Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, and I do not claim to. So Don't sue.
Author's not: This chapter is not like chapter one, it does not contain that sort of graphic content. Although here is where the fluff starts. Heero is OOC, but I did that on purpose.
Internal Warfare
Chapter 2: An Unbearable Burden
Relena stared at the red oak table she was sitting at, bored out of her mind. Around the table were Duo, who stared intently at a laptop screen, Trowa, who like her was bored and staring at the ceiling, and Quatre who was drinking tea, also staring off into oblivion. A light breeze blew through the open window, it made Relena's golden hair gently lift from the table, then fall back down. She looked up for a moment, and scanned the room, taking a moment to pause and look at each person sitting with her carefully, then back at the table. A commotion slowly arose from the hall. The sound of voices echoing off the walls as they approach. Nearer and nearer the voices came until they entered the room. Everyone in the room looked up, even Duo who had been staring at that screen for hours.
As they entered the room each became silent. Wufie entered first and sat next to Trowa, across from Relena. Then, Heero entered, still in the same cloths from the conference yesterday. He looked pail, as though he had not slept in a few days. He sat between Relena and Quatre, on her right. Then entered Milliardo, Relena's older brother. He slowly sat himself on Relena's other side, drooping slightly in his seat, but continuing to glare at Heero through the corner of his eye. Everyone remained quiet for a moment until Pagan entered with tea for all. Each took a glass gladly.
"It would be so much easier if you would just tell us who is behind this, Yuy." Milliardo broke the silence after a moment.
Relena turned her head toward Heero to see if his expression would change, it didn't, but she saw his hand begin to tremble. Apparently he had noticed it too, he quickly put the tea down and moved his hand to his lap. Relena looked around, but it appeared as though she had been the only one to see it.
"The burden of truth will be mine alone." Heero stated calmly. Relena reached her hand over and gently took his trembling hand in her own. He didn't pull away for a moment, just squeezed back, then abruptly pulled away as though he had realized his laps in judgement. Relena returned her hand to her own lap, defeated, but continued to look at him.
"But maybe you can't handle something of this much importance alone." Duo said, a serious expression on his face. "This affects the whole world Heero, not just your little science department."
Heero's head looked up and he gave Duo a dangerous looking glare. "I'm aware of that Maxwell, but what if you found where they're hiding this instead of me. Would you know how to transport it? Or destroy it? If you don't know what your doing this stuff is LETHAL. And it is my duty alone to take those kind of risks." He looked away. And under his breath, in a voice barely audible, but was heard by all, he said, "I will atone for this sin, alone."
********
Relena couldn't sleep; it was nearly two in the morning and still her eyes refused to shut. The soft glow from the moon cascaded over her as she stood, finally tired of lying down with out sleeping. She sighed aloud. "May God have mercy on us all, through these hard times." she prayed quietly. She decided a walk in the garden would do her good. The garden always helped to clear her head, and she knew that whenever she talked to God, things were worse off than she allowed others to believe. As she exited the house she closed her eyes as the cool breeze washed over her. As she stepped onto the grass in her bare feet, she reveled in the feeling of the dampness of it. He silky gown bellowed around her as she spun in the moonlight her head tilted upward. She stopped spinning and headed into the garden, finding her way to where the path was lined with lilacs. She loved lilacs and spent a lot of time here in silent contemplation. Many had inquired about her unique perfume that
smelled so wonderful of lilac. As she looked along the path she saw someone in the small clearing by the pond. She could only see the faint outline of a man, as that was all that the moon would permit. She walked cautiously up the path, approaching the figure slowly. Upon reaching the edge of the clearing she could see him better. His back was to her, and he hadn't seemed to sense her presence, his hands though not clenched, trembled. She heard a choking sound. The sound one makes when sorrow overcomes you. He fell to his knees as his entire body began to tremble and he began to sob into the hand he managed to move to his face. Relena forgot her self in that moment and ran to the man and took one knee in front of him. As he brought his tear-streaked eyes to her, she wanted to make all the sorrow go away. It was Heero. The man with no feelings was sobbing freely and seemed to be unable to stop even now that she had made her presence to him known. In an instant he wrapped his
arms around her neck and cried into her hair. She heard herself choke and begin to cry for him. She stroked his back in a comforting manner as she wrapped her arms around him. He responded by burying his face further into her hair and sobbing louder, comfortable in her care.
After a while, his sobbing quieted and his grip slacked as his muscles relaxed and the trembling stopped. Relena felt her heart cry out when he pulled away from her, she wanted to stay in his arms longer, though only an instant later, she was already longing to be back in contact with him. He wiped the tears from his eyes harshly, and looked at her through clear vision. He reached his hand out, and in the lightest of touches, wiped her tears away as well. He did not break eye contact with her or move at all. After a moment he spoke. His voice ragged from his crying, "Thank you." he whispered, voice breaking slightly. At this she wanted to cry again but she held her face firm, nodding silently. He slowly stood and took her hand into his own. The sun had just begun to rise and a golden glow washed over both of them. He led her back to the mansion and to her room. He opened her door for her but did not enter. She walked slowly around him and into her room. Then she turned to
face him.
