*note* you can skip past this rambling
Ok, this is the first GW fic I've posted on this account. I'll be expecting a decent amount of reviews before I even consider continuing. You see, at the same time that I am writing, I am also struggling to get my web site up. I've detoured from working on it to post this first chapter. I'm probably going to break from writing until I can get all of the general information up that I want to on my site, then do a CB fic, then work on the layout of my site, then either post another chappy on the fic that has gained the most reviews or I'll post another GW fic (if reviews are few and skimpy). And when I say "review", I mean at least a full three sentences, or I'll just delete it(or unless you just decide to e-mail me a longer review).
ok, about the fic- it'll be primarily science fiction, my fave, and will contain elements of romance and supernatural. The pairings? I haven't decided yet, but this will NOT I repeat NOT be a yaoi/yurri. This fic takes a LOT of information from Episode Zero. If necessary, I can scan and e-mail to you any parts of this manga you have not read, or even, though it will be tedious and take a long time to load onto your computer, the entire thing. You HAVE to have read Episode Zero to follow this. You might even want to reread it before starting this fic. This fic will pick apart many of the little mysteries in the manga and tie up a few loose ends from the series. It will also, hopefully, if I write it correctly, leave you extremely disturbed.
WARNINGS:
None for this chappy, but in the future, there will be violence, sap, possibly an occasional foul word (though I try to use these sparingly), suggestive language, and spine-chilling moments. ^_~ So in other words, for now this is G. By the end of this book, either PG-13 or R.
Ideas for your three sentences of review? ok.
- pairings
- preferred and disliked characters
- questions
- tell me I made an error, and where
- are you interested in submitting anything to my web site?
- did I lose you at any point?
- are the jap words a good idea?
- guess who was in the car!
Ok, now, as of the moment I AM IN NEED OF AN EDITOR!!!!! My muses are all idiots, with the exception of Molly, my adorable little Welsh Corgi puppykins! *Molly* *puppy eyes* *Me* *glomp*
Ok, on with the ficcy!
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Dreams of Ever
AC 205
Chapter One
He glared at the man before him. "Yuy, I mean it this time! If you let her run off again, you're fired!"
"..." Icy flares attempted to strike through fogged over, almost bored Prussian.
"Sir, I believe that this is her way of telling us that she needs some time off." Both men turned to face a woman with pleasantly cool sky-blue orbs.
"Dr. Poe. Everyone in this room knows th-"
"That Ms. Relena hasn't taken a vacation since the end of the Mariemeia incident."
"So?" Came the cold reply of Mr. Merquize.
"SO, sir, she needs one. Today she came in to complete the stress test that was," she coughed, "interrupted yesterday." Scenes of the previous day's shooting flashed in the minds of the three people. Zechs glanced at Heero, who was seemingly unaware of the reference to his mistake.
"And?"
"And, sir, her stress level has shot through the roof."
"So you're saying that she should go on a holiday? After yesterday's attempted murder?!" Zechs' eyes chilled by another twenty degrees.
"Sir, I'm saying that she must take a holiday, before she has a nervous breakdown." Sally's own eyes began to glow slightly, warning the man that these were the facts, and not to shoot her in the face because he had had a bad morning.
".... Fine. But only because she needs to lay low! I'm not saying she can go to Hawaii for the summer!"
"Of course not, sir." She struggled to suppress her smile. "Hilde has offered to help; she says that she knows of a nice, quiet area in Asia she thinks would work." She smiled, then half walked, half skipped out of the room.
Zechs shook his head. "I don't believe the VFM is taking a vacation after an assassination attempt..."
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He quietly opened her door. She had a massive stack of papers before her, research that had been done in preparation for her next speech. Aquamarine eyes looked up wearily from a report on the atmospherical conditions on the newest colony. A plastic smile placed itself on her lips. "Greetings, Milliardo. Please, have a seat. What can I do for you?" He felt the ecstatic gaze of violet eyes on him and glanced at the perky Duo. He looked at the leather chair, noticed the slight change in texture and color, and bent down to pull up the painted whoopee cushion that had been implanted literally in the chair. He glared at Duo and threw the rubber sack at him, sitting without paying heed to the disappointment in the man's face.
"Ms. Daurlian, I have very important news for you."
"Doesn't he always?" Mumbled the day-shift bodyguard from his place in the corner. Both political figures ignored him.
