Here it is! The final chapter before the Epilogue! T.T I am so sad! I loved writing this so much!
Thank you to everyone who reviewed last time! They meant the world! I am going to update Toxicity soon to everyone who is reading that as well...
Thank you too...
Kitsune-001: Well... I might be evil... I might not... you just gotta read on to see!
tilitharis: Thank you! I am glad you like this story. It makes me happy!
Perfection's Scream: I am sorry that the plot is frustrating. But, it is now coming to a close so hopefully that solves things!
Lethal-Siren: I laughed when I read the 'who killed Kenny' comment. That was funny.
Prince Kaz: Yeah that is why she went. If Minako wasn't there to witness it, and I chose Minako because Relena had shone the most hate towards her besides Rei, then her death wouldn't have been revered as 'honorable' as I would have liked it.
ChanLari: I am glad you want a sequel. I don't want the story to end yet!
AutomatesRose: Yay! I know someone who will read the sequel already! Thank you!
Rena H.M.: Well... I guess we will have to wait and see...
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING
Chapter Nineteen: Serenity
Heero looked down at his chest, his eyes growing big at the sound of the fire. He waited for the pain, waited for the impact of the hot metal colliding with his body. But, it never came. He heard Duo gasp, making him look up to the sight before him.
Leonardo's gun dropped to the ground, making a loud thud as it resonated throughout the room. The general looked to Heero, his eyes impassive and his words slurred.
"Fate is a funny thing." With that he fell, landing on top of his gun and at Heero's feet.
"Oh my God." Minako exclaimed, her voice getting louder as she spoke. "Rei-chan!"
The brunette looked to the door, his heart hurting as he saw his savior. She stood at the door, both hands holding her pistol in front of her. Blood trailed down her arm and stained her face; her bare feet littered in dirt and cuts. Her once white tank top was now red and her pants torn, violet eyes and facial expression stern with relief.
As the blonde ran to her, Rei fell against the door frame, sliding down the wall and crumpling to the floor. Her pistol tumbled out of her hand and her head lay against the hard wood, her eyes barely open.
"Rei! What happened to you?" Minako looked at her arm and face, but the girl did not respond. Heero soon came bounding to her side, holding her head in his arms.
"Rei… Rei! Don't go to sleep on me!" Heero shook her slightly, making her eyes open wide for a moment. She still sat unresponsive, her eyes looking around at everyone around her.
"We need to get her out of here."
"What about the rest of the soldiers?" Quatre asked while looking at Rei's arm. Minako stood and looked into the hallway, not seeing any moment.
"I don't think there are any more." Minako popped the clip out of Rei's gun, seeing it empty. "I think Rei handled it for us."
Heero picked Rei up, cradling the semi-conscious woman in his arms. "Let's go. We will get one of the planes and fly out. I bet that is where Sally Po went."
Rei woke up to a beeping monitor, needles sticking in her arms and hands. She noticed a bandage on her right arm and could feel the comfort of gauze on her forehead, letting her know she was indeed alive.
Her eyes scanned the room, looking at all the machines and trinkets. On the left hand side of her bed she could see a door with a small window, nurses' running back and forth in the outside hallway. She turned her aching head to the right to see a window and a small couch, but that wasn't all.
On the small couch sat Minako, Trowa, Hotaru, Quatre, and Heero, each of them piled in and asleep. She could hear someone snoring faintly and noticed right away it was Minako.
Minako's hand was bandaged as well as her knees, a small, red blotch being seen through the gauze. Trowa seemed relatively alright, no bandages or anything. Hotaru had a bandage around her leg from where the Legion soldier shot her. Quatre and Heero both had one bandage on their upper arms, but nothing major.
She smiled a little, wincing as the corners of her mouth turned upwards. She raised a needle plagued hand to touch her face, meeting a large bandage and a sting. Damn it. I don't even remember what happened.
About that time she looked out her window, looking at the tree branches and the sun set. It made her breath a sigh of relief, knowing she was able to survive and see something that beautiful again.
"Rei?" The black haired girl turned to see Minako staring at her, the girl's eyes swollen and red. "Are you awake for real this time?"
