Disclaimer: No I don't own the Gundam Wing characters, and it's a good thing too, because if I did, I'd have a hundred rabid fangirls after me to get them. I don't own the song either. It's a traditional Irish song called "The Verdant Braes of Screen" and it's performed by the Irish music group Altan. Yes, I know I have strange taste in music. =P Warnings: Shonen ai, OOC

Ramblings: Now I'm not really a Relena hater. I am Switzerland (or is it Belgium?), I am neutral on the subject. However, I'm also an ardent, irreconcilable 1x2, 2x1 fan. I'm not terribly nice to Relena in this fic, and I apologize to all the Relena fans out there. It's just the way the thing worked out.

Colony Gazing
By Rapunzel

As I roved out one evening fair
By the verdant braes of Screen (1)
I set my back to a hawthorn tree
To view the sun in the west country
And the dew on the forest green

Quatre wandered down the hillside, with no particular destination in mind. He simply wanted to get out to think. This might or might not be a good thing, as his thoughts were becoming increasingly depressing of late. Everything about him had carried a hint of sadness since the destruction of the Vay 8 and the loss of Trowa. Quatre still felt responsible, and it grieved and frightened him that he could have hurt someone so near and dear to him.

Sitting down with his back to a tree, Quatre watched the sunset. Being raised in the colonies, Quatre hadn't had the limitless opportunities to watch sunsets that most people on Earth had. Things such as sunrises, sunsets, and full moons were sources of perpetual wonder to him. He had said as much to Duo, knowing the other boy felt the same.

Thinking of Duo made him think of all the other pilots, and his thoughts soon drifted back to Trowa. There was no knowing for certain the Trowa was dead, he reminded himself. After all, hadn't Heero lived through his self-destruction? Surely Trowa was every bit as strong as Heero. Yet as each day passed, and the search turned up nothing, Quatre found it harder and harder to keep that hope alive.

A lad I spied by Abhann's side (2)
And a maiden by his knee
And he was as dark as the very brown wood
And she all whey and wan to see
All whey and wan was she

Quatre was brought out of his own thoughts by the sound of a voice approaching him. It sounded like Relena, and for a moment, since he didn't hear another voice, Quatre wondered if the girl were talking to herself. Then he realized that she was talking to Heero, which explained the lack of response. The two walked down the hillside towards him, and stopped at a tree close by the one he was sitting against.

"It's awfully nice of you and Quatre to stay here and help protect the Sank Kingdom," Relena was saying.

"..." Heero didn't seem to have any response to that.

Quatre smiled slightly as he watched Heero be his usual, unresponsive self. Then he frown a bit. Heero was as he should be, but Relena didn't seem to be. Was it just his imagination, or was she paler than usual? Upon studied her more closely, Quatre became sure that there was something on the mind of the Peacecraft princess. Her whole posture spoke of anxiety, and her hands twisted nervously.

"Oh sit you down on the grass," he said
"On the dewy grass so green
For the wee birds all have come and gone
Since I my true love have seen," he said
"Since I my true love have seen"

Quatre suddenly wondered if Relena's nervousness was caused by something she wanted to say to Heero. If that were the case, then it would be better for him to go. The last thing he needed was to hear a private confession of love. He was confused enough about his own emotions without having to think about the Peacecraft heiress' crush on Heero. However, just as he was about to get up and leave, Heero spoke.

"Why don't you sit down?" he asked.

It took Quatre a moment to realize that this remark was directed at Relena and not at him. Relena smiled graciously, and sat down in the grass next the tree Heero was leaning against. Heero didn't look at her, but gazed skyward at the stars that were appearing in the twilight sky.

"Are you looking at the stars or the colonies?" she asked him.

"The colonies," he answered shortly.

"Oh," she said. Then after a long pause, she continued with the old phrase, "Penny for your thoughts."

Heero just snorted.