"Yes, Milliardo?"
"You are going on a vacation." He placed a manila folder onto her desk, atop the lowest stack of papers, and promptly exited while the Vice Foreign Minister was still in a state of shock.
"I-" she said to the closing door. She blinked and removed her reading glasses. "Um- well," she said, placing her glasses back onto her petite nose and lifting the package left her. She opened it and pulled out the information, shedding her sleepy veil and focusing on the text. "Stress... Poe says what? ... Hilde taking me... China?!" She stood up from her seat, alarmed. She glared at the paper, and slammed it onto her desk.
"What's the matter, 'Lena?" Duo asked, surprised by her seemingly sudden action.
"They're telling me I should- no, that I will take a vacation! In China!" Her eyes glittered with green fire. Duo was taken aback.
"Um- isn't that good?"
"GOOD?! I CAN'T TAKE A VACATION WITH ALL OF THIS WORK I HAVE TO DO! What about all of my meetings?! The press conferences? I have to take care of this panic over the irrigating system on G14 by next Tuesday or the people on that colony will burn down the meteorological center!"
"Um- doesn't this say," Duo said, looking at the papers flung across her desk, "that everything's already been taken care of?" He pointed at a paragraph, and she snorted.
"They can't replace me! I have to fulfill my duties as the V.M.F. and stay on top of things! I can't get behind, and no bird-brained kid straight out of college will ever be able to take my place!" She picked up the picture of her look-alike and started to rip it in half, but a calloused hand stopped her. She looked up, surprised at the intrusion.
"You got this job before you graduated from college." She calmed from his touch, her fire ebbed to a controllable level as she looked into the pools of blue, emotionless but still belonging to her beloved. That was all that mattered.
Duo sighed. "Glad you're here, buddy! She almost ripped this pretty picture!" He pointed to the picture with the tiny tear at the top. Heero took the photograph from her.
The picture showed a teenager, perhaps nineteen, with fair skin and light blue eyes. Her peachy-pink lips smiled pleasantly, reaching easily to her eyes and revealing glittering white teeth. She wore a white tank top with pink daisies and a skirt of a matching pink. Her hair was golden, and in three pronounced layers. One was chin length, the next shoulder length, the third was three pony-tails going down her back and in front of each shoulder. Two odangoes[1] with daisy imprints were mounted atop her head, short, rabbit-ear-like tails coming form each. She also had daisy earrings and a pink choker with yet another daisy in the center,
"Well, she sure likes flowers, doesn't she? Is her name Daisy, too?" Duo asked.
"Actually," Relena said with a sigh, "it's Hinagiku[2]." Duo laughed.
"Duo Maxwell, you are relieved of your shift." Before the words were entirely out of his mouth, Duo had gone out the door. He smirked. "Braided baka[3]."
He turned to face Relena and gave a curt nod. She sighed and began stacking up her papers. He put one of his hands on top of them and shook his head, then picked up the papers from the "vacation folder" and handed them to her. She took on a face of annoyance, but accepted the parcel and exited the room, the perfect soldier a few steps behind her. She fell back to walk beside him.
"... I heard Milliardo told you that you were treading on thin ice."
"..."
"Sally told me. She said that if I ran away again that you'd be fired. Is that true?"
"..."
"Mm," she sighed. She allowed her guardian to walk behind her, and began again reading through the papers about her "break."
"... You know, Heero," she said, again slowing her pace to walk beside him, "they're wrong. A vacation won't help me relax, it will only add on more stress. I'll have to try and keep up with everything without my usual access, I can't fall behind. I'll go insane trying to get my work done. You know I will- all I've ever done is work. It's all I'll ever be able to do. Taking me from my work will be like taking away my one source of reason, the meaning of my life. I have to work. I-"
"It's no good talking to him, or Milliardo, for that matter. I prescribed your vacation, Relena, so you'll have to go, no matter how hard these two- or you- argue against it."
Relena turned her gaze towards her doctor, who was waiting near the end of the hallway leading to the different offices. "Sally, please tell me that you're not telling me that I have to take a vacation for my health?" She pleaded.
"You're going. Now go home and get some rest, pack your bags. You'll be leaving the day after tomorrow, and it is expected of you to pack everything you can, because you will be gone for quite a while."
"How long a while?" Relena inquired curiously.
"As long as it takes," she said, and turned on her heel to return to her office. Her face fell, and turned into a perfect picture of what she was thinking. I can't do this...
