A/N: Here we are: the final chapter. There will be one more posting after this containing some concluding Author's notes. Thank you all for joining me on this amazing ride. It has filled so much of my life that I really don't know what to do without it. 10 years guys...wow. Well, read on!
CHAPTER XXVI –There's No Place like Home
"This is useless Heero!" Duo screamed above the wind, "we're not going to find her like this."
"No, we're not," Heero agreed, and although he did not raise his voice its deep tones cut through the wind. He reined his horse in and turned to face Duo. "She wouldn't be walking out in a storm like this; she has enough common sense to look for shelter."
"Unlike us," Duo muttered.
"She was already gone from her room when Noin went to get her," Wufei added, "I doubt she would leave in a storm so it was likely she was long gone before it started. We have to think like her and follow in her footsteps to find her."
"It's obvious isn't it?" Duo said sadly, "she was upset at all of us, so upset she decided it was better to leave. If that's what she did then she wouldn't have headed in the direction of town where she could easily be found; she would've taken the road headed in the other direction. Our best bet is to search for any houses or shelters in sight of the road that way." Heero and Wufei were looking at him in surprise. "What?"
"Let's go," said Heero and turned his horse to follow the road leading away from town. They could see the tornado swirling far in the distance as they rode behind it. It was already starting to dissipate and lose its form, fading away into the air, but it had already done much damage; trees lay splintered and there were all sorts of flung debris on the path and fields. There was even an upturned, cracked cart lying in the grass by the road but no one was nearby. Desperately, they scanned left and right but there was nothing or nowhere Relena could've taken shelter in.
"There!" said Wufei suddenly, pointing. "What's that?"
In the distance, across one of the fields, they could make out the shapes of broken buildings and piles of debris. "That's the Weridge farm," Heero suddenly realised, "it looks like the tornado went through there."
"If it was still standing when, or if, Relena passed then she would've made for that place for shelter," Wufei guessed.
They spurred their horses and headed down the path towards the farm. As they drew closer the destruction became evident. The small farmhouse had been torn off and carried off by the tornado it seemed; there were only the foundations of the house and part of a broken frame left. The farmhands scanned the surrounding area but no trace of the farmhouse could be seen anywhere. Broken wood was scattered everywhere, however. The barn had fallen down and had been dragged across the ground a few hundred yards away by the strong winds. There was one more building, a shed that usually housed some livestock. That had also been broken and had caved in on itself as if it had collapsed from its centre. There was no sign of Relena and if she had been here then that was worrying; this place had been utterly destroyed.
"We should carry on," Duo said urgently, "she's not here." They began to turn their horses around.
"Wait," Heero stopped him with a frown. "Did you hear that?" he twisted in his seat and stared back toward the shed.
"I can't hear anything over this wind," Wufei protested, "let's get going."
"Not yet." Something seemed to bother Heero about the shed and he slid off his horse, making his way towards it. The doors were splintered and cracked. He tested his weight against them but they were blocked. The frame was collapsed and beams of wood had fallen across, hiding the view from inside. "Hey, is someone there?" he called out.
There was a pause and then a pained moan from inside. "I think someone is in here," he shouted to the others. Bending, Heero tried to peer between the wreckage. He couldn't make out anything at first, and then he saw something that stood out against the brown colour of the wood. It was a hand, a female hand at that, bruised and bloodied with cuts and scrapes. Squinting harder among the shadows he could just about make out the sleeve of a light blue checked dress. He froze at the sight of it; that looked suspiciously like…something inside his chest clenched sharply.
"I've found Relena," he shouted. Duo and Wufei came running up. Heero impatiently grabbed the beam and put all his strength into lifting it. The structure shook and rumbled as a wooden supports from within fell with a thudding crash.
"Stop Heero," Duo shouted and forcibly pulled him away, "if you do that the whole thing will collapse further and something might land on her."
"What do we do then?" Heero clenched his fists in frustration, "we have to get her out of there!"
"Don't worry we'll figure something out. We can do this." Duo attempted to pacify him. He turned towards the structure and wondered. "We just need to make a path for us to get her out right? Maybe we can use something as a lever and lift a path among the beams, like a hoist." He stepped away from the shed, searching, with Heero watching him in confusion. "Here we can use this," Duo salvaged a thick, long beam that was mostly intact. "Help me with this," he beckoned to Heero.
