Ranma turned the tiny crystal in his hands, watching the way the light shimmered off of it in tiny shards of light. "So this thing can really grant wishes?" he asked, looking up at Cologne and quirking one eyebrow in her direction.
"Indeed, Son-in-law," she replied with a tiny nod of her head. "However, it can only grant the wish if the person is being true to his-or-herself; and the crystal can read the desires of the wish-maker." The ancient Amazon paused, then continued: "You could solve all your problems with the right wish, and you could cause even more if you are untrue to yourself."
Ranma blinked as the elder left the room, leaving him alone to ponder his wish. <I could solve all my problems, or I could create more,> he thought, turning the crystal again to watch the light dance off it again. <What wish could I possibly make that would keep the girls from fighting over me and the guys from trying to kill me?!>
His eyes lit up as the perfect wish came to him, and he smiled slightly. Ranma closed his eyes and clasped the crystal to his chest, barely whispering the wish on the off chance that the old ghoul was listening from somewhere nearby.
"I wish that the person I would be happiest with was my fianc�e, and that my other engagements were canceled." <That should clear everything up,> he thought as he opened his eyes and stood to leave. A sudden wave of nausea hit him, causing him to falter. He gave a tiny cry as the world around him went black.
<Ooooh, my head,> Ranma moaned mentally as he regained consciousness. He blinked his eyes open slowly, becoming aware of several things at the same time. The first was that he was lying in a soft, warm bed. How he got there was impossible to tell.
The second was that the room was not one with which he was familiar. He obviously wasn't in the Tendo's guestroom, and he'd been at Ukyou's enough to know it wasn't her living quarters either.
The third was that there was someone in the room with him. The person was leaning against the bed, head lowered into arms and breathing softly, fast asleep. Ranma had no idea who it was, so did not know whether the person was a friend or foe.
Ranma groaned as he tried to sit up, one hand flying to his head as pain shot through his skull. His movement brought the person sleeping beside the bed to full wakefulness, and concerned cobalt blue eyes caught his. "What do you think you're doing?!" the other boy demanded in a surprisingly soothing voice as he pushed Ranma gently back down onto the bed. Ranma lay back and blinked up at the other teen. Dark cobalt eyes that shined with some hidden warmth, messy brown hair that seemed to be untamable but somehow made him more endearing--
<Endearing?! Wake up, Ranma, you must've hit your head pretty damn hard when you passed out! This is a GUY for Kami's sake!>
"You were hit pretty hard during that last battle," the brown-haired teen continued, the soothing tone never leaving his voice. Ranma blinked again and asked the question that had been plaguing him ever since he opened his eyes and found himself here--wherever "here" was.
"Who are you?"
Hurt flashed into those cobalt pools for a moment, and Ranma instantly regretted his words. He quickly added, "I'm sorry, I'm just having a little trouble remembering anything right now. I can't even remember what happened."
The hurt faded away, replaced with concern once more. "Your mobile suit took a direct hit, and you were thrown from it. You've been unconscious for three days, Ranma. As for who I am, I'm a little hurt that you don't remember your own fianc�, but considering--"
Ranma didn't hear the rest. He'd fainted at the word "fianc�".
Heero sighed and lay his head back down on the bed. It was going to be a very long week.
Blurring the Edges
(Part Two)
Ranma slowly regained consciousness, blinking his eyes at the glare from the sun filtering in through the window. This time, however, he was alone in the room, no sign of his "fianc�" anywhere. If he had found himself in his own room at the Tendo dojo, or even Ukyou's living quarters or the back room of the Nekohanten, he would have believed it to have been no more than a dream.
However, it was the same room he'd awoken in earlier, and he sighed to himself as he sat up.
<Guess it wasn't a dream, after all,> he mused to himself, reaching up a hand to run through his hair. He hesitated when he caught sight of the ring on his hand, but forgot it when he realized his hair was loose and... longer?!
Jumping out of the bed--and, by the way, quickly regretting the motion--Ranma rushed over to the vanity mirror and glanced himself over. His eyes were still the same crystalline blue they'd always been, and his hair was still the same raven-black. However, it was currently out of its familiar (and comforting) braid, and was about hip-length. <The old man'd kill me if he ever saw my hair this long!> he thought, then seconds later added <That is, he would if he was here. But he's not, and I kinda like it.>
<At least you had a father... even if he was a prick.>
Ranma started and looked over his shoulder. No one had entered the room, but he was absolutely positive he'd just heard someone speaking...
<Of course you did, baka! And if you wanna see who it was, turn back around!>
The thoroughly confused teen turned back to the vanity mirror and thought <Great, now I'm hearing voices!>
<Not just any voices, Ranma, hon; you're talking to yourself. Literally.>
<Don't tell me I have a split personality now!>
<Nothing so mundane. And please don't go hitting our head against the wall. You might draw unnecessary attention to, um, us.> Ranma nearly laughed. Here he was, having a complete conversation with a voice in his head.
