Disclaimer: I
don't own Gundam Wing, but I do own some manga, DVDs, and this plotline.
Deceptions Part 6: The Hospital
By Symee-Sama
WARNING: MAJOR
HEERO-BASTARDIZATION!!!
Duo rubbed his eyes, trying to focus on the screen in front of him.
"Sorry," He said groggily. "Could you repeat that?" He
heard the other man sigh in frustration. "I said I'm sorry." Duo said
defensively. "I'm tired, I need sleep. In case you haven't noticed, it's
three in the morning!" The man held up his hands in mock surrender, and it
was Duo's turn to sigh as he ran a hand through his bangs. "Sorry,"
He said for the third time. "I'm not having the best night."
"I need to talk to you."
"Man," Duo gave a small grin. "You don't waste any words, do you
Trowa?" When there was no response, Duo continued. "Where?"
"Stay there," Trowa ordered. "I'll come to you, just try to wake
yourself up a little before I get there." The screen went blank, and Duo
stumbled into the tiny kitchen of his apartment, looking for coffee. He hadn't
been here in over a month. He had been living with Hilde, and there was no
reason to come around. The lease would be over in two months, and until then he
had intended to leave the room empty. Duo smiled triumphantly when he found
what he was looking for, and turned on the coffee maker.
He didn't know what to make of it. Hilde had just flipped. She had blamed Heero
for everything. Had even gone so far to say that Duo didn't care about his
friends. Well, she was right in a way. The fight had stemmed from Heero's actions,
but it was Hilde's choice to react the way she did. He couldn't blame all his
relationship problems on Heero. It wasn't Heero's fault that Hilde wasn't the
person that he had thought she was.
He poured himself a cup of coffee, and sipped at it. What could have happened
to Heero? Why was he doing this? He asked himself for the millionth time. He
just couldn't understand it. It didn't make any sense that his best friend
would suddenly turn, and destroy everything that he held sacred. He had worked
so hard to create this peace so why would he try so hard to end it? It just
didn't make sense.
Duo was pulled from his reverie by a knock on the door. "Coming!" He
called, running to the door, and pulling it open. "Come on in." He
gestured grandly towards the couch. "How are you?"
"You know that Heero was the one who bombed the Preventors Base,
right?" Trowa asked.
"I'm glad to hear you're doing well." Duo said sarcastically.
"I'm doing just fine. Thanks for asking!" He turned to Trowa angrily.
"I haven't seen you in months, haven't heard from you in months, and the
first thing that comes out of your mouth is about the bombing! Is that the only
reason you came to see me?" Trowa nodded, and Duo's anger faded.
"Fine, I'll talk, but afterwards I want to hear about how things are in
your life. All right?"
Trowa nodded again, and Duo gestured towards the kitchen table. "Take a
seat, man." He a cup and poured coffee into it. "You want some
coffee?" He asked and pushed the mug towards Trowa, who took it
gratefully. "So what's on your mind?"
"How much do you know about the bombing?" Trowa asked quietly.
"Not much," Duo shrugged. "Basically what's in the news. Heero
was the one who bombed the base. There was a lot of people killed in the
explosion, and the Preventors have no idea where he escaped to."
"There's more." Trowa said, and Duo looked at him with interest.
"Heero was chased by the Preventors after he blew up the base, and he
escaped from them by going to the circus. That's how Catherine got hurt. She
was no where near the base. He was in her trailer, and she walked in on him. He
threatened her, and was going to kill her when I walked in. He used her as a
hostage, so I wouldn't kill him."
"I knew that already," Duo said smugly, and smirked when Trowa's head
shot up. "I hacked into the Preventors database, and found out all about
your sister. Hilde had a fit when I told her about that."
"Duo. . ." Trowa said in a frustrated tone. "That information is
classified. How did you get in there?"
"That's a trade secret," Duo said, silently thanking Heero for
teaching him how to hack into the database. "But if it makes you feel any
better, it was pretty tough. Anyway, was that all you wanted to tell me?"
"No." Trowa sipped at his coffee. "I wanted to ask you about something.
When I walked in on Heero and Catherine, he said a couple of things."
"What kind of things?" Duo asked, it hadn't mentioned anything like
that in the database. "I never heard about that."
"No one else knows except for Zechs." Trowa supplied. "He said
that Relena had betrayed us and that she deserved everything that he did to
her."
"She doesn't deserved any of it!" Duo snapped, and Trowa smirked
slightly. "What?"
"Zechs said the exact same thing." Trowa informed him, and smirked
again when Duo gaped at him. "Heero also mentioned you." Duo tensed.