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She sighed. Her bag had been packed only a little while ago- she was permitted pack anything she wanted, but she had been promised that Sally would be going through her bags and pulling out anything that was related to her stress level. There would not be any electricity, so she would have to be careful what she brought, and make sure she had batteries enough to last. She had been told that there was a wood stove, over which they could heat water, and that there was an exceptionally well-scented outhouse. There would be ice and milk brought to the house on a daily basis, but other then that, no other contact with outside people or heat-relief. They're hiding me...
A shadow appeared at her door. She looked up from the page of statistics on her temporary home. He nodded his head. She shoved the papers under her arm, picked up her purse, and exited the room. The perfect soldier was moments behind with about a fourth of the luggage she had packed. A small, victorious smile crept across her face as Heero was forced to make three more trips to get the remaining fifteen bags, suitcases, and boxes. I'm not going down without a fight.
As Heero brought each load of packed containers into the lounge, where Relena waited, Duo and Wufei would take care of bringing them to and into one of the two navy vans. A third was called apon the arrival of Sally Poe and Hilde Schbeiker, both of whom would be coming, each of whom had brought eighteen or twenty bags of general luggage, and Sally had an extra ten white suitcases for medical tools that could, when put together, measure Relena's stress level. Also being brought was a scale, thermometer, basic medication like tylenol and pepto-bismol, and a few vaccines to take care of the venom from some of the snakes and venomous plants in the area. That brought the total number of people going to five- Relena, Heero, Wufei, Sally, and Hilde. Wufei and Hilde, while technically not preventors, knew the area and would hopefully help to balance the atmosphere for Relena. Duo was not being permitted to go on account of his big mouth, and tendency to spill information.
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"It's- beautiful," breathed Hilde, as she gazed upon the shrine. "Absolutely amazing." There was a single house, presumably constructed of bamboo, with clay shingles. The "yard" was made of layed-down stones of grey, ivory, and golden-brown. A small brook of liquid diamond was running down the left side. Along this was marshy grasses, on the side opposite the house, a forest of lean but tall trees, thickly populated with tall bamboo. Asian lilies grew wild near the house, where sunlight existed. Beaded shades were drawn up, revealing this veils of material as window "glass." One could see a path running past the house along the water, and above the house one could see the steps that led up the mountain to the shrine itself and the gardens. The entire setting was half shaded by the thick vegetation above. The sounds of the wild birds in the area harmonized to the hum of a choir during prayer, and the occasional bubble of water lapping over a stone provided a slow, calming beat. The rustle of leaves and flower petals was a quiet but beautiful counter-melody. The thick, sweet scent of nature in its prime mellowed one's mind, made it easy to listen and understand the music of the mountain without thinking. The name of the song was simple- Welcome.
Wufei, being the only one un-new to the serenity, focused his attention on Relena's reaction. He knew that the others, like everyone else who came, would be too caught up in the well-tended place to pay attention to anything, even the VFM when she is in critical condition.
Her eyes lighted, he noticed, and almost felt relief, that maybe she was ok after all and wasn't in as bad a condition as Sally had claimed. Alas, but instead, her face collapsed in inner pain, and tried to run back down the path that should lead to their chaperoning vehicle. She stood in the empty place in the road, watching the white car disappear into the distance, her being only seconds too late. She sighed, and looked up at Wufei.
"Heero told the driver to leave five minutes after we left, to make sure you wouldn't hear."
"... Is that true?" Wufei noticed that Heero had appeared behind him, and moved back up the path to let him persuade her to return.
"Hn."
She looked into his frigid eyes, borrowing his stoned appearance for her return. When She was satisfied with her frigidness, she walked silently back into the woods, past Heero, and up to their temporary hide-out.
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A lady grinned from within her raven-black convertible. She pulled down her squared sunglasses to reveal icy blue, dangerously sparkling eyes. A gloved hand lifted up a black compact, and she opened it. "Target sighted," whispered her silky voice. She pulled out form behind her place among the brush, and she sped off, white, wavy hair flying behind her, blood red lips releasing an evil laugh....
[1]
odangoes- Japanese for "meatballs" or "dumplings"
in this case, two round buns protruding slightly from her head, enough to determine that they're spherical
[2]
hinagiku- Japanese for "daisy"
[3]
baka- "stupid" or "idiot" in Japanese