<Okay, care to explain to me WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!>
<Sheesh, don't yell! I'm right here!> <What do you-->
<Your memories. They contradict mine a lot. Point 1, you grew up with a
father, even if he was a total nimrod. Point 2, you were forced into three
engagements you didn't want and had one crazy chick after you as well. Point 3,
every male you might have been attracted to-->
<HEY! What's that supposed to mean?!>
<I'll ignore that outburst for the moment. Point 3, every male you might have
been attracted to was bent on killing you or at least beating the shit outta
you. My own memories are tons different, but I'm not going to force 'em all on
you at once.>
Ranma felt the other voice fading slightly, and nearly panicked. He was still very confused about what was happening to him. <Where are you going?!>
R2 sounded amused when it replied. <I'll be around. We're going to have to merge eventually, so I'm just gonna slip back for a while. Play the amnesia thing up for a while. You have been unconscious for three whole days and drifting in and out for half the fourth. Trust me, you'll love it here.>
Ranma blinked and stared into the mirror, wondering if his other half, for lack of any better term, had anything else to say. Apparently, it was serious about hanging in the background, because nothing else came to him. The dimensionally displaced teen sighed and leaned his head against the mirror. He ran his hands through his hair again, once more hesitating momentarily when he caught sight of the ring, and grimaced. His hair was in dire need of washing.
"Hey, you're awake!"
Ranma turned his head to see that another boy had walked into the room. It wasn't the same boy from earlier, though; this boy had long chestnut hair that was pulled back into a neat braid that fell just beyond his hips and was probably even longer unbounded, and smiling violet eyes. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Ranma. You had us scared for a while, man."
Not wanting to seem rude, Ranma merely blinked at the other teen, a confused expression on his face. The other boy picked up on it instantly and hit himself in the forehead.
"Baka me!" he exclaimed. "I forgot about that whole amnesia thing! I'm Duo, Duo Maxwell." He frowned slightly, then turned on the smile again. "Did you want some help washing your hair? It has been four days since you've washed it."
"Thank you," the other teen said with a sigh, allowing himself to be lead to the
bathroom across the hall. <They probably put me in this room so that whoever
stayed up with me-->
<Heero.>
<--wouldn't have to be away for very long on the off chance that I woke up.>
"Sorry about the water," Duo said apologetically. "The hot water heater broke yesterday. Wu says it's all my fault, but I didn't see him taking too many cold showers!" The playful tone in the other boy's voice made it very difficult for Ranma to think too seriously about anything at the moment, and he fell silent and allowed the other boy to chatter about the events of the past four days with him.
"I feel like an outsider," Ranma mumbled in a low tone. "I can't remember much of anything right now." He had the feeling that his other half would provide a few more answers later, but for the moment he felt helpless. And if there was one thing Ranma hated more than anything, it was feeling helpless.
"Don't worry, Ran-chan," Duo said cheerfully, grabbing a towel to help the other teen dry his hair. "I'm sure everything will come back to you eventually."
Ranma stopped drying his hair for a moment to give Duo a curious look. "You seem kinda familiar," he said finally; it was true, mainly due to the fact that during the other boy's chatter, Ranma felt an odd sense of familiarity and old friendship.
Duo beamed at him. "See, you're getting your memories back already. We've known each other since we were kids on L2. The only survivors of Maxwell Church."
The blue-eyed boy felt his stomach sink, and asked, "Survivors?"
Duo took one look at the other teen, sighed, and led him back to the room. Once there, he began to tell Ranma about the massacre at Maxwell Church so many years ago.
Ranma lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He'd been in a contemplative mood ever since Duo had told him about their shared past. Several things had struck a very familiar chord in him, and he knew that was the influence of R2 merging with him. If things kept going at this rate, it would only be a matter of months before the two Ranmas merged into one complete being.
He fingered his long braid and frowned to himself. <At least now I understand
why I wear my hair so long. It's the only thing that's stayed by me besides Duo
in this world.>
<Congrats. You just managed to piece together part of the puzzle yourself.>
<Yeah,>
At that point, as if right on cue, Heero walked into the room. The other teen's eyes lit up when they feel upon Ranma, who turned his head to the side and smiled slightly. <He's cute,> he admitted to himself.
<Oh, you're just gonna love him!> R2 replied. <Trust me, I'll help you out while you're sleeping tonight.>
"Hey," he said aloud. "Duo said something about an emergency...?"
Heero sighed and sat down next to other youth. "Hai," he replied, never taking his eyes off Ranma. <Duo said he seemed to be remembering a few things earlier. I wonder if--stop it, Yuy. He'll remember with a little time.> "OZ got hold of the remains of your Gundam. Trowa, Wufei, and I went to destroy the base and dispose of any remaining gundainium."
