Elyndys 
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Disclaimer: If I owned GW, I would be happy. I am happy. But to draw
the conclusion that I own GW from those statements would be to affirm the
consequent, and would therefore be an invalid argument.
See?
Pairing: will be 1+2+1/1x2x1; reference to past 1xR
(Rx1?)
Warnings: Part 3 has no warnings. This is an AU fic. For
warnings for future parts, see previous parts. If you see what I mean...
Escaping Part 3
Heero watched as his companion ate salad, a leaf at a time, with his
fingers. He had found himself seated next to the striking stranger at the
top table in the banqueting hall; Relena, as hostess, sat halfway down the
table, flanked by the President of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation on one
side and his deputy on the other. Heero had, however, secured himself a
good vantage point; it was unsurprising, he thought, to end up next to Duo
Maxwell. Who had probably done the same thing.
"I read some
reports in some magazines," Duo was saying, "about how disgustingly
opulent the menus were at these do's." He made a dismissive gesture that
encompassed the whole hall. "And how each course costs more than the
world's poorest people have to spend on food in a year [1]. And it was
true. It was appalling. So I thought, I'd do something about that." He
grinned. "So here I am." Heero had an idea that there was more to this
story, and he found that he wanted to hear it. He kept quiet, inviting Duo
to fill the silence. Duo seemed like he was going to accept that
invitation, but his words were cryptic to Heero: "Just never let them tell
you being poor means you can't achieve anything." He smiled; it was a
strangely fierce, determined expression, but then it faded to one of
almost ruefulness as he continued. "Not that you'd have to worry about
that."
Heero knew he was referring to Relena's riches that now,
seemingly, were Heero's too, though he never thought of it that way.
He spoke up quietly to point his out. "It hasn't always been like
this."
Duo looked at him in mild surprise, then seemed to realise.
"Ah, of course, you were saying. You were in the war, weren't you?"
Heero nodded. Duo had asked how he and Relena had met, so Heero
had merely said he had been a soldier, and had met Relena then. Then, they
had had to take their places at the table, and that conversation had been
lost, until now.
"Yes, I remember." Duo looked at him from the
corner of his eye. "Me and my partner went to see the gundam, y'know, at
the exhibition."
Heero felt a spear of chilling sensation work its
way up from the pit of his stomach, freezing him. 'He knows.' He tried to
remain as casual as possible. "What did you think of the exhibition?"
"It's very impressive, isn't it? The gundam..." He met Heero's
eyes, expression serious. "It still affected me. Even though it's just a
museum piece now, even though they dismantled all the working parts... It
still got to me. Whoever piloted that thing..." He looked away briefly,
but then brought a sure gaze up to meet Heero's again. "He'd have to be...
some human being..." He shook his head.
Heero sensed it. He felt
like he was very close to something... he could reach out and touch, but
he couldn't see it. The awe in Duo's voice... could only show the attitude
of someone who had been there, seen the gundam doing what it was designed
for. "You were in the war too," he said quietly.
Duo nodded. "I
wasn't one of the ones they `found', though," he said wryly. "I guess you
were?"
Now Heero nodded, unwilling to elaborate. He had a strange
feeling that if he even tried to half-explain, his suspicion that Duo
already knew the truth would lead him to reveal it. The knowing look Duo
gave him sent a fresh shiver of cold through him; but, he realised, it
wasn't a look of smugness or satisfaction: it was one of sympathy.
Understanding…
"I didn't want to be found." Duo's voice cut
through the momentary silence between them. "I wasn't doing it for the
recognition, so I didn't let them know who I was or what I'd done. I just
wanted to get back home and keep doing what I always had. But then…" He
paused a minute as if trying hard to phrase it in the best way. "I looked
around me, and saw how people lived… saw how *I * had lived… and it was
just wrong! No-one should have to endure what I did." Heero looked and saw
his eyes were serious. Heero saw fire. Duo continued. "So I decided I
should do whatever I could to change things. I decided to do it for
myself, work out how I should do it. And I figured that the only way to do
that would be to come to big things like this and talk to the people who
decide what goes on in the world. I've always been good at talking," he
smirked, "so I figured I ought to use my talents." He stared off into
space. "Of course, people said to me, What? A diplomat? An ordinary brat
who lived on the streets for half his life, and was a soldier for most of
the other half?" The smirk turned into a dark smile. "The main reason
people don't try things, y'know, is because they think they won't succeed.