"Uh, I think so."
Minako nodded and smiled, walking over to Rei's side and holding her hand. "Do you remember anything?"
"No." Rei yawned and made an attempt to stretch, but soon gave up when she began to get leg cramps. "Is it all over?"
"Yes. It is done. Hotaru told us what happened when they found you in that room." Minako smiled a bit. "She said that Jocelyn came."
Rei smiled at the memory of the girl who saved her, her little hands as they gripped her arm and face as she wept. "Yeah, she did. She also told me Relena died."
The blonde didn't speak for a minute, just stared at Rei's white bed sheets. "It was an honorable one. She faced the mark of death, wanting to atone for what she had done. I got to hear her confession, and now I get to relay the story to officials and family."
"Sad part is, I will never get to tell her thank you."
"Thank you?"
"Yeah, thank you." Rei smiled and her eyes shone, a new twinkle being present. "She didn't have to do that, knowing that her end was imminent. She could have just kept going the same course and then apologized later. But, she didn't. She took a risk… and is completely forgiven by me."
Minako gave her a soft smile, rubbing Rei's hand with her thumb. "He is really worried about you, you know." She nodded her head in the direction of the sleeping Heero who was currently having issues staying on the couch. "He never leaves this room."
At the mention of the brunette, Rei smiled, feeling a warm tint coming to her cheeks. She couldn't help it.
"Duo and Ami should be back pretty soon. They went to the pharmacy to get Duo some more pain relievers."
Rei quirked an eyebrow, making her forehead hurt a little. "Why?"
"He broke his arm."
"WHAT?! How did he manage that?" Rei exclaimed, keeping her voice at a whisper.
"Well, when we went to the plane hangar and began to board, Duo tripped on the way up the stairs." Minako tried her hardest not to laugh, but found it too amusing to hold it in. "I am really terrible for laughing."
"It's ok, I probably would have laughed too if I had seen it." The black haired girl looked towards the machines surrounding her. "What is all this crap? I can't be in that bad of a condition."
The blonde picked up a clipboard beside Rei's bed, looking at the papers on it. "Well, let's see… you had a concussion, which was the cause of a minor brain aneurysm. That was what made you to pass out."
"Ah."
"You also had a large amount of blood loss, hence the bandages." Minako flipped to the next page. "You were dehydrated and as a result, you got a kidney infection."
Rei began to look irritated. "Is it done yet?"
"Nope!" Minako smiled and went to the last page. "You have an outer skin infection on your right foot from walking around barefooted."
"That wasn't my fault! I didn't have any shoes!"
"Well, you still got it sister." She picked up a tray with six bottles on it. "These are all your medicines!"
"NO! I refuse to take them!"
"You will take them." The door to the room was opened, revealing Ami and Duo walking in with a small, white bag. "I will make sure of it."
"Ami-chan! Duo-chan!" Rei exclaimed, her eyes gazing to Duo's arm, which was now in a cast. "Way to go, Shinigami."
He fidgeted a bit and began to blush, giving her a small smile. "I try."
"Makoto and Wufei will be here momentarily. They went to go get everyone food." Ami announced, setting the bag down on the table by the couch.
"Wufei actually went?" Rei asked, not exactly sure if she should believe her.
"Yeah! Wu-man has a thing for Mako-chan." Minako chimed, waking up the other sleeping figures on the couch. She flashed her V for victory sign and grabbed Trowa's hand to pull him up. "Wake up, sleepy head!"
"Uhhh..." Trowa mumbled, opening his heavy eyes. It was quite obvious that Minako had not let him sleep much. He turned his head slowly and saw Rei sitting up in the hospital bed, a small smile present on her face. "Hello, Rei. How do you feel?"
"Great." She motioned to the machines with her head, sarcasm dripping from her words. "I love these things."
Hotaru and Quatre both stood up at the same time, but Hotaru certainly made it to Rei first, jumping on top of the bedridden girl and enveloping her into a hug. Rei hugged her back and smiled, rubbing her back with her needle stuck hand.