Ranma's head snapped up at the mention of the Gundam, and his eyes had widened marginally when he'd mentioned destroying the remains. Heero missed none of this. "OZ got hold of Celestial?(1)" he asked. At Heero's nod, Ranma jumped up from the bed and walked over to the window. "How did I know that name?" he asked himself aloud.
"Sally said that your memory would return in bits and pieces, and not necessarily in any particular order," Heero replied. The black-haired boy turned slightly to regard him. Silhouetted against the sunset, cerulean eyes wide and questioning, he was a vision. Heero smiled slightly in spite of himself. It was moment like these that reaffirmed his love for the beautiful former-OZ pilot(2).
"I'm sorry I can't remember much of anything about you, or us," Ranma apologized sincerely. He was truly finding himself drawn to this boy, and was curious as to how they had gotten together in the first place. To his surprise, Heero smiled and stood, walking across the room to join him at the window.
Pressing a quick kiss to the smaller boy's cheek, he softly said, "It will all come back to you in time. Just remember, I'm here for you always." Another half-smile, then he walked across the room and closed the door silently behind him.
Ranma tentatively reached up and touched his cheek. A slow smile crossed his face, and he sank slowly to the floor. He truly hoped that Heero and R2 were right about the memories of his life in this world becoming as clear as those of the life he'd left behind were.
Although Ranma didn't realize it at the time, the memory of his other life was already fading away...
(1) Gomen, I couldn't think of anything to name the new Gundam, so I sorta "borrowed" the name Celestial from Syx-sama's "Generation GW". Arigatou, Syx--don't hurt me!
(2) OZ pilot?! I'll explain in Part Three, I promise!!
Quick Notes for Part Three and beyond:
~ represents song lyrics--all quoted songs are from the album Blurring the Edges by Meredith Brooks
// denotes dream sequences/memory flashes
*** marks section breaks within the dream/memory
Blurring the Edges
(Part Three)
~I struggle with myself again
Quickly the walls come crumbling
Don't know if I can turn away...
What would happen if we kiss~
Ranma whimpered softly and rolled over onto his side, curling up into a tight little ball and clutching his braid with both hands. Heero couldn't help but smile at the sight; his fianc� was just so cute when he was sleeping. A soft knock came on the door, and Wufei slipped into the room quietly.
"Why don't you go get some sleep, Yuy?" he asked in a low tone. "You haven't even been to your own room once in the past four days." Before Heero could argue, the Chinese pilot continued, "I'll sit up with him for a while. It's the least I can do."
The Wing pilot considered this for a moment before nodding his head slightly. It wasn't all that long ago that Wufei'd been in a similar situation(1).
"I could use a little sleep," he finally admitted aloud. Duo entered the room at that moment and faked a swoon at Heero's comment.
"The perfect soldier needs sleep?! We've been gypped!" Wufei shook his head, but couldn't suppress a grin at his boyfriend's actions. Heero himself seemed to be torn between chuckling at the baka or dragging himself out of the room. He finally settled on the later and, after pressing a soft kiss to Ranma's forehead, headed for his own room.
Duo picked himself up from the floor and moved to the bedside next to Wufei. Wrapping his arms securely around the Chinese boy's waist, he rested his chin on his shoulder and sighed softly. "He's finally sleeping?"
"Hai," Wufei answered, placing his own hands over Duo's and leaning back against him. "I keep thinking that he'll wake up any time and be the same irrepressible idiot he's always been."(2)
Duo laughed softly and closed his eyes. "I know what you mean, Wu-chan. Remember, I've been there."(3)
The two boys fell silent, curled up together in the chair by the bed, watching over their friend and fellow pilot.
Ranma dreamed. Or, more correctly, Ranma was beginning to remember life in this particular timeline.
//The braided youth walked slowly down the corridor, wincing as his body protested every move he made. The boy clutched his side and said a silent prayer of thanks that he hadn't been beaten too severely this time--he was, of course, expected to show up at his workstation in the morning.
<I hate this damned place,> he thought to himself as he slowly made his way to the infirmary. <But if I want to be a pilot, I have to stay and take what they dish out.> A wry smile crossed his face as he added <At least this time they were considerate enough to use lubricant.>
The Japanese teen punched in the access code to the infirmary. For the seven months that he'd been in OZ, he had secretly come down here at least once a week to patch himself up after the 'attention' lavished upon him by the older soldiers. If the officers knew anything about what went on after hours, they made no mention of it. So Ranma took it upon himself to tend to any injuries he sustained, and eventually stopped struggling with his attackers.
