Succession - Prologue

[miaka mouse]

AN: ahaha look at me! i'm alive! and writing! i suppose i must apologize for going MIA with the drabble challenges... but looks like you guys are over that ^^; what's been goin on around here anyway? i have been so out of it...

aight so this is a fic i started a while back... the prequel to the 'Ordinary' fic arc i posted like last year... see: www.fanfiction.net/~miakamouse this fic is dedicated to Raine and GG first of all, for being excited enough about this fic to make me excited about it (and threatening me every now and then ^_~) and this prologue is specifically to dedicated to Jen and CT (with mentions to SmartyCat and Rose) who read over these little snippets and gave me pointers and were jus awesomely supportive of my neuroses... this is the first time i have ever written original characters, so i hope you like them! ok i'm done now...enjoy the fic!


Succession

Prologue

?There is an old song lyric that says, ?every new beginning comes from some other beginning?s end.? So, I?d like to celebrate this day not as the anniversary of the end of the war, but as the anniversary of the beginning of peace. It is important for us to realize that every morning is the start of a new day, and every new day is a new beginning. And in that spirit, I would like to announce that as of my 18th birthday I will be assuming the post of Foreign Minister. Even though I will only be moving to the office next door to my old one, I look forward to starting anew, with a fresh look at what I can do for the Earth Sphere. I encourage all of you to do the same.

I know it has been hard for all of us to grow accustomed to this world without war, for although it is a better world to live in, it is different. And change, when it comes, cracks everything open. We have lost our jobs, our homes and our loved ones. But we must remember that the people we lost live in us, and we take our homes with us no matter where we go, and every person has the ability to contribute to society no matter what occupation they are in. Find your talent, and use it in every which way possible. Spend it lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke. And when you are standing on your own two feet, reach out your arms to the people around you. Thomas Paine said, ?The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.?

Believe that.

And remember that although the past cannot be changed, the future is yet in our power. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives.?

He watched as she paused before stepping down from the podium, scanning the crowd and seeming to land her gaze directly at him. He knew she couldn?t see his face, but it still unnerved him. Especially since her speech felt like it was directed solely at him, like she was scolding him to get on with his life already and stop following her around. He felt frozen in place, unable to decide which direction to move in, or whether he should go at all.

And then the rain came and washed him away.

~~~~~~~~~~

The dandelions trembled in the breeze, leaning toward the protective figure of the little girl crouched on the grass beside them. Her little arms shielded them defensively as the other children crowded around her.

?You can?t pick the flowers! They?ll die,? she argued, colored defiance rising in her rounded cheeks.

?They?re not flowers, dummy. They?re weeds. Nobody cares if they die.? The leader of the group replied snidely.

?I?d care. They?re pretty,? she caressed the little yellow flowers.

?You?re retarded. Weeds can?t be pretty.? The other children laughed and nodded their heads in agreement.

?Hey guys,? a third voice joined them, ?whatcha doin??? The leader turned to face the new speaker, and gave him a quick a perusal with his cool eyes. The new boy had sandy blonde hair and was dressed in what looked like a private school uniform without the jacket. His khaki shorts reached his knees and a black tie was tied loosely around the collar of his button down half-sleeve shirt.

?We?re trying to play soccer, but this stupid girl won?t let us put our goal here ?cuz of some dumb flowers.? He cocked his head disdainfully toward the girl in question. The towheaded boy peered over the other boy?s shoulder and took in the sight of the chubby, freckled little girl. Her wild curls made her look like an overgrown weed herself as she bent over the lone bunch of dandelions.

?Some people like plants a lot,? he shrugged. ?You guys don?t have enough people to play soccer anyway. You wanna play with my Whizzerbee?? He pulled out the toy he?d been holding behind his back.

?Whassat??

?My dad got it for me. It?s really cool. Watch!? He threw it in the air as one would a Frisbee and the children watched it light up and buzz as it spun away. They all ran to follow it, leaving the blonde boy behind with the girl and her flowers. He watched them go for a moment before kneeling down next to her.

?I?m Plato.?

?I?m Lilith,? she peered up at him with hazel eyes as inquisitive as a cat?s.

?They?re right you know. Those are weeds.?

?They?re dandy-lions,? she replied defensively, pronouncing the word as if it should be two. ?And I know they?re weeds, but even weeds are alive and you shouldn?t step on ?em or pick ?em.? Her voice picked up conviction as she continued but Plato just cocked his head thoughtfully.

?Okay.? Then, looking her square in the eye, he said, ?I?ll be right back.? She watched him run in the direction the other children had gone with a tinge of betrayal in her iridescent eyes. He didn?t seem to care either.

She turned her attention back to the flowers, whispering to them softly and stroking their yellow petals. She was so absorbed in her one-way conversation that she didn?t realize someone was walking toward her until he spoke.

?Do they talk back?? Her head whipped up so fast that her mop of curls bounced. Plato had come back, holding an open thermos in his hand. He offered it to her. ?I brought some water from the pond back there,? he nodded behind him. When she didn?t take it, he resumed his position next to her and poured some water next to the weeds. She watched him in disbelief, the yellow of the dandelions reflected in the flecks of her hazel eyes.

?What about your Whizzerbee??

?It?s just a toy.?

It seemed he did care after all.