"Rei-chan! I was so scared!" Hotaru ignored the throbbing in her leg and continued to hug her friend. "When he took you away I was so scared!"
"It's ok… I am here and alive." Rei pulled out of Hotaru's grasp, looking at her to smile. She wanted to reassure her that she was ok. "I promise!"
The girl smiled back and gently crawled out of Rei's bed, not wanting to disturb the machinery any more than she already had. Quatre soon wrapped his hand around the small girl's waist, giving her a caring squeeze.
"It is good to see you well, Rei."
"You as well, Quatre."
Around Quatre and Hotaru, Rei could see the person she really wanted to see, his body leaned over and elbows on his knees. He looked at her intently and gave her a weak smile, showing her that he was indeed relieved.
Minako didn't fail to notice. Feeling that they needed some alone time, she quickly ushered everyone out of the room, leaving the two at peace. He watched everyone go, each them filing out of the door. Heero could have sworn he saw Duo give him a 'thumbs up' and a goofy grin.
"Hey." He greeted, walking over to her bedside and grabbing her hand. It truly hurt him to see her bound by these cords and needles, her fiery spirit confound by these bonds. Despite all this, she squeezed his hand harder, giving him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.
"Hey. What's going on?"
He laughed a little, liking her carefree question. "Nothing. We have all just been waiting around for you to wake up."
"How long was I out?"
"Hm…" He looked to the ceiling for a minute, thinking about the past days. "Four days, I think."
Rei's eyes grew wide, her mouth dropping. "Holy shit! I am so sorry!"
Heero just grinned, looking at her worried expression. "Don't be. We didn't mind at all. We all love you, Rei."
We all love you? We…?
"You were really scaring everyone. Minako had a few dreams were she thought you woke up."
"That would explain her asking me that."
Heero gave her a confused expression. "Asking you what?"
"If I was awake 'for real'."
There was a silence shared between them, only the beeping of her monitors and the pulses of their hearts giving off noise. Both of them had so much to say, but had no idea where to begin explaining it. Heero had promised himself that he would make it known to Rei how he felt, but now that the time had come, he couldn't figure out what to say.
For the past few days he had thought over it all, watching her still form lay. It took him awhile to finally reach the conclusion that he didn't know where to begin because there was no where to begin. His feelings for her were infinite, and something he couldn't very well comprehend. He had tried searching for a starting point, but had failed at every trial.
"I am sorry."
Rei looked at him questioningly, tilting her head to the side for a moment. "What for?"
"Everything." He turned his head down, closing his eyes. "I couldn't protect you. I didn't stay at home so I could fight for you. I have failed at everything I hoped to ever achieve."
Rei couldn't say anything, his words hitting her like boulders. She hadn't expected this in the slightest, for there was no reason for him to apologize. He had done nothing wrong in her eyes.
She sat up in her bed, putting a hand under his chin and turning his gaze towards hers. She gave him a warm smile, but inside was crying because of the sadness in his eyes
"Heero, you didn't know… You performed your duty. You did exactly what you were supposed to do, exactly what I would have done in your situation. Before you met me, you made a commitment to uphold the contract to the Preventor's. I don't expect you to forget that because of me."
With these words, Heero wrapped her in a hug, holding her as if his life depended on it. "Well, I am ready to make a new commitment."
He pulled away from Rei and looked her in the eyes, touching her face with his hand. "To you."
As they leaned forward to kiss, Heero smiled, stopping for a moment. He slipped something in her hand, making her advert her gaze down towards the object. It was her gun. She thought she left it at Headquarters.
"I believe you lost this, My Perfect Soldier..."
It was then Rei and Heero forgot about everything else. They forgot about the fighting, the hospital, and all the hurt. All they were focused on was them, holding each other in their arms and crying tears of happiness. As a light rain pelted the window, replacing the warm sun, the two could be seen kissing softly on Rei's hospital bed with no cares in the world…
WAH!!!!! Next time is the Epilogue. I have already decided to write a sequel, so prepare for that as well!
Dun dun DUNNN!!!!! Jocelyn appears AGAIN next time! We finally get to see what is up with that child!
Xx Lady Xiao xX