[Fic] [Frozen Teardrop] Tears to Tomorrow
Title: Tears to Tomorrow
Author: Seleana
Archived: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8806755/1/Tears-to-Tomorrow
Crossposted: Nowhere yet; I'll update if I do! I'm just returning to LJ after a long absence, so I'm trying to work out the new layout.
Pairings: 1xR, 2xH, ZxN, ...eventual 3x4 :)
Rating: T
Warnings: Swearing, typical Gundam-esque Action
Notes: Starting in MC12, this fanfiction is shaping up to be a continuation fic that crosses into the Frozen Teardrop continuity and addresses the new characters therein. It can be read without knowledge of Frozen Teardrop, and I will try to make mention as I go on as to what is and isn't my spin on the story. It was my original intention to follow Frozen Teardrop more closely, but given that I'm writing a lot faster than volumes are coming out, this might turn out to be very AU. I'll also mention that romance is not going to be a main focus of this story after the prologue chapters.
The first chapter is under the cut. :) I don't want to spam the community, however, so if you'd like to continue with the story, please follow it on the pit, or bookmark it if you don't have an account. Thank you for your time!
:: Prologue I::
MC 12 :: Earth, Brussels, Belguim
Heero's eyes crept open. What was that? A strange sound came from the bathroom, and then another. With the fog of sleep still clinging to his mind, it took the sound of a toilet flushing for him to realize just what it was. She was still sick.
He sat up in bed, resting his arms on one raised knee, just as a half-pajamaed, half-dressed Relena emerged from the bathroom, drying her face in her hands. "Still sick?" he asked.
"Uh. Every time I meet with them, this happens," said Relena, looking for a matching suit-top in her closet. "I suppose I'm just not meant for L4 Colony food. It's so spicy."
"You should be careful with that. It could be poison."
"Don't say such a thing, Heero. You know it's not," she said, a small smile creeping on her face.
The Perfect Solider would never quite leave Heero Yui; regardless of how many years of peace had come to pass, he still seemed to look for this sort of thing at every turn. In the twelve years since the Mars colonization had began, peace had reigned indefinitely, and an incredibly prosperous time had come to both The Colonies and Earth. The L3 Cluster was slated to finally come to completion by the end of the year, and even Heero's work with the Preventers, which he'd reluctantly agreed to some time ago at Sally's bequest, had come to a slow. In the rare case when Sally did call on him to travel into space, along with the other former pilots and ex-soldiers, the sort of work they did was hardly necessary. On a recent mission to watch over, or rather, to stand around doing nothing while looking official, during the final arrangements in L3, Heero had nearly taken the Duo route and dozed off on duty. Yes, even Heero Yui, the one-and-only. His newest mission, a return to L3, had the horrifying prospect of being the same-or even duller.
"You should still go see a doctor. It's been three days," he murmured.
"Yes, dear,"
"If you don't, I'll take you myself."
Relena stopped what she was doing, looking to the man in her bed. The two exchanged a glance of understanding, and Relena relived the embarrassing memory of when Heero literally carried her over his shoulder into Sally's office for a cough that had kept him up for a week. Of course, he was right that time-it was Bronchitis-but that didn't mean he was right this time. Still, he wouldn't release his stare. "All right, all right. I'll try to clear some time off of my schedule tomorrow morning-if only to prove you're wrong. I can't possibly have the flu, Heero. It's the middle of summer," she muttered, halfway trying to convince herself this was the case. It wasn't until just last night that she realized how truly miserable she'd been feeling for nearly the last week.Perhaps I really am sick, she thought-No, no! I'm too busy to be sick!
Heero smirked. Empapath or not, Heero knew what was on Relena's mind. The woman would rather die than cancel a meeting or take a day off. Instead of thanking her directly, he nodded his head, and went to his own closet. "I'm off to L3-X18999 today."
"Again?"
