Chapter 6
disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or anything that has to do anything to do with it. Please don't sue me!!! FYI, I just started writing this chapter in mid-August. My story has nothing to do with the bombing and plane crashes that happened in the U.S on September 11 2001. My heartfelt apologies go out to all those people who lost families on that tragic day.
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Heero's voice caught in his throat. Akumi was sitting right before his very eyes, inviting him to a challenge. This didn't seem right. Heero, the Perfect Soldier was feared by so many, but this Akumi guy didn't seem to be moved. Striding until he closed the small distance between them, Heero whipped out his gun, aiming it at Akumi's forehead. Snarling, he spoke.
"Alright Akumi, we'll do this my way or the hard way. What do you choose?" he dared.
Akumi merely looked straight into Heero's eyes and laughed. "Who me? The Great Tamehiko Akumi, scared of a mere boy? I think not. I'll tell *you* what," he proposed. Walking around the desk, he moved closer to Heero, elegance floating in his steps.
"Why don't you just get out of my sight now, before I shoot a bullet through your skull, *and* take over the world. You'll regret ever coming across me, Heero Yuy," Akumi challenged. Standing in his karate ready stance, he motioned Heero to come closer, to make his move. When Heero made no reason to move, Akumi laughed. He thought he would be right- he thought the Perfect Soldier, was as far from perfect as one can get.
Thinking thouroughly, Heero knew that Akumi was skilled, and it would take more than brawn to defeat him. Setting his gun down, he moved closer to Akumi, showing that he wasn't afraid, that he was ready to fight, with or without use of weapons.
"No. I'm not going to leave. Not until you tell me what you plan to do. I have a right to know, before I kill you," Heero said, matter-of-factly.
Akumi laughed again. It seemed as though Heero was providing entertainment to Akumi.
"Heero Yuy, a boy with a stolen name. How dare you take the name of a pacifist when you yourself have killed thousands without ever looking back? You certainly have no right to do that, and so, I have no reason to tell you what I plan to do. But, since you seem to be amusing me, I might as well put you out of your misery and tell you. My rebels and I have designed the most powerful, most contagious epidemic in history. It catches on faster than the average sickness, and once in a person, it begins to attack the nervous system, liquefying the nerves and membranes. Once done, the person, if you still can call them that, will be a mass of blood and bones. Aren't I genius?" Akumi said before he began to laugh.
Heero growled. This man was a psychopath! What reason did he have to kill every living person? What good would come of that?
"Akumi, what good will murdering billions of innocent people do? What have they done to you?" Heero asked.
Akumi stopped laughing. "You really want to know? Alright, I'll tell you. I'm sick of the way those blue-blood, know-nothing aristocrats try and run this whole damn world. If I can't take initiative this way, then what good is anyone's life for?
Heero almost laughed. Akumi had been contradicting himself the whole time.
"Akumi, why the hell would you have a reason to take initiative? You ARE a blue-blood aristocrat. Just give up now before it starts to hurt," Heero said.
Akumi was sadistic. He just laughed.
"This is your problem Yuy. You just seem to think that I'll surrender that easily. I will not be shaken by someone who could never live up to MY standards. You are low-class miscreant with too much free access to weaponry and by saving the world once, people kneel at your feet. You act as though you were fed with a silver spoon. You have not, and you will never become someone of my status. You are too far at the bottom of the heap to be considered anything but ordinary," Akumi said, as he stressed the last few words.
Heero snarled. Akumi had to be eliminated. There was no room for error because all the pilots knew that Akumi was far too skilled in martial combat. Heero would have to take him out with everything he had.
Meanwhile...
Relena woke up from a fitful sleep. Eyes still red and swollen, she gingerly touched them to see how much they hurt. The skin around her eyes felt raw and hot. Wincing, she got up to the washroom and tenderly washed her face and rinsed out her mouth. Opening a draw, she fished around until she found ointment and began to put some around her eyes and nose. She had nearly scrubbed her skin raw from the multiple tissues and tears.
