I loved writing that Angel/Deamon story so much that I've decided to take a short break from my other fictions, and go with an Angel's Arc. Thank you so much for the feedback you guys, on OFaD. Most especially to ghost, who really understood what I was trying to convey.

Well, here it is. Story 2 of the Angel's Arc.

Little Black Box
By Uplifted
a one-shot?

His ultimate sacrifice had not been enough. His degration of his soul had not been enough. Even his stringent, soldierly ways, avoiding luxury, spending as much time as he could in solitary meditation had not been enough to save him. He avoided anything and everything that could make him feel worthwhile, make him feel like the deaths of hundreds, maybe thousands of civilians and soldiers had been in vain.

But, he had never avoided her. And that had been enough.

He worked relentlessly in his duties, perhaps even ruthlessly, to fill the voids that his experiances had left with him. He never took vacation time, he refused all breaks offered, and when a pay raise came his way, he quietly and efficiently silenced the offer.

In short, he retained his views and ways of soldier life. The barest of essentials, the hard work, all instilled a peace that nothing he tried could take away. Duo, in his grimly enthusiastic way, had tried time and time again to 'hook him up', or drag him to clubs, where drunken and besotted women tried to 'console the poor pilot'.

They were as enticing as the scent of a wet dog.

His thoughts often drifted back to the old days, the easy days, when one could establish who an enemy was by which side of his gun you were on. No more. In this new age, words were the weapon, and prestige was the prize. Peace, ultimately a goal, was the new war game to these people. And how Heero hated it. He was a man now, and a man of few words. Deeds spoke to him, not the over-rated speeches that these politicians were always giving to the waiting public.

But he had never thought of her in those terms. Whenever he had caught up with her, whether on a television screen, or behind a large potted plant, she was always doing something. Rushing to a meeting. Meeting with important people. Volunteering at anything she could. And for once, Heero could tell that this was her vocation, her own mission. She had accepted it, and so would he. She didn't need him in her life. He was a danger, a liability. He could jeopardize everything she spoke of and believed in.

So why did she always leave her window open for him?

It had started a month ago, as usual he hadd simply opened up the lock on the balconey and climbed to her. She had made a sleepy reference to Rapunzel, and he had softened. So he started, against his inner voice's warnings, to visit her every night. She was never surprised, always sitting at her desk, typing or writing away. Once, he had actually caught her singing in the shower. But he had simply waited for her.

As far as he knew, their visit's were their own. No one else knew about it. And despite his soldierly way of life, he found himself enjoying things more. The small, slight things that no one in their right mind paid any attention to. Like the calling of a mother bird to her young, or a particularily beautious sunrise.

But this night, was the night to end all nights.

He clambored up the morter, internally noting to remind her that her bedroom was too easy to break into, and slipped over the railing, expecting her to be in her room, sitting at the desk like she normally was. This time, she was a vision in white clothing. What surprised him was that she seemed to be waiting for him this time. A soft smile spread when she saw him, and he felt his own face softening into a smile. These past years of watching in the sidelines of her life had been a stopper on the void of his life, but actually being with her was over-flowing the void. He had come prepared that night, with readiness in his eyes, and expectation in his heart. But her first words to him that night placed the seal on the peace of his world. The rest of the earth could go on spinning, but for the first time in his life, Heero Yuy was a content man.

"You're my angel…"

Fin?
It was a wonderful ride everyone. I dedicate this to my puppy dog kaiser, recently deceased, but always loved.

-hugs-