14-Apr-2000
AU, pointless, GW casts and a few original cast.
Disclaimers, nothing's mine of course. GW belongs to Bandai and everyone else who owns it.
Standing in the middle of a rush of storm wasn't always his choice. Infact he had no choice. Waiting. He hated that too.
"You came,"
"Of course. I promise I would. I just regret it now."
"The storm wasn't my idea."
"An omen then,"
The dark figure nodded, "Never had it been so severe."
"Where are they?"
"In the House."
And they move away, bodies bent as the storm howled it way into more darkness than light. And morning never came.
**
One ---
"Good day." Heero walked into the living room, yawning. "How was it?"
"Oh its better, at least. The wind count's a lot lot lower." Relena answered, not bothering to turn from her reading.
"Duo will be coming down then?" Heero sat beside her, taking a few warm toast from the plate.
"Not really. But Wufei would. With their child too."
".." Heero looked across uneasily, Relena nodded in awkward acknowledgement.
The intercom bleeped, "Master Yuy, Master Chang is here."
"Show him in." he placed the receiver back and turned to Relena, softly kissing her brows, "Don't bring this up. He doesn't need it." She nodded, as Wufei walked into the room.
"Hello." Relena said, embracing Wufei then hugging Meiran who held their newborn baby. "Named the baby?"
"Wutao," Meiran said with a smile. As she joined her husband and friend on the couch.
"Sou-ka?.. Wu-chan then." Relena touched the baby's red cheeks.
"The weather had been very good today." Meiran said, looking out into the black vastness of nothingness outside. The storm had quieted down a bit, leaving room for breath. They, as the third generation of Colony, never seen sunlight, or even blue skies. Those are myths. Just myths, something from the past, from the days of their ancestors.
"Yes. Indeed it is."
Relena exchanged glances with her husband not knowing what to say. Her worried heart betrayed her stream of clear thought. Her brow creased and she just sat there, not knowing what to do. Silence, only the eternal wheeze of storm outside, and the cloak of black.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Wufei suddenly said, knowing the inevitable.
"We wouldn't want to talk it over, if you're uneasy with this."
Meiran shook her head. "This is what we always wanted. I remembered the stories told to us when we were young. About having kids, about having a reason to live, and even the promise of sunlight. I've never seen sunlight before, only listening to the incredible stories they tell. And to know this child had such a bright future.."
"But its against the Brotherhood. No one gives birth naturally! That child is illegal." Relena said in horror. The thought of what the Brotherhood would do to this child is beyond imagining.
"We know.. we.."
Silence fell again. No one gave birth naturally. The reproduction system was controlled by the Brotherhood. They assured the balance of both genders. They controlled the want and need. Only a few were given reign of their emotions, lust and need. They were some of them. Duo too, Quatre and Trowa, and the females created for them. This generation of 'humans' weren't humans any longer. They were born out of test tubes, they were taught in the 'womb' they had no natural parents. Adoptive maybe. Not all would live forever with their destined other half. Some were forced to live alone, because their 'half' died. They were called Etesh. Some Eteshes were lucky enough to end up with another, some came to accept their fate, some became ruthless, some withered away.
In their circle of friends, Trowa and Quatre were Eteshes, though both, in the instinct of need came close together, they kept to themselves. Both of them left to separate directions after a while, Quatre went to his ancestor's land, The Desert End, to stay with his 'sisters', while Trowa travelled with Eteshian Mercenaries, those who were ruthless killers, and all alone.
"Wu-chan is an Etesh too, then? But he's unchipped... unregistered, illegal?"
Wufei smiled. "If that is what you're afraid of, then here's a piece of information that will sooth you down. Laoshi-O managed to get us a chip from the Brotherhood. Yes, Wu-chan is an Etesh, but he bring the promise of life."
Suddenly, "Oi!"
The four of them turned around to see a grinning Duo. "How?" Relena asked in surprise.
"The gates are not locked, we tried to be polite and buzz you people but there's no answer," Hirde said, as she handed a basket of fruits, and played with the baby.
"So we decided to let ourselves in." Duo continued, as he plopped beside Wufei, "Hey Wu-man! cute baby."
Wufei casted a glance, hoping. Duo raised his hands in mock defeat. "I didn't say anything?"
"Well then. A proper breakfast, anyone?" Relena asked, as she walked into the kitchen, followed by hungry nods. She gave a small laugh, and disappeared through the double door that hummed open and close for her. She heard the little baby laugh at some of Hirde's antics.
A child with a promise. She could only hope.
***Relena was drinking her coffee when the morning news turned her world upside dwon. Her cup fell and smashed into pieces, covering the white marble floor with white porcelein pieces and hot brown liquid. Her hands shook violently, and her she stammered as she called for her husband.
"Take a deep breath, Relena-chan, and sit down" Heero tried to soothe her strung nerves and the uncontrollable spasm that ran up her spine. Heero fetched her a glass of water and sat down beside her.
"They found out about the illegal chips sold into the black market"
Heero reached to her cold hands, removed the half empty glass and gently rubbed the coldness away. "And?"
"They'll hunt down all illegal children, of course, and kill them."
"That includes Wu-chan"
Relena nodded listlessly. "And I can't do anything. My days as part of the Controller within the Brotherhood had passed. I shouldn't have resigned."
Heero was at a loss for words. He had never been good with words. All he could do was to offer his silent assurance, his proximity, a gentle reminder that he would always stand by her.
**
Relena was one of the few women who made it into the all-male Brotherhood as a Controller. Things had went well until the first words of illegal chips flew all over the Controllers' monthly meeting with the Elders of the Brotherhood.
"We have to track down these illegal children. Destroy them. They do nothing but tip the balance we have tried so hard to keep."
By then, Wu-chan was three months and two weeks. The thought of children like him dead irked Relena. She had tried, with all her power and might, with so many reasonings and debates to get the Brotherhood off the idea. Then she left. Forever. Maybe getting them to some sense, or clue. Hoping.
**
And now failing. As she looked up at the darkest orbs of eyes of her husband, dark as Wufei's, dark as Wu-chan's, as Meiran's... Dark as the fate of other children.
But astrologer had said that Wu-chan would live on, through trials and pain, and then bring back the sun into the world, that hadn't seen any for millenias.
She looked outside, and sighed. The storm was worse today. The windcount went high. She snugged up towards Heero for a while before releasing herself.
"Thanks, Heero."
"Do we have to get Wufei or Meiran? ask what they wanted to do?"
She shook her head, more of a signal of uncertainty. She pushed a button to put the storm shield down, and sat beside Heero. "I don't know, I really don't know."
"They'll sort their problem."
"We can't help, can we?"
"If they don't ask, we cannot do anything, at all."
Relena pondered for a while. Seemed to be lost in the sea of thoughts. "Maybe I could ask my brother."
"Merquise-san? He's still in the Brotherhood?"
She nodded.
**
<>< JejeFish