They picked it up and brought it over to the shed. Duo found a suitable spot by the door where wooden supports had fallen diagonally against each other blocking the way apart from a tiny opening too small for a person to squeeze through. He propped the beam underneath. Then he abruptly turned and vanished, returning with the stump of a wood cutting block. He propped the beam on top of the stump and pushed it until it was in the centre and the beam lay diagonally across it, like a seesaw. Then he pushed until the lower end of beam disappeared into the shed through the small opening, underneath piles of wood. He stood back and wiped the sweat from his forehead, "we need to push down on this end and it will hopefully hold and lift the fallen structure enough for someone to get through. Then someone has got to get in and pull Relena out of there as fast as possible because I don't know how strong this beam is and how long it can hold up the stuff in there."
"Let's do it," Heero moved forward.
"Do you have any idea where Wufei went?" Duo looked around and scratched his head, "he was here a moment ago but now he's gone. His horse isn't anywhere either."
"I don't know," Heero shrugged, "who cares? We need to get Relena out…"
"But we need Wufei," Duo bit his lip, "I can't move the damn thing on my own and I need you to jump in there so you can't be helping me push it down."
Just then there was a creak and a shelter door suddenly lifted up from the ground a few paces away. An old man wearing a dusty blue overalls and sporting a bushy grey moustache and beard peered out at them. "I thought I heard some voices," he wondered, "has the tornado gone?"
"Mister Weridge we need your help to free someone trapped in your shed!" Duo shouted urgently.
"That you Duo? Someone trapped in my shed you say?" Weridge pushed the shelter door open and climbed out, "what in heck's name was someone doing in my shed?"
"Everything will be clear in a moment sir. Push down on this block of wood with me please," Duo instructed. "Heero's going to get her while we hold it. Ready Heero?"
"I'm ready," Heero said quietly, gazing at the shed with such intensity it was if he could splinter it with his eyes.
"Push!" shouted Duo and with Weridge they put their weight on the beam and pushed it down. With an immense creak and groan the beam lifted against the fallen wood underneath the shed. The gap opened up was small and the beam acting as a lever began to strain and shake. Heero fell down on his knees and crawled through the space as fast as he could.
"My gosh the weight on this thing is damn heavy," Weridge huffed and panted.
"You gotta hurry Heero, we can't hold it long," Duo shouted.
Heero ducked and shuffled forward until he found the hand he'd spied from outside. It was attached to Relena all right, but she was hurt and there was a wound on her head, which was bleeding. He reached down and scooped her up into his arms as gently as he could. Carrying her back proved difficult. He couldn't duck and crawl back through the path he had made so easily. The going was slow. As he slowly crouched forward the wood of the shed creaked above. He managed to shuffle to the side in time as a bunch of heavy planks crashed onto the ground where he stood.
"Heero hurry up!" Duo yelled.
"I'm trying," he gritted his teeth. Jostling Relena around too much wouldn't be good either if she was hurt. The frame above him began to shake and creak. There were more noises, of wood splintering and breaking somewhere. He tucked Relena in as close and as gently to his body as he could and crouched through the opening. The shed groaned loudly and he threw himself out, twisting so he landed on his back and cushioned Relena. His legs barely cleared the building before the path behind him collapsed completely. Duo and Weridge let go of the beam and sank to the ground, exhausted.
Heero took a deep breath and looked down at Relena lying unconscious on top of him. He sat up and cradled her in his arms. She looked in a bad state. She was covered in dust and dirt as if she'd been in the midst of the tornado itself. There were cuts and bruises on her arms and legs but nothing that looked too serious, except for the wound on her head. For some reason she was barefoot and missing some shoes. Perhaps in her struggle to get into the shed she had lost them? He reached in his back pocket and drew out his handkerchief. He pressed it firmly but gently to the wound on her head and mopped up the blood. "Relena?" he whispered and brushed her hair out of her face. No response so he called her again, stroking her cheek. She stirred slowly and opened her eyes slightly. They were unfocused as they looked towards him but she smiled faintly. "My Tinman…" she whispered before sinking, her eyes closing once again.
Wufei pounded on the door as loud as he could. "Open up!" he shouted. He was about to pound it again when there was a rattling and the noise of a key being drawn in the lock. A young woman opened the door and glared at him angrily. She had curled, brown hair swept over both sides of her shoulders. "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded, "why are you hollering so?"
