by Ranco
C'est La Vie!
By Ranco
lyrics
Ah! Ohh hey hey
Hey you, sittin' in your tree,
Mummy always wants you to come over for tea.
Don't be shy, straighten up your tie
Get down for your tree house sittin' in the sky.
Duo tried to talk to Heero who ignored him and continued to type on his laptop. For a brief second, Duo's smile vanished to be replaced with a hurt look. Before his partner can notice, however, the careless smile returned. After flipping his braid over his shoulder, he walked out of the room.
I wanna know just what to do.
Is it very big, is there room for two?
I've got a house with windows and doors,
I'll show you mine if you show me yours.
Duo sat at a desk, reading something. Heero came in and immediately started up his laptop, looking for mission orders. Duo tried yet again to get Heero to talk to him.
Gotta let me in, hey hey hey.
Let the fun begin, hey.
I'm the wolf today, hey, hey, hey
I'll huff. I'll puff
I'll huff and puff and...
After being ignored for about the millionth time, he started chattering just to fill up the silences. Heero used his death glare and shut the other pilot up. Then, amazingly, the stone-faced pilot spoke.
"You should be more serious. This isn't a game. I can't see why they allow you to be a pilot any way."
blow you away.
Duo felt like a hammer had just shattered his heart. But he wouldn't let is show. No, he was just as good at hiding his feelings as the "perfect solder," perhaps even better.
Say you will, say you won't.
Say you'll do what I don't
Say your true, say to me
wonna say ces�t la vie
Things didn't change. Duo laughed and joked, Heero frowned and typed away or tinkered with wing. He was so anti social it was annoying.
Do you play with the girls, play with the boys? Do you ever get tired of just playing with your toys? We can talk, we can sing. I'll be the queen and you'll be the king. Thrown down your ladder and make room for me, I got a house with windows and doors. I'll show you mine if you show me yours.
Fire works exploded about the Sank Kingdom's castle. Duo looked on sadly some distance away. Heero was over there, along with the other pilots and Relena. Duo couldn't join them though, his heart hurt too much. *He left the war, his missions, for her... * he thought. He whispered a phrase into the air that had been his life.
"C'est la vie."
Duo had learned French from one of the other kids in Solo's gang. He had a natural talent for languages and the other kid, Marc, hadn't spoken a word of English. Solo had asked him to try and help the other kid to learn English and the ways of the streets. They had become fast friends but then the other boy had been killed when he got caught between two 'bad' gangs. These gangs were big on weapons and Marc had gotten stuck in between one of their shootouts.
Ever since then, Duo had done his best to protect the other kids, even if they were older than he was. He often went on the more dangerous jobs himself rather than letting any one else do it. He also made a commitment to learning as much as he could: languages, math, and science mechanics... You never knew when information could come in handy. But most of all, he had learned how precious life was. Solo and the others had taught him that.
Duo didn't understand why he was so obsessed with Heero. They were complete opposites. The silent killer and the joker. Even their Gundams were opposites- white vs. black. And yet so much had happened that connected them. Their willingness to die in the war for peace, the hardships they had endured during the war and the seemingly impossible friendship they had found. Maybe it was that Heero reminded himself before he met Solo....
(flashback)
"We found another one, Solo!" A youngster that looked about eight said. He ducked inside the old crumbling building where Solo and his gang lived.
"Bring him in, Tom," Solo said. About fourteen years old, Solo led a special gang of kids. Unlike the normal gangs that ran around L2, it was made up of children found on the streets. They had bound together to survive by any means necessary.
Tom returned along with a girl who looked about ten. In between them they held a small boy who looked about four years old. The girl spoke, "we found him when they were trying to take him to The Pits." Solo felt himself go pale. The Pits were a horrible place of slavery and rape; no place for anyone to live. For the police to try and take one so small and young to those horrible places meant he was a lot of trouble; probably dangerous as well.
"Does he have a name?" Solo asked.
"No," the girl responded. Solo walked over to where the boy now sat between the two other kids and knelt so he could look in the others eyes. He felt a shiver pass through him. The boy's eyes were cold as ice. *I'll get through to him, somehow,* Solo promised himself.
(end flashback)
Gotta let me in, hey hey hey. Let the fun begin, hey. I'm the wolf today, hey, hey, hey I'll huff. I'll puff I'll huff and puff and...
*Yeah, Solo did break the bearers to my heart,* Duo thought, *then he left me...*
blow you away.