"Mhm. Apparently, there was some issue in attempting to hook the thing up to the data satellites; the whole colony is offline, basically. No communications have been able to get in or out for the last eighteen hours. Everything inside the colony is working beautifully; it's just the connections to Earth and the other Colonies," he said. "It won't take long. They just want us there to make sure it's nothing."
"Will I be able to contact you at all?"
Heero shrugged. "It might be difficult to get any signal in once I arrive. I heard it's a mess just to land and take off out of there right now."
"Poor Sally," said Relena, sympathetically, as she tightened her cravat around her neck. "They're never going to let her reti-God, is that the time!? Oh, oh, I've got to go! Pagan!"
"Calm down," murmured Heero, shaking his head as he caught a glance of the woman flailing around the room through his closet mirror. "No wonder you're sick. Take a break for once."
Relena signed, composing herself. "Baby steps, Heero. Baby steps. I've just agreed to go to the doctor, haven't I?" she said, smirking to herself. "But as a fair trade, I would like an answer to my question from dinner last night by the time you return. Don't make me ask again."
"Hm." Heero released a sound unconsciously, taken aback. Marriage wasn't something important to him; what did a ring add to his and Relena's life together? Already, the two knew they shared an intense bond. Did she really need some jewelry to prove that? Or was it about proving anything? He froze in his steps. He knew this was an entirely different concept for a woman like Relena, and that if she'd asked, it was important to her. And even if it didn't matter at all to him, of course he would do it for her. At least, that was what his quiet, little heart said, but his mind stopped him every time with this sort of realism; the realism that fueled the only way that Heero knew how to live. It didn't matter how many years passed, his mind always told him that happiness on the cusp of being taken from him.
He closed his eyes. The thought of that little girl and her dog still came to him every time he did this.
Still.
Except for when she was there, with him.
"The only way to live a good life is to act on your emotions."
Heero's eyes opened, just as Relena finished fixing her hair with one hand, and reached for the doorknob with the other. "Well… we might as well make it official. It is about time."
Relena's eyes widened, a great joy growing in her. "Oh, Heero-"
"-Your meeting."
"Oh! You're right, oh… oh, goodness," she looked between Heero and the door, frantically trying to choose. Heero couldn't help but smile. "Tonight! I will try to get through to you tonight before you take off! Or, whenever I can-Oh, Pagan, get the car!"
Three Days Later, L3-X18999
"All right, boys. It looks good," said Sally, giving a thumbs up to the transceiver. "Well done, everyone. No problems detected," she paused, hearing the feedback of several of the men cheering. She turned to the men standing behind her, surprised that they themselves had remained quiet, until the now considerably taller Duo Maxwell let out a great yawn. Sally frowned. "We're you hoping for bad news?"
"After this long?" he responded. He folded his arms behind his head, looking to the side. Truthfully? Maybe a little. Of course, he wouldn't say that. A quick glance exchanged with Wu Fei told him that he wasn't alone in this. "'Course not. But they could've at least invited us to the party."
"Our presence still makes some people uncomfortable," said Wu Fei. "It's better this way."
"C'yeah, but still," Duo frowned. "A man's gotta eat."
"You could go if you'd like, Duo" Sally chimed in. "All of you could. It's just me that's not welcome, unfortunately. But, a couple of ex-soldiers, friends of, and the heir to the Winner family…? If a stuffy party is your thing, then by all means," she said. Upon hearing the word 'stuffy,' Duo's sadness notably softened. Sally smiled, returning to her transceiver. "It looks like we should be out of here in the next few hours."
"I could take you," Quatre chimed in, happily. "I think I have to go, anyway."
"Forget it. I'll just go out for some curry or somethin'."
"Major Po! Everything went seamlessly," came the voice of an oil-covered mechanic with a wrench in hand from the transceiver. He saluted, and let out a deep sigh. "It looks like a small meteor from last week's shower caused the whole problem. We'll be done in an estimated five hours."
"Roger that. Well done-"
"-One thing, though, ma'am. We suggest that everyone come in for a landing and cut engine power until then. In order to bring the satellites back online, we need as little interference as possible. We suggest cutting everything but the emergency channels."
