AS THE FIELDS HALF DISAPPEAR
(part one)
by: AliLamba
an: the title is a homage (see: rip-off) to a Hayden lyric, which is from a really good song. (Jacks PATRIOTJACKIE from FFnet really really really likes it. Such a wonderful beta pet pet) Don't own the characters, etc. Not mine. Unless Bandai is willing to wager a shoot-off in the O.K. Corral! In which case this will be my last post. Farewell, sweet readers, and enjoy you some drama. This is a really overused plot, but for some reason I started writing it…and it just kept going --; I don't know what to blame, but I'm working on that. Also should mention, this is probably going to be more adult than anything I've ever written, not really in a lemon sense (because I knows you horny 13-yos read those anyway!), but in a...ah, I guess I can't give it away yet. Ah well, hope you enjoy.
"daylight slipping away,
down a mountainside,
over the trees and their lines,
and I look out past your eyes,
through the windows I stare,
as the fields half disappear,
so much beauty out there,
as the shadows reach for the bar,
the place turns yellowish-like,
and everything seems alright,
except that this is the last day I get to spend with you,
and now it's dark and it's through
I should have been watching you."
Wisps of hair flew across her face, tresses dancing in the breeze as her smile warmed the wind. She held out her hand to him, her palm cupping the air, and he found himself following, drawing her fingers between his larger ones. He pulled her into his embrace and watched her face huddle against his chest, her eyelashes fall upon her cheeks.
"It's going to rain."
She laughed softly at his statement, a melody bubbling through his shirt.
"You just have to ruin the moment, don't you?" She looked up at him, face upturned to meet his gaze,
"I suppose that's just how you are."
He kissed her then, meaning to be sweet but shattering the moment with broad sweeps of his tongue. She had moaned against his lips, her shoulders hunched to lend to the arms she had wrapped around his neck and shoulders, fingers tangled in his hair and the material of his shirt.
"Yes…I suppose…it will rain."
She had something to tell him.
"Heero—"
Her mouth curved over the word, the breath escaping her chest: he, and then ro.
"Heero"
The sound was pleasing from her lips.
"Heero"
"Heero"
"HEERO"
Heero leapt from his desk—fists flew from their clenched position and latched onto the first thing they found, strangling with every muscle of their fingers.
"Heero!"
Wide, purple-blue eyes and a taut grin came into focus, palms framing the face from either side of a chestnut-haired head.
"H-hey…yer…yer chokin'…me…"
Heero's grip slackened on the scruff of Duo's faded t-shirt, the cotton material slipping through his fingers as he lowered Duo back to solid ground. Heero's piercing blue eyes looked away from Duo's ugly mug, back at the mass of monitors he had been staring at when he…when he must have fallen asleep. His eyes narrowed as he tried to remember what he had been dreaming about, but it was fading too quickly… The pinkness of her cheeks lingered, but that was all.
Duo reached to rub grudgingly at his neck as Heero turned his back to him. He could tell Duo was evaluating his mental state again. He had seen that look many times in the past twenty-three months, when the confidence, the absolute knowing she was close...had turned unknowingly into sheer desperation. Heero had memorized that look when he was going 80 hours without sleep, trying to stomach food that always turned to ash in his mouth.
"Uh…" Duo began, leaning to the side to try to catch Heero's eye, "Well, Zechs called. He wants us to meet him in his office… Said it was pretty urgent…"
The last word seemed to jilt Heero out of his reverie, and in a half a second Heero was filling a nondescript manila folder with the contents previously scattered across his desk. He straightened his Preventer-issued jacket and flicked dust off the cuff...
Heero's hand lingering for the briefest of moments as his eyes went dark…The image of her eyes came back…they mirrored the pools of rain…rain that would soon be splashing over her hair, and her shoulders, down the length of her back…
He could…he could barely remember that day now.
Duo's tune escaped between his pinched lips as he and Heero traveled through the hallways, his whistle sparing toothy grins for the cute interns and small nods for the peers. They slid into an empty elevator together.
"So, what're the odds we're in there again for anything other than that guy's sister?" Duo grinned wearily at his own cheek. "Because I swear, if half the Earths Sphere's scum had as much attention as the two of you spend on that girl, crime would not exist. Like, period."
Duo emphasized this by cocking an imaginary gun with his left hand.
Bam - bam - bam - bam.
"It's not like she even wants to be found, anyway. I mean, you guys know she's alive, with the press releases and whatever…"
Heero spared a sidelong glance at his companion, who was busy inspecting the marks his imaginary bullets had made on the elevator doors.
"You might as well leave her alone, ya know?"
The muscles in Heero's jaws tightened. He tried to remember her clouded eyes.
"You look terrible, Yuy," Zechs mentioned without looking up. A dull roar hummed from the open space outside the commander's office.
Before Duo could close the door behind them, something small pushed past him, feet skipping over themselves to their superior behind the desk. A young man spared a glance at the visitors before dipping down to whisper frantically to the Major. The cadet dropped a manila folder that had been previously tucked under his arm, and scampered out again. The thick noise from the adjoining room came to an abrupt halt when the door connected with its jamb.
Flexing his thumb, Zechs spewed the new contents onto the desk.