Think it's a waste of their time, they'll make fools of themselves and
have nothing to show for it after all. Think they'll be seen as naïve.
That's why people say things can't happen – because nobody tries to make
them happen, because they're put off when everybody says they can't
happen." He chuckled. "So I thought I'd try it anyway. I mean, I've
experienced some pretty bad times, so I wasn't afraid of anything worse.
And so, here I am. Of course, I'm just a" he adopted a supercilious tone
"`junior representative' – but it's a start, considering I only graduated
[2] a year ago. They're letting me have this as a kind of trial – a test,
more like. I think if I fail they'll tell me to go home and do something
I'm good at instead," he laughed, "but I've worked hard to get here. I'm
not going to let it go to waste." Again, that determined look. Heero felt
a growing sense of admiration for his new acquaintance. He was unafraid,
willing to take chances. His attitude was refreshing; it stirred memories
in Heero.
So he couldn't hide his surprise at Duo's next words.
The young man turned to him, an oddly unreadable expression on his usually
open face.
"I don't know why I'm telling you all this."
Heero was genuinely surprised; that did not sound like the sort of
concern he would have expected from Duo. Maybe he had been mistaken… Even
that thought startled him a little – how did he know that? He had known
the man for only a few hours. How could he know what sort of behaviour was
to be expected from him?
But that voice cut through his thought
again, and he looked back at his companion as he spoke.
"I don't
know why I'm telling you these things, because I know you know already."
Heero again felt that coldness still his body; like he was caught…
Although the feeling scared him, it was also strangely… exhilarating. He
looked away from his companion's steady gaze.
Dinner was over.
"Come on." Automatically Heero got up and followed, to a wide terrace
outside through some open glass doors. Duo leaned on the railing, looking
up. Heero glanced back into the room, seeing no-one notice them: no-one
else stepped out into the fresh darkness. He turned away and stared out.
A spear of cloud bisected the moon; it moved away quickly in the
breeze, leaving the three-quarter moon bright and exposed. Heero stared at
the sky. It was the only thing visible over the high walls of the building
complex. He let himself forget those walls, and thought of the colony he
came from.
"I wish you could make out the colonies from here."
Duo's voice was low.
Could he be…?
"I just like to
remember they're there… and I have somewhere to go back to." Whether or
not it does all go wrong.
"You're from the colonies as well?"
Heero kept his voice soft too.
Duo turned and smiled at him.
"Yeah. L2, S-7981."
"L1. B-16682." [3]
Duo resumed his sky
watching and there was silence for a long moment. "I love being colonial."
Duo's words were sudden. "Because it reminds me that there was a day when
one man said `I'd love to live in space'. And he didn't let anyone tell
him he was crazy; he didn't let anyone say it was impossible. But he went
and, eventually, he did it. And I'm proud that he did."
Duo
continued to stare upwards. Heero stayed silent, needing no words… He
followed Duo's gaze, thinking. Everything Duo had said was like hearing a
story he'd heard a long time ago but forgotten; and now, hearing it again,
he remembered every detail, and the words fitted a pattern somewhere
inside his head.
He wondered where he had gone, that this stranger
should come and find him when no-one else had; and he hadn't even realised
he was lost.
Duo turned back to him finally, a hint of a smile on
his face. "I've enjoyed talking to you… Heero… We should get together
again sometime."
"Yes. We will."
[1] I read something similar about the G8
summit in Osaka... but I don't remember figures...
[2] I use the
word graduated in the British sense of having been to university and got a
degree. Don't think about the timescale too hard!
[3] Hm… These
came into my head, dunno how you're meant to classify colonies… Anyone who
guesses the significance of the numbers and letters wins a prize!
Elyndys
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