Blinded Depths
by: Wolfcry17
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the characters from Gundam Wing. But Bandai, I would be more than willing to buy it from you..... if I had the money that is. ;p
AN: Konnichi'wa min'na yo. Daijoobu desu ka. (sorry guys... just practicing some japanese...er...Nihonjin. It just translates to: "Hey everyone! How are you doing?") Thanks bunches for all the reviews guys, I really appreciate it bunches!!! Here's the next chapter to Blinded Depths, and I hope it is less confusing, but the first few chapters will probably rise more questions than answer them, but I promise, all will soon be revealed. Sorry again for taking another two months to update, but I didn't think my new job would take so much time. I have been working 14 hours a day, 6 days a week, so I have been less than enthused to do anything but sleep. But, good news, it is a seasonal job and the season is ending, so maybe I can get down to business and get this story going, really going. More good news: I have the entire plot line finally figured out, and I have already started Chapter 4!!!!
Speaking of Chapter 4, little preview: the title is called "A Dream of the Past"!!! So, look forward to it please! It will reveal many holes along with answer your questions, hopefully! So, everybody, enjoy!!!
fairytaleprincess03: Thanks so much, especially for your enthusiasm. It makes me feel as if I am doing this right. I will try to get each chapter out as soon as possible, but I really like this idea, so I want to make sure I do it right. So, so sorry for the wait. I hope it was worth it.
jisAtsU siLENcE: sorry, I have my reasons for them being apart at the moment. (winkwink) I hope my next few chapters will answer your questions, but trust me, there is a good reason behind everything I am writing. Thanks so much for your review!!!
Ladybug: Thanks so much, I really appreciate your comments! I really am evil... but I will make it up to Relena at some point, and Heero needs to get his rear end in gear in order to come after her. Who knows???
Kyoko Makoto: Thank you so much for taking the time to review my fic!!! I am glad you approve! I will try my best to get each chapter out ASAP.
Genki no Yuuki: Gee, thanks so much!!!! (blush) I don't know if it will be famous, but I am trying so hard to make this fic just right, so I hope I do get lots of feedback. So far, you have all been so great, I appreciate everyone's comments alot! Especially when the more I receive, the more I am inspired to write more! I promise though, that I won't stop as long as the interest remains high and that scene you are waiting so much for, I'd love to see that too! Thanks so much again!!!
Nubia: One of my older reviewers. I am so glad to see you are still interested in my fics, I think I have lost some interest from other older reviewers, but thanks so much for your support!!! And, you'll just have to read on to see what happens next!!! Hope you enjoy!!
AnimeBabe90: Thanks so much for your comments about my fic. I really appreciate it lots. I was so afraid that it would be boring when I submitted it to your site, but thanks so much. By the way, the rest of you out there, please help support AnimeBabe and visit her site, which is posted in her stat page, and submit some of your work, please. Thanks again AnimeBabe.
Airen 2: I was almost afraid for a while that I had lost your attention after not updating for so long. (sniffsniff) But, then you reviewed, and I made a little dance! Thanks so much for reviewing again, I always love to hear from you!!! Sorry about the confusion again! That is frustrating everyone it appears. (hides in corner) Sorry guys!! Thanks, I really love using some of the manga material too, cause there is so much there that really shows evidence of Heero and Relena's relationship and they do provide great possibilities for plots! The only one I am missing is Blind Target. (sniffsniff) Newaz, I hope you look forward to this chapter and many more, and I look forward to hearing more from you. THANKS!!!
Strawberry Hee-chan: Thanks so much for your review, but I hope you were able to hold out til now. Sorry, again for the delay! I hope you enjoy this chappy as well!!!
Daniele-Marx: Thanks for the review! I appreciate it lots!
raven: Thanks so much for reviewing my fic!!! You'll just have to read on to find out what happens to poor Relly and Heero, along with that "louse of a husband" of hers. It may take a while for me to really get this fic going, but I promise I will try to make it worth the wait!
sandy: Thanks so much for your review. I am very pleased you like my fic, and I have never been to Indiana, but sorry!