As the door swooshed(4) open, he was surprised to find that he wasn't the only one paying the infirmary a late night visit. Another teen, about the same age as Ranma himself was, whirled around at the sound of the door opening. Cobalt eyes regarded him coldly from behind the barrel of a gun, and the braided teen shivered involuntarily. <Is he one of those Gundam pilots the informants keep telling us about?> he thought, blinking his own cerulean blue eyes. <Who the hell cares, really? If he's going to shoot me, though, I wish he'd hurry up and do it before I pass out!>
Almost the instant he completed the thought, pain jolted through his bruised side and he whimpered softly as he collapsed to the floor. He instinctively curled up into a ball and wrapped his arms around himself, waiting for the tremors wracking him to subside. Unnoticed, the cobalt-eyed teen lowered his gun, blinking as he did so. He had never thought of OZ as anything more than a military organization, certainly he hadn't thought of the soldiers as actual people. But seeing the raven-haired, light-eyed teen curled up on the floor, something akin to sympathy filled his heart.
Crouching beside the crumpled teen, he placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. "Are you okay?"
Ranma lifted his head slightly, pain in his eyes. The dark-haired boy was taken aback by what he saw reflected in the depths of those eyes: fear and disgust with everything that had happened to him mixed in with the pain, with a fair amount of... guilt?
"Haven't been for a long time now," he said in a wavering voice. <Gods, I'm going to pass out. Why did someone have to be here to see me like this?> He didn't have time to think about anything else, for at that moment the oblivion of unconsciousness claimed him.
He felt himself slowly reawakening. Usually he found himself wherever he'd been when he passed out, most likely the floor of the infirmary or a hallway somewhere. On rare occasions he'd find himself safe and sound in his own room (the boy suspected that either Une or Noin had something to do with that--both women seemed to be rather fond of him for some reason).
This time, he had no clue where he was. The blanket that covered him was definitely not one the military issue sheets of his own bed or the infirmary; now that he thought about it, the bed was soft and warm, and he felt, for the first time in a very long time, safe.
Cracking open his eyes, he caught sight of two women in the room with him. One had honey-blonde hair pulled over her shoulders in a pair of twists that fell just below her collarbone. Violet eyes flitted over to him and smiled warmly at him, and she spoke in Chinese--at least, he *assumed* it was Chinese--to the other, younger woman. The other female had the same violet eyes, but her own hair was a lovely pale shade of lavender, carefully styled in twin braids that fell well past her waist. One braid was pulled over her left shoulder, and she turned to blink at Ranma.
"You're finally awake," she said in a lilting soprano voice. "You had us worried for quite a while."
Ranma groaned as he pulled himself into a seated position, raising one hand to his aching head. He realized that his shirt was gone, and wrapped his arms around himself in a protective manner. <Great!> he snapped mentally. <Just what I needed, a couple of strangers seeing my scars!>
As if reading his mind, the blond spoke up gently. "We've tended to the worst of your injuries. I'm a doctor; my name is Sally Po. This is my niece Shawn(5)." The lavender haired girl smiled shyly and waved her fingertips at him.
"Hello," the boy said, still feeling a little weak. "Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but how did I get here from the OZ installation?"
"Heero brought you here," Shawn offered with another tiny smile. "Whether it was because you needed help or because you're with OZ is beyond me, though," she added thoughtfully.
Ranma blinked his sapphire eyes. "Heero?" he repeated, tilting his head to one side and regarding the two women in confusion.
As if right on cue, the Gundam pilots all entered the room. Ranma turned his head, eyes widening slightly when he recognized not one, but two of the pilots: the cobalt-eyed youth he had encountered in the infirmary, and--
"Duo?"
Duo's eyes looked about ready to pop out of his head as well. "Ranma Saotome?!" he squeaked, then turned quickly to face the stoic teen fixing him with an inquisitive look. "Where the hell did you find him, anyway, Heero?!"
Ranma never heard whatever Heero had to say to the other pilots. All he heard was a startled cry--maybe it was the blonde who did it; the boy with the bang didn't seem the type--as he collapsed back onto the bed again, darkness settling once more as one final thought crossed his mind:
<My best friend... is a Gundam pilot?!>
~In between black and white
I disappear
Circle 'round the stone
Until I landed here
I'm done dying for the past
I'm done dying for the past
I'm done dying
I'm done for the last time~
Ranma's eyes blinked open, and he glanced around the room in confusion. His gaze fell upon Wufei and Duo, who had fallen asleep in the armchair, and he relaxed a bit. Only to find himself wondering where the hell Heero was seconds later.
<He really did save my life,> he thought with a small frown as he climbed out of the bed, wincing slightly at the pain in his side. Glancing down at the bruise, he grimaced. <That's fairly new; those bruises are all faded now... thank gods.> Crossing the room silently, he shot a parting look over his shoulder at the two pilots--two of his friends--and silently slipped out of the room. He wasn't sure how he knew the way, but he soon found himself outside the door to what he knew was his room.
His and Heero's room.