"His exact words were: 'Don't you care about what she did to Duo?' So
Zechs sent me here to ask you what she did to you. He would've sent Quatre,
but-"
"Yeah, I know, Iria's dead." Duo said sadly. "Anyway, Relena's
done nothing to me." He paused. "Nothing serious anyway. A couple of
pranks, but they were always after I did something to her. You don't think that
Heero would kidnap her because of a couple of pranks, do you?"
Trowa shook his head. "I'm sure that he means something more
important." He sighed. "So. We've reached a dead end. The only ones
who can tell us what happened are Heero and Relena, and we can't find either of
them."
"Sorry I couldn't help you, man." Duo said sincerely as Trowa stood up
to leave. "Hold it. You said that you would talk." Trowa sat back
down, and Duo leaned closer to him. "So," he said in a conversational
tone. "How's Catherine doing?"
"She woke up from her coma yesterday, but she's not the same. I was
allowed to talk to her today, and she's like a little child. She kept talking
about dolls, and how she much she missed her mother. She doesn't even seem to
know me."
"I'm sorry," Duo said softly. "I didn't know that it was that
bad."
"I can't wait to get my hands on Heero," Trowa said vengefully.
"We'll make him pay."
"It wasn't him." Duo snapped. "Something's wrong with him. Can't
anybody else see it? Can you honestly believe that Heero Yuy would do all this?
It goes against everything he was! He never taunted people when he blew up
bases, he never kidnapped government officials. I can't see him doing
this!"
"People change," Trowa shot back at him.
This was too close to the argument he'd had with Hilde. "I'm not going to
argue about this with you Trowa!" He shouted. "I've already gone
through this!" He seemed to deflate. "Hilde said the exact same stuff
you did, and I don't want to hear it again..."
Trowa apologized, but Duo waved it off. "Not your fault." He said.
"You couldn't have known. Is there anything that I can help you
with?"
"I didn't think that you'd want to help us capture him."
"You've got it all wrong. I don't want to help you kill him, but I'll help
you find him if I can." Duo ran a hand through his bangs. "He needs
to answer a couple of questions, and we can find out what's wrong with
him." Trowa opened his mouth to say something, but Duo didn't give him a
chance. "I would look for him on L1. That's the most obvious place for him
to be, so he knows that you won't put as much effort into searching there. He's
probably hidden himself in plain sight. So search around there."
"You really think so?" Trowa asked. "It seems more likely that
he'd be on a different colony."
"Trust me." Duo said confidently. "He knows L1 the best, that's
where he'll be." He looked at his watch, and saw that it was
"Thanks," he said as he walked out, shutting the door behind him, but
Duo didn't hear him. He was already fast asleep on the couch, dreaming about
Hilde.
* * * * *
Heero was
frustrated. The Preventors were scouring L1, and he had almost been caught
twice already. He had been so sure that they wouldn't search this place
thoroughly. He had been counting on it actually, and now he needed to make an
escape. He had been forced to dye his hair and cut it. He now had short
platinum blonde hair, and he hated it. The only good thing about it, was that
no one recognized him now. He wondered idly if Relena would recognize him. She
had always been able to point him out in a crowd.
He shook his head, as if that would get rid of his thoughts. He was punishing
her. Selling her for money had only been part of the punishment, he'd wanted to
kill her, but the doctors had needed the money. Besides, selling her would make
her suffer more, but it still wasn't enough. To truly punish her he would tear
down the fragile peace that she had struggled so hard to create. He would
destroy her dream. He would let her owner have his fun with her, and when he
was done, Heero would take her back, and he would kill her.
He had never stopped to consider that maybe he was going too far. Never stopped
to consider that by striking out against her, he would be killing innocent
people. Am I wrong? He asked himself. Am I doing the wrong thing by bringing
others into this? He felt a wave of doubt wash over him. When he looked at it
that way, it seemed that he had been doing the wrong thing for a long time. Am
I wrong? He asked himself again.
//Never.// Heero relaxed at the sound
of Zero's voice. It didn't bother him anymore that he was talking to a machine
inside his head. Zero never lied to him, and could be trusted, unlike Relena.
He had trusted her completely and she had betrayed him. Zero wouldn't die until
he died. Would never leave him alone, like Duo had. Heero felt a tiny pang of
resentment for his dead friend. Couldn't he have tried harder to escape? He
didn't know what to think, he had been so alone... but now he had Zero, and he
would never be alone again.