(Flashback)
Solo forced his eyes to focus on Kid's worried face. The youngster had lived in the gang for three years. He had yet to chose a name for himself so every one just called him kid. Despite his young age, the kid had become Solo's confidant, and in many ways, his second. The kid had even taken up Solo's own method to help the others: cheerfulness. His smiles and jokes had helped lighten up the entire group. If it wasn't for him, the gang would have fallen apart when The Plague had fallen upon them. He had taken up most of Solo's responsibilities when the other had finally succumbed to the illness. *He's the only hope for the others now...*
Say you will,
Kid looked worriedly at Solo. *He's so pale...we can't lose him!*
say you won't.
"Kid," Solo whispered, "can you do something for me?"
"Anything!" The other replied.
"Promise me you'll take care other the others when I'm gone," Solo said weakly.
"But your not going anywhere!" The violet eyed youth whispered. "You have to get better, you just have to!"
"I'll never leave you, but I won't be able to help the others," the other boy whispered. "Please promise me!"
Say you'll do what I don't
"I promise," the longhaired youth sobbed.
Solo's hand grasped the others tightly. "Thank you, Duo," he whispered and then his hand went limp.
The boy raised his head, eyes strong even while tears ran down his cheeks. "I�ll remember you always, Solo," he said. "You've given me something no one else did in your dying moments. A name."
(End flashback)
Duo looked once more over the earthen landscape. He had helped obtain peace; had helped the other orphan's to Father Maxwell's care. He had done all he had swore to do. And yet, he felt so empty. He turned and without a signal glance back, made his way to a shuttle to take him back to space.
Say your true, say to me "C'est la vie."
6 months later...
Heero sat typing on his laptop. he, Quatre, Trowa and Wufei now worked in the preventers� office protecting the peace they had sacrificed so much to obtain. Quatre's sisters mostly ran the Winner foundation, contacting Quatre only when it was necessary. That was because of the blonde�s relationship with Trowa. The two of them share a room along with their hearts. Wufei had been a little surprised when he found out about their relationship but Heero hadn�t been. Dr. J. had introduced him to sexuality early in his life; showing him how it could be used as a weapon and as a threat against you.
Heero came across a strange file on the computer. Opening it, he discovered it was in French. He pulled out a disk and inserted it into the computer. The translation program on it turned the French into Japanese. Scanning, he found out it was an e-mail concerning French homework. At the end there was and attachment labeled C�est la vie. Heero opened it and a song played over the laptop�s speakers.
Ah! Ohh hey hey
Ah! Ohh hey hey
Hey you, sittin' in your tree,
Mummy always wants you to come over for tea.
Don't be shy, straighten up your tie
Get down for your tree house sittin' in the sky.
I wanna know just what to do.
Is it very big, is there room for two?
I've got a house with windows and doors,
I'll show you mine if you show me yours.
Gotta let me in, hey hey hey.
Let the fun begin, hey.
I'm the wolf today, hey, hey, hey
I'll huff. I'll puff
I'll huff and puff and blow you away.
Say you will, say you won't.
Say you'll do what I don't
Say your true, say to me.
C'est la vie.
Do you play with the girls, play with the boys?
Do you ever get tired of just playing with your toys?
We can talk, we can sing.
I'll be the queen and you'll be the king.
Thrown down your ladder and make room for me,
I got a house with windows and doors.
I'll show you mine if you show me yours.
Gotta let me in, hey hey hey.
Let the fun begin, hey.
I'm the wolf today, hey, hey, hey
I'll huff. I'll puff
I'll huff and puff and blow you away.
Say you will, say you won't.
Say you'll do what I don't
Say your true, say to me.
C'est la vie.
Say you will, say you won't.
Say you'll do what I don't
Say your true, say to me.
C'est la vie.
Heero felt a strange wetness on his check. Placing his hand there he realized it was a tear. "Duo," he whispered. *That�s what Duo had been trying to do, to open his heart,* Heero realized.
//Weakness! Emotions are weaknesses!// His training yelled.
But for perhaps the first time in his life, Heero ignored the voice of the solider, the voice that Dr. J. had placed inside of him. Tears streamed freely down his face. "Duo, you won," Heero whispered to the other pilot far away, "and I�m going to find you."
Say you will,
A black clad figure holding a pair of scissors abruptly looked up at the sky, into the star filled space around the colonies, unsure if he had heard something. Deciding he had been imagining things, he pulled his long braid over his shoulder and raised the scissors to cut it off. Tears filled his eyes and his hand shook. He dropped the scissors; he couldn�t do this yet. He held the braid lovingly; it was his only link to his past.
say you won't.
