to the spaceport, touch down as quickly as you can and let me off, " Hiiro reminded him monotonously from where he half-stood, half-crouched to Quatre's left, " I'll go in on foot and get the shuttles ready for launch. "
" Right. " Quatre looked torn for a moment. " Ano.. Hiirokun? "
" Mm? "
" What... did you do with your Gundam? "
" I left it in a safe place. "
" Oh... "
[##]
Still, we embrace the ones we love,
Protect the ones who are small.
Today, somebody shouts
tada, itoshiki monno
dakishime
chiisaki monno mamoru tame
kyoo mo dareka ga sakebu
[##]
The spaceport came into view some time later, a vast concrete expanse on the side of the sea, which sparkled in the moonlight. It was quiet, looking to be devoid of life.
Then radar picked up the Gundams' approach and all hell broke loose.
The Aries launched and headed straight for them. The air was soon filled with gunfire, and the Leos could been seen dispatching along the perimeter of the base.
HeavyArms landed heavily and began returning fire with the Gatling gun on its left arm. (?) Deathscythe touched the ground once, pushing off to get better altitude and cut down two Aries with one swipe of its scythe.
" Guys! You've got to cover me! " Quatre shouted over the com, " I've got to get Hiiro closer to the base so I can let him off! "
" No problem Quatre, " Duo's voice came cheerily over the line.
" We'll handle the Aries, " Trowa assured him.
There was radio silence from Wufei, but Shenlon Gundam did spit a column of fire , clearing a path straight to the base. " Luck to you, " he said finally.
" Thank you! " Quatre powered up Sandrock and shot towards the base. When an Aries cut in front, he proved himself to not be helpless. Sandrock stopped abruptly, spun and careened to the side, drew its scythes from its back and reduced the Aries to practically nothing. All before the Oz pilot could quite understand what had happened.
Once the violence of his actions were over, Quatre inquired of his passenger, " You okay? "
" I'm fine, just keep going. "
" Right. "
Sandrock resumed its course.
[##]
We run from our lives,
Burning inside of time.
Just for that moment, we kiss
konno inochi sae mo nagedashi
toki no nakade moetsukiru
sonno isshyun ni kuchizuke
[##]
Quatre reached the fence ringing the base and touched down. Opening the cockpit, he watched Hiiro descend to the ground. Once the other boy was inside the perimeter, Quatre called and asked, " What should we use for a signal? "
Hiiro looked back up at him with eerie cobalt eyes. " You'll know it when you see it. "
Quatre smiled, if a bit apprehensively, " Right. " He closed the cockpit and went back to join the others in battle.
Sometime later... the hanger exploded into flames.
[##]
Now I kneel praying, looking down at the ones I protect.
My chest crosses the cuts.
Unable to stop,
This thing is crushing my soul.
Still, I believe
hizamazuite inori o kakan
nai monno mamoritai
mune ni jyuuji o kizamu
konno tomerarenai nanika o
osaerareru tamashii o
tada shinjitai itsumade mo
**
[Hum, this chapters a bit longer than all the others... oh well! What a dramatic beginning to Section Three ne?! ~proud~ So, the same old questions, what awaits the boys in space? Will going to space do anything? Will we find out what happened to Nara? Will Evil Hilde destroy them all? Will Zechs ever get the Epyon to Hiiro now? Find out later, I'm outing! Ja ne!!]
[Written by Inseiko, 2001]
[Song: 'Velvet Underworld'
by Weiss. 1st OP to Weiss Kreuz TV
Lyrics
kindly provided by Saka Okawa.]