Pushing the door open quietly, Ranma slipped into the room and crossed over to the bed. He crouched down beside it, a small smile crossing his features as he looked at Heero's peaceful sleeping face.
<You'd never know he was a terrorist watching him like this,> Ranma thought, and
reached out to brush a lock of hair off the other boy's sleeping face. The
hair, of course, fell right back into place, causing the bright-eyed teen to
snicker softly. <He's so cute like this.>
<Starting to feel better?
This time, he didn't start at the other voice. It was beginning to sound more
and more like his own. <Hai, I am. But...>
<But what?>
Ranma spoke aloud, more to hear himself in the silence than to actually question his fianc� (it was becoming easier to think of him as such): "Why did you take me away from there, Heero? I was no more than an OZ soldier, and no threat to anyone. Even if they'd completed Celestial, I would never have been able to fly it in the condition I was in." He rested his head on the bed, cerulean eyes tenderly regarding the sleeping teen. "Did you just want to capture an OZ soldier? Did you think you could force them to cease work on the project? Or were you truly concerned for me as a person?" He sighed and crawled onto the bed, resting his head against Heero's chest. As he listened to the soothing sound of the other boy's heartbeat, he closed his eyes and whispered, "I never understood why. I hope one day you'll tell me your reasons, my love."
"Ranma? What are you doing in here?" The soft soprano came from the open doorway, and was just above a whisper so as not to disturb the sleeping pilot. Ranma lifted his head and caught sight of the lavender haired girl standing in the hall. For a moment, he was confused as to who she was.
<Shampoo? No, the hairstyle's all wrong. Lavender hair, braids-->
"Gomen, Shawn," he replied softly, climbing off the bed reluctantly and crossing back over to the door. "I woke up and didn't know where Heero was."
Shawn Po smiled warmly at her friend. "Aunt Sally said your memory was starting to return a little. You found your way to your own room without any problem," she said brightly, though still in a whispery tone because of the others sleeping in the house. "That's a good sign. Do you remember much of anything else?"
//Hands holding him down, beating him when he struggled, clamping over his mouth to keep him from screaming while they took turns with his body...//
He shuddered involuntarily, wrapping his arms tightly around himself. "A little," he mumbled. "Not all stuff that I want to remember, either."
Shawn nodded sympathetically. "Our memories make us who we are," she said in a sad voice. "I wish you didn't have to remember those ones, though." She wrapped her arms loosely around her friend and pulled him into a gentle embrace. For some reason, Ranma'd half-expected her to glom him tightly and purr about taking her on a date. But the embrace remained gentle and friendly, not possessive. "Now then," she said matter-of-factly, slipping into 'serious doctor mode', "let's get you back to bed. You're still recovering from the crash."
Ranma smiled softly and allowed himself to be led down the hall to the guestroom. He found himself liking this girl...
(1) In case you weren't able to pick up the [extremely] subtle hint I dropped in Part Two, the couples are Heero/Ranma, Duo/Wufei, and Trowa/Quatre (even though they haven't shown up as yet). I might actually write a series of side stories set in this particular arch and include this point.
(2) Gee, don't you wish you had friends who said such nice things about you? ^_^
(3) See the first footnote.
(4) I love that sound effect. *swoosh* *swoosh* *swoosh*
(5) Gomen, but this *is* a crossover! You honestly didn't expect me to *not* include other characters from the Ranma 1/2 Universe! And besides, if you aren't really paying attention, you could mistake "Shan Pu" for "Shan Po". I just took it a step further and added a "w" so she isn't *really* Shampoo.
Blurring the Edges
(Part Four)
~So take me as I am
This may mean you'll have to be a stronger man
Rest assured that when I start to make you nervous
And I'm going to extremes
Tomorrow I will change
And today won't mean a thing~
"Refresh my memory here, Duo..."
"Uh-oh... what now, Ran-chan?"
"How often does Deathscythe's self detonate work?"
"Oh, I dunno... never."
"Okay, and what about Shenlong/Nataku/whatever the fuck we're callin' it this week--"
"If you weren't Duo's best friend I'd hurt you..."
"Yeah, yeah, love you too, Fei. Answer the damned question."
Shrug. "Never had to use it."
"And Wing's?"
"Works too damned well for my peace of mind!"
"What are you getting at, Ranma?"
Heero, from where he was currently typing, perked up slightly. He was curious as to where the hell his fianc� was going with this train of thought himself.
Ranma sighed and threw himself facedown on the sofa. "So when the hell did Celestial decide to start self detonating every freakin' time things look bad?" He added under his breath, but just loud enough for Heero to catch, "Maybe I should start callin' her 'Wing Junior'..."
Duo barely muffled his laughter, earning a slight scowl and a pillow to the face from the ebony-haired former OZ pilot. Heero found himself shaking his head and smiling slightly. Only Ranma could evoke such feelings of warmth and contentment within the Perfect Soldier.
