Silent Shadow


Heero gently pushed open the sliding glass door and crept into Relena's room. She was asleep, of course. It would never be revealed to her that he came like this. Odd, wasn't it? When they had first met, she had been the one following him. Coming to his room, changing schools with him, even going so far as to fly to Antarctica when almost everyone else believed him to be dead. But always open about it, unlike him. Heero Yuy had become a stalker, and it was kind of sad.
Heero walked over to the bed where his love slept. Her light brown hair spilled over the pillow. A moon beam caressed her face the way he never would be able to. Heero turned, and walked back to the balcony, so quietly that no one human could hear him. He would observe her from farther away, going so close was dangerous.
"I know you're there." her voice came quietly from the bed. Startled, Heero looked back. Relena slid her legs over the edge of the bed so she was facing him. Her nightgown was something straight from the Victorian era, lacy and beribboned. Her body was a vague shadow behind the thin cloth, like someone standing behind a sheet. "Doushite kiita? Are you finally going to kill me?"
"Iie. Kiita... ai shiteru dakara." (*Authoress starts singing TWO-MIX* "I can't say lovin' you/Because I love you/SETSUNAKUTEMO tomodachi NARA...")
Relena shook her head. "No, you don't. You never loved me. You never loved me." as she repeated the words her shoulders shook and she started sobbing. Over and over she said the phrase, covering her face with her hands. Tears dripped between her fingers, making tiny dark spots on her nightgown like candle wax trickling onto a table top.
Heero stepped over to Relena and slid his arms tightly around her. Through her shivers he could still hear her saying, "You never loved me..." The words were like a stab in the heart each time she resaid them. He tilted her tear streaked face upwards and gently pressed his lips to her. He could taste the salt on her lips.
Slowly Relena's shudders stopped. She fell into a tranquil slumber, head still resting against Heero's chest. Tenderly he slid her back under the covers, tear tracks still glistening on her cheeks. He would love to make himself open to her, stop this silent shadowing, but he couldn't. He wouldn't know how to properly express his love. Best to watch her from afar. Even that night would fade; she would think it was only a dream, then forget even the dream. It would be preeminent to leave before this became something Relena couldn't dismiss as easily as a fantasy conjured by her dozing psyche.

* * *

Relena walked down the street slowly, taking joy in each step. It felt good to finally have a day off; not to have to rush anywhere. And to saunter freely without having to wait for bodyguards or try not to bump into them.
Not to mention the clothes! Relena felt so stiff in those clothes. At the moment, she wasn't exactly in a tube top and mini-skirt, but she was dressed as a civilian instead of a government official in jeans and a t-shirt. Like most girls, she liked shopping. In fact, that's what she was doing now.
It would be nice if she had some friends to go with, of course. Someone to tell her that that color looked perfect on her but the style made her look fat. But all the girls Relena knew were the kind that would flatter her if her outfit was made from dishrags. Suck-ups, the lot of them, in want of money or a position of power or bragging rights to knowing the vice-foreign minister. Dorothy probably would've stopped the false flattery by now but she was on the colony. The same one Quatre lived on. Relena thought it was rather sweet, because Quatre hated killing and Dorothy loved war yet they seemed so happy together. (:::QuatreGirl growls:::)
Hilde would've been a good friend, too, but she as well was living on the same colony as her boyfriend. Relena had to admit she couldn't blame her; Duo was the kind of guy who could make almost any girl weak at the knees. That was another thing Relena wouldn't mind. A boyfriend, who would look bored when she dragged him on shopping trips but tlel her she looked beautiful when she came out of the dressing room. Then she would put the dress back and leave without buying anything. Outside, her boyfriend would kiss her and tell her she looked magnificent in what she was wearing.
Thinking of a boyfriend made Relena remember her odd dream of a few nights ago. Too bad it wasn't real. So lost in her thoughts was she that she would have walked into the middle of the street were it not for someone's arm quickly thorwn round her waist. Startled, she glanced up at the face belonging to the person who had saved her.
"Arigatou..." Relena gulped. Here she had been wishing for the object of her nighttime musings and to be real and there he was. "...Heero."
Heero's dark eyes revealed nothing, though she thought she saw ...something... flicker in their shadowy blue depths. But it vanished as soon as she triedto figure out what it was. He said nothing, and it was making Relena uncomfortable. Even an "omae o korosu" would be preferable to this cursed silence.
A passing stranger collided with Relena, shoving her closer ot Heero. She could now feel his breath on her nose, and was acutely aware of the way her body was now pressed against his.
"Gomen!" the person yelled as they kept on running.
Their faces were so close they could have kissed. Relena pushed herself up onto her toes to bring herself to Heero's height and closed her eyes. Heero leaned forward slightly and...
...Brushed an eyelash off her nose. He let go of her waist and walked off. Relena fell back onto her heels. She had been sure that for a moment there, he had been about to kiss her. But apparently she had been wrong.
Sighing, Relena continued on her shopping mission.