"I don't have time for you woman! Where's Dr Po? We need him urgently."
The woman gave him a tired look, "everyone needs Dr Po right now. Don't you know a tornado has swept through the neighbouring land? Papa is out tending the wounded."
As her words sank in Wufei looked lost for a moment, "do you know where I can find him? There's a girl, she's hurt…the tornado…"
"I'm sorry," her anger vanished and she gave Wufei a sympathetic look. "Searching for him is going to be very hard, he could be anywhere in the multiple farms and homes dotted around the countryside." Her eyes widened with a look of recognition, "oh I thought I knew you from somewhere. You're Wufei from Zech's farm aren't you? My name is Sally, I came with papa to your farm once when Noin wasn't feeling well. Do you remember?"
"Err yes," Wufei said distractedly. He didn't really remember and he was trying to think what his next course of action should be. Relena was trapped inside a building and worse, it had fallen down around her and possibly on her, there was no way she wouldn't be hurt. He was afraid.
"Is she hurt very badly?" Sally asked, realising that Wufei was really distressed.
"I…don't know," Wufei grabbed his head. "We found her and then I didn't wait to find out…I didn't want to be too late. Not like last time…"
"Hey there calm down," she grabbed his shoulder firmly. "Listen, I'm not a doctor but I am his apprentice and know a thing or two. I'll leave him a note and you can then take me to her. Maybe I can help in the meantime or at least before father arrives?"
"You sure you can help?" Wufei looked dubious.
"Do you really have a choice?" she looked sternly at him. He shook his head and followed her into the house. She scrawled a note on a piece of paper snatched from a desk in the study and left it on the table. Then she grabbed an empty doctor's bag from the cupboard and opened it out. Then she opened the medicine cabinet and paused in front of it, thinking. "No sickness here so I'll take things for physical hurts. Some gauze, dressings and salves."
"Are you done yet?" Wufei tried his best not to be impatient.
"Hold your horses," Sally snapped, "you don't want me to miss anything that might be vital for your friend do you?"
"S...sorry," Wufei stammered, stunned into silence.
"That's better," Sally nodded in satisfaction as she continued to bustle about the shelves. After another minute she closed the bag. "I'm done." She followed Wufei out of the house, locking the door behind her, and then climbed onto the back of his horse.
"Is everyone else okay at the farm?" Sally asked, holding on to Wufei tight as he spurred his horse down the path at full speed.
"Everyone else is fine. Relena wasn't at the farm, she was...somewhere else," explained Wufei, deciding to keep it brief.
"Shouldn't we be heading there?" Sally asked, "I need to get a look at her right away."
"Heero and Duo wouldn't have sat idle," said Wufei, "I know that if they got her out then they'll take her home straight away. We pass the farm on the way anyway so it's a good idea to stop there and make sure they haven't already arrived."
The white buildings of the farm house soon cropped up before them. The tornado's path had missed the farm by miles. As such, only a few fences were broken and uprooted. The barn looked as if something flung by the tornado had struck it and made a hole. As Wufei surveyed the damage Sally looked around. "They're not here?" she questioned, seeing no other horses or people around. There was a whinny in the distance and two horses appeared down the road past the farm. It wasn't long before Heero and Duo rode up on their horses.
"Wufei where were you?" Duo yelled out and waved.
"I've got a doct...I got help," he corrected mid sentence, casting Sally a look and shrugging his shoulders. She sighed.
"Let me have a look at her," she examined Relena once Heero slid off the horse. "This doesn't look so good." Sally bit her lip, "can we get her inside and I can start dealing with her wounds." Heero followed her into the house carrying Relena.
"I think we should get Zechs and Noin," Duo beckoned to Wufei.
Relena's consciousness swam slowly back into being. There were moments when she was aware and moments when there was darkness. She felt her mind grasp hold of reality and the first sensation she experienced that was solid and stable, was that of something wet and heavy on her forehead. It was lifted off of her and she became aware of a shadowy figure sitting by her. It took her eyes a few seconds to open enough to make out the lady sitting by her bedside. She was rinsing a damp cloth in some water and paused to brush back her long, jet black fringe. Relena watched her in silence, unable to believe what she was seeing. She slowly stared across the room and realised she was upstairs in a bedroom, her very own bedroom. There was her wardrobe on the right and light was streaming in from the window behind her. A chair had been propped up by the wall, beside the door, and a tall man was dozing in it, his long blonde hair hanging down over his face and past his shoulders. A blanket had been placed over him. Relena felt herself well up and sniffled loudly. That brought attention to her wakened status at once.