As he had almost from the very first moment the pair met...
//The mission was, surprisingly, a bit more complicated than he'd thought it would be. His thought process had been quite simple: Get in. Get the plans for the new Gundam OZ was building. Get out.
<If I'd have known how close to completion the Gundam really was, I would have had Duo and Wufei come along to blow up the base.> He smiled slightly to himself; he would have never thought those two would make such a good team. It was even more surprising how well each seemed to complete the other--Duo was the life and laughter, while Wufei was the stealth and cunning. And watching Quatre and Trowa together.... Heero shook his head and returned to downloading files from the remote computer in the infirmary.
<Duo and Wufei, Quatre and Trowa... they've all paired off quite nicely,> he thought idly as his fingers typed automatically from years of conditioning. He paused as a single thought blazed through his subconscious mind: <I'm the only one who's alone.>
The sound of the door sliding open startled him, and he drew his gun as he whirled around. He nearly dropped said gun when he realized that the boy standing in the doorway was probably no older than himself. Cerulean eyes blinked at him, no fear shining within them. Heero knew he was staring, but couldn't seem to pry his own cobalt eyes away. The other boy was clad in an OZ uniform, but his waist-length black braid was definitely not regulation. And the boy's fragile appearance... it stunned Heero to the core that OZ could let one of their own soldiers fall into such a state.
<Or was he like this when he joined up?> he thought. <And if so, how could they even allow someone like him into their military?!>
A sudden pained whimper erupted from the other teen, and he crumpled to the floor. The boy curled up into a ball, clutching his sides and shivering as he continued to whimper in pain. Heero blinked and lowered his gun slowly, walking to the other Japanese--oh, yes, that had been the first thing he'd noticed-- teen's side. <He's... hurt,> he thought, frowning slightly even as he reached out to gently shake the boy. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.
<Damn it, why do I even care?! He's part of OZ, he's the enemy, he-->
Any other mental arguments died the moment those pained-filled cerulean eyes locked with his own. The pain was most prominent, with fear and disgust added for good measure. What made Heero feel like killing every damned soldier in the place--aside from the pale-eyed teen--was the guilt lingering in the back of those beautiful eyes--
<Did I just think that?! But... but he does have pretty eyes-->
"Haven't been for a long time now," the boy replied in a wavering voice; then his eyes fluttered and his head hit the floor with an audible thud. Heero blinked, trying to figure out his feelings at the moment; then he carefully picked up the boy. He was shocked at just how light the other teenager really was, and reaffirmed his vow to kill every soldier in this base in the hopes of getting whoever had hurt this fragile soldier.
<I don't even know your name,> he thought to the ebony-haired boy as he carefully slipped out the same way he'd come in (he was even more careful this time; he didn't want to drop the poor pathetic child he was holding).
<But I
promise that I won't let any of them hurt you ever again.>
<I swear it.>
"Oi, Heero, did you get the plans?" Duo asked as he dropped onto the couch next to the stoic Japanese pilot. His only response was a glare and a barely audible death threat. "I'll take that as a 'no'," the braided teen said cheerfully; his grin brightened as his Chinese love walked past the room, and he tackled the unsuspecting teen with a cry of "Feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeei-chan!"
Heero frowned thoughtfully and stood, walking down the hall. Wufei noticed his hasty retreat and, pushing Duo off his back in the process, clambered to his feet and followed the brown-haired teen. "You never did tell us about this soldier you brought back from the base," the black-eyed boy said; Duo's eyes widened, and he quickly latched onto Heero's arm.
"You captured an OZ pilot?!"
"I don't know if he's a pilot or not," Heero said, his frown deepening as Quatre and Trowa joined them in the hall. "All I'm sure of is that he was..." he paused, searching for an appropriate word before settling on, "abused while working for them."
"What are you hoping for, Heero?" Trowa asked, visible eye focused on the Japanese teen. Said teen glanced back over his shoulder, eyes unreadable.
<What am I hoping for?> he wondered, saying aloud, "No one deserves to be treated in that manner, Trowa. It's dishonorable."
At Wufei's nod of agreement, Heero turned and continued to the temporary infirmary that Sally and her niece Shawn had set up in the guestroom. He was hoping that the boy had regained consciousness, if only for the reason that he'd at least be able to learn the bishounen's name.
The black-haired boy was awake, and shirtless, when they entered the room. Heero scolded himself mentally for staring as those cerulean eyes turned to regard the five of them. His eyes went wide, and he half-whispered a name that was familiar to all the pilots:
"Duo?"
Violet eyes flew wide, and the braided pilot of Deathscythe squeaked, "Ranma Saotome?!" before turning quickly to face Heero. "Where the hell did you find him, anyway, Heero?!"