"Understood. We'll bring our cruiser in for landing immediately."
"Thank you for all of your help, ma'am."
Quatre smiled, looking over the colony before the transmission was cut in preparation for landing. It was hard to believe that this peaceful place was almost rammed into Earth just eleven years ago, and now, it was home to thousands of people, and a thriving entertainment district. Even the city center where he had fought alongside Trowa and Duo had been completely restored. "Being here sure does bring back memories, doesn't it? It almost makes me miss Sandrock," he said, balancing his chin on his hand.
"And here's Quatre Rebaba Winner, casually smiling about the time he almost bled to death," said Duo, smirking. He looked up to the ceiling, his lips, too, pulling into an accidental smile. He couldn't help it. "Guess it really is a different world out there. I mean, of course it is. No war. No Gundams. Heero Yui's gettin' hitched. Damn, I feel like I lost a bet in there somewhere."
"Are you really still so surprised about that one? I can't wait to talk to Miss Relena. She must be so excited. Try to look happier, Duo, all of that's wonderful news!" said Quatre, excited enough to make up for the other former pilots. Wu Fei, too, seemed to share Duo's lack of excitement.
"Hey, it's weird for a guy like me!" Duo frowned.
"The fact that you're here says so," Wu Fei chimed in, standing with his arms folded a few rows behind the other two pilots. Something had been troubling for some time. "Even when we need your help, you're usually nowhere to be found. Fighting with Hilde again?"
"Wu Fei," Quatre frowned, seeming poised for a lecture. Each of the former pilots, with the exception of Wu Fei, found out after their arrival that their invitation was mostly at the request of a lonely Quatre himself, for the sake of old times, and just to share in seeing the colony that they had saved once again. With the exception of Trowa, who had declined the offer on the grounds that "even a clown suit is better than one of those stupid uniforms," this method of bringing together old friends had worked like a charm. Whether or not any of them would admit it, their reunion had been long overdue. "I'm sure everything is-"
"-We broke up."
"What?!"
"Mhmm. She kicked me out on my ass." Duo let his arms fall to his sides. "Haven't spoken in two months now."
Wu Fei smiled to himself, smugly. He'd expected as much. Sally shook her head.
"That's awful, Duo! Where have you been living?"
Duo shrugged. "A little bit of everywhere, for the moment. I'm actually headed to Mars. They need a lot of laborers and stuff; wouldn't be hard to start a life there," he said.
"Well, if you need anything, you're always welcome to-"
"-Nah, don't worry about it. It's cool, it's cool. You can't change the past, Quatre," said the man, releasing another yawn. Duo eyed him. He seemed to be taking the news worse than even he had. What little color there was had drained from Quatre's face, and a strained expression had taken to his face. "Hell, I'm not even sure if I'd want to. Calm down."
"No, it's-" Quatre's face fell into his hands. He grunted. "It's… something's…"
The doors flew open, and Heero ran into the room, just as a siren sounded and a call came on the emergency line. Quatre had all but collapsed in Duo's hands, but even the quivering boy could see the most worrying sign of all. Heero Yui's hands were shaking.
"H-Heero…" Quatre managed.
"Sally," Heero said, narrowing his brow. He eyed the blond for just a moment before looking back to her. "Land this thing."
She glanced back to him, picking up the red phone. Silence. "W-what?! The entire…"
Heero could feel time slowing in that moment; his heart skipped a beat. He saw the woman's lips moving, but suddenly, the sound of her words could not get through to him. His eyes wide, and glassy, the man didn't even seem to notice as a hand clamped down on his shoulder, and shook him.
"Heero!"
An unknown assailant had destroyed the entire city of Brussels in an air raid in the middle of the night.
The former Romefeller Foundation complex had been entirely obliterated, and at least ten political figures and diplomats were already declared dead, with another twenty-eight missing. Civilian causalities already numbered into the thousands.
