SHIN KIDOU SENKI GUNDAM WING

SAINAN NO KEKKA
Rain: Heero

It was raining.

On anywhere else on L1, the environmental control would make sure that the rain wasn't too heavy, that it wasn't too cold, and that the system wouldn't go haywire and decide to produce life-threatening thunder and lightning. But in the Breaks, the enviro control had decided to stop working one day fifteen years ago, and no sane government employee would dare venture into the part of the city where the controls were housed, to fix it.

So when it rained, it poured.

"This sucks," Darkflight said by the door. Water dripped from the roof, a slow leak that they had never bothered to deal with, and Wing had placed a bucket under it when the rain had started. The bucket was almost half full, and the rain didn't look like it was about to stop anytime soon.

"You're telling me," Wing returned, not looking up from where he was sprawled out on one of the ratty mattresses, staring up at the cracked ceiling. "No job tonight."

"No Atsuki tonight. I know what you're thinking."

Wing snorted.

Darkflight looked out the window, made a disgruntled noise, then plopped down on the other mattress. "How come you get all the girls? I can't ever seem to find a good one."

"You're not looking hard enough," Wing returned. There was a crack on the ceiling that looked like a giant spider, and if he squinted long enough he could see it moving its legs, waving tentacles ever so slowly.

"Seriously."

Something in Darkflight's voice caught his attention and he frowned at the other boy. "Why do you care? It's not like it stops you from getting around."

Darkflight shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes I get tired of getting around. You know?"

Wing didn't answer.

"She ask about you?"

He didn't have to ask what the other meant. "She asked. Kind of. I told her. Kind of."

"I thought so." A slight hint of jealousy in Darkflight's voice. "See. You told her, but you couldn't tell me."

"I can't tell you what I don't remember."

"You gotta remember something. You take off running when you see an article like that in the paper, and you say you don't remember?"

"It was a trigger mechanism, all right." His voice was flat. He didn't want to argue. "Forget it."

"I'm not going to forget it. We all have things we're ashamed of, but we've worked together for a year and a half now, and I think I'm entitled to a little bit if information about you."

"I said forget it!"

"What's with you? You afraid to tell me?"

Before he could stop himself he was moving like a spring, up from the bed, fist outstretched, catching the boy in the face, and there was a crack as something broke and he rolled to the side.

"Damn it."

Wing looked up at the blood spouting from Darkflight's nose. "You deserved it," he muttered.

"You bastard," his partner said, but he merely looked annoyed, wiping the blood from his nose. "I think you broke it. Hand me the towel over there, would you?"

The bloodstained towel passed from light hand to dark, and Darkflight lay down on the bed again. "Damn. Now it's going to heal crooked. Girls don't go for men with crooked noses, you know."

"Whatever. It was crooked before."

A pause. "Well, yeah. It was."

"I don't remember," Wing said. "I'm sorry. I'd tell you if I could. I swear. But it…"

Ninmu ryoukai.

He shook his head, trying to rid it of the memory that had suddenly appeared in his mind, of explosions and screaming…and a…a little girl…

His hand was shaking.

"Wing?"

"I'm all right…" he said shakily. "Just sometimes, I…"

Darkflight's eyes were concern. "You take care of youself, ok? I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll try," he muttered. "Doesn't seem to be working."

Darkflight sighed.

"So…tell me about yourself," Wing said.

"Huh?"

"You asked about me. I've told you what I know, so it's your turn."

"No way," Darkflight said, turning and facing the wall. The blood seemed to have stopped, and he dropped the towel on the ground, rummaged in the ancient first-aid kit they kept in a corner. There was a roll of sports injury tape, and Wing watched impassively as the other boy tore off a strip and stuck it on his nose. It was better than nothing, he supposed.

"What do you mean, no way?"

"You haven't told me shit."

"I don't remember shit," he returned evenly. "Fair trade."

Darkflight shrugged. "Well, if you put it that way, I don't remember shit either."

"Liar."

"It's true." The soft voice indicated that it was true. "I…I was born on the colony, I know that. But all my memories are of growing up alone…or in the care of somebody I didn't know, but not for more than a few weeks. I was always running…I didn't know where, but the young me knew I had to run. I don't remember my parents….family…if I ever had any."

Wing said nothing.

"Something happened, I think. Something terrible…"

"I'm sorry," Wing offered. He didn't know what to say. He felt…cold, and for a moment it was as if he was Darkflight and the words were coming from his mouth, and he was looking down a long lightless tunnel that stretched on into infinity, without end.

Darkflight laughed harshly. "Don't be sorry. You can't be sorry for something I don't remember."

There was silence for a while, and outside the lightning crashed and the rain dripped drop by drop into the pail by the door.

"We've got a job," Darkflight said at last.

"Oh? What is it?"

"I don't exactly know."

Wing looked dubious. "How's that a job, then? Did you go scouting?"

Darkflight shook his head. "Not really. One of our contacts mentioned it to me while giving us that job for the Castillian three nights ago. He said we might have something big coming up. As in big."

"You mean…big as in legitimate big?"

This time, the laugh was a real one, cut off in a gasp of pain as Darkflight clutched his nose. "No. Not legitimate, not to my knowledge. But close enough." He shrugged. "All I know is what Harumo told me. Don't get your hopes up."

"If you say so," Wing muttered. "I'm going to bed."

Darkflight sat back against the wall, tearing off more tape, as he blew out the candle stub and settled onto the mattress. The rain still dripped from the ceiling, and there were flickers of lightning from outside the broken glass window.

Something happened, I think. Something terrible…

We've got a job.

Ninmu ryoukai.

Life comes cheaply, especially mine.

A little girl, and her puppy.

He shifted, turning over in his sleep, watching through slitted eyes as Darkflight lay down and the room was quiet.

Gundam pilots revealed!

I kept it for you. I saved it, just like you wanted.

It was still raining when he closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.