Beneath The Calm Waters

By: Lirial Raito

Part 7: Opened Eyes



Shivering slightly she opened her eyes, the pain in her head gone. Relena Peacecraft sat up, unbelieving that she was in a comfortable feather bed, with luxurious sheets and blankets, and more pillows than she had ever thought of needing. Looking around her room was just as opulent, decorated in shades of maroon and silver.

- - Odd… shouldn't I be…. Dead? I wonder if this is a weird afterlife experience… - -

The room was large enough to include a full sized couch, television entertainment set, end tables set with beautiful crystal lights, and…

Relena gasped as her eyes fell upon the large plush chair sitting under the only window in the room, bathing a person in bright golden light. She had though she was alone for a moment…

"So, you're awake now, good. Hungry?" The man motioned the plate of food he had on his right side, out of Relena's direct sight.

"He… Heero? Is that really you?" She paid no heed to the offer of food in her surprise.

She quickly jumped out of bed, not noticing that she was wearing very little clothing, only a simple blue nightdress. The air in the room was warm enough for her not to notice, as Heero made no mention or reaction to her state. He did, however stand up and offer a slight smile.

"Yes, it's me." He stood solid as she flung herself at him, arms encircling tightly about his waist.

"Oh Heero! Noin told me so many awful things, and then… shot me! She even had someone called Selene who looked just like me…"

Heero rubbed her back lightly as he held her, to calm her down. He had much worse things to tell her than Noin had.

"Relena… that girl Selene is a clone of you, created for your protection. She knows this, and accepts her fate. Noin raised her, I'm sure she mentioned that, ne?"

Relena stared at Heero, eyes wide in disbelief. She tried backing away from him, but Heero caught her arm and forced her to sit near the plate of food.

"You have to know Relena, eventually you'll need to face the rest of the world. Noin and Milliardo work in shadows that you could never see, or understand. Humans haven't evolved far enough to let go of our animal instinct to fight, at least most haven't. After the battle with Marimaia, you were reinstated as Queen of Earth, in the belief that your peaceful ways could be better heard. But the people who put you in power only did so to manipulate you. With you in power, those who put you there became immune to investigation, almost immune to the law."

He knelt on the floor in front of Relena as she hung her head. The baka Duo had convinced him to show more emotion around Relena, and now he felt that doing so may be the only way to make her see things clearly.

"Milliardo, Noin and I learned that a group of delegates from South America were creating biological weapons, and new cloning technology. We didn't want to make weapons of our own in this, such things could destroy the whole world, but we did. We made our own biological weapons, our own genetic clones. And then we developed ways to counter them."

Relena sniffed slightly and looked at Heero. "What?"

He touched her hand gently.

"We developed ways to counter them. In a lab, at the Palace. We were about to destroy them when the rumors of the Sanq Kingdom started. Someone found out but… he's dead now. And then you wanted to get married, which only made the fear people were beginning to feel about the Sanq Kingdom grow. Noin and Milliardo created clones of us both, and replaced us with them. Noin didn't shoot you exactly, not to kill, just a small agent to knock you out for a couple of days. Or well… about a week actually."

Relena stared at him silently. Heero schooled his features to be emotionless once more.

"Selene and Odin went ahead and got married. You are here, safe with me. Trowa and Wufei are here too, although most people think they're dead."

Relena jumped slightly, "What?"

Heero stood back up, and appropriated a chair of his own to sit in.

"Trowa and Wufei were captured, and about to be killed, when their Gundams activated themselves and rescued them. I've no idea how this happened, but they're recovering in their own rooms. They had some nasty poisons in their systems, but are fine now. Duo and Quatre are still in the Sanq Kingdom; I'd say by now they've figured out what is going on."

Heero fell silent, and Relena stared into space. Slowly, her hand reached over to the food plate and she started to eat breakfast. - - This can't be happening… - -

= = = = = = = = = = = =

Trowa and Wufei had relocated themselves into the same room. Still feeling somewhat 'off' from the poisons they had been given, they laid together in an oversized bed, which seemed twice as large as a king sized. Both kept to the edges, as far away from contact with the other as possible.

"I wish I could see Quatre… tell him what is going on." Trowa blinked, his green eyes holding uncustomary tears within. Wufei rolled over to glare at him.

"I'm sure Maxwell can take good care of your little Quatre… or maybe their Gundams could behave the way ours did."

Trowa too rolled over, one eye peeking out from his hair. "I know Duo will take care of Quatre, but you know, I bet Quatre knows more about the Gundams behavior than we do."

Wufei shrugged with a grunt, going back to his usual silence.

Trowa did the same, for the moment enjoying what peace he could.

= = = == = = = = = = = =

Wing Zero, HeavyArms, and Shenlong stood outside the manor where their pilots where. No one could see the Gundams where they were, each employing an invisibility shield that their pilots didn't know about. They refused to talk to one another, or contact Sandrock or Deathscythe. Each stayed lost in their own thoughts…

= = = = = = =

To Be Continued:

What? You wanted to know what Gundams think? Muhahahah! Use your imagination!

The Gundams are just like their pilots… think, the Moon Kaleidoscopes from Sailor Moon… the Gundams have come alive from their pilots will! Or were they always alive? Hmm….

Next time, on Beneath the Calm Waters: Who are the Delegates out to control Relena?

What is the fate of poor Selene and Odin? And are the clones really willing to die for their real counterparts? We shall see!

Email me @ chibiraito@yahoo.com and tell me what you think the outcome should be!