//The people who got hurt deserved it.//
Heero nodded his head slightly. //They
supported Relena. They knew that she was wrong, but they supported her. They
cheered when Duo died.// Heero had to admit that Zero was right. They had
done all that, so they deserved whatever he did to them. But what about the
other pilots? Surely there was no reason for him to hurt them. He had probably
killed Wufei, and had threatened Trowa. They were all in the same situation
weren't they? So why had he gone out of his way to hurt them?
//They supported Relena.// Zero
hissed, and Heero could feel the hate emanating from the voice. //They protected her, and they are searching
for you right now, so they can bring you to justice.// Maybe they're
misguided. Heero reasoned. Trowa didn't seem to understand what I was saying
when I asked about Duo.
//He has hidden within organizations many
times.// Zero replied. //He fooled
them into thinking he was loyal. You of all people should know that he is a
good actor. He knew exactly what you were talking about because he was the one
who turned Duo over to Relena.//
Fine, Heero thought. I understand why we have to eliminate Trowa, but why
should we try to kill Wufei and Quatre? Well, I already killed Wufei, but what
about Quatre? He couldn't have done anything wrong could he? He's the pilot
with the most innocence. I can't picture him doing anything against any of us
pilots. //Quatre is the one who captured
Duo.//
What! Duo would be able to overpower Quatre easily. He was the weakest of the
pilots. How could this have happened? //You
don't need to be strong to slip a tranquilizer into someone's tea.// Zero
said dryly. //Even Quatre could manage
that.//
Have they all abandoned me? Am I all alone? Heero asked desperately. Is there
no one I can trust? He calmed down, as he felt Zero's presence grow, felt the
familiar golden light surround him. He felt safe whenever Zero did this. All
the problems of the world were far away whenever he was surrounded by the
light. //Remember that you're never
alone.// Zero said in comforting tone. //I
will never abandon you.//
The light receded, and Heero blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to his
surroundings. "What's my mission?" He asked aloud. //Assassinate Trowa Barton, and lead the
Preventors away from the doctors.// Where's the target? He thought, and
Zero answered immediately. //He's at the
mental institution on this colony.//
"What?" Heero asked in a surprise voice, and Zero repeated what he
had just said. "Is he insane?" //No,
but his sister is.// "How?"
//When you hit her in her trailer, you
did considerable damage to her brain. She now has the mental capacity of a six
year old.// Zero supplied and Heero snorted. Serves the bitch right. He ran
his fingers over the new scars he had acquired on his 'visit' to L3. They had
taken out the stitches yesterday, and they were still tender to the touch.
Why isn't she in the hospital at L3? He wondered. //She was transferred here yesterday because the facilities are better
here.// Zero informed him. Heero felt a strange pride for his colony, but
pushed it away quickly. It didn't matter that L1 had a better hospital than L3.
All that mattered was the mission, and this worked out to his advantage,
because now he wouldn't even have to leave the colony.
He grinned slightly as he walked out of the alley, before the sun set, Trowa
would be dead, and another part of Relena would be dead. He'd said that he
would kill her when they met four years ago, and now he would fulfill his
promise, but it wouldn't be quick, like a bullet to the head. No, that was too
good for her. He would kill Relena Dorlian a little bit at a time, and avenge
Duo's death.
* * * * *
Trowa sat in one
of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the hospital. It's almost like they want
to make your stay as unpleasant as possible. He thought bitterly. He had been
waiting for three hours to see his sister, and was beginning to get impatient.
He had told Zechs what he had learned from Duo, and now there were Preventors
everywhere on L1.
He glanced at his watch. It was
"Mr. Barton?" Trowa looked up at the young nurse who had spoken.
"Miss Bloom will see you now." Trowa stood up and followed her
through the winding hallways until they reached Catherine's room. Trowa stepped
inside, and stood a couple paces from the bed, not sure how to act.
It was a nice enough room, he supposed, but it seemed so empty, so lifeless.
There was no sign that his sister lived here and it bothered him. He was so
deep in thought that he didn't hear her speak to him, he didn't even notice she
was standing in front of him until she touched his arm.
"Mister?" She said in a childish voice. "What's your name
mister?" Trowa looked down at his sister with sad eyes. He missed her so
much. The way she always teased him, and tried to set him up with girls from
the audience. The way her eyes flashed when she was angry. He missed everything
about her because no matter how much she looked like his sister, the girl in
front of him was not Catherine.
"Trowa," He answered her. "My name is Trowa." She giggled
slightly, and pulled him over towards her bed. She sat down on it, and gestured
for him to do the same. He sat across from her, and smiled slightly at her
happy expression.
