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"Parallel"Written By: t-shirt Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are
copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties.
I make no money with this fic. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Mention of lemon, brief romantic interlude
with OOC Relena, light angst Pairings: 1x2, Rx1 (unrequited…mostly) Summary: When a young soldier is transported to
an alternate universe he discovers the answers to the painful confusion
in his heart. "Parallel" It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Everything was set. His path chosen long ago, a well laid plan he still strove to achieve in spite of the difficulties he’d faced. “Eagle One, you are go for phase one.” “Roger that,” he replied shoving the unwelcome thoughts from his mind. For so long he’d fought for the peace that had finally been achieved. They had all made the sacrifices necessary to bring about unity in mankind but still his heart refused to rest. He looked into the abyss knowing full well he was once again risking his life for the sake of humans and their future only now… “Hiiro.” His eyes slid slowly closed around the painful confusion in his heart. “Be careful,” Relena entreated leaving him feeling as hollow as the black hole that was slowly swallowing his ship. He knew he should reply and his mind searched for words of comfort but found only the smiling face of his partner and friend. His eyes clenched tightly against the visions when they melted one into the other bringing back memories of tender caresses and violet eyes clouded with lustful surrender. Duo would be there too, doing his duty to protect the gathering of the Earths’ leaders while they watched him in hopeful anticipation. He would make sure Relena was safe and secure in spite of the conflict within him. Hiiro knew beyond the shadow of a doubt Duo would give his life for the cause if that’s what it took but the pain inside him stemmed not from the loss of a possible future with her, but in the fact that Duo would do it for the soul purpose of ensuring Hiiro got a chance at that future. Hiiro’s jaw tightened in frustration when more memories of Duo’s gentle kisses filled his mind. It wasn’t supposed to have happened, he’d never solicited such devotion from his partner yet somehow they had come to an impasse and he’d fallen headlong into a passionate mire that quickly carried them away. “O1… correct your lateral drift.” Damn it! He had to hold it together. There was no room for error in his task but the sound of Duo’s voice hadn’t helped his disposition. “Hiiro,” came Relena’s concerned inquiry but he couldn’t find the words to comfort her. How could he attempt to sooth her worries now when he’d been unable to confess his transgression? But they weren’t really a couple. He’d made no promises of forever, declared no everlasting bond yet he knew the same as everyone that had ever seen the love light in Relena’s eyes eternity was what her heart longed for. Eternity didn’t exist. “Hiiro!” she cried when the darkness overtook him but his mind was centered around the only touchstone he’d ever known. “Duo.” “Hiiro?” “What’s going on out there?” “Hail him.” “He’s not responding.” “Eagle One, report!” Why was everyone so excited? “Standby,” he replied trying to figure out why he was coming out of the darkness instead of going in. Everything looked all right as his instruments confirmed his position, speed and trajectory only instead of being on an intercept course with the anomaly he was moving away from it. “What happened?” came Relena’s stern voice but the concern that was usually there was carefully hidden beneath a commanding tone. His brow knit at the sound of it because it certainly wasn’t like her to be so forward. “Unknown,” he confessed finding nothing in his logs that would explain the strange phenomena. “Return to base, Eagle One,” she ordered further confusing him. “Hiiro,” Duo softly intoned and again something wavered in his mind. “Are you all right?” he asked in a tone that was openly dripping with affection and made the little hairs on Hiiro’s neck stand on end. “Affirmative,” he replied feeling strangely alone for some reason. Everyone seemed to be acting so odd. It wasn’t anything he could pinpoint but there was something different in the tone of their voices and their pattern of speech. He kept the conversation to a minimum during his return flight hoping to fend off the growing uneasiness but the closer he got to the ship the more his concerns grew. He knew the moment the ships crew came into view that something was terribly