Count Down

'Run.' he told himself matter-of-factly.

There were no signs of panic in his inner voice. Still, he could not move, could not take his eyes off her fallen form. The red of her blood staining her white coloured dress… He watched the stain as it spread not too slowly.

The screams and shouts of the diplomats, that filled the Parliament that day, broke the heavy silence succeeding her speech. Among them he could discern the thunder strong voices of commandants giving orders and the booted footsteps that followed. A large quantity of soldiers running through the corridors.

Zero had shown him his death would be connected to hers. He'd never thought it would come so soon though, but – he figured – his life was the least he could pay for hers. Relena's life was worth way more than his. She had had the power to change the world. He was just another soldier fighting yet another battle.

'Run.' the voice inside his head repeated a little more sternly though still incredibly calm. It no longer sounded like his own.

He did not move.

The paramedics had arrived, at some point, and were now lifting her lifeless body onto a stretcher. She had closed her eyes. Right before the shot, she had closed her eyes. He could still see her peaceful expression… It was imprinted in his mind. They carried her away hurriedly, their strong sense of urgency lost on the panicked crowd and running soldiers.

Someone had still to find him.

'Run.'

He lowered his hand only now realizing how heavy the pistol felt in it. His eyes moved downwards, running over the gun, and he frowned as if he had never seen it, as if he could not understand what had just happened. He raised his head again, looking at the stage, searching, but all that was left of her was a puddle of blood.

Wrong. It was all wrong. Even though Zero had shown him the way, he had been the one to follow it. He had made the wrong choice. It could not be, but it surely felt so.

The soldiers' footsteps were suddenly closer. He could not care what happened to him… He could not take his eyes off the stage.

'Run.' it was her voice now. Relena's voice. Inside his head. She sounded desperate, she was shouting at him.

He felt pain then, searing through his midsection. The strength of the impact forcing him to bend forward.

'I wasn't running.' he hissed through gritted teeth. His cap had fallen on the floor and OZ's symbol seemed to be smiling at him.

Suddenly, he could see her again. Not on the stage, but right there, standing in front of him. He held a hand to his wound, the other still holding the pistol, and forced himself to look up and meet her eyes. She was crying... Not for her death, but for his. She was crying.

'Heero…' she whispered, her voice catching on her throat.

Romefeller soldiers surrounded him as he fell on his knees, but they looked like mere shadows against her brightness.

'…with his own gun…' he heard them say. He was not sure they were talking about him.

'Run.'

It was too late.

A.N.: I wrote this story wondering what would have happened had Heero followed through with his promise and actually shot Relena during/after her speech as Queen. The question that remains is... Did he shoot himself at the end? Or was it the Romefeller soldiers that did it? Thanks for reading!