Heero looked around the room at his friends. He could tell they were wondering why he had called them to this meeting.
"It had been six months since we last saw Duo," Hero said quietly. "We need to find him. I can�t go myself." The reason was not stated but every one in the room knew that Relena had spies in the company to keep an eye on Heero. If he went anywhere, he was likely to get stalked. A person couldn�t do much good if they were being followed constantly.
Trowa and Quatre exchanged glances. Something was up, they just weren�t sure what. The blond spoke up, "I�ll look for him using the Winner resources. If I can�t find him that way, we�ll start a formal investigation." Heero simply nodded in agreement.
Say you'll do what I don't
And that was how, two weeks later, the ex-pilot of Sandrock found himself on L2 in a part of town that had seen better days. He had gotten a tip form an elderly lady that a person matching Duo�s description could be found here. He hadn�t gone far when�
"Hey there, pretty boy," a thug said, stepping out of the shadows. Nineteen others surrounded Quatre while the leader continued to talk. "Now, why don�t you just give us all you valuables� or we�ll have to get rough." Quatre looked around. He didn�t have enough bullets to drop them all and they were in a narrow ally way, which meant he had little chance of escaping.
Just then, as if in answer to a prayer, a knife came out of no where and landed less than an inch away from the leader�s ear. Engraved in lime green on the hilt of the knife was the Japanese symbol for death. Everyone in the ally stared at it and then the lights went out.
"Lets get outta here!" One of the thugs called and they all scattered.
"I suggest you stay away form here, young man," a voice said from the shadows.
Quatre jumped. He knew that voice. "Duo?" he called.
"I am not the one you speak of," the voice said. Quatre didn�t give up.
"If that�s true, then show me your face!"
The streetlights came back on and Quatre felt his heart leap. Duo was leaning against the wall. Only it was a Duo that Quatre had never seen before. Gone was the priest outfit and in its place was a pair of nondescript black paints and a black turtleneck. He looked thinner and his hair had lost its shine. But most noticeable of all was the absence of the manic smile on his face. There was no joy in those eyes. They were colder than Heero�s or Trowa had ever been.
"Duo, we�ve been looking for you! What have you been doing? Even Heero�s been worried about you!" The blond said. "I�m telling you, my name�s not Duo," the other figure said. "And I suggest you leave for better parts of the colony. You�re known around these parts for being rich. And I won�t be here to save you next time." The other boy said and then disappeared into the shadows. "Duo�" Quatre whispered then turned to go. He needed to tell the others.
Say your true
Duo stood over looking a gorgeous meadow. "Where am I?" He wondered aloud.
"Your, dreaming, Duo," came a voice from behind him. Turning around, the ex-Gundam pilot saw some one he thought he would never see again. "Solo�"
The other boy embraced the longhaired youth. "Duo, why are you running?"
"My name isn�t Duo!" The other yelled.
"Changing your name and going back to the life you had before we met won�t help anyone, especially you. It won�t make the pain go away," Solo said, looking into the others violet eyes.
"What do you know!"
"I�ve been with you all this time. I promised I would, didn�t I? And Sister Helen and Father Maxwell stayed as well. Think of us as your Guardian angles," Solo replied, sounding calm.
"There�s no such things as angels," Duo said.
"Are you sure about that?" Solo asked, never breaking eye contact with the other. Duo wrenched away.
say to me�
Duo woke up, covered in sweat. "Stupid, stupid, SUPID!" He scolded himself. He climbed out of the nest of old and worn blankets he slept in. looking out a hole in the abandoned house he found, he tried to calm his speeding heart. Dusting himself off, he jumped out of the building and jogged off in the main center of town. Plenty of rich people came there that could afford to lose a few dollars.
say to me�
Heero got off the shuttle that had just come from Earth. After receiving Quatre�s message, he had left at once for L2. Quatre was already on his way back to Earth. Heading towards the information center, he spotted the tip of a long brown braid around a corner. Increasing his speed, Heero followed the figure. Once he was close enough, he grabbed the black clad figure�s shoulder. Colbolt eyes met joyless violet ones before the other pulled away from Heero. Running with a speed the wing pilot didn�t know the other possessed, he dashed away, trying to fade into the crowd. Heero quickly followed.
say to me�
*He�s here, He�s here, He�s here, He�s here,* Duo�s mind thought over and over. And he had been doing really well today too! Then another voice cut through Duo�s almost panicking mind.
