Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Candle in the Wind ❯ Chapter 1
~"I guess those of us with the purest intentions are always those who are misunderstood the most," she said to the tombstone.~
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama | Type: Songfic | Uploaded On: 09.08.2001 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.3K | Visits: 613 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is the property of other people and the song "Candle in the Wind" belongs to Elton John. In a nutshell, I own nothing.
Candle in the Wind
By: Penybright
***
Good-bye Heero Yuy
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they whispered into your brain
They set you on a treadmill
And they made you change your name
***
The boy sat alone on the cold metal floor of his "room". Cradled delicately in his hand was a simple yellow flower. The little girl in the white dress, with her puppy Mary, had given him the flower. In return, he had killed her because of a mistake he had made. Her precious life had been cut short because of his failure. The boy's once bright Prussian blue eyes were now dark, shadowing a hidden, inner torment.
It wouldn't be long now, before Dr. J came to take him away. The flower would be discarded carelessly, thrown into the nearest trash bin. Dr. J would come, and he would begin training him, again. This time, this time it would be worse than before. He had shown emotion, that he had feelings. Emotions were not allowed. He was only a weapon, an emotionless tool. Failure meant capture or death, and captivity eventually lead to death.
The boy looked up as the door opened, allowing light to flood into the dim room. He was pulled roughly to his feet, and dragged to the training room. This time there could be no mistakes. It was do or die, and he wasn't ready to die... yet.
"Listen boy, you are being sent to Earth for your next mission," Dr. J began. "You will eliminate anyone who discovers you. I will brief you further when you reach the planet. Your code name is Heero Yuy."
"Mission... accepted," the boy said, his voice an emotionless monotone. And so, the Perfect Soldier was born.
***
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did
***
The Perfect Soldier survived two wars, and after several years of trying to reclaim his humanity, finally found the one person who could bring his tortured soul peace. Relena Darlain. At first, she had been an obstacle to him, and later, he found himself protecting her.
Heero walked along the shoreline, the sand shifting beneath his bare feet. He knew she would be here. She loved the ocean. She said it reminded her of his eyes. Heero smiled lightly at the thought. In fact, the ocean reminded him of Relena's eyes. It also reminded him of that day he had first met her.
Heero rounded a bend on the sandy shore, and came to an abrupt halt. He couldn't stop the startled gasp that escaped his throat when he saw her. Relena heard Heero gasp, and turned to face him. Heero's eyes widened as he took a step back.
"No," he whispered. Relena reached her hand out towards him, and Heero flinched away.
"Heero, what's wrong?" Relena asked with concern. True, Heero had changed some, but this was beyond the norm.
"You look so much like her..."
"Like who?"
"The little girl that I..." Heero trailed off, as the memory replayed in his mind. Relena looked down at what she was wearing, hoping to find some clue there. She had on a white sun dress that reached to just above her knees. Her hair was pulled back in a lose ponytail, and she had on a wide-brimed, white hat.
"Heero I-" Relena was cut off as Heero suddenly pulled her to him in a gentle hug. It was the beginning of Heero's understanding of his humanity.
Heero's admiration for the Vice-foreign Minister, blossomed into eternal love as the years progressed. Those years were not easy for Heero. Finding your soul, your peace of mind, after you've lost it, is never an easy task. Relena helped him to realize that he was only human, and that behind his steely barrier was a warm, beating heart. It was during this time of finding himself, that Heero realized he loved Relena. The knowledge that he loved her, was like an epiphany for the Perfect Soldier. With the realization of his love, the final barriers around Heero's heart crumbled.
A year later, the two were married. Two years later, Relena gave birth to their first child. Katrina Gwyn Yuy. The little girl was the spitting image of her parents, with a mixture of their facial features, Heero's hair, and Relena's eyes. It seemed, that the Perfect Soldier had found his perfect peace.
***
Loneliness was tough
The toughest role you ever played
War created a Perfect Soldier
And pain was the price you paid
Even when you died
Oh the press still hounded you
All the papers had to say
Was: Gundam Pilot's life is through
***
Heero's perfect peace was not meant to last, though. The controversy of the Dove of Peace marrying the killer know as Heero Yuy, could not be quelled. Heero was relentlessly hounded by reporters wanting to know his "story" and his "true motives" for marrying Relena. Heero promptly informed them, that had married Relena because he loved her. This statement wasn't accepted fully until the birth of their first child.
For a while, things died down. The family was able to spend some quality time together. Then, Heero found his peace shattered as he was torn from his wife and daughter. A plot to assassinate the Vice-foreign Minister had been uncovered. The trail led to Heero Yuy. Those who knew Heero, knew it was a setup, and that he had been framed. Until they found proof of his innocence, though, Heero had to be confined, with no visitors.
Locked in a cold, dark cell, Heero relived the horrifying memories of his youth. His nights were plagued with nightmares, and his days brooding silence. He was separated from his family for seven grueling, agonizing months. Katrina was almost three when her father returned home. The next two years flew by happily for the Yuy family, and their past hardships were forgotten... until their peace was prematurely ruined.
