Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Behind the Facade ❯ "What would I be fighting for?" ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Alright, here's the third chapter! ^_^' Sorry it took me so long, I've been neglecting the writing duties. *double sweatdrop* Like that's an excuse . . . N'wayz, I finally finished honing this chapter, so here it is! My beta-reader said that Relena seemed quite a bit too smart for a three-year-old, and when I went back to look at it, she did seem to be too smart. But I don't think I'll be able to make her like an average three-year-old would be, because I guess I sorta try to convey my own opinions, ideas, and beliefs through my writing, so let's just pretend she's some sorta prodigy, 'k? *smiles at audience* Okay! ^_^ And just so you know, Iria is in this chapter, as she will be in future chapters. And yes, she is the same Iria who is Quatre's big sister. I know it sounds far-fetched, but I'll find some way to explain later, 'k? And as always, R&R! And a BIG thanx to Makoto Yuy for beta-reading this for me and encouraging me to keep at it, no matter how little reviews *glares at readers* I get. Thanx!
Angel~
Disclaimer: *Angel whimpers* I . . . I can't say it! *G-boys stand in back of room holding up cue cards that say "I don't own Gundam Wing"*
Quatre: *walks up, pats Angel on the back* Please excuse her. She doesn't own us or Sailor Moon, and it's slowly driving her mad . . . *Angel wails* Wait a minute, she was already crazy . . . *sweatdrop*
Behind the Facade
By Angel of Death
CHAPTER THREE-"You can't expect me to just become a soldier without a reason!"
"Y-y-you mean that Relena's the 'Angel'!?" Richard stuttered, unable to think of anything better to say in his surprise. Trista's revelation of the Prophecy had unnerved him as he finally realized how serious the situation was. Trista nodded at his question, waiting for him to give either his consent to train the Princess or rejection of the same. Richard took a drink of glass of water he'd somehow ended up with, his hand trembling.
"Are you saying that if I don't train her and train her well, she might not be ready to save the galaxy when the time comes?" he inquired flatly, still very shaken. Trista nodded again, retaining her silence. Finally, Richard's hand stopped trembling.
"I don't-"
"*yawn* Grandpa, what're you doing up so late? You said you were going to bed!" a tired child's voice interrupted the conversation. A blonde-haired, sky-blue-eyed girl of about seven stepped into the room, rubbing her eyes and scratching her head while yawning. Richard smiled.
"I could ask the same of you, Iria. Come here." he said, setting the girl comfortably in his lap. "You remember Miss Trista, don't you?"
"You ask me that every month when she comes by, Grandpa, of course I remember her!" Iria said, rolling her eyes in an attempt to sound mature as her seven-year-old sarcasm dripped from her words. Trista smiled, and reached over to rub the girl's head. After a moment, she pulled away and pointed to the hallway.
"Iria, there's a three-year-old in the guestroom down the hall. I told her to get to sleep for the time being, but I doubt she's asleep. Could you go and introduce yourself to her while your Grandpa and I finish our conversation?" she asked, nodding at the hall. Iria's face brightened, all appearance of tiredness gone in a millisecond.
"Sure, I love playing with little kids!" she said excitedly, climbing down from Richard's lap.
"Just keep it down in there." Richard said, patting her back as she took off. Trista smiled as she disappeared into the hallway.
"I doubt she even heard you." she said, shaking her head.
*****
Iria stepped into the dark hallway and was about the walk to the guestroom when a hand tugged at her blue PJ's.
"Come here!" a voice said. Iria turned around and saw Relena standing pressed against the wall with her ear cocked in the direction of where Trista and Richard were talking.
"Who are you?" Iria whispered, pressing herself against the wall in an imitation of the three-year-old.
"The three-year-old they told you about. Name's Relena." Relena said, sticking her hand out to shake Iria's, careful not to let it be seen by Trista and Richard, her eyes never leaving the two adults.
"Mine's Iria." Iria replied, shaking Relena's hand warmly. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to find out what they're saying." Relena replied to Iria's query. "I wanna know what's goin' on, and why Trista brought me here."