Red Lion 2: I really appreciated your reviews Red Lion, I took them to heart trust me, and after I read them, I suddenly had a strong urge to write more right then and there, so thanks bunches. You're right though, it is very fulfilling at the same time as draining! And I'll try to keep forging ahead as long as it is worth doing so! I promise I will finish this story! Thanks so much, and please enjoy!!!
angelofmayhem: sorry again that it took me so long to update, but I hop this chapter was worth your wait. Thanks bunches for your review!!!
mysticalfairy-05: Thanks so much for your review!!!! I really enjoyed reading it, especially since I completely agree with the whole Heero killing Daniel idea! But, you will have to see what happens. I hope this was worth your wait!!!
Thanks again for all of your reviews once again. Trust me when I say that the more I receive, the more I am inspired to write!!!!
Enjoy!!!
Chapter 3 Running
A.C. 202, L1: Heero's apartment
The door was open, unbolted from its hedges without reason. Heero approached the door cautiously, inspecting the damage. Strangely, there was no sign of a struggle, so only a professional could have accomplished such a feat. Heero stealthy entered the apartment with his gun cocked in his hand, but the furniture was exactly how he left it earlier that day. Nothing out of place, nothing mishappen. Peculiar would be an understatement to describe the...situation.
The soft click of glass jerked Heero's ears toward the compact kitchen. The intruder was still there, still there lingering mindlessly. Okay, so it was a very careless professional...what an oxymoron. Heero's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he rounded the corner to inch his vision into the kitchen just enough. He slowly switched the safety off to prepare to fire. The single sound did not go unnoticed, however. It was just enough to surprise the intruder, who was currently rummaging through Heero's very empty refrigerator. He knocked his head up against the top of the metal appliance with a loud thud and a familiar groan.
Heero's eyes widened as the intruder whipped around rubbing his injured head with a vengeance. Heero growled, irritably throwing his gun on the table carelessly and rolling his eyes in the entire process. "Duo! Intrusion is illegal, you know... even in the colonies."
"So is having a refrigerator with nothing to refrigerate, you know, food! Tangible substances!" Duo complained as he started to pursue the cabinets for something, anything to satisfy his weakening stomach. His eyes brightened into a vivacious hue of cobalt blue. A half-eaten bag of powdered donuts lay rejectedly in one corner.
Heero rolled his eyes again as he pulled a bottle of crown royal out of another cabinet with two glasses in between his fingers and some ice. "Cut the crap, Duo... what are you doing here and how the hell did you find me?" He slumped into one of the chairs next to the rotting, kitchen table as Duo shuffled his way on heavy feet over with white powder smudged around the line of his mouth.
"Yeah, I am doing great, Heero! Thanks for asking!" Duo joined him at the table in an overly-squeaky chair before gratefully accepting a cup of blended Sprite and Crown Royal. "Boy, that's really smooth. At least you have good taste. Where did you get this stuff by the way?!?"
Heero watched Duo intently, ignoring what he considered a rhetorical question as he sipped half-mindedly. "You haven't answered my question."
Duo glanced toward Heero whose gaze now appeared to be starring blankly toward his glass, slowly swirling the undesirable, yet intoxicating contents inside. Where would he start? How could he bring this up now, especially when his friend looked so torn, so lost as never before. There was no war to obscure that sullen look behind a cold, deadly mask now. Heero was clearly... lost. This would prove highly difficult. "Have you, um, have you spoken to Relena lately?" Duo silently cringed, shifting his feet from side to side in apprehension.
Heero's eyes darted like swift lightening toward Duo, perilous fury raging through that glare. "Get out."
That was all Duo wanted to do... really! However, he was determined to do anything, no matter how excruciating. He had to... for both Heero and Relena's sake. They both suffered so greatly. The least he could do is take a little bit of that suffering as well to relieve what he could of theirs. "Sorry buddy... I can't"
Heero suddenly slammed the glass on the table, causing several droplets of the venomous liquid to splash out. "Are you deaf, Maxwell?" He threw his body forward in haste to get out of that stifling chair, to get out of that stifling room. He was not in the mood for this. He didn't need to be reminded of the piercing pain that always shot through his body when he thought of her. "I am not talking about this, so leave."
"Not an option, Heero. I know you may care less what other people think about you, even when they care, but I can't just sit by and watch you close up into that shell that took you so long to break free from!"