Walking out, she looked around her room. It was dark, like early morning when the sun had not risen. Sitting at her desk, she flicked the lamp on and began looking at papers she had manage to take back to her house.
Back in space...
Heero froze. How would he make the first move? Fast and hard, but what would happen afterwards? Akumi might take him out in a matter of seconds, but he would never know if he didn't try.
'So the boy is calculating huh? I wonder what he'll do? Most likely try shooting me first,' Akumi thought as he mentally smiled.
"Well come on Yuy. Show me what you got," he dared.
Heero's eyes flickered a dangerous glow. Steel glinting in his eyes, he prepared himself and made sure to turn the safety off his gun, being careful not to shoot himself in the meantime.
"Akumi, I will fight for this world. Nobody deserves to die, except you. Meet your maker you heartless bastard," Heero said monotonously.
Sweeping forward, he planted his knee deep into Akumi's gut, extracting a grunt from the psychopath. Gasping for breath, Akumi pummeled Heero forward and began a series of punches to his head. Dodging half of the blows, Heero rolled Akumi forwards and jumped up to his feet. Grabbing his gun, he aimed it at Akumi's head, daring him to move an inch.
"Well, well, well... it seems you have got me, Yuy. Go ahead, kill me. I don't care. I'll just be another soul added to your kill list," Akumi snarled.
Pressing on the trigger, Akumi jumped up and twisted the gun around. Heero's finger slipped and he pulled the trigger. A bullet came flying out, but grazed Heero's shoulder. Blood pumping, Akumi took the advantage and pulled Heero's arm around his back.
"Ha, do you really think it's that easy to take me out?" challenged Akumi. He knew Heero was quick, but the latter would soon prevail.
Heero spun to the side, grabbing hold of Akumi's hair in a deathgrip. He almost broke Akumi's neck, until Akumi grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back.
Meanwhile in space...
Quatre's eyes flashed around. He saw no sight of Heero or Trowa. All he saw were metal chunks floating around, Deathscythe and Shelong. He knew Trowa had gone after Heero, but why would none of them respond?
"Quatre, I think our job here is done. Let's move, I have a feeling Heero needs our help," Duo said as Deathscythe took off.
"I second that. Let's move," Wufei said and all three made their way to Akumi's base.
Trowa had set Heavyarms on the space dock and had already infiltrated his way into the headquarters. Armed with only his gun, he turned his comm link on, hoping to hear any signs that someone would need help. Turning a corner, he came to a dead end, but he still heard voices- grunting. Heero was in the room behind the wall! Pulling out his comm link, he pressed the initiate button and spoke.
"Quatre, Duo, Wufei, I've found them, but I can't seem to get to them. Duo, I need your help. You brought your explosives right?" he asked, waiting for an answer.
Duo heard Trowa's voice and connected the comm link so that Quatre and Wufei could hear as well.
"Yep, Shinigami always comes prepared. We're coming, hang on. I can trace where you are from the active comm link. Stay there, we're coming," Duo said as he threw Deathscythe's new rocket boosters on. He, Quatre and Wufei shot forward, reaching the base quickly. Getting out of their Gundams, Duo grabbed his black bad full of explosives. They were going to win with a bang.
Reading his tracer, Duo and the others turned numerous corners until they found a very silent Trowa staring at the wall blocking them.
"Alright buddy, better move out of the way," Duo said, as he pulled out various explosives.
The Gundam pilots could all hear the struggle going on in the room.
"Heero! It's us. Are you okay?!" Quatre yelled.
Akumi froze. They were all here.
"Don't worry little Winner. Yuy is just dandy," he called from the room before landing another hard blow to Heero's stomach.
Driving forwards, Heero managed to block Akumi's fist once more and had the villain cornered. Pulling his gun out, he aimed it at Akumi's head, taking the silencer off. He wanted the guys to hear Akumi die. He pressed the trigger.