Another long pause ensued, but then long pauses were nothing unusual when one was trying to have a conversation with Heero Yuy. Finally, Relena broke the silence by asking, "Are you looking at the colonies because you just want to look at the colonies, or because you're thinking of the war, or because you're thinking of home, or..." She let the question trail off.

It was a rather personal question, and Quatre didn't expect Heero to answer it. He was surprised when he heard him say, "Maybe it's because I'm thinking of someone."

"Then I'll not sit on the grass," she said "Nor be a love of thine
For I hear you love a Connaught maid (3)
And your heart is no longer mine," she said "And heart is no longer mine"

"So she went to the colonies," Relena said suddenly.

Quatre was confused. So, by the sound of it, was Heero.

"She?" he asked.

"Yeah. That girl I saw you with a while back."

"When was this?"

"You must remember her. You were kissing her!"

Heero looked about as confused as Quatre had ever seen him, which wasn't saying much. "I was?" he asked.

"Yes!" she answered vehemently. "Remember? I was visiting you at one of those boarding schools you were at. You ignored me, so I went away for a little while thinking you were busy. But when I went back to find you later, I saw you kissing that girl. I didn't see who it was , except that she had long brown hair."

The light of understanding flashed across Heero's face. "Oh, that," he said.

"Yes, that!" Relena's face was no longer pale; on the contrary, it was bright red.

"I didn't know you saw that."

"Well I did! That was when I really started wondering if I should stop following you. But I need to see you, needed you to give me strength." Her voice dropped to a low, almost pleading tone that Quatre had trouble hearing.

"Relena." Heero was actually making eye contact with her. "You don't need to get strength from me. Look at you. You're a princess who holds the best hope for peace we've seen in a long time. I should be the one getting strength from you."

"Maybe you do," she whispered. "But not the way I want you to."

"And I will climb a high, high tree
And I'll rob a wild bird's nest
And back I'll bring whatever I do find
To the arms that I love best," she said
"To the arms that I love best"

"I'm sorry." Heero said.

Relena just sighed. "Don't be," she said with a sad smile. "I guess I gave up on you a long time ago. Probably that day I saw you with her, whoever she is." With that, Relena stood up and started walking back up the hill. She pause and looked back. "I'll get you that peace you want," she said before turning once more and leaving.

Quatre let out a soft sigh to see her leave with such resignation. Heero heard it and walked over to the tree he was sitting against. The sun had gone down now, but there was still enough light for Quatre to see Heero's face and tell that he wasn't angry.

"How long have you been sitting here?" Heero asked him.

"Since before you two came here. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Heero brushed the apology aside and turned his gaze back towards the sky.

Quatre endured it as long as he could, but finally his curiosity got the better of him, prompting him to ask, "So, who was she?"

"Hm?"

"The girl Relena was talking about."

"There wasn't one."

"But you said..."

"Oh, Relena saw what she thought she did. The only thing she got wrong was the gender of the person with me."

Suddenly, it hit Quatre like a ton of bricks. "Duo," he said with utter certainty.

Heero almost smiled. "Yes, it was Duo. That must have been one of the times I broke his hair band. You should have heard him complain every time I did that."

"Duo certainly can complain," Quatre agreed with a smile. He watched Heero as the other boy continued to look for the colonies amongst the stars. "Have you spotted L2 yet? I think that's where he went."

"Aa," Heero said simply. Then he looked down at Quatre. "Keep looking. I'm sure he's still alive."

He didn't say who he was talking about, nor did he have to. Quatre knew, and he smile at Heero's retreating back as the boy walked away to look for a more secluded spot to continue his star gazing.

Finis

According to the wonderful word booklet that came with my newest Altan CD:
(1) Braes are hillsides or steep banks, while Screen refers to a place in Ireland.
(2) Abhann means river
(3) Connaught is a county in Ireland
Now, while I know that the Sank Kingdom isn't in Ireland (How do I know this, you ask? Simple! They never once show it raining there) I have chosen to ignore this for the purpose of this fic. Hope you don't mind. =P