"Why don't ya just ask her?" Iria asked, puzzled.
"'Cause she won't tell me! Not right now, anyways." Relena replied, trying to shush the older girl by waving a hand as a signal to be quiet.
"Why won't she tell you?" Iria asked, ignoring her companion's signals for silence. Relena looked at Iria and sighed, resigning herself to the fact that she probably wouldn't get to hear anymore the way Iria was chattering.
"Let's go to the guestroom, we can talk better there." she said, leading them to the bedroom. When the door was shut, they both climbed onto the bed and sat down.
"So, why won't she tell you what's going on?" Iria asked, pressing for an answer.
"Well, I haven't asked her yet, but I know she won't now 'cause, well, I just know." Relena finished lamely, not really knowing why she knew, just that she knew. Iria nodded and shelved the matter.
"Do you listen to grown-ups like that all the time?" she asked, moving to a different topic.
"I don't know." Relena said quietly. Iria blinked.
"Whaddaya mean, you don't know?" she asked incredulously.
"I don't know anything about my life, I didn't even know my age or name until a little while ago, and I don't even know if they're true." Relena whispered, trembling.
"Bu-But how can you not remember your own name!?" Iria cried. Relena quickly reached up and put a hand over the older girl's mouth while using the other hand to put a finger to her lips.
"Shh! They'll hear you!" she shout/whispered. Iria nodded and Relena took her hand away from her mouth. "I just don't remember."
"Okay." Iria said, seeing that the chosen topic made Relena uncomfortable. "How did you get-"
"Girls?" Trista's voice sounded from outside the room.
"Come in!" the girls called in unison. Trista stepped into the room along with Richard.
"Relena, we need to talk to you. Iria, could you please?" Trista said, motioning to the doorway. Iria nodded.
"G'night, Grandpa. 'Night, Miss Trista. 'Night, 'Lena." Iria said, smiling at Relena. Relena returned the smile, happy about Iria's shortened version of her name. When Iria was out of earshot, Trista's face turned serious.
"Relena, we have a proposition for you. I'd like you do meet Dr. Carter." Richard stepped forward and smiled, shaking Relena's hand warmly.
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Carter." Relena said, ducking her head. Where'd THAT come from? she wondered, but her thoughts were interrupted when Trista began speaking again.
"Relena, after talking with Dr. Carter, he and I have determined that it would be good if you joined his Academy." she said, avoiding the girl's eyes. Relena looked at her quizzically.
"What Academy?" she asked.
"The Richard Carter Military Academy, which takes up the rest of this building and the surrounding ones. Dr. Carter, here, founded it and runs it himself, mostly doing work in the military training department and scientific development department. Especially when it comes to technology's advance in machines such as Mobile Suits and Gundams." Trista replied, using the word 'Gundams' to try and trigger a response from her charge. In reality, Richard was the only person in that universe who knew about the Gundams besides Trista and, now, Relena. A flash of emotion crossed Relena's face.
"Gundams . . ." she repeated softly. "That sounds familiar . . ."
"Well, it doesn't matter right now." Trista said, snapping Relena out of her attempted revelation. All she'd wanted to know was if the girl's memory could be brought back, it was still too early for her to need to remember. "What matters is that you start training."
"Training?" Relena's voice held a questioning note as she gave them a quizzical look.
"Military training. Training to be a soldier." Trista said softly, as the voice inside whispered again that this meant that Relena would never get to be a child. She'd have to go right to adulthood. Something along the same lines must have occurred to Relena, as well, because her face paled.
"What would I be fighting for?" she demanded. "You can't expect me to just become a soldier without a reason!" Richard nodded approvingly.
"That's good, I can see you'll be a great soldier. You'll be fighting with five other boys, who are just a few months older than you. You see, there's another Earth far, far away from here, where technology has developed habitable space stations called Space Colonies, where hundreds of people live in just one. Not too long ago, there was a kind-hearted, strong man who represented the Colonies, whose name was Heero Yuy. He, along with the ruler of a place called the Sanc Kingdom, which was a nation known for its belief in total pacifism, had managed to create and hold a steady peace between that Earth and the Colonies. But, one day just a few years ago, an organization calling themselves the United Earth Sphere Alliance brought militaristic power to space and assassinated Heero Yuy. While the people were shocked and unstable, the Alliance started taking over the Earth and the Colonies. The last stronghold between the Alliance and total domination was the Sanc Kingdom, which fell just an hour or two ago.
