I Promise by Comet~Princess

Disclaimer: I´m really not in the mood for this. Don´t own Gundam Wing or Sailormoon, and have nothing you´d want to sue for anyway.

AN: Thanks to B-chan who pre-read this. Happy belated birthday, SilverRay-chan. Gomen nasai that I´m really late for it.

Warnings: Angst, OOC-ness, and shorter than my usual stuff. Yes, this story is supposed to end the way it does due to the event it is written for.

Dedication: To all those who have been affected by the tragedy in the United States. This is in memory of those who lost their lives in this incident. May the deities bless you. I know I´m late, but better late than never, right?

The morning sun peeked through the curtains on her bedroom window as her alarm clock went off. She rolled over a few times before acknowledging it and turning the loud ringing off. Lazily stretching and somehow untangling herself from her sheets, the young woman rolled out of bed to draw back the curtains, letting her eyes wander outside. The streets were busy as always, even at this time of the day. From her apartment, she could see the heads of the people walking below, hurrying to work. The horizon gleamed brightly; the sun itself seemed to be saying good morning to her. The sky was a beautiful hue of blue, without a single cloud. To say the least, it was a beautiful morning. But she had an impending sense of foreboding. An eerie sensation pricked at her from the back of her neck, sending chills down her spine. It wouldn´t be a normal day today. Something was going to happen.

Minutes later, she was dragging her suitcase out of the elevator and into the lobby of the apartment complex. Her best friend had called her yesterday, late at night. They had been friends since childhood, and were even closer now that they were adults. They had gone through high school together, had crushes, first kisses, first loves, and all those teenager problems to talk about and share. Last night, the best friend called to tell her that her mother had been sick lately. She was very worried and needed some emotional support. Hence, this early morning flight had been booked at the last minute.

The woman spotted her ride as it pulled up near the curb. The black car was her fiancé´s. She had met him when she was working at the hospital as a nurse. A patient had been wheeled in one day, badly injured. He had no known family anywhere. Only a few friends dropped by sometimes. As every person who had ever met her knew, this woman had a great heart, able to touch anyone, even if it´s in a tiny way. She was the one who volunteered to take care of this patient. He was in a coma for a long time. In fact, she had been shocked to see him awake when he finally came out of it. At first, he was very aloof, as though afraid to hurt her, as though he carried with him a death sentence, one that he would forever protect her from. But bit by bit, he came to trust the young nurse that cared for him. She could still remember the first time her eyes had met his in the hospital. Every moment they shared could easily be replayed in her mind, like a movie, down to the time he had proposed to her just last week.

The woman put her suitcase into the backseat and hopped into the passenger seat. She gave her fiancé a brief kiss and a brilliant smile.

"Thank you for driving me to the airport on such short notice," she stated as he shifted the gear and accelerated.

He gave her a small smile, keeping his eyes on the road. "It´s on my way to work," he replied.

"No it´s not," she retorted, laughing when he half scowled at her for having found his lie. "I know you don´t say it often, but you love me."

He remained silent, but she didn´t care. They didn´t always need words to express how they felt. It was as though they were linked. A lot of the time, they could feel the other, and it was more comforting than any words. Although she pressed him to talk just so she didn´t seem crazy on the streets, talking to herself, she accepted him for everything he was, or wasn´t.

"You didn´t say where you were going," he said suddenly.

"To my best friend," she replied. "She moved away after college, and I´ve only seen her once since."

"It´s a little abrupt to make a decision to leave in the middle of the night," he murmured. It was obvious he knew there was more.

"Her mother´s sick," she answered. "I´m her emotional support until everything´s better."

At this, he smiled thoughtfully to himself. If there was something the incredible woman sitting beside him was good at, it was precisely what she had just said. He had never told her how he came out of his coma. He vowed to do so one day.

~*~*~*~*~

The airport was crowded, even this early in the day. The man accompanied his fiancé as she checked her suitcase in. Briefly, he wondered to himself how women always seemed to pack everything in their house when they needed to go somewhere. He could remember his teenage years. Whenever he moved, which was a lot of times, he just grabbed three things and left. Then again, he guessed he didn´t exactly have what one would call a normal teenager´s life.

"Why do you need so much stuff?" he couldn´t help but wonder aloud.

She scrunched up her face adorably and cocked her head to one side. "I don´t really know," she responded. "I just got out the suitcase and started packing last night, and the next thing I knew, it was bulging with everything!"

He chuckled lowly in amusement. "Come on, you´ll miss your flight if we stand here," he commented.

She sighed. "I´m not used to waking up so early. I didn´t even have breakfast, and now I´m hungry!" As if on cue, her stomach let out a growl, making her blush.

Without a word, the man led her to a stand off to the side and bought her a bagel and a small carton of milk.

"Thanks!" she said, taking the food from him.