"Oh Relena you're awake!" Noin dropped the cloth and put her hands over her mouth, stifling her gasp. The movement of her hands knocked the bowl of water with a loud clang. It was enough to wake the other resident in the room.
"What!?" Zechs shot up, the blanket falling to the floor. His hair was dishevelled and sticking up in places. He took in the situation at once with his pale, blue eyes. "Relena!" he shouted so loud, the whole house shook with his voice. He raced over to her bedside and kneeled beside Noin.
"How are you feeling darling?" Noin brushed her cheek gently.
Relena couldn't take it. She burst into tears. "I'm so sorry I ran away! I missed you all so much! I'm so sorry I was mean to you and ran away." She tried to get up and move towards them but her head span. Noin caught her and hugged her close but very gently, as if she was afraid to hurt her, then she pushed Relena gently back down on the bed.
"Take it easy now, you were hurt but thanks to Sally you'll be okay," Noin explained.
Relena reached up to her head and felt the thick padding on one side, wincing as it tinged with the pressure of her touch. Her fingers followed the bandage round her head, then she lifted her hand in front of her face, noting all the cuts and wounds along her arm.
"You're lucky to be alive," Zechs said hoarsely, "somehow nothing heavy landed on you. It's a miracle."
"It worked then," Relena cried happily. "Well of course it worked because I'm here and seeing you all but I thought it wouldn't. I couldn't hold out and then the slippers fell off and…" she paused and moved her feet underneath the coverlet, finding them bare. "I guess they're gone. Quatre said they weren't made for this world after all so maybe that's why they left. But I made it, I made it into Kansas and it was so hard and I thought I would die or land in the Great Desert."
Noin and Zechs exchanged a worried glance. "Hush now," Noin said gently, "you're making no sense. You've knocked your head badly from the storm and you're confused."
"I'm not confused," Relena started to say and then there was a hesitant knock on the door. Three heads peeked into the room.
"Are we good to come in now?" Duo asked.
"Sure come in," Zechs beckoned them over, "but don't exert her, she's still recovering."
When the three of them stepped in Relena had a startling moment of disorientation. It was her Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion standing there and smiling at her. Lion looked a little funny though because he was standing up and missing his mane. The likeness was unmistakeable though and it made her head go in circles.
"Your three rescuers are here Relena; now there's a story and a half." Noin laughed, "did you know how brave these young men were when they heard you were missing? They went out looking for you in the storm. When they found you trapped in Weridge's shed building, why, Duo used more brains than we've ever given him credit for to clear the way to you; Heero showed amazing heart in leaping in to get you; and if Wufei hadn't braved the path back to get a doctor, we may have lost you."
"For a moment Relena we thought you had left us." Zechs drew a hand over his eyes in horror of the memory.
"But I did leave you," Relena protested. "I went far away to a place called Oz and was gone for days and days. Didn't you miss me? I went to strange lands and met all wonderful and different kinds of people. But while I was there I was in terrible danger because there was a horrible witch after me. You know her, she was Miss Gulch and she was after Toto. She was trying to get him because he was a prince and heir to the throne and she wanted to take over instead. I had the red slippers which were the only way to defeat her so I had to journey to her castle and stop her."
"She's delusional," Wufei said worriedly. "Should we call the doctor back?"
"I think you bumped your head a little hard Relena," Duo gave her a sympathetic look.
Heero was staring at her silently, as was Zechs. "You've just had a bad dream Relena," Noin shushed her gently.
"It's not a dream," Relena mumbled, clutching her head. "I was really there." She pointed at Duo, "you were there." She pointed at Heero, "you were there." Lastly, she pointed at Wufei, "and you were there too." Then she stopped and looked confused, "but wait, that's not right; you couldn't have been there, could you?"
"We see all sorts of funny things in dreams," Noin stroked her hair gently. "Our thoughts and people and everything we know gets all recycled in our heads. I really think you need to rest up now."