But, inside the Alliance, is an even-worse organization calling itself OZ, which would make things even worse than they are with the Alliance ruling. Five companions of mine and I have agreed to try and stop OZ and the Alliance by building six invincible Mobile Suits, gigantic robot-like machines where a person can sit in the cockpit and control the movements of the machine. They're called Gundams, because they're made of one of the strongest metals in all the universes, that's called Gundanium Alloy. We also agreed that the best pilots for these machines would be children that we could train from a very young age, who would, by the time they were fifteen, be the best soldiers anywhere. These six children would have to sacrifice their childhood, but in return would gain freedom for the people who would otherwise be abused and oppressed." Richard took a deep breath as he finished his story, taking a drink of his water.
"And I'm to be one of the six lucky kids." Relena stated bluntly.
"Yes, you will. That is, if you agree." Richard offered hesitantly. Relena sat in silence for a few minutes, head down, eyes fixed on her hands which were laying limply in her lap. Finally, she looked up and met the two adults' eyes.
"I don't know exactly what's goin' on, but if I agree, I'll be fighting for human souls, for people that obviously don't deserve to be oppressed, right?" she asked softly. Trista nodded. Relena sighed.
"Alright, I'll do it."
"I thank you, from the bottom of my heart." Richard said sincerely, taking Relena's hand and patting it. "I know you won't regret your decision."
"No, I don't think I will." Relena said, smiling a little. "Now, can I get some sleep? Trista, you're gonna stay, aren't you?"
"No, I can't stay. I shouldn't even BE here, to tell you the truth. But I promise I'll come back and check on you the day after tomorrow, okay?" Trista replied to Relena's query. Relena hesitated, then nodded resignedly. Trista smiled, sat down and gave Relena a quick hug before standing, nodding to Richard, and making her way out of the room and out of the apartment. Richard turned to his new charge and smiled when he saw her trying to stifle a yawn.
"Why don't you go and sleep with Iria for tonight, Relena?" he said kindly, ushering the tired three-year-old out of the guestroom, down the hall, into a hallway off the kitchen, and to a doorway. He opened the door that apparently lead to Iria's room, the door opening towards him, and Iria yelped as she fell to his feet. Richard rolled his eyes and looked down at Iria's sheepish face, trying to cover the smile that threatened his attempted-sternness.
"Now, what were you doing?" he asked, shaking a finger at the girl sprawled on the floor.
"Uh, um, nothing! Nothing at all!" Iria said, getting up and dusting herself off as if she'd gotten dirty. Richard rolled his eyes again, then smiled and pushed both girls into the room.
"Relena's gonna sleep with you tonight, okay, Iria?" he said. Iria nodded, grinning.
"It'll be just like a two-person sleepover!" she said enthusiastically, climbing into the bed and scooting to one side, leaving room for Relena. "It'll be fun!"
"I want you too to go to sleep. Relena's had a hard day, and she needs some rest. She needs to build up her energy for tomorrow." Richard said, shaking a mock-stern finger at them.
"What's Relena doing tomorrow, Grandpa?" Iria inquired, looking curiously at Relena, who was sitting next to her, staring off into space.
"She going to start training at the Academy, aren't you?" Richard replied, this last directed at Relena. Relena snapped out of her trance.
"Huh? Oh, yes." she replied absently, laying down and pulling the covers up to her neck. Richard took the hint and leant down to tuck Iria in, giving her a hug and planting a kiss on the top of her head and repeating the action with Relena. He walked out the doorway, leaving the door open, and called out to them over his shoulder.
"Goodnight, girls."