Heero turned toward Duo with a cryptic expression. "You're right, I don't. I don't care about my life, what happens with my life and the people in it or lack there of. Relena is no longer part of my life, and I don't care about her or the past. Discussion terminated."
Duo shot up, knocking over his own chair to the ground, "Yes you do! Yes you do, and you damn well know it!" Duo tried to calm himself, but he had to get Heero to understand, somehow. "Heero... Relena, she's... she's in trouble."
And that was all it took. Duo watched befuddled, in complete shock, yet in subtle amusement, as Heero grabbed his jacket without another thought and headed for the door in silence. Somehow, Duo wanted to burst out giggling. "As I said before, as I continue to say: anything at all for the one you love. And she loves you, Heero, only you."
on earth....
The tiny click of a door unlocking roughly jerked Relena's ears as she shot up from her tearful position on the floor. She glanced at the digital clock quickly, which read seven o'clock, p.m.! 'I slept the whole day through!?' Her eyes gazed anxiously back toward that blasted door. "Daniel!" Relena almost yelped, but managed to contain her entirely-shocked mind. 'He's never home this early!' Never.
She watched his every movement closely, cautiously, as he smirked at her with a strange, sinister glint in his grey, nearly black eyes. Her anger was fueled by his somewhat amused outlook. "Daniel, how dare you! How dare you command Paign to lock me up in this room like some deranged animal and confine me from work!" Her eyes were ablaze with outrage and her soul was on fire, burning up inside her strained body. She shouldn't have spoken, but she did, and she was too blind to stop herself.
The cheerful look suddenly dissipated from Daniel's eyes as he turned from his wife's deadly gaze. "You needed the rest, Relena, you know that. Especially, when you fainted last night due primarily to over-exhausting yourself."
More lies, more deception. He was trying to fool her, to brainwash her from the hard-core truth, which she knew all too well. And just then, she didn't know how to react. Her stubborn pride told her to take a stand, like she once did, but the memories of bruises and scars all over her body told her not to make a sound.
"My responsibilities mean more to me than just some job, Daniel! It's my life, and you have no right to try and chain me up inside this pit hole like one of your maids... I am your wife, not your prostitute!" A rigid hand slapped a pale cheek, staining it with redness as her head was snapped sharply to the right. Hot tears fearfully trickled down her face, stinging her cheek and wetting her misshapen hair that was thrown recklessly over her face from the impact of the blow. Why did she speak? She did she always have to speak? Why did she ignore her mind's command and run her mouth?
"Yes, miss former queen, you are my wife, and as my wife, you are to honor and respect me, instead of accuse me of false assumptions that your wicked, feminine mind has conjured up. I will not tolerate an unfaithful nor disloyal wife. Is that clear?" Daniel's form loomed dangerously over her, like a serpent ready to strikes its prey. Whatever force kept him from her last night did not feel the need to save her ravaged body this night. Her body shuddered. It knew what was to come.
However, she tempted fate again as she persisted to fight, to hold her ground. "Your words are sickly twisted, Daniel. If either one of us has ever been disloyal in any way, it is you, and your distasteful passion to satisfy your lust." Relena starred deathly back to her abusive husband after roughly removing the hair from her face. She would not back down, not this night. Something new and strange told her to keep fighting, to hold on. Something was going to save her, and hope was she had left to grasp onto until that something did.
Daniel, in an outrage, crushed his fingers around her delicate wrist and forced it downward, causing her entire body to crash to the ground in a mangled heap. "You speak blasphemy, Relena, and your sins shall go unpunished. Heero Yuy is dead, and your daily thoughts of him are direct evidence of your unfaithfulness to me. Even when he was alive, he never loved you, and that's when you came crawling to me. Did you think I was blind of the reason you married me. You wanted to forget him, but your wretched mind still lingers over him, you still linger over a dead corpse instead of paying attention to what is in front of you!"
Relena felt a sick pain twist her stomach into untangable knots at the way Daniel spoke of the only man she ever found worthy enough worth loving. Anger, fury, sadness, regret: they all flooded her body at once causing her to react instantly without a moment's thought. "Maybe so, maybe you are right, and I have been wrong all this time. But, if there is anything I know to be true, it that I could never look at what was right in front of me when he was more of a man, even at seventeen, than you'll ever be!" Her mind wasn't ready for what happened next.