~~~~~~~~~~

Someone was at the door.

This shouldn?t have come as any great surprise as Duo Maxwell?s abode was often called upon by his many friends and acquaintances. But it was a rain day on L2, and since most rain days were planned days in advance on the space colonies, most people opted to stay indoors and wait for the scheduled end of the precipitation to conduct any social calls.

And so, with some bewilderment, Duo opened the front door to his house, only to have his bewilderment progress into straight out shock at the sight before him. For standing in his doorway, soaked to the bone, was none other than Heero Yuy, the Earth Sphere?s most elusive man himself.

Recovering quickly after noticing his friend?s haggard state, he invited the Perfect Soldier in eagerly, calling for Hilde to bring some towels while leading his friend to the kitchen where he proceeded to offer him something warm to drink, chattering all the while about everything and nothing at all. His silent companion seemed oddly complacent, staring at the tabletop without actually looking at it, looking as unaware of his surroundings as he was of the words coming out of Duo?s mouth.

?So then I thought, maybe Hilde should move in with me since I live closer to the college anyway, and we?re just friends so it?s no big deal. I mean she?d kill me if I tried anything, y?know??

Suddenly, Heero looked up, as if he?d been watching the scene on mute and someone had turned on the volume. Duo paused as his friend?s eyes bore into him, not with his signature glare, but with?interest? Today seemed to be a day for many surprises, for not only did Heero make non-threatening eye contact, he actually attempted to enter into pleasant conversation. For as Duo set the steaming cup of tea in front of his companion, Heero spoke his first words since entering the house.

?Did you say you?re going to college?? Of course, Duo would have preferred a greeting or an inquiry after his health or even a comment on the weather, but this was Heero Yuy after all, and beggars can?t be choosers.

?Uh, yeah,? he replied, after quickly masking his dumbfounded expression. ?I finally got my high school equivalency this past year, and Hilde was talking about how she wanted to go to Engineering School and I thought, ?hey that sounds kinda cool?, right??

?Hn.? Duo couldn?t help but grin at his grunt of a reply. Same old Heero; nothing to be surprised about after all.

~~~~~~~~~~

As Relena boarded the shuttle back to Earth she couldn?t help but wonder if Heero were lurking about somewhere. Past experience told her how skilled he was in blending into the scenery and going almost unnoticed. But she didn?t feel his eyes on her, and she knew he must be elsewhere. She knew that he?d heard her speech at the L2 capital and was glad. She wanted him to know he could start over, that his relief at not having to kill anymore was not in vain. It was her turn to protect him now, her turn to fight for peace.

The little part of her that was still a teenage girl wondered if he would come back to her when he realized that loving her was something he could do. The rest of her rationalized that even if he did want to start over, it didn?t necessarily mean with her. She was, after all, a part of his past, a reminder of a life he probably wanted to leave behind. She couldn?t chase him anymore, either. Her battle was being fought with intangible weapons on an all-encompassing battlefield; it could not be forfeited.

And that little part of her hoped again that maybe he would chase her across the Earth this time, that he would brave the invisible battlefields to be with her.

[lilac310]

oh my!!!...this absolutely caught my attention!!!..I'm all ears now Miaka!!!...so, when's the next chapter gonna be posted?...I can't wait to find out more!!...Keep it coming!

[AnShino]

ooh, this was interesting. please do keep it coming

[Eienvine]

This sounds really interesting! And it's really well written.

And then the rain came and washed him away.

I loved that line! Looking forward to the first chapter!