wrong but couldn’t be certain if it was the people that were amiss or if he’d simply left a portion of his sanity behind. “Hiiro!” Duo breathed the moment the hatch opened and his bright smile and open arms caused the returning pilot to take a wary step back. “Hiiro?” Duo inquired looking hurt and confused while he looked him over. It was clear from the strange garb he wore that reality had shifted. Gone were the midnight clothes and calculating eyes of his long time partner. He stood before him dressed in deep purple and gold attire complete with a waist length cloak with a high caller framing his beautifully confused face in which were set eyes so wide open he could read every emotion dancing in their depths. “01, status.” The sound of Relena’s stern tone broke him from his reverie but the sight of her knocked him a full two feet backward. Her eyes hardened suspiciously when he stepped back as her hand partially drew the golden sword at her hip while she eased closer to Duo’s side. “Highness,” she softly intoned never taking her clear blue eyes from Hiiro’s stunned face. “Perhaps he has suffered some unforeseen psychosis.” “Nonsense,” Duo scoffed moving around her and closer to Hiiro. “You’re all right… aren’t you?” he smiled offering his hand. Hiiro considered it as well as the strange happenings so far and came to one possible conclusion. He was no longer in the universe he had been born in. A parallel dimension perhaps or maybe he had simply lost his mind. Whatever the circumstance he was there and he still had a mission to complete. It pained him to think of the Duo he knew being lost to him forever and his hand paused in its trek to accept the one being offered then he gazed into Duo’s eyes and understood. He wasn’t the Duo he knew but he was most certainly still Duo. “There,” Duo smiled in great relief when he finally held Hiiro’s hand in his own. “Right as rain.” “Are you sure you’re well?” Relena asked skeptically watching him very closely while her hand rested on her sword. “Of course he is,” Duo smiled drawing him closer. For a moment he froze when he realized he was being pulled past an acceptably sociable distance but the sudden concern in Duo’s eyes made him rethink pulling away. Relena was watching intently as if awaiting a verdict and didn’t relax until Duo had pressed a small kiss to his lips. “Come on,” Duo smiled tugging him along. “Everyone’s waiting to hear your report.” It was as if the world had been turned on its end. Everything was so completely different but it was all the same. There was Duo but he was no longer the war orphan/Gundam pilot Hiiro had come to know. Then there was Relena. She walked a half step behind them where her stride was strong and sure and her sharp eyes took in every aspect of their surroundings. It was the strangest thing he’d ever seen to behold the pacifist leader of his world clothed in light armor and bearing a sword at her side. The sword set his mind to turning. The beings in this reality were obviously possessed of a higher technology. The ship he’d landed in was an exact replica of the one he had launched. His pistol still lay hidden in its holster along his waistband and the guards, though they were dressed quite differently in half capes and tall boots, carried riffles and side arms so why was Relena armed with such an archaic weapon? “Something’s wrong,” Relena quietly intoned at Duo’s ear while she scrutinized the way Hiiro walked by his side. “Give him a chance to explain,” Duo insisted stepping a little closer to Hiiro’s side but the way he instinctively eased away made his brow wrinkle in concern. He was led to the debriefing room which was in the same location as in his dimension but the people gathered there had shifted disturbingly. Une, who was his current commander and a cold, calculating force in his mind was dressed in a transparent rose veil that draped her shapely shoulders and accented the low neck dress beneath. He had expected to give his report to her but under the circumstances it seemed more likely that he would be required to address the tall man she was currently hiding behind. Treize didn’t look all that different in the fine cut livery he wore but the fact that he was a welcome member of the assembly whereas in his world he was an outcast and renegade set him ill at ease. “What’s wrong?” Duo asked laying a comforting hand on his shoulder while he glared at the room at large but he couldn’t help jerking away. The action caused a tension in the assembly and a dark confusion in Duo’s eyes that begged an explanation so he squared his shoulders and prepared his report in his mind