A wooden chair was flung in Relena's direction and whizzed just past her to crash into the mirror behind, causing shards of glass to fly everywhere, with a few piercing through her skin to reveal warm crimson. Relena winced at the sudden pain shearing through her body as Daniel stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Relena jumped as more doors slammed, including the front door. The motor of an engine flared to life outside as tires screeched down the driveway.
What had she done? She had no idea, no clue as to what to expect next. Without command, she stood up and darted out the door to get outside. She needed something pure, something fresh to cleanse her and the taste of air was the ideal cure. Ignoring her wounds, she wrapped her silk green robe around her body from the chilling air, especially with the warmth of her body slowly leaving her. She sprinted the luscious acres of green for about a mile until she found the black iron fence that caged her in, trapped from any pleasure she once knew. She grasped upon its plastic-paint surface for support to steady her breathing and racing heart.
She hated this twelve-foot fence. She cursed it and its evil purpose. It was a vain to her, and in pure outrage and the need to relieve some stress, she shook the fence roughly back and forth, letting out a scream of anguish. She let everything inside flow out of her just then, letting her pain escape for a few brief seconds.
Her hands soon weakened as she released the wretched gate. She had to get away from here, even if for a few hours. She just had to escape this place, this hell, to somewhere, anywhere. Anywhere... but here.
Relena's gaze hardened st the impossibly high gate. At five foot two, the stupid thing towered almost seven feet over her, and the bars were too slick to climb. She gritted her teeth in frustration until she saw a strong vine, a blessed thing, intertwined to the top of the gate a few feet away.
Determination set her features as she attempted to ascend the vine to the top, but evil little thorns scratched her already pierced skin. Letting out short whimpers of pain, she reached the top and climbed over to the other side with little grace. On the descent, she lost her footing and fell to the ground clumsily, spraining her ankle. Trying desperately to forget the pain, she stood unstable. She took one triumphant look toward the menacing fence before turning to limp away into the forest surrounding the Sanq Kingdom. She stuck close to the road, but kept herself well-hidden in the brush, thankful for her green robe, which further concealed her.
Relena leaned against an oak tree to rest a bit and figure out where exactly she was heading. She wanted so desperately to see her brother and sister-in-law, but there was no way she was going to let her only family see her in this condition. Going to Sally was a no. The Preventers would find out where she was and that could leak to Daniel. She wouldn't put Sally through that. Quatre and Dorothy were still on their honeymoon, or so she heard, and Duo and Hilde lived in the colonies. Then, she remembered something... something about a widely-known circus that was in town. Maybe an old comrade of Heero's was there. Trowa was his name with his sister, Cathy and recent girlfriend Middie, whom Relena met a few years back.
A familiar smell entered Relena's senses just then, the scent of rain. How she used to love that fragrance. She stood there a moment longer before a light shower fell upon the earth, seeping through her skin. She let the gentle droplets kiss her face for a brief instant before gathering her courage to find the location of the circus. She was told that it was secluded near the forest, so it was perfect for her to hide. 'Follow your emotions, Relena!'
Relena's eyes shot open, darting around her. She could have sworn she heard it. It was so distinct, so real, as if he was standing right beside her now. She shook her head to rid herself of such nonsense. Heero died. He died right before she married Daniel on a suicide mission her brother assigned him. She didn't want to believe it when the report came through that Heero was KIA, "killed in action." But, he never came back. And she never let go, never. Something in her heart told her not to, it told her to listen to the last words he said to her. 'Follow your emotions, Relena, always.' So, she pushed herself from the safety of the trunk and let her heart guide her steps. 'Follow your emotions.
in the middle of space...
Duo calmly steered one of Quatre's personal shuttles, setting a coordinate path for the next available window into the earth's atmosphere. It was an antique shuttle, the only one Quatre could spare, so he had to concentrate on manually piloting the shuttle in times when he would normally allow the computer to take over. Not that it bothered Duo, he was a fanatic for piloting antique aircraft, especially when he hated relying on machinery, and he was good at it too! Not that those skills mattered much in society today, but it was very leisurely to those who could afford it.