Duo set the last explosive and moved away from the wall with the detonator in his hands.
'One, two, three!' he counted mentally and pressed the button. The set explosives blew holes into the wall, following a circle. All they had to do was apply pressure on that part of the wall, and it would fall.
Not giving it another thought, Duo pummeled forward and brought the wall down.
His mouth gaped open.
Akumi swivelled his head as Heero pressed the trigger. It missed his head by an inch, but it pierced straight through the cartilage in his ear. Screaming, he pulled his machete free from his waistband and drove it through Heero's stomach.[1]
Duo watched as both men bled. He was too late.
Trowa and Quatre were next to come in. They tackled Akumi while he had fussed over the hole in his ear[2]. Taking out his gun, Trowa ended Akumi's pitiful life by multiple shots to the head and chest. It was all over. They had defeated Tamehiko Akumi.
Rushing over to Heero, Wufei pulled his spacesuit off in an attempt to shred his shirt and try to stop Heero's bleeding.
Grabbing his stomach, Heero rolled over, pain etched into his eyes. He blinked once, twice and then no more. He had passed out from blood loss. Wufei reached him, wrapping the shreds of his shirt around Heero's waist. He prayed.
Quatre, Trowa and Duo stared on in disbelief. They had come seconds too late. Rushing over to Wufei and Heero, they all helped hoist the unconscious soldier up and to one of the Gundams.
Back on Earth...
Relena was tired of crying. She looked out of her window, noting that it had been over a day the boys had left. She missed waking up to Heero's warmth, she prayed for it to all be over. Getting up, she scanned her room for traces of him. One. A picture of him and her in a delicate silver frame. Looking around once more, she saw a piece of paper folded up, leaning itself against one of her figurines on her dresser. Picking it up, she recognized the scrawl. It was Heero's.
Opening it, she feared for the worst. It read:
Relena.
I'm writing to tell you that I've left. I've packed all my belongings and they shouldn't be in your way for too long. I've moved all my things to Quatre's and this is a last goodbye, I suppose. It hurts me to know that you couldn't have trusted me. I would have been fine to let you go, because for as long as I've loved you, I only wanted to make you happy. I'm sorry if I pushed you to that, and I don't think I've ever done anything to hurt you quite so much as you have done to me. I secretly feel relieved. I know you're happy now, and that's all that matters. If I don't make it back alive, stay with Duo. Know that I care about you, and I'll always love you, no matter what. You never need to be reminded of that.
She blinked owlishly. Why now? Why did she find this now? She read on.
You've given me thousands of gifts, treasures I used to hold deeply in my heart. I think back now, hoping that I don't lose them. You gave me a soul and a conscience to use. For that, I thank you. But know that I cherished every waking moment with you. Remember how we used to make wishes upon stars? I wished that you would be happy, and I think that you are.
I'm out of your life now, but I'll always be there for you, not as a soul mate, but as a friend. I can't trust myself around you anymore. I'm sorry it had to be this way, but you laid it out in the open for me. I wish you great happiness and this is my final goodbye.
~Heero
The final block for the dam was torn away. She cried, long and hard. She'd lost the most important thing to her, along with her dignity. How could she face him now? How could he expect her to stay with Duo, when only Heero could make her the happiest? She sobbed into a pillow, punching at the mattress, praying for it to end.
Duo and the others sped full speed to Earth. They needed a doctor right away. Heero was dying slowly from that one wound.
Opening his comm link once more, Duo spoke clearly.
"Une, Noin, anyone on Earth. Please hear this. We need a doctor as soon as we reach Earth. Akumi is dead but Heero is badly injured. He's been stabbed in the stomach and unconscious as of now. We'll be reaching Earth's atmosphere shortly," he said, as he signaled the other Gundam guys to move faster. He looked behind his shoulder at Heero's limp form. His best friend, he'd lose him if they didn't reach fast enough.