//Then go to him!//
*No Way!*
//You know you want to.//
*Shut up! I didn�t ask you!* Weaving in and of the crowds and down different all ways, Duo quickly lost track of his exact location. *Doesn�t matter as long as I get away,* Duo though. Just then, he tripped over something. "Owww!" Duo yelped at the unexpected pain. He looked down to see what he had tripped over.
It was a broken statue of an angel. Looking around quickly, he realized where he was, the grounds of the old Maxwell church.
"My fault, all this damage, it�s all my fault!" Duo cried out in anger. He didn�t even notice the sound of running feet from the street he had just been on.
Walking deeper into the ruins, Duo saw an old man up where the alter used to be. Approaching quietly, he gave the man a closer look. From the state of his clothes, this guy was definitely a beggar. Digging into his pocked, he pulled out the money he had gotten that morning and placed it in front of the elderly man.
As he was turning away, the old man spoke. "Thank you, my son."
"Your welcome," Duo said, turning back around.
"It is never a sin to love, my son," the other replied.
"Not even when your love brings death? Not even when that love is condemned by God�s word?" Duo asked.
"Love never brings death, my son. It brings strength and growth. The church assumes that loving one of you own kind is wrong but the Church is made of mortals who make mistakes. God loves people and creates a special destiny for each of them. And I do believe that your destiny is waiting out there," he said, gesturing to the outer ruins. "Just remember to save the activities of couples till after the wedding."
"Anou...Arigtou," Duo whispered. He felt better than he had in a long time. It was like waking up from a nightmare that he had been living for years.
Just then, Heero walked into Duo�s line of sight.
"What are you doing here, Baka?" Heero asked in a much more gentle voice. He walked to where Duo stood, seemingly frozen. Their eyes met and Heero could see pain the other�s eyes and an new strength. Unsure what exactly he was doing, he pulled the other boy into a tender embrace. Instead of pulling away, Duo moved closer and put his arms around Heero�s waist.
"Ai shiteiru, Duo," Heero whispered.
"J�aime tu, Heero," Duo responded. He smiled when he thought of the box in his pocket the old man had given him just before his beloved had shown up. Inside were two wedding rings, blessed by a priest. The old man had told him to share the rings when the time was right. Duo had a suspicious feeling the old man was really God in disguise.
"Nani?" Heero asked, confusion on his face.
"I said, �I love you,�" Duo said with a smile.
C'est la vie.
Trowa, Quatre and Wufei all walked into the house having just come home from work. "So who�s turn is it tonight?" Quatre asked. Since Heero worked the night shift, {It was quieter} they had been taking turns pretending to be him so Relena�s spies didn�t know he was gone. They wouldn�t be able to keep this up much longer though, it was wearing them all down.
"Yours, angel" Trowa said. Quatre blushed lightly and leaned on his koi�s shoulder. Wufei averted his eyes, slightly ashamed that he was witnessing this private movement. Just then, they hear voices from the living room. The three crept to the open door, ready to attack. Then they stood there in shock when they saw what was going on.
Duo sat on a chair in front of Heero who was brushing the other�s long hair. His eyes were closed and a look of absolute contentment was on his face. Heero smiled, then leaned down and gently kissed the other on the cheek. Crash!
Duo and Heero looked over to the doorway. They exchanged amused looks when they saw the other three ex-pilots passed out on the floor. "I guess they weren�t expecting us," Duo said grinning.
Ranco: Yeah! It�s done! You wouldn�t believe how long it took me to write this. And I had more I could have put on! Now there may be follow up stories but I�ve got a series to write for Gundam Wing, a Ronin Warriors story, a Ranma � story, a Slayers story�.
Duo: Keep yourself busy, don�t you?
Ranco: Yup. Don�t worry, I�m working on GW convention but I enlisted my cousins to make it more funny and then there�s the ND fic�
Duo: Nani? I�m not sure I like this�
Wufie: Well what's the ND fic about, woman?
Ranco: That would be telling!
*all g-boys facefault*
Ranco: But Sakura, Ryoko, A-chan Shinigami and Mistress Sandrock are helping me come up with ideas!
Quatre: What language were you using anyway, Duo?
Duo: French And you should�ve known! Your name is in French after all�.
Quatre: It is? ::totally innocent and unknowing::
Ranco: Yup, it means four. Au revoir, everybody! A tout a l�heure!
Sakura: hmmm�. Now where did I put that French dictionary�..
Original portion of the fiction included here is considered to be the sole property and copyrighted to the author.