Duo glanced toward the man in the co-pilot's seat, who was starring intently toward the earth. He was apparently lost in deep thought and not in any mood to be trifled with. Duo's heart leapt out for his close comrade, his brother in arms. Despite Heero's cold demeanor, Duo and Heero had become basically brothers along with the rest of the gundam pilots, and even though Duo hardly knew Relena's brother, Zeches had become a to all the pilots as well, to Heero specifically. Somehow, it just seemed natural for Zeches and Heero to be brothers, since it is Heero, not Daniel, who rightfully deserves the title of being Zeches's brother-in-law.
Duo's thoughts turned to his newly-wed wife, Hilde, and the developing child within her womb. He wished to the heavens that Heero and Relena had what Duo and Hilde did, especially when those two had been through so much together, so much more than he and Hilde had. "You know... um... Hilde went to the doctor last week, and it's been confirmed. She is two months pregnant."
Duo glanced at Heero again for any kind of reaction, but much to his disappointment, though not to his surprise, Heero didn't make a single move, except to breathe. "Yeah, we don't know if it is a boy or girl yet, but I have a feeling it's a beautiful girl. If it is, what do you think of the name Trio Maxwell?"
Still no response.
"I thought Trio would be suiting since my best child-hood friend was Solo, and together we were a duo, hence where I got my name. And since Hilde, I and the bay make a trio–"
"Trio is a good name."
Duo's eyes brightened when he finally got Heero talking, but more so for his approval. 'So, he was paying attention.' "So, you are alive over there."
"Hn."
Duo groaned inwardly. So much for Heero's contribution to the conversation. Was it really constraining for him to say more than a few words, which were mostly blunt and right-to-the-point, or did he just like being an irritation to sociable people.
"Why did you come, Duo? I can handle this on my own." Heero really didn't mind Duo being there, he was accustomed now to Duo's presence. But, with Duo, there was always a mischievous reason for doing things he was unnecessary for, and this situation was just that.
Duo completely ignored the prideful scorn in Heero's tone. It usually meant that Heero was masking his emotions, so there was no point listening to him. "Because, whether you like it or not, I am your friend, and Relena is my friend too. I care about her, and right now, she is in trouble. And, besides, I would like nothing more than to crush that bastard of a husband of hers into hell."
Heero's fists clenched tightly at the very mention of the man who claimed Relena in holy matrimony. Then, Heero shot his head in Duo's direction, "Is this what this is about... her husband? She chose him, remember. There is nothing we can do to change that. Turn around."
"No." Duo wasn't going to allow Heero to run away this time, not when Relena needs him the most. The entire situation had gone on quite enough, his self-inflicted suffering, her abusive suffering. It was all going to end... somehow. "This isn't just because I hate the mention of the bastard, and this isn't just because I think the man she belongs with isn't the one she is married to. Heero, the guy is downright evil. Whenever I am at headquarters, Relena looks like a ghost of who she once was, not dead, but not alive either. And Sally, Wufei, and Lady Une have all seen more than I have. I don't know what exactly is wrong, but we all have a gut feeling that it has something to do with Guierro. You promised to protect her once, remember. You never break your promises!"
Heero's mind was racing, his heart thundering in his chest. He had promised that he would always protect her, and to this day he has never regretted nor failed to fulfill that promise. She had always been his mission, his life, and more than that, the only person he grew to love. "I can't go back. This was a mistake. She chose him... She chose him over me."
The last part was such a hushed whisper that Duo didn't know if it was just his imagination or not. No, it had to be real. It was written all over Heero's face, and in that moment, Duo swore he would never question Heero's humanity ever again. "She thinks you're dead. Everybody does, except Quatre and I."
Heero huffed. "That doesn't surprise me. That's how Zeches set it out to be. And yet, he doesn't even know that his mission failed to kill me."
"No, just put you in a coma for over six months." Duo hastily mentioned, but regretted it the moment he saw Heero's features harden once more. "Man, what happened between you and Rel?" But, Duo never recieved anwer. Heero was silent once more and soon sleep took over him.
AN: I am so sorrrry this took so long to get out. I thought I would have so much time during the summer, but turns out, I was dead wrong yet again. I hope it was worth your patience!!! I hope I can get Chapter four out soon, but I won't promise anything, since I can't follow through with those anyway. Until next time....sayoonara!!!!