A group of radicals had targeted Relena. They were apprehended and taken to Preventers Headquarters. The group was considered to be just a nuisance. It wasn't serious until they broke out of Preventers Headquarters. The Preventers immediately gave chase, knowing where the radicals would go. Unfortunately, they were to late. They managed to catch the radicals and cuff them, but not before there was one casualty. The scene that awaited them was heartbreaking.
Relena was kneeling on the ground, her husband's head cradled in her lap. Tears streamed unchecked down her face.
"Heero," Relena managed to choke out through her tears.
"Relena," Heero said softly, before beginning to cough up blood. The coughing subsided, and Heero reached a shaking hand up to Relena's tear-streaked face.
"Please don't cry," he whispered. "My life is meaningless. Only my love for you and Katrina matters."
Relena began to sob harder, and Heero brushed away a few tears with his thumb.
"I'm sorry Relena. I'll wait for you, my love... Please forgive me... for leaving you so suddenly. I'll... love you always and forever.." Heero breathed weakly.
"NO!" Relena cried. "Heero no! Please don't leave me!"
"Relena, please tell Katrina that her... daddy will always... love... her..." Heero whispered softly as his eyes slid closed and his hand fell from her face.
"HEERO!" Relena screamed in anguish, clutching her husband's body in grief.
Katrina wiggled out of her attendant's grasp and ran to her mother, hugging Relena around the neck. Relena wrapped an arm around her daughter, hugging her fiercely. The paramedics arrived, but it was to late. They coaxed Relena and Katrina away from Heero, and tried to calm down the near hysterical Relena.
Once Relena had calmed down, she tried to explain what had happened to her daughter.
"Katrina," Relana began in a shaky voice.
"Daddy protected me, didn't he?" the little girl asked with teary eyes.
"Yes, he did," Relena smiled sadly. "He made sure that no one hurt his little girl. He..." Relena couldn't finish. She remembered all to clearly what had happened. Out of nowhere, men with guns had appeared in their backyard. Heero had shoved Relena to the ground, taking a gunshot wound to the shoulder. He then sprinted across the yard and tackled Katrina to the ground as three shots rang out. Not one of those three bullets hit Katrina. Heero had made sure of that.
***
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did
***
After the funeral, Relena resigned from her position as Vice-foreign Minister. She moved to a small, unknown town on the outskirts of an unknown city. She found a job as a secretary, and was happy with her work. She devoted her life to her daughter, making sure that she always knew how deeply Relena loved her. Relena had felt disgusted with the press and their attempts to cover the funeral ceremony. For the next month her resignation and Heero's death were the top stories. What had disgusted Relena the most, was the press' obsession with claiming that the ex-Gundam pilot had died a fitting death for the Perfect Soldier. They had no compassion. All they wanted was to sensationalize their stories to get high ratings.
The first few months had been the hardest for Relena to get through. She had stayed with Noin and Milliardo for those few months. Relena was grateful for her family and friends' support. Without it, she knew she would have crumbled. If not for Katrina, Relena would have been completely lost.
When Katrina was about ten years old, Relena finally found the courage to explain to her daughter, in detail, the events of that fateful day. In the end, Relena broke down in tears anyway. Katrina hugged her mother as a few tears of her own slipped out.
***
Good-bye Heero Yuy
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
Good-bye Heero Yuy
From the young woman in the 22nd row
Who sees you as something more than a pilot
More than just our Perfect Soldier
***
That was six years ago. Katrina was now sixteen. With her mother's permission, she had re-claimed her true last name. Relena had changed her name to protect them from overly curious reporters and other dangers. Katrina said her full name aloud, wondering at it's significance.
"Katrina Gwyn Yuy," she whispered to the air. With a sigh, Katrina leaned back against the trunk of the sheltering weeping-willow. She held a single red rose delicately in her hand. She stared at the soft, blood-red petals. It was fitting, she supposed.
Who would have thought that her father was the infamous Heero Yuy. Katrina glanced to her right, looking at the slab of stone resting there. She had heard all the stories about her father, all the things he had done during the war. He was labeled a killer, and no one ever looked past the Perfect Soldier facade and saw the true person imprisoned within. Her mother had unlocked that hidden soul, and shown that there was more than killing to Heero Yuy.
***
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did
***
Katrina took a step forward, and stared at the grave marker for several moments. She remembered very little of her father, but the few memories she had, she cherished. Katrina fingered a strand of her shoulder-length, dark brown hair. She remembered her father's dark, shaggy hair, and how her mother insisted he keep it that way. A soft smile played on Katrina's lips as she thought of the memory.
Mostly what she remembered of her father, were his eyes. They were a striking Prussian blue. She remembered them as being so clear and mesmerizing, so startling... And so full of love. A single tear slid down Katrina's cheek.
"I guess those of us with the purest intentions are always those who are misunderstood the most," she said to the tombstone. "Well, I know better than most. They were wrong about you father. To me, you'll always be a fallen angle from heaven who saved the world, and one very indebted little girl. Thank you for loving me so much... daddy," Katrina finished, kissing the rose and lying it softly on top of the stone.
***
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did.
***
To be continued? I don't know. What do you think?