"Trowa," she repeated his name a couple of times. "It's a nice
name." She concluded happily. "I like it." Trowa pulled out two
small parcels from his coat. "Are those gifts?" She asked, and
squealed slightly when he nodded. "Are they for me?" She asked
hopefully, and he nodded again, handing them to her.
She opened the bigger one first, and gave a tiny delighted scream. "A
doll!" She exclaimed. "I've wanted one so badly!" She looked up
at him. "How did you know I wanted one?" Trowa explained that her
nurse had told him. "Really?" Catherine asked, and Trowa nodded
again. "She's so nice. She does my hair all pretty, and gives me candy
when I'm a good girl."
"Open your other present," Trowa urged her quietly. He was a little
nervous to see what she would do with it. He wasn't supposed to bring things
like that into the institution, but it had been a big part of her life, and he
had to know if she remembered it. "Be careful." He warned her as she
began to tear off the wrapping paper.
"A knife?" She stared at the gleaming dagger. "I'm not supposed
to have sharp things, I could get hurt." Despite what she had said, she
picked up the knife, tracing the patterns on the handle. "It's very pretty
though." With exaggerated care, she picked up the knife and placed it on
the dresser beside her bed. "What's wrong?" She asked innocently.
Trowa didn't know how to answer her. How could he tell her that had been her
favourite knife, and that she had stabbed one of his friends with it? How could
he possibly explain what she had been? How could he tell her that she wasn't
who she was supposed to be? She was supposed to be a willful, outgoing woman,
not an obedient, shy child. She was all wrong! But how could he tell her that?
"Don't be sad," Catherine crawled onto his lap. "I'll tell you a
story to make you feel better okay?" Trowa looked down at her, and brushed
a strand of hair back from her face.
"Okay," He whispered to her, and hugged her close. No matter what
happened to her, he couldn't stop loving her, and despite all his worries, he
knew that whether she acted like she was twenty-two or if she acted like she
was six, he would love her just the same.
"Once upon a time," Catherine began softly. "There was a little
mermaid, who had fallen in love with a human prince. She was terribly sad
because she could not be with him, and she went to a sea witch to get legs, so
she could be with her beloved. The sea witch agreed to help her, but there was
one condition. She would have legs, but every time she walked, it would feel
like she was walking on broken glass."
Trowa relaxed into the story, Catherine had told it to him once. To help him
fall asleep after he'd had a nightmare of the war. If he closed his eyes, he
could almost believe that they were in his trailer, and nothing was wrong with
her. "The little mermaid accepted the witch's condition, and she turned
into a human. She would weep at night because of the pain in her feet, but it
was all worth it because she got to dance with the prince. . ." She
trailed off, staring at the door, her eyes wide.
"What happened next?" Trowa asked in an attempt to get her to talk.
"The prince forgot her," a harsh voice came from the doorway, and
Trowa gently placed Catherine on the bed before standing up to face the
intruder. He turned to find a gun aimed at his forehead, and his eyes grew wide.
An assasin! Trowa studied the man in front of him. He didn't know who he was,
but they would've had to be good to get down the hall without making any noise.
Platinum blond hair cut short. . . Trowa frowned. This man seemed familiar, but
he didn't know where he had seen him before. He looked at the man's face, and
recognised the cold blue eyes that stared back at him.
"Heero!" He cried, and stepped in front of Catherine to protect her.
The assassin smirked, and walked further into the room, closing the door behind
him. He locked it, never fully turning his back to Trowa. His smirk grew as he
walked closer towards the siblings and Catherine whimpered in fear.
"Bad man," she whispered fervently. "He's a bad, bad man."
She buried her face in her hands. "Make him go away Trowa," she
pleaded. "He's scaring me."
Heero pretended to be hurt by her words. "I'm sorry for scaring you,
little one." He said mockingly. "Finish telling Trowa your story,
don't let me interrupt." Catherine was silent, so he continued in the same
mocking tone. "No?" He pretended to be shocked. "Let me finish
for you." He insisted, and Catherine backed away until her back hit the
wall. "The prince forgot her, and married a different woman. And she
became so sad that she threw herself into the sea, but since she wasn't a
mermaid any longer, she drowned."
His expression became serious. "I always liked that story because it had a
more realistic ending than any other fairytales. There's no 'happily ever
after'." His finger twitched on the trigger, and Trowa stiffened slightly.
Heero smirked at him. "No 'happily ever after'." He repeated, an
insane look in his eyes. "Just like real life."
Author's Note: Loved it? Hated it? Wish that I would die a slow and painful
death? Tell me!