"Don't you believe me?" she leaned back on her bed, defeated and utterly downcast. "Doesn't anyone believe me?"
"Of course we believe you Relena," Zechs nodded encouragingly.
Relena pouted and then shook her head, "I guess it doesn't really matter does it? I made it. I'm home…" she murmured, "there's no place like home."
The doctor had advised her to rest and stay in bed until her head wound had healed and her strength permitted it. Noin cared and tended for her diligently, making her feel loved and warm inside. To her surprise, Zechs often came to check on her too, but he only ever came when she was sleeping. She had discovered it because, at one point, she was still drifting into the throes of sleep when she felt his hand rest on her head, it was a nice feeling as she wandered out of consciousness, kind of like how Quatre made her feel protected and safe. When she woke up, there was fresh water in her jug and a warm plate of food on the table beside her bed.
Duo would pop up often and keep her company, making her laugh and continuing in his usual way of regaling her with stories from around the farm. She made him tell her in full the story of her rescue, in detail. When he had finished she was astounded and had much to think about. She looked up at Duo and he was grinning at her pensive expression. She suddenly felt terribly guilty and reached out, grabbing hold of his shirt sleeve.
"You're not brainless Duo," she stated with urgent honesty, "I'm not saying that because of what you did to save me. You know I've always known you were far more clever than you make yourself out to be. I was upset..."
"Stop right there princess," Duo took her hand off his arm and squeezed it comfortingly, "it's all forgotten and swept under the carpet like the dust bunny it is. We all say words we don't mean sometimes and we wish we could take them back, I know. In truth, I was so low on self esteem that you tried to encourage me and I just couldn't see it. I tried to get you to lay off and that was really unfair on you since you were just trying to help. I should say sorry really, we never appreciated your efforts and drove you away. You nearly got killed because of us. We're just overjoyed to have you back."
"What happened is not on you or anybody here," Relena protested, "I ran away and whatever happened to me after that was on me."
"Either way," Duo shrugged, "let bygones be bygones. Look, just heal up soon and don't worry your pretty head about anything."
But it made her restless and she couldn't relax until she could speak to the others. "Please get Wufei and Heero to come visit me," she urged Duo. He was good as his word and it wasn't long after that there was a knock on the door and Wufei shuffled in uncomfortably and closed the door behind him.
"You wanted to see me?" he threw her a furtive glance.
"I heard the full story about what happened, and what you did," Relena explained with a smile, "if you hadn't brought help when you did I may not have made it."
"It wasn't anything really," Wufei waved a hand dismissively, "any fool could've realised you were bound to be hurt, trapped in the shed like that. I knew Duo and Heero could handle getting you out without me."
"So you believed in them, that was really brave of you." Relena looked up at him guiltily, "I called you cowardly because I thought you refused to open up to anyone or adapt to new things. That's not right at all, you aren't cowardly one bit Wufei. I'm sorry I called you such an unkind name."
"If you must know," Wufei softened at her apology, "Nobody was thinking about what would happen next but I knew after we got you out that would be the critical moment. it was the choice of repeating history. I've been down this road Relena and it didn't end well for me last time. It's time I learned from that mistake." Relena was stunned into silence by his confession. He continued, "yes, I refuse to accept new things or new ideas. Where I grew up everyone stood alone and had to be strong and independent, never relying on others. Perhaps it is too proud a stance to take. I've learned after the death of my wife that it is important to rely on others and to build a 'family'...of those you trust around you. If I don't trust Heero, Duo, Zechs or Noin, and try to do everything myself then perhaps we wouldn't be here right now."
It was a sobering thought but a very true one. Relena felt it also rang true of what had been achieved in Oz, the circle of trust that were her companions and how everyone built upon each other's strengths.
"You shouldn't be reflecting on such things anyway," Wufei broke into her thoughts, "rest and get better. If there's anything you ever need then you let me know; don't suffer alone anymore."
"Thank you Wufei," Relena looked at him with wide eyes, "I'll...remember that."
"Hmph yes I'm sure you will," he muttered under his breath, "women are always so demanding." He nodded his head at her, "I'll leave now and let you rest. Don't exert yourself any more thinking about useless things of what you said in the past."
"But I still need to see Heero," she protested. "I've been really horrible to him too."
Wufei harrumphed, "yes Duo told us both to come see you." He reached for the door, "I'm sure Heero will be by soon."