He smiled and led her through the crowds to where she was supposed to board the flight. The woman couldn´t help but be amazed at the ease with which he found his way around. It was as though he had a map in head!

Moments later, they were standing in front of the boarding gate. She was about to walk on to the plane when he refused to let go of her hand. "What´s wrong?" she asked softly, turning to face him.

"I don´t know," he admitted.

She smiled reassuringly. "Then let me go on," she prompted. "Like you said, if I stand around here, I´ll miss the flight."

When he still refused to let go of her hand, she tugged at their entwined hands gently with her free one. "I´ll call you when I get there," she assured him. "And I´ll be back in a couple of days. I know you´ll miss me, but my best friend needs me."

That word, need, that was the one that snapped him out of his stupor. He had needed her before. And even though he still needed her now, he knew he couldn´t be so selfish as to keep her from the person, other than her immediate family and himself, that she loved the most, especially in that person´s moment of need.

Reluctantly, he let go. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him softly on the lips. He responded gently, savoring the sweet taste she seemed to carry with her everywhere she went. Once they parted, he watched as she gave him a radiant smile and boarded her flight. He watched as it took off. And he watched until the plane was out of his sight. Because he couldn´t shake the feeling that this was the last time he would lay eyes on her.

~*~*~*~*~

The young woman tried to get some sleep on the plane. The flight attendants had come around about two hours ago, handing out breakfast. She had eaten a fair share and was sitting comfortably, but rest still eluded her. She sighed and sat up. A strange impulse hit her to look out the window, and her blood ran cold.

The flight was supposed to be longer than this. She could already see skyscrapers and other tall buildings. But she didn´t recognize any of the scenery. True, she´s only visited this city once. Maybe it´s changed? Her spark of hope died when the passengers around her started panicking. Because of the short notice, she had ended up with a seat in the business class. More than one of those worrying passengers around her were businessmen. Instinct told her that these men would certainly know the skyline of the city she was supposed to be going to.

She sat in her seat, frozen for what seemed like eternity, not knowing what to do, what to say. All of a sudden, she heard the man next to her say, "I love you," into his cell phone.

It was then that she noticed numerous calls being made. She remembered the way he had silently held her back, as though his sub-consciousness had known that something was wrong. She grabbed her purse from the floor and pulled out the cell phone. It had been a gift from some of her friends. She had never had to use it, nor ever thought she would need it. She could always be reached at the hospital, at home, or she was with him. And he had a cell phone.

Right now, there was only one person´s voice she wanted to hear. Taking a deep breath, she dialed the familiar number.

~*~*~*~*~

The man sat restlessly at his desk, not being able to concentrate on his work. He couldn´t shake the feeling that something bad would happen. As though it was a sixth sense, he hadn´t wanted to let her onto that plane this morning, but why, he didn´t know. Rubbing his temples, he turned back to the computer, trying to read what was actually on the screen.

Five minutes have barely passed before he realized that he had been reading the same line over and over again. This was so unlike him. He usually had no such problems. But today. . .

His train of thoughts was broken when he heard the ringing of his cell phone. That´s funny. Who would call his cell phone at this time of the day? All his coworkers and friends worked in the same building.

"Hello?" he greeted.

"Heero?" a heartbreakingly familiar female voice asked.

He froze completely and utterly in his chair. It was much too early for her flight to have reached its destination. "Yes. What is it, Usagi?" he was almost afraid to know the answer.

"I. . .I think the plane was hijacked," she started. Before he could say a word, she continued, "I don´t know what´s going to happen, but I love you. If. . .if I don´t see you again, don´t dwell on things you can´t change, okay? I want you to move on. This is not your fault. I know you´re blaming yourself, but it´s not your fault! You hear me? I. . .I love you, forever. We´ll meet again."

He couldn´t say anything. He didn´t know what to say. How could he not blame himself? His instincts, perfected by his years of training, had told him something was going to happen, didn´t it? But he didn´t listen. He should have. If he hadn´t let her go, the only person who he´s ever felt something, anything for, would be here, safe. If he didn´t let her go, she would be with him right now, instead of by herself. She would poke him and tell him he worked too hard. She would try to make him smile or talk, making the joke that she looked dumb enough without having other people think she was talking to herself.

Her voice snapped him out of his guilt trip. She was talking again. Her voice was low, like a whisper, full of hope and longing. It was the same tone she used when she had talked to him while he was in his coma. It was the voice that brought him back from that somewhere between life and death after his second successful self-destruction during a mission. And he had never told her that she was the one who did that.

"I´ll find you. I promise."

End of Story.

In memory of all those who died in the event at New York City´s World Trade Center and Washington D.C.´s Pentagon. Your hopes, voices, and smiles will forever remain with us. May the deities bless every person who have been affected by this event. 3