"Goodnight, Grandpa/Dr. Carter." they replied in unison, making him smile. In the bed, Relena turned on her side, away from Iria. Iria did the same, so she was facing opposite Relena, their backs barely touching. She decided not to say anything, choosing to let her companion go to sleep. Relena recognized this and silently thanked the older girl, realizing that she was wiser than she seemed. Relena didn't feel like talking. She was too busy falling to sleep with thoughts about what her training was going to be like, and how her future would turn out.
*****
Trista walked away from the Academy, the wind playing with her dark hair. When she arrived at the cluster of trees nearby, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small stick that looked like a pen, which had what looked like a small model of a planet on the tip.
"Pluto Planet POWER!" she yelled, thrusting the stick into the air. Lights swirled around her, which would have temporarily blinded anyone who happened to see her, and a moment later, Sailor Pluto stood in Trista's place. She raised the Garnet Rod that had materialized in her hand, and a portal leading to the Hall of Time and Space appeared in front of her. She stepped into it, and was soon walking down a hallway with wall that looked like mirrors to the sides. Only, they weren't mirrors. They were windows into different places and such in time, some from the past, some from the future, some from the present. Behind her, a 30-year-old, shadowy figure materialized, and it backed into the shadows so that its face was hidden, along with the rest of its body.
"So, is she gonna be trained?" a female voice said, coming from the figure. Pluto turned around, then relaxed, appearing to recognize the figure.
"Yes, Your Majesty, she will be ready to save the galaxies when the time comes." she said, bowing slightly. The figure smiled.
"Trista, how many times have I told you, just call me by the name my husband and all my friends call me by. They don't call me 'Your Majesty', do they?" she said. Pluto smiled and shook her head.
"No, they don't, but it just wouldn't feel right, calling you by your first name and knowing that you're the Ruler of All Galaxies, that you hold a higher position even than Neo-Queen Serenity, and that you have to be the strongest person, physically, in all the galaxies save your husband, who's strength is equal to yours." she insisted. The figure shook her head and sighed.
"Very well, if it makes you happy, you can refer to me formally. But, to return to the subject, you say that she'll be ready to save the galaxies with the Sailor Soldiers, but will she be ready to endure the emotional struggles she'll have to go through both in your universe, the Alpha Universe, and the Gundams' universe, the Omega Universe?" she pressed, fidgeting with her silken, white gloves. Pluto chuckled.
"Of course she will. She IS your past self, after all, Relena." she said, hesitating before that last word. The figure stepped out of the shadows, her aquamarine eyes dancing as she smoothed down the pleated skirt that so resembled Pluto's.
"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" she teased, pushing lightly on Pluto's shoulder. She chuckled as Pluto rolled her eyes.
"Anyways, I've gotta get home. They're gonna start worrying about me. You know how worrisome my dear husband can be at times. I swear, that part of him hasn't changed a bit." she said, rolling her eyes like Pluto.
"Okay, will I see you tomorrow?" Pluto inquired, leaning her head on her Garnet Rod. Relena thought for a moment, then shrugged.
"You never know. If we don't get any missions, probably. But if we do, I have no idea whether I'll see you or not. Amara, Michele, and the others are eager for you to come and stay for a few days, it's been awhile since your last visit." she replied, glancing sideways at her companion.
"I'll talk to the Royal Guards and see if we can work out a time when a few of them can take my place for a few days, okay?" Pluto promised. Relena nodded, and waved a hand in front of her. A portal identical to the one Pluto had conjured earlier appeared, and Relena stepped through, calling a 'goodbye' as she disappeared. Pluto replied with her own 'goodbye' and watched as the portal disappeared, then sighed and looked at a window to the present behind her. It showed Relena and Iria, sleeping peacefully, their chests rising and falling rhythmically. She touched the window gently, gazing at the face of the younger version of the woman she'd just conversed with.
"Relena, if only you knew how much pain and suffering you have to go through. But, you end up with the happy life you deserve, which wouldn't be as happy for you if you hadn't gone through what you did, I guess. I just wish I could do something to lessen the hardship you'll have to endure . . ." she whispered, a lone tear sliding down her face as she recalled what had happened, and what was going to happen . . .
To Be Continued (maybe) . . .