And Relena Darlian; Relena Peacecraft, former Queen of all the Worlds, the Relena he wouldn't have minded calling Relena Lowe, or Yui, if it was what she'd wanted-his Relena-was nowhere to be found.
A Mars Federation Cruiser; not long after
"You fools! How could you have let this happen?!"
"I'm sorry, sir! She wasn't supposed to be in the building; it wasn't on her itinerary-"
"-Enough!"
The voice was familiar. But, who was it? Relena opened her eyes for a brief moment before the pounding vertigo sent them shut tight. There were two men, one in black, his arm still extended from delivering a blow, and the other, a uniformed man hunched over on a potted plant. Heero? Her lips moved, but little more than hot, breathy air emerged. No, it wasn't Heero. Trying once again to open her eyes, she noticed a new sensation, a throbbing pain in her left arm and leg. And blood. Her eyes widened for a moment, seeing just how much of it was all over her tattered blouse. She managed to release another gasp before her head fell to the side all of its own accord. Was this what it felt like to die?
"It's all right, Relena. They've stopped the bleeding. You'll be fine now."
Tears rolled down her face as the feeling of confusion set in. How could she be fine!? She could barely feel anything, her heart was racing, it was a miracle she was even-and the blood-oh, the blood!
The man in black brushed the girl's behind her ear, just as her eyes came to a close. Peaking over the rims of his sunglasses, he gave her a once over. Thankfully, the damage was superficial. When it appeared she was peacefully asleep once more, he gripped her hand in his own. "She's a strong one, fighting the anesthesia like that," he murmured, tracing his finger across her cheek. "Relena."
"She'll wish she didn't once she realizes she has all those broken bones," said a woman, approaching him from behind. She wrapped her arm around his side, looking over the girl's tattered body. "I thought you were leaving today."
"My plans changed when I heard about this."
"Tell me about it. Oh, Zechs, I just don't know…" the woman looked away, eyeing the floor.
She wasn't ready for this sort of thing again; the war, the carnage-not again. After tonight's incident, it was only a matter of time before the entire Mars Foundation, and Mars as a whole were called out as terrorists and warmongers, and once again, the world would be plunged into chaos. The mere thought of it sent her foot into a staunch kick in the ground. Even silent, Zechs' understood her frustration. She couldn't stand for it any longer. Things were different now. Becoming a mother had taught Noin just how precious life was. Saying that the mere thought of her infant son or daughter running off to become soldiers kept her up at night was an understatement; the idea haunted her every night. But even more, and what had kept her awake in the last few days, was the thought that one or both of her children may not even survive to have such an opportunity should another war break out. She knew all too well that the vast majority of the victims of a conflict like the one brewing were children. The fact that the twins were born of a chief officer of the Preventers, and the infamous Milliardo Peacecraft, both now about to be implicated as terrorists… Noin's head began to spin just thinking about it.
"Damn it all," she murmured, burying her face in her hands. "I'm sorry…"
"Noin…"
"This was never supposed to be part of the plan, was it?! What happened down there? All we wanted was the peace of Mars. God, I know Relena would've been more than willing to help if you'd just asked…"
"I thought that was what was happening. I know you don't want to hear it, Noin, and I don't have the proof to claim anything about anyone-especially your brother-but the Noinheim Konzern-"
"-Maybe when you leave…" Noin didn't need any explanations right now; she didn't care why, or how it happened that the entire capitol of the ESUN had been destroyed. "Maybe you should take Naina and Milou with you to Mars."
"That's…" He eyed the door behind him as it opened. He and Noin shared a quick nod, both in the understanding that this topic was not to be discussed in front of any Mars Federation soldiers.
"Excuse me, sir," said a man, in a garb similar to the unfortunate man who had met with Zechs' fist. "It seems like she's stable. The damage wasn't life threatening in the least bit, but she'll be sore for awhile. It was a close call with the baby for awhile, though, but he seems like he'll pull through just fine, too."
The doctor could not have known why, in that moment, Zechs' expression turned so very pale. Noin, still teary and red in the face, let out a small gasp.
"Baby?"