The Japanese teen rubbed his temple before softly replying, "The infirmary." Quatre's small startled cry cut off anything Duo might have said, and all five whirled around to see Ranma collapse onto the bed again. Shawn quickly moved over to them and pushed them gently towards the door.
"Shoo, shoo," she said, warm smile in place despite the worry in her violet eyes. "He's still very weak, and Aunt Sally thinks he might actually be in the early stages of shock." The girl closed the door behind her, then leaned heavily against it with a sigh. "His eyes are haunted," she lamented softly. "I've never seen so much pain in anyone's eyes... not even Tsu's."
The five pilots nodded in silent agreement. Mu Tsu Chang was a member of Wufei's clan, and had been a noble warrior before the destruction of L5. He'd somehow survived, but had been blinded by the flash of the explosion. Those beautiful teal eyes were completely sightless now, but could still reflect emotions clearly... and the pain that would flash through them whenever anyone mentioned the colony was almost more than anyone could bare. Shawn had been with her aunt when Wufei had hauled his cousin through the front door of their safe house, pleading for someone to help him with the slightly taller boy. The girl's heart had gone out to the blind warrior in the instant; and wherever Shawn Po went, it was almost a given that Tsu wasn't very far away.
As if waiting for his cue, the blind teen seemed to appear suddenly in their midst. Sightless teal eyes seemed to seek out Shawn of their own will, and he placed one hand on her shoulder. "It seems that our friend has seen more of the darker side of life than anyone should at our age," Tsu said in his soothing tenor. Shawn closed her eyes and leaned against her beloved friend, taking strength in his mere presence.
<... Seen more of the darker side of life than anyone should at our age.> That phrase rang through Heero's mind, and without a sound, he turned and made his way towards the hangar. The remaining six teenagers exchanged a look--Tsu shook his head with a wry smile as he heard the other boy move away--and quickly followed him, their curiosity getting the better of them.
Heero turned, locking eyes with Wufei. "Feel like blowing anything up today?" he asked mildly, even though there was a glimmer of real anger within his cobalt eyes.
"You mean that base where you found--"
"Hn," Heero interrupted before heading into the hangar. "After I get that new Gundam out of there, I want to eradicate that place and every single person inside."
Duo's eyes lit up, and he flashed a feral grin. "Use the good shit, Fei-chan. And if you can get into any of the living quarters, plant a lot there!"
Under his breath the other pilots could hear the Chinese youth mutter, "I could think of some other things I'd prefer to blow up besides their rooms..." as he followed the pilot of Wing into the hangar.
Cobalt eyes widened as he caught sight of the incomplete Gundam for the first time. It was similar in appearance to the Epyon, only it was white in color... and somehow seemed less menacing for some reason.
<Wonder what they call this thing,> Heero thought idly as he climbed up into the cockpit and began to study the controls. He knew that Wufei was waiting nearby to set off the explosives that would destroy this base, and couldn't help but smile to himself. How the other teen had gotten into the common room, which was filled with off-duty officers and soldiers, without being seen was a mystery to the Japanese pilot.
He blinked, eyes narrowing as the vid screen came to life on its own accord to display the image of Lucrezia Noin. <What the-->
"Attention please," the recorded message began; Heero noted that the woman's eyes held a look of sorrow and determination within them. "If you are attempting to steal the Gundam Unit Celestial, I advise you to cease and desist at this time. The self detonate has been activated, and will go off in ten seconds unless the proper code is entered immediately."
<Shit!> Heero frowned to himself, thoughts racing. <There has to be a way to stop the self detonate sequence from inside the suit!> On their own accord, his fingers typed out a series of letters even as he tried to think of what the code could be. To his amazement, the red glow that the cockpit had taken on faded and the vid screen flared to life once more. He blinked as he realized just what he had typed into the command system:
ranma
Noin's eyes on the monitor still held a look of sadness within them as she spoke: "If you know Ranma, then the only thing I ask of you is that you make sure this Gundam gets to him. He's been trained to pilot this particular mobile suit, and I know that he will be an excellent ally to your cause. I already know that only a Gundam pilot would attempt to steal the Celestial; please be kind to Ranma. He deserves some kindness after the life he's been forced to live. Thank you for saving him from himself."
The recording ended, and the screen went black. Heero stared at the screen in silence for a long time, before finally nodding.
"Mission accepted," he said quietly, then engaged Celestial's control system.
It was time to go home.
"Whoa! So this is the new Gundam?!" Duo nearly shrieked when he caught sight of the new suit in the hangar. Wufei heaved a long-suffering sigh and shot a look at his boyfriend.
"No, it's a paperweight," he quipped, smiling at Duo's giggles. "What does it look like, Du-chan?"
Heero ignored the exchange and continued to download the information on this new suit into his laptop. If they were going to use the suit in battle, they would need to know its limitations and weaknesses.