while Duo coaxed, “Tell us what you saw.” “I believe the anomaly is a doorway to another universe,” he explained garnering the expected amazement. “That’s an outlandish assumption,” Relena snipped suspiciously but Treize cut her off with… “What evidence is there to support your claim?” Hiiro’s jaw clenched with the need to withhold information from a man he was more accustomed to trying to arrest but these people obviously trusted him so he confessed, “Because, none of you are how you should be in my mind.” “What do you mean?” Duo asked clearly thunderstruck while he clutched a hand to his chest and backed away. Hiiro was mildly alarmed by the ashen quality of his skin but felt the need to be honest about the situation. “In my world,” he began regretting the need to explain more by the moment as Duo’s breath stilled, “You are a soldier.” Duo shuddered and tucked into Une’s waiting arms which was so out of character for him Hiiro was inspired to pause before he went on. “Une is my Commander in Chief.” Her eyes went wide and shifted anxiously to Treize who looked down his regal nose at her in a way that was apparently meant to comfort. “And you,” Hiiro persisted addressing Treize. “Are number one on the Alliance most wanted list.” “Trieze!?” Une gasped. “That’s a lie!” Relena growled as her sword sang free but before she could land a blow Hiiro’s pistol was less than in inch from her brow. “Stop!” Duo cried in barely controlled anguish as he barreled forward and forced himself between them. “This is ridiculous. Hiiro, please,” he entreated demanding his undivided attention while he held his shoulders and looked imploringly into his angry eyes. “Come, on. You know me,” he sniffed growing more upset when Hiiro simply glared at him. “You know me,” he insisted taking his face in his hands while he tried to kiss him but Hiiro pulled away and pushed him back. The pain of it was evident in his eyes and he wished he could go back and make it all right somehow but the truth was, “You’re not the person I know.” Duo’s expression was such that Hiiro couldn’t bear to look at him and turned away while Relena surmised, “He’s lost his mind.” “Or he’s telling the truth,” Treize countered. “Really?” Relena scoffed sheathing her weapon and leaning cockily on one leg. “Then, prey tell me,” she sneered at Hiiro. “Who am I in this alternate universe of yours?” Hiiro made a point not to look directly at Duo who was still staring at him as if he were a ghost when he revealed, “The sovereign of my people, Princess Relena Peacecraft.” “What!?” she exclaimed amusedly then informed him. “You’ve seriously got your wires crossed.” “So it would seem,” Hiiro sighed daring a glance at Duo but he was so distraught all he managed was to slowly sink into a chair. “It’ll be all right,” Une soothed. “We’ll get him back.” Duo’s gaze shifted imploringly to Treize and though there was concern in his eyes his first order of business was, “We will need a full report on the mission from your point of view.” “What about Hiiro?” Duo asked so desperately Hiiro took a mental step back. His behavior was so bazaar he was beginning to feel as if he’d fallen down a rabbit hole. “We must analyze what happened,” Treize explained. “But you’ll bring him back!” Duo breathed excitedly while Une took him by the shoulders to calm him. “He’ll be fine,” Relena snipped stepping closer to Hiiro where they glared at each other and she smiled, “He’s resourceful and cunning.” “We have to figure out how before we can retrieve him,” Une reasoned supportively. “Send him back,” Duo suggested hopefully. “That wouldn’t necessarily bring your mate back,” Treize reasoned and Hiiro’s ears flared red while he gasped audibly and backed away which caused such pain and confusion in Duo’s eyes he couldn’t quite get a grip. “They passed through at the same time which indicates it would only be possible if it happened in the exact same way. We have no way of knowing what’s happening on the other side.” “We could loose them both,” Relena stated. “Don’t fret,” Une smiled kindly throwing Hiiro even more off balance. “That scalawag of yours has never let you down before. I’m sure he won’t start now.” “What can we do?” Duo asked despondently. “We’ll start by picking this ones brain,” Relena stated standing proudly before their unlikely guest. “Guards!” “You don’t mean to imprison him!?” Duo gasped when two guards answered the call and flanked Hiiro. “He is not the Hiiro we know,” Relena reminded him. “But he’s still Hiiro!” Duo snapped. “He is not your lover!” Relena stated firmly shoring up the ashen quality of Duo’s skin while Hiiro’s brow