So she waited all day and soon the sun began to set. Noin and Zechs came up to do a final check on her and say goodnight before they went to their room. Then the lights were switched off one by one until all was silent. Heero hadn't come.
She awoke later that night and found she couldn't get back to sleep. It felt strange after spending so many nights in new places to come back to the familiar comfort of her bed. She felt alone because she was used to the small lump curled up by her feet that was Toto sleeping on the bed with her. She sighed and pushed back the covers, leaning on the bedside table in order to get up. Her head ached as soon as she stood and she felt weak in the knees. She managed to make it to the windowsill regardless, and opened the window, leaning out into the night air. The night was cool and the stars were twinkling in the sky. Were they different stars to the one she saw in Oz? She had no idea and couldn't tell the difference. She grabbed a shawl and wrapped it around her shoulders. Then, very slowly and very carefully, she climbed out onto the sloped roof. She grabbed the pipe and slid down rather clumsily than before. Once on the ground, she was so exhausted she had to sit for a few minutes and catch her breath. "Gosh that tornado really did take me out," she muttered.
After she felt strong enough to be able to stand again she got up and walked across the grass in her bare feet. She didn't want to go far so she settled on a fallen tree that had been cut away to form a log for sitting. There she leaned back and watched the stars in the sky while enjoying the cool breeze on her face.
"What are you doing out here?"
She looked to her side and found Heero standing beside her log, staring down at her. He wasn't angry but looked concerned, and worried. "I couldn't sleep," she confessed. "I take it you're out here too because you're in the same predicament. Nothing's changed," she laughed. He didn't reply and seemed to tense up. "I wasn't about to run away again if that's what you're worried about," she reassured him. "I just wanted to look at the stars a little better. You going to join me?"
He hesitated and then, when she patted the bench beside her invitingly, he shook his head ruefully and sat down. She snuck a glance toward him as he stared up at the night sky and steeled herself. "Why didn't you come to see me?"
He didn't answer at first. Then he let out a drawn breath softly, "I didn't think it was a good idea."
"You didn't want to talk to me?" she looked sad.
"I didn't say that," Heero threw her a weary look, "whatever you have to say can wait. You just escaped a tornado Relena, can you focus on getting better first? You shouldn't even be out here."
"I can't wait," she protested, "you put yourself in a lot of danger trying to get me. I need to tell you..."
"I don't want to hear it," he cut her off sharply and the words died on her lips. She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment and he seemed to scrutinise her at the same time.
"If you want to talk so much maybe you can answer me something," he asked suddenly.
"What is it?" her heartbeat quickened for some reason, like a forewarning.
"What does tinman mean?" he wondered.
She jerked and looked at him in alarm, "where did you hear that?"
He gave her a level stare, "you called me that when I got you out. I don't think you were fully conscious though…"
"I don't remember…" she confessed. Had she really called him Tinman to his face? If she was out of it then it was very likely she could have, they did seem very much the same. "Like you said I was probably delirious," she dismissed, wondering how to even begin explaining.
"But doesn't it mean anything to you?"
Then, for a brief moment, she wondered if she should tell him the truth. It was the name of a person back in Oz who was built by a tinsmith and looked remarkably similar to him. He had wanted a heart so badly and to be like others; to defy that he was built to do the bidding of a man and never have a will of his own…but she found that she couldn't speak because he would probably think she was out of her mind.
"It's a name I made up," she explained, feeling a pang as she lied. "I wasn't thinking straight and it just came out."
"Is it because I'm 'heartless'?" Heero wondered. She looked at him, startled. "Tin is a metal, cold and lifeless. People say I can be cold sometimes. I don't mean to be but it's the only way I know how to live."
"You're not heartless Heero," Relena said guiltily; she hadn't meant to hurt him. "I wasn't thinking when I said it before; I'm sorry."
"That's why you wanted to see me," He looked away. "Don't apologise; I am heartless and it comes easy to me."
"I don't know," Relena tilted her head at him, "maybe on the surface you seem like you are but inside you follow your emotions. You care about everybody Heero. You wouldn't have rescued me like you did if you didn't care. when I was gone I felt like you were searching and searching for me."
"We were searching for you," Heero looked confused.
