“It’s decided, then,” Wufei announced. “We’ll send... five platoons, then. Sergeant Kline, Sergeant Damen, Major Lars, Sergeant Rafe --” He scratched each name out on a fresh leaf.
“Not Rafe,” Heero interrupted, blue eyes intense. “Sergeant Ven.”
“Ven?” Wufei questioned, pausing in his work to glance up at his friend. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? His command is mostly made up of raw recruits.”
“As you said, this force is mostly for show,” Heero said quickly. “I would rather keep Rafe’s more experienced units with me, if they attack farther north. Ven will go.”
Wufei heard the note of decisive finality in Heero’s voice, and his agile mind searched for any ulterior motive behind the unexpected change in plans. It wasn’t likely that Heero had some hidden dislike for the sergeant; they hardly interacted at all. Perhaps he was developing some friendships among Rafe’s men, instead. It was never something Wufei would have suspected of Heero, but the younger man had been pulling some unexpected deeds lately. If he was paying closer attention to the men under his command, that could only be for the best. “All right.” Wufei scratched out the last name in the list, and wrote the new name over it.
That night, the next night, the night after -- things were as empty at night as they had been, but now Heero clung to hope. It had taken hours of feverish, sleepless thought, but finally Heero had come to a logical conclusion. Hilde was his problem. Hilde. Whether or not she had done something to Duo that changed him wasn’t what mattered. But before Hilde came, Heero had been happy. All he had to do was send her away, and he could be happy again. He and Duo would be happy again together...
Re: Spoil of War, prologue
Date: 2006-02-28 01:23 am (UTC)“It’s decided, then,” Wufei announced. “We’ll send... five platoons, then. Sergeant Kline, Sergeant Damen, Major Lars, Sergeant Rafe --” He scratched each name out on a fresh leaf.
“Not Rafe,” Heero interrupted, blue eyes intense. “Sergeant Ven.”
“Ven?” Wufei questioned, pausing in his work to glance up at his friend. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? His command is mostly made up of raw recruits.”
“As you said, this force is mostly for show,” Heero said quickly. “I would rather keep Rafe’s more experienced units with me, if they attack farther north. Ven will go.”
Wufei heard the note of decisive finality in Heero’s voice, and his agile mind searched for any ulterior motive behind the unexpected change in plans. It wasn’t likely that Heero had some hidden dislike for the sergeant; they hardly interacted at all. Perhaps he was developing some friendships among Rafe’s men, instead. It was never something Wufei would have suspected of Heero, but the younger man had been pulling some unexpected deeds lately. If he was paying closer attention to the men under his command, that could only be for the best. “All right.” Wufei scratched out the last name in the list, and wrote the new name over it.
That night, the next night, the night after -- things were as empty at night as they had been, but now Heero clung to hope. It had taken hours of feverish, sleepless thought, but finally Heero had come to a logical conclusion. Hilde was his problem. Hilde. Whether or not she had done something to Duo that changed him wasn’t what mattered. But before Hilde came, Heero had been happy. All he had to do was send her away, and he could be happy again. He and Duo would be happy again together...
Would be. Had to be.