* * *

Relena swung her shopping bags as she walked toward Fresh Choise. She needed food; shopping was hard work!
In the line at the cash register she accidentally bumped into the tall, long-haired blonde man in front of her. (Really, why is everyone in this fic so clumsy?)
"Aa, gomen." she said, reaching for a tray.
"Hi, Relena." the man replied. Startled, Relena almost dropped her tray.
"Oniisama, you startled me! Konnichi wa. Koko de, nani o shimasu ka."
"Ano, hirugohan o tabemasu...."
"Oh, right. Duh," she said, banging the heel of her hand against her forhead. "I'm just brilliant today. Saa, issho ni tabemashou ka."
"Sure. I'll pay."
"Arigatou, demo iranai. I'm not exactly hurting for money here."
"Iranai dakedo itai. What kind of gentleman makes any lady pay for herself?"

* * *

"So, imoutochan, what's been going on in your life lately?" Zechs inquired.
"Oh, nothing much. This is my first day off for a long time, though. I had a strange dream a couple of nights ago. Heero was in it. And it was way weird, right as I was thinking about it I saw him."
"Relena, I don't want you having anything to do with hi."
"Oniisama! Naze?!"
"I don't trust him. As a soldier he's the best but what kind of decent human being threatens to kill innocent civilians."
"That was a lont time ago, Milliardo. He protects me now."
"People don't just suddenly change their ways like that. He's probably only doing that because he's under orders."
"Milliardo, the war is over. He's no longer a soldeir with people giving him orders."
"Will you stay away from him if I pay you? I'll give whatever's necessary."
"Milliardo, I don't appreciate that. I'm not one to be bought, and I don't exactly go looking for him. Besides, even if I tried to avoid him, I couldn't. In my dream, he had-" Relena cut herself off.
"Nani o shita?"
"Ano, nani mo."
"Obey your elder brother. He had what??"
Relena melted under her brother's hard stare. "He, had, um, managed to, ah, get into my bedroom."
Zechs looked as if he would have roared if they hadn't been in public. His features twitched as he tried to restrain himself. "And what, pray tell, were you two doing in your bedroom?"
"Oniisama, I'm ashamed you would think of me like that. Really!" Relena said, avoiding the question.
"I asked you a question."
"Nothing happened. Nothing." she replied, lying a bit, her gaze decidedly innocent.
"Make sure it stays that way."
"Yume dake deshita! And you don't have to talk to me as if I were still a little kid!" Relena grabbed her bags and stalked off. Ooh, he treats me like a child! Good thing I didn't tell him what really happened in my dream. he would probably have a restraining order put on poor Heero.

* * *

Late the next evening, using his magic powers, Zechs found Heero, who was (at a discreet distance) trailing Relena again.
"Stay away from my sister," Zechs growled through gritted teeth. It was a good thing he didn't know what Heero was currently doing.
"Why should I?"
"She shouldn't get involved with people like you. It's bad enough that she dreams with you in them.
"That wasn't a dream." Heero, like Duo, wasn't big on lying.
Zechs looked as if someone had punched him in the stomach.
"So you came into my sister's room in the middle of the night and did what?" he asked, hoping Heero would give the same answer as Relena.
"She woke up and started crying."
"I didn't ask what she did."
"I held her until she stopped, and then I kissed her. After that, she fell asleep again." Damn. He'd had to use a complete sentence, not a monosyllable. TWO complete sentences.
That was all it took to send Zechs into a rage. He drew back his fist, but Heero easily dodged the first blow, and fought back. However, they were both so good that neither could land a punch.
Up ahead, a nagging feeling told Relena (who was just returning from a speech) that something was amiss, and she ran back. Well, tried to, but she was wearing high heels.
Finally it looked as if Heero was going to hit Zechs, except... Relena ran in between the two. Cursing, Heero stopped just in time.
"Stop it you two! Fighting doesn't solve anything!"
"This doesn't concern you, Relena." Heero said, pushing her away. She stumbled in her high heels and fell, skinning her shoulder and twisting her ankle. However, this didn't stop her when Zechs aimed a blow at Heero, who didn't dodge fast enough. Getting to her feet, she dived between them again, and Zechs' blow hit her instead. She crumbled, unconscious, and Heero caught her.
Unfortunately, Heero caught Relena with his hands cupping her breasts by pure accident, and he quickly moved his hands. Gently he leaned her against a tree (they had been walking through a park when they stopped) and turned back to Zechs.
"How dare you manhandle my sister!"
"Look whose talking, YOU just hit her."
"Only because you had the cowardice to use her as a shield!"
The two argued as they fought, until Heero finally won, giving Zechs a black eye and a rather large bruise on his shin. (Like in soccer... "I kick people, not soccer balls!! Why do I have to play??") Heero gently picked Relena up. She stirred and awoke.
"Relena, I'll take you to my place, it's closer."
"Okay," she said, wondering how he even knew where she lived.
Relena tried to walk, but her heels added to a twisted ankle and the narrow skirt of her long, black, backless halter dress made it rather difficult.
"Heero," she called out, "could you walk a bit slower?"
Heero fell behind and slid an arm around her so he could take some of her weight. She leaned gratefully against him, wondering which was worse-the way he was now, seeming not to care at all that his fingertips were dangerously close to brushing the slight curve that wasn't quite covered by the edge off her dress or if he had been groping her instead. Relena decided groping was worse, though his current actions doing nothing for her self esteem concerning her femininity.
When they reached Heero's apartment, Relena immediately curled up in a big armchair.
"You can have the bed if you want," Heero said.
"Nn." she replied, pulling her legs closer to her body and settling into sleep. Heero flicked off the light and walked into the bedroom.
The next morning, Relena sat up and stretched, pondering where she was for a moment. Then she remembered and went over to ask Heero if she could borrow some clothes.
Heero was still asleep. He looks so different in slumber! His features had relaxed and he no longer carried the air of a cat about to pounce. Relena gently pulled the blanket up around him and left the room.