She shook her head. It still baffled her how no time seemed to have passed between her departure and return. Did time work that way between worlds? Treize must have known about this if he had travelled between worlds? Perhaps hours had passed here and yet she was sure she had spent days in Oz. It felt like she had spent an age in Oz in fact. "Not like that," she eventually offered when she realised Heero was looking at her with further curiosity. "I mean…well I guess I'm trying to say…" then she sighed, "never mind, you'll never believe me."
"I'd believe you," he said quietly.
"Yeah," she rolled her eyes, "like everyone else."
"Not like everyone else," he corrected, "I'd believe it because you've changed." He drew his face close and peered at her closely with a frown. It was a little intense seeing those blue eyes boring into hers. "You seem different somehow, wiser or older maybe."
Wow he really had good perception skills. He brushed her fringe away and then drew back. Relena let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Maybe I'll tell you one day," she smiled playfully.
"I'll hold you to that," the corner of Heero's mouth lifted in a smile. It disappeared in a flash when she shivered slightly. "You should get back; it's cold."
"I don't think I'm strong enough to climb back up the pipe to my room," she admitted, blushing with embarrassment.
"I'll hoist you up, come on." Heero stood and held out his hand. She took it. It was warm and completely encased hers. It felt nice. Together, they walked back to the house.
It wasn't long before she was healed up enough to leave her bedroom and get out for some fresh air, officially and not sneakily. The wounds scattered all over her body were beginning to fade away and, thankfully, there was no scarring. It did give a moment of silent reflection, staring at her image in the mirror, to realise what a narrow escape she'd had. The deepest wound was inflicted to her head and that was very lucky too, for there could have been some internal damage. There might be a slight scar with that one though, Sally and the doctor had told her.
She stared out of the window and wondered what everyone was doing back in Oz. How would they ever know if she had made it safely? She had no idea. Sighing, she got up and went to her wardrobe. Her fingers traced over the dresses, pausing for a second on the light blue checked one, before she moved on to a green one. She pulled it out of the wardrobe with a faint smile.
When she went downstairs, she found Zechs in the kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee. He put his cup down and beckoned her to come and sit with him. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Better," she beamed. "I feel cooped up in the house so I want to get out for some fresh air."
"Don't push yourself," Zechs took another sip. "Keep to the farm and if you get tired, head back. In fact, I'll get Heero or Duo to keep an eye out in case something happens."
"I think I'll be fine Zechs," Relena laughed. "You don't need to worry so much about me, I'm not a little girl."
He seemed to become uncomfortable, "yeah about that. I think I keep thinking of you as the little baby sister I said goodbye to when I left home. I'm starting to realise you're becoming a young woman now and, well, I'm sorry if I haven't been treating you like I should."
She blinked at him in pleasant surprise. "I think I've got a few of my own confessions to make. I shouldn't have been as harsh as I was when I first came to stay with you. I think it had been so long since we'd seen each other it was hard not to build up expectations and then find myself unable to adapt when they didn't turn out exactly as expected."
"It's understandable," Zechs reasoned. "You'd been through a great loss and this was a new place and there were a whole lot of 'new' things to get adjusted to." He drained his cup and headed for the sink to rinse it out. "I built up the same expectations after all. I was absolutely terrified about how we should be around each other, and then Noin convinced me to be 'normal' and act like myself. My attempt at 'normal' resulted in me remaining the same way I was with you when we were children, and that ended up pushing you away."
"I think we understand each other a lot better now though," Relena said happily, "I think it'll be a lot easier from now."
"I am still going to be protective of you though," Zechs frowned as he finished rinsing his cup and placing it on the sideboard. "I'm sorry if that makes you mad but I can't…not be. You're not a baby but you're still my little sister; the most precious thing in the world to me. Now that our mother and father are gone from this world you're all I have left on this Earth." He closed his eyes in pain, "I swear Relena, when we thought we'd lost you to the tornado…I'm not really a God fearing man but I had my doubts when I thought you were gone. I don't know how I'll ever repay those boys for getting you back."
Relena stood up slowly. The sound of the chair scraping against the floor as it moved back made Zechs turn around. His eyes opened wide in surprise as Relena came towards him and put her arms around him. "You can be as protective as you want," she conceded. "I'll be sure to tell you when it becomes too much for me. I will do my best not to do anything like that again and put you through so much pain. No matter what happens or how far apart we are I'll always be your sister Zechs."