creased indignantly. He understood the need for honesty but didn’t feel she had to be so brutal about it. “You have nothing to fear from me,” he assured them. “It is my first priority to return to my own world. You have my full cooperation.” “I’ll not have him caged,” Duo stated firmly while he looked determinedly into Hiiro’s eyes. “Very well,” Treize agreed and Relena huffed her indignation. “But he should be accompanied at all times,” he amended giving the guards their silent orders with a glance. “Follow me,” Relena ordered turning on her booted heal but Hiiro paused beside Duo on the way out and offered a quite… “I’m sorry,” that made his eyes widen momentarily then he calmed and nodded sadly as they left. He was taken to an interrogation room he often used to question suspects in his own universe and spent the next seventeen hours detailing the events that had brought him there. It was clear these people utilized much of he same technology he was familiar with but they had found some very alternative ways of applying it. Hiiro worked out while he outlined the events of his mission that the odd crystals that seemed so popular in the jewelry everyone was wearing weren’t there for their aesthetic value alone. They somehow made it possible for them to communicate when they touched them just right. The sword that hung from Relena’s side was no ordinary blade either. There were ruins on the sheath that reminded Hiiro of the pathways of a circuit board though he couldn’t deduce what they meant and she grew angrier every time she saw him studying the weapon. “We already know all this!” she snapped having grown tired and frustrated with Hiiro’s lack of information about the details of his world’s technology. “How did you open the gate?!” she demanded resting her hand on the hilt of her sword. “We didn’t,” Hiiro repeated the same answer he’d given all night. “It just appeared in the blackness of space?!” she asked sardonically. “That is what happened here,” Une gently reminded her causing her to sulk mightily. “I believe we’ve collected as much information as we need for the moment,” Treize interjected. “But he hasn’t told us anything we didn’t already know!” Relena objected hotly. “Which confirms that the events in his world closely paralleled what transpired here,” Treize reasoned. “We will adjourn to rest and analyze what information we have.” “Fine,” she snipped growling, “Let’s go,” as she reached for Hiiro’s arm but he was no longer there. Her eyes narrowed hatefully and he was momentarily taken aback by the depth of her disdain being more accustomed to the simpering adoration of her alternate ego and just barely evaded getting his head taken off by her glowering blade. “Stand down!” Treize barked as she swung again but Hiiro twisted and came up with the sword in hand while he pushed her face first into the wall and held the blade to the back of her neck. “Release her,” Treize demanded firmly but cautiously and Hiiro slowly backed off until she could turn to face him. “Relena,” Une breathed clearly shocked by her behavior and she took a moment to flash a remorseful glance around the room before snatching her weapon out of Hiiro’s hand and storming out. “I’m sorry,” Une offered to Hiiro but he was still staring at where Relena had gone. “We can offer you comfortable accommodations,” Treize interjected noting the arrival of two guards, one of which Hiiro stared at for a moment. “But your movements will be restricted for the moment.” “I understand,” Hiiro nodded glancing again at the tall guard who was offering him the way out the door. He was led to C-Deck which was apparently being used as guest quarters for visitors to the mother ship instead of the recreation area he was accustomed to and shown a small cabin but before he could enter he caught sight of a flash of purple out of the corner of his eye. When he paused to look he saw Duo peeking shyly around a corner and felt a slow pain pierce his chest. He was peering so uncertainly from the safety of his shelter with eyes that openly longed for something his soul had recently drowned in but there was nothing of the fire that had sparked in his eyes on that fateful night. He was timid and shy, so unsure and vulnerable it made his stomach hurt to look upon him because as much as he looked the part there was nothing of his friend and partner standing in that hall. “Move along,” the tall guy he had recognized insisted but he didn’t see any point in revealing that he knew his name. He wasn’t the same person he knew in his world but he still couldn’t help but wonder what his role in all this was.
~ * ~ tbc... |