* * *

Heero woke up to the smell of breakfast. Walking to the kitchen he could hear Relena humming as she cooked. She looked slightly absurd as she was still wearing her long black dress.
"Gooood morning!" she called cheerfully. "I figured this would wake you up." she continued, indicating the frying pan.
"Ohayou." Heero muttered back. Figures she's be a good cook on top of it all.
Relena put a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of Heero.
"I need to take a shower," she said, fingering her tangled hair. "Do you have anything I could wear? Not to impose or anything, but I'd feel kind of weird cavorting around in the middle of the day wearing this."
Heero nodded and got up. He probably had some old clothes shoved in the back of his closet.

* * *

Relena stepped out of the bathroom, and, glancing up from his book, Heero did a double take. The pants, almost short enough, were too large on Relena everywhere but the hips. His green t-shirt, loose enough on him when it still fit, clung to all Relena's curvy places and made it painfully clear she wasn't wearing a bra. Her hair was back in a messy French braid, except for a large strand on either side of her face. (Think: Aimi from Shadow Lady.)
"Noin'll probably be wondering where you are." Heero finally managed to say.
"Yeah, or worse, my brother." Relena replied, sticking the tip of her tongue out and smiling a little.
As they set off towards the Peacecraft mansion, Relena started limping a bit, so Heero slipped his arm around her waist, rather pointedly trying not to let his hand slide down to her hip or up to her breast. Anyone who saw them probably took them for lovers. Relena was carrying her bedraggled black dress and wondering if she'd ever be able to wear it again, when they reached their destination.
Miss Noin was the one to open the door. Seeing Relena she let out a sign of relief and yelled to the rest of the house, "She's back!" Then, turning to Relena, "Where have you been?"
"With Heero."
Another adult probably would have looked shocked and fainted, but Miss Noin knew Relena better than that. (Though she was wondering about the bruise on Relena's cheek, the skin missing from from her upper arm, and the way she favored one of her ankles walking in.)
Miss Noin dragged the story out of Relena (with Heero filling in the part where Relena was unconscious), then left to go yell at Zechs.
"By the way, Heero, you didn't tell me what you two were fighting about." Relena commented.
"In general, me. He doesn't like me and he certainly doesn't like me within a ten kilometer radius of you. And, specifically, the other night."
"The other night? Oh, my dream. I knew I shouldn't have told him about that." Relena paused for a second. "Hey, wait, how did you know?"
Heero debated mentally making something up, but decided against it. "It wasn't a dream, Relena." he replied quietly, kissing her gently.
"Then... you do love me?" she asked tentatively, knowing most guys shied away from the word "love."
"Yes." he said, pulling her down onto the couch and kissing her again and again.
END
(Oh and when Noin came back with Zechs she thought it was sweet, but Zechs was less than pleased to see Heero and Relena lying on the couch snogging. He was unable to do anything about it, however, as Noin probably would've kicked him out of the house if he'd done something.)

Authoress is somewhat unpleased with this dialogue, namely the way Heero keeps just saying things, just, you know, okay, instead of a monosyllable I'll just let the truth pop out just like that. It seems kinda too easy, and the conflict is definitely resolved too easily. Oh well.