He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head, "I'm glad." He let go of her and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "now go off and get that fresh air of yours."
She grinned and raced out. The sun cast its warm light across her face and the air smelled good. She took a deep breath and let it out with a loud, contented sigh.
A few months later…
Dear Toto,,
I don't know why I keep writing these letters because I have no way to post them to you. I guess, like a diary it's somewhere I can form my thoughts and spend some time to remember you and everyone in Oz. I'm pretty much healed up now since my return to Kansas and feel at my full strength. A lot of things have changed around the farm since I've come back. Zechs is actually taking some of Duo's suggestions on board now. The story of how he came up with the idea to get me out of the shed has made him realise that Duo is actually quite clever. In fact, Duo seems to be adept at fixing things, especially of a mechanical nature. Zechs thinks it might be a good idea to get him apprenticed so he can become some sort of mechanic.
Heero's opening up a lot too. I never realised it before but Zechs seems to have a lot of hope for him to follow in his footsteps. Perhaps they'll start scouting out to either expand the farm or maybe buy another one close by which Heero can manage. I think Heero sometimes feels it's too much, the responsibility or the hope Zechs places in him. I tell him I think Zechs sees a little of himself in you, and I tell him to relax and just go with his emotions. He's getting better at the emotion thing.
Wufei seems to be a lot calmer and nicer to women. He's opened up a lot about his wife and seems to be finally moving on from her loss. Sally often pops around to say hi; since she's tended to me she seems to feel responsible for all of us. Oh yes! That reminds me: The doctor visited yesterday with Sally to check on Noin. He announced the good news; I'm going to be an aunt! We were all overjoyed. Zechs was a little stunned and hasn't said a word for a couple of hours but I think that's just his way of expressing happiness.
Since I last wrote to you Zechs received a letter from Treize. It talked about how he'd disappeared because he finally decided travelling was his life and he didn't think he would be coming back this time. There was a small note addressed for me in there. It didn't talk about Oz or our adventures in any way, perhaps because Treize knew addressing a letter to me would look suspicious and would definitely be looked at by other eyes, namely Zechs. He mentioned only that he'd heard what happened and felt terrible about Miss Gulch taking away 'your puppy'. He'd gone after her and tracked her down to the far reaches of North Carolina where he'd found out that he'd been put in a special home with lots of other dogs that had special needs. He was living out his life comfortably with people who knew how to handle him. Treize is excellent at spinning his stories but I didn't realise why he wrote such a thing until I saw Zechs' face light up. I never realised he had the guilt of Toto still riding on him and looming over his head. He even offered to take me on the long journey to get him back but I told him I thought it was the best place Toto could be. Of course Treize was probably relying on me to say that. I would've said that letter wasn't really meant for me at all but was really for Zechs but then Treize goes on to mention at the end, "We're glad you're home and all's well. Remember the other end of the rainbow and don't forget." Zechs was totally confused, especially at the subtle hint of 'we' but just put it down to Treize being his cryptic self.
I haven't forgotten you, or Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion and Hilde. Sometimes I try to imagine what would be going on in Oz right now. Toto, you'd be learning how to be a good king, listening to Scarecrow's advice and consulting him on all matters related to the kingdom. Hilde wouldn't be too far from Scarecrow, finding excuses not to leave his side. Tinman would be in the West, establishing a home for the tin constructs and teaching them about compassion and how to live their lives well. Lion would've started training the King's guards. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever see them, or you, again. Will I ever return to Oz? I guess that might be impossible without the red slippers. Perhaps I could construct a balloon of my own one day and fly over there? Maybe not today or soon though, I'm still too happy and grateful to be home again, and now there's going to be a new arrival in the family I can't wait to see him or her.
But look at how our lives have changed. It's amazing how the arrival of a single twister changed it so much. I would argue it was your arrival but everyone here sees the twister as the big event that turned us all around. Through you, I learned where my home was. I also learned it's not a single place but you make a home in your heart. It never leaves you no matter how far you go and it's always there to welcome you when you come back to it. The journey has been tough but I made it and I know it now; there's no place like home.
FIN
A/N: Character equivalents:-
Weridge: Another farmer in Kansas, owns a smaller plot of land compared to Zechs :)
Sally Po: The daughter of the local doctor, apprentice to becoming a doctor herself