The Gundams became red hot as they broke through Earth's atmosphere. Speeding towards a Preventer base, they pilots docked and hurried to bring Heero to a doctor.
Sally came running forwards asking them to set Heero down.
She took note of his bluish complexion and the deep stained scarlet cloth wound around his waist. Taking his pulse, she gasped.
He had none.
"Duo, Heero hasn't got a pulse[3]. I can't seem to find it, but he's still breathing. We have to take his to the medical bay now. Guys, carry him and hurry please. Follow me," she ordered as they picked Heero up gently, rushing him to the med bay.
Setting him down on a medical bed, she asked the guys to leave the room as she unwound the cloth. She gasped. Whomever stabbed Heero had done it hard and there was a large gash in his lower abdomen. She hurried to clean his wound and stabilize him. Setting up and IV drip into his arm, she contacted Milliardo, Une and Noin.
"Akumi is dead. But Heero's been terribly injured. I don't think he'll make it. Please come right away," Sally spoke into the vid-link.
Milliardo's face blanched. Heero, in critical condition? How could it be?
He notified Noin and Une, then proceeded up the stairs to Relena's room. She would want to know.
He knocked on her door, hearing muffled sobs.
"Relena, come out of your room. We have to go. Heero's been injured. Please come with us," he said hastily.
Her eyes went wide. No, this couldn't be...it just couldn't. Wiping at her eyes, she grabbed a sweater and opened the door.
"Let's go," she said, as they both headed downstairs to the waiting limo.
Fifteen agonizing minutes passed before they reached the Preventer's base. All the while, the same thing ran through their minds.
'Heero, critical condition. I hope he makes it through'.
Relena fought tears as she buried her face into her brother's sleeve. He stroked her back soothingly, encouraging her to let it out. Noin and Une watched, anguish filling their hearts as they saw a girl's heart breaking. She was going to lose the love of her life.
Taking Relena's hand, Noin spoke soothing words, coaxing her that it would be alright.
She cried, letting them comfort her, their words the farthest thing from her mind. She had to see him, only she could really judge if he was fine or not.
Parking, all four of them ran out of the limo towards the med bay. They came face to face with four of the pilots.
Duo ran to Relena. She was still sobbing so hard.
Taking her from her brother, he grappled her to his chest, rubbing her back.
"Shh...it's okay. Sally's with him now. He'll make it. He's Heero, only he can survive this," he said as she looked up at him.
Fists balled, she punched at his chest, sobbing harder.
"How do you know that? Why was he hurt in the first place? Weren't you guys there with him? Why did you let this happen?!?!" she yelled at him, tears streaking her face.
Duo stood there, letting her hit him.
"We didn't let him go. He sped away from us as soon as he got past Akumi's defenses. We couldn't follow him until we had a path cleared for all of us. Trowa got to Heero first, but he came to a dead end. They called me and I blasted the wall but we were still too late. He'll pull through Lena. We all know he will," he said, taking her hands.
She stared at him, disbelief written all over her features.
"How can you stand there and tell me that? You wouldn't know! Please someone let me see him, please let him be okay..." she said, sinking to the floor. The cold tiles connected with her bare legs and she let her tears drip slowly, not caring to wipe them away. She had to know for herself if Heero was okay.
[1] - okay... that's hard to believe! Didn't know what to do about it.
[2] - Sissy pants Akumi! No, I just wanted to put that there for a little humour. Can you imagine this big guy, hands waving frantically, yelling 'oh my ear, oh my ear?' I can, and I laughed...
AN: I know... that dragged on for sooo long. If my use of description is weird, that's because I have the flu right now. So, that means that some of the scenes in this chapter are kind of... weird. I find that I cannot write action sequences! So... ready for a finale? Yeah, I'll have it out soon, hopefully. Read and review please! Thanks.