The sound of the flimsy glossed paper touched the metallic finish on Zech's desk, and the room allowed a collective pause. The sound of the wall-clock ticking the seconds sounded with dull, aching thuds, as if it were chopping wood.
It was Relena.
One of the three swallowed to relieve their dry throat.
"Have either of you ever been to a place called 'Montana'?"
Duo was frowning deeply. His lips scrunched to the side, he turned his face from the photos to the ceiling, an irritated tick at his temple.
"That's in what, former Cana—?"
"United States." Zechs corrected curtly, having long since calmed the urge to throttle Duo at his attempts with geography. "Northern United States, West of the Great Lakes. Completely landlocked with one of the smallest populations by area, and yet with one of the largest territorial land masses. I want you two to leave imme—"
"Aw, come on man! Puh-lease not another goose chase!"
Two pairs of cold eyes pinned Duo into silence.
But Duo apparently didn't feel like responding to them right now. He flopped unceremoniously into one of the flimsy chairs opposite of Zechs' desk.
"Remember L4, man? And fuckin' Mongolia?"
Zechs and Heero's eyes met over the chestnut hair, both jaws locked with irritation.
"No way, man. You both know she's probably gone by now! That's probably not even her! I have better goddamn things to do than go chasing after this fuckin' wet dream."
"Shut the fuck up, Duo."
Heero felt the last syllable leave his lips, when he realized the pain in his right hand was from strangling the butt of his gun. His pulse was throbbing against his throat, letting it burn.
Silence crept into the room, Duo shaking off the stares of both the men and turning his attention to the far wall with a sardonic sneer. Heero's face was taut as he turned back to the older man, who was in turn staring at the back of Duo's head.
"This picture was taken three hours ago. Agent Barton knows it's her."
The icy blue stare of the Lightning Count made its way to Heero Yuy.
"We found her, Heero. We found her."
"It's just…Well jeezus." Duo let his gaze float out of focus as he stared past Heero's left shoulder, lost in his own thoughts amid the emptiness of the abandoned break room, "How long has it been?"
Heero rubbed his thumb over the base of his coffee mug, long since feeling warmth emanate from the chipped ceramic.
"Two years."
"Jeezus," Duo let out with a whistle, allowing the silence to take over once more.
"…I know."
"It's just—well, damn!" Heero felt the muscles of his jaw flex.
Duo fixed his old friend with a sudden glare.
"You know she doesn't want to be found, right."
Heero felt the burn of shame rush through his system. Yes, he knew. And he knew the irony of his situation: him now the follower, wanting to catch a mere glimpse or be near to her. But when she had disappeared…after everything…it's my fault…
I should have been watching you.
"Well, you're going anyway, and if you do find her, then that's just one less thing I have to worry about," Duo rationalized, taking a strong sip of his milky coffee. "When do you leave?"
Heero paused, taking an irrationally slow sip of his cold coffee. "Tonight."
"Yeah, I suppose it'll take you a while to get there. I would ask if you had a plan, but I suppose again that you probably do."
Duo dropped his mug to the table and picked up the paperwork he had come in with, touching two fingers to his temple in a small salute.
"Well good luck, I guess. Tell her I said hello."
Duo's steps carried his smiling visage outside of the small break room, until the door swung shut behind him. In a quick moment, the smile dropped from his face, and a grim expression took hold. Heero was going to fuck this up, andDuo couldn't help doubtingthat any of them would ever see the Princess again.
A slender woman dressed in jeans and a t-shirt pushed herself back againsta fridge, letting an elderly woman slip past as she balanced a large platter of dinners. Bree gave her younger counterpart an apologetic smile as she squeezed pasttowards the dining room, and two clear blue eyes crinkled at the corners as the younger woman smiled kindly in return.
As she watched the older woman disappear through the swinging doors, her slim fingers plucked the thick woolen shawl off the worn chair by the telephone. She wrapped it quickly around her shoulders as she made her way, and pushed the back screen door open.
A strong, cool breeze rushed to meet her, tossing short wisps of hair around her face. Her chin tipped up to meet the gale with closed lips, though she tightened the dark brown wool around her shoulders.
Stars, millions of them, hung clearly in the crisp air, and a clean breath circulated through her system.
"Lena?"
The face whirled back to the crowded kitchen at the sound of the familiar voice. Her thoughts had run away with her again, as it was wont to do…looking at so many stars…
"Coming!" she called briskly in return, and her feet stepped carefully over the creaking planks beneath her feet. But then, she paused on the threshold.
A hand already resting on the door jamb, the young woman turned slowly on her heel, back out to the night sky beyond the back porch.
She reached out--a long, slender finger singling one of the brightly winking lights beyond her reach.
"That one," she whispered to herself. Then slowly, as if she were afraid to break the heavens themselves, a small, hidden smile grew upon her face.
end notes: Soooooo...that's it! for chapter one. I promise, I leave a lot of the political responsibility stuff out of this one, so hopefully that takes me in a slightly different direction than these usually go. If anything, hopefully this will herald my triumphant (or not so triumphant) return to writing!
Again, this story is going to probably be more adult than anything else I've written, so I suppose I should warn those of you 'youngins' (I'm really getting into this Montana scene) what you're getting into.
Anyway, thanks for reading!