<It would be helpful if Ranma could run through these tests,> he thought with a small frown. <It's easier to test a suit's limitations if you know the pilot's as well. But he's still recovering from--> He shook his head abruptly to stop that train of thought. He did not need to be distracted with thoughts of the boy at the moment... but he'd been given a mission. He had to follow it through. He wanted to follow through.
A soft sound form the doorway of the hangar drew the three pilot's attention, and three heads swiveled around. Duo put his hands on his hips and mock-glared at the boy standing there.
"Ranma! You're supposed to be resting, baka!"
Ranma ignored his friend and stepped into the hangar. Heero caught himself staring again. The other Japanese teen had apparently been given free reign of the overflowing wardrobes in Quatre's house, because he had managed to find some clothing. He was clad in a red tank top that seemed to accentuate his slender frame and a pair of loose-fitting black silk pants(1). But what had really caught Heero's attention, aside from how damned good the boy looked in red and black, was the glimmer in his cerulean blue eyes. There was a light in them had been missing the first time he'd seen the teen... and it made him appear even more breathtakingly beautiful.
Heero tore his gaze away and returned to typing. He managed to shut out the conversation going on behind him with some difficulty--it wasn't every day that a very good-looking, unattached young man walked into the hangar and caught his eye--and nearly jumped when he realized that someone was standing right behind him. He turned around slightly, coming face to face with Ranma.
The other teen was looking past him at the laptop, a slight frown on his face. <Kawaii,> Heero thought, nearly blushing when he realized how close he'd come to saying that out loud. But the look of concentration on the boy's face was cute....
"Celestial's nowhere near being complete yet," the light-eyed boy finally said softly, turning his head slightly to lock eyes with Heero. For an instant, something flared to life in those cool orbs, then it was gone just as quickly. "How the hell did you manage to get her out of the base?"
Heero decided not to tell the boy of Noin's recorded message... for now. "I had some help," he answered instead. "Wufei went along as back-up."
He was rewarded with a small, shy smile. "Duo's koi," he said softly, then laughed at the look of surprise that crossed the perfect soldier's face. "I've know Duo Maxwell since I was five-years-old," he said easily, shrugging. "It don't surprise me none that he likes guys. Or that he has excellent taste in 'em," he added with a wink. "That guy's a babe."
<Did he just wink at me?!>
That thought was quickly killed when Ranma tilted his head to one side, gave him an appraising look, then smiled brightly and added almost as an afterthought, "You're actually pretty bishounen yourself." With that, he leaned forward and pressed a brief, chaste kiss to the stunned pilot's lips. "Thank you for not destroying Celestial," he said softly. "She's all I've really got left."
Heero watched as the boy turned and walked away, pausing only at the door to glance back over his shoulder and flash a warm smile at him. It was only then that he realized Duo and Wufei were still in the hangar, and that Duo was opening grinning at him while Wufei did his damnedest to hide his own smile. The Japanese teen scowled at them and turned back to the laptop, typing once more even as his thoughts wandered.
<Thank you for not destroying Celestial. She's all I've really got left.>
<Iie, Ranma,> <I promise that I'll help you to see that.>
~Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Stop what you're doing
And love me now
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
I'm making my move
Come on and love me now~
The presence of someone right behind him drew him out of his thoughts, and Heero turned his head to find Ranma practically draped over his shoulders and giving him a curious look.
"What?" he asked, the ghost of a smile beginning to form on his lips. Ranma blinked wide pale eyes at him, then tilted his head slightly.
"I know my memories are still a little fuzzy," he said, a smile beginning to tug at the corners of his own mouth, "but for some reason I remember you actually taking a break every now and again."
"New mission orders," Heero replied, resuming his typing. "Not sure who'll have to take it." He was about to add "because I'd rather stay here and keep an eye on you" when his fianc� suddenly dropped into his lap and wrapped long slim arms around him. "Ranma, what are--"
"You need to relax a little, Hee-chan," Ranma interrupted, a familiar sparkle in his eyes. "Don't make me forcibly drag you away from the comp, koibito."
Heero mock-scowled at the boy, but he was elated. <He called me koibito. He hasn't done that since the crash. My Ranma's starting to come back to me.>
He finally sighed and allowed Ranma to drag him away from the computer and over to the couch. "I guess the orders can wait for a few hours..." he conceded, then smiled in spite of himself when his beloved flashed him a bright smile and curled up against him on the couch, closing his eyes with a contented sigh.
<Your memory is returning more every day,> he thought, fondly ruffling the boy's
hair and smirking as he protested the abuse to his braid. <Soon everything will
fall back into place.>
<Ai shiteru, Ranma.>
(1) Gomen nasai, but Ranma looks *hot* in red! Plus, I can't really picture him in anything other than black silk pants. I mean, how else are you going to catch a guy's attention, even unintentionally? *eg*