"Goodnight." he said in a whispered tone, but not as ragged as before. He brought his hand to her face for a moment and stroked her cheek. Slowly he moved closer to her, taking a step into her room. His lips touched hers so lightly at first that she had barely been able to feel it, but after a moment had gotten slightly deeper. She had never known him to be so gentle. Her hands found his back again and she pulled him closer. He didn't protest and leaned in, deepening the kiss still. Then slowly again, he began to pull away, her head screamed out for him but she stood still, letting him turn around and walk away without a word. She took a deep breath and smiled as a tear formed in her eyes. She turned around and shut the door. Soon she was asleep, having found a new peace to sustain her. It was now nearly five in the morning and even though she knew she would get no more than two hours of sleep, she would enjoy the sweet dreams she knew would come.
*******
The pounding on her door woke her up suddenly. Relena stretched as she sat up in bed and glanced at her clock. Whoever was at the door continued to slam their fist against it as he yelled her name. The clack read 11:08 ((AN: That's my lunchtime at school. lol)). She was shocked. "But oh, what a nice dream." She whispered softly as she got out of bed and opened the door. Her brother stood on the other side of it, completely red in the face with screaming. "Good morning Milliardo." She said with a yawn.
"Well good morning to you too missy." He said, calming himself. "You missed four meetings already before someone told me you weren't at work." He walked over to her as she gazed out the window in silence. He looked at her questioningly for a moment, then placed his hand on her shoulder. This seemed to knock her out of her reverie.
"Oh, I'm sorry Milliardo, what were you saying?" she asked her cheeks stained red for a moment with embarrassment.
He sighed, "There was a very important reason why I had called your office looking for you Relena."
"And what would that be?" her attention immediately and fully was on her brother.
"I wanted to know if you knew where Heero was." He said quietly. "He wasn't here when I awoke this morning and I called his associates at USAMRIID, none of his staff has shown up for work today."
She got a far off look in her eye as her chest began to ache. Something was wrong and she could feel it. "I have no idea." She said, making eye contact with him again. "Why were you looking for him?"
Milliardo looked around to make sure no one else was in earshot, then he leaned in and whispered, "Because Colony representative Starlen has just crashed and bled out this morning."
**********
Heero awoke in a cold place. He was lying on the ground, which seemed to be made of cold stone. He did not open his eyes, or show any sign of being awake. He wasn't alone in this room. He could hear the soft breathing of three others. Two, he could tell, were awake. They were whispering as softly as they could. But still, their voices echoed off the walls. He could tell that one was male, and on was female. The third was either still unconscious, or chose not to talk. He opened one eye slightly. Looking through his eyelashes. The room was dark, though it had a light fixture hanging from the ceiling. He recognized the three people immediately. The two awake were Carol Hews and Samuel Decon, and the third was Robert Kent. These three were his team at USAMRIID.
Author's Note: Cliffhanger! I love reviews, so go ahead and write something, even if it's criticism. Chapter three will take a little bit longer to get out, so be patient.
Author's not: This chapter is not like chapter one, it does not contain that sort of graphic content. Although here is where the fluff starts. Heero is OOC, but I did that on purpose.
Internal Warfare
Chapter 2: An Unbearable Burden
Relena stared at the red oak table she was sitting at, bored out of her mind. Around the table were Duo, who stared intently at a laptop screen, Trowa, who like her was bored and staring at the ceiling, and Quatre who was drinking tea, also staring off into oblivion. A light breeze blew through the open window, it made Relena's golden hair gently lift from the table, then fall back down. She looked up for a moment, and scanned the room, taking a moment to pause and look at each person sitting with her carefully, then back at the table. A commotion slowly arose from the hall. The sound of voices echoing off the walls as they approach. Nearer and nearer the voices came until they entered the room. Everyone in the room looked up, even Duo who had been staring at that screen for hours.
As they entered the room each became silent. Wufie entered first and sat next to Trowa, across from Relena. Then, Heero entered, still in the same cloths from the conference yesterday. He looked pail, as though he had not slept in a few days. He sat between Relena and Quatre, on her right. Then entered Milliardo, Relena's older brother. He slowly sat himself on Relena's other side, drooping slightly in his seat, but continuing to glare at Heero through the corner of his eye. Everyone remained quiet for a moment until Pagan entered with tea for all. Each took a glass gladly.
"It would be so much easier if you would just tell us who is behind this, Yuy." Milliardo broke the silence after a moment.
Relena turned her head toward Heero to see if his expression would change, it didn't, but she saw his hand begin to tremble. Apparently he had noticed it too, he quickly put the tea down and moved his hand to his lap. Relena looked around, but it appeared as though she had been the only one to see it.
"The burden of truth will be mine alone." Heero stated calmly. Relena reached her hand over and gently took his trembling hand in her own. He didn't pull away for a moment, just squeezed back, then abruptly pulled away as though he had realized his laps in judgement. Relena returned her hand to her own lap, defeated, but continued to look at him.
"But maybe you can't handle something of this much importance alone." Duo said, a serious expression on his face. "This affects the whole world Heero, not just your little science department."
Heero's head looked up and he gave Duo a dangerous looking glare. "I'm aware of that Maxwell, but what if you found where they're hiding this instead of me. Would you know how to transport it? Or destroy it? If you don't know what your doing this stuff is LETHAL. And it is my duty alone to take those kind of risks." He looked away. And under his breath, in a voice barely audible, but was heard by all, he said, "I will atone for this sin, alone."
********
Relena couldn't sleep; it was nearly two in the morning and still her eyes refused to shut. The soft glow from the moon cascaded over her as she stood, finally tired of lying down with out sleeping. She sighed aloud. "May God have mercy on us all, through these hard times." she prayed quietly. She decided a walk in the garden would do her good. The garden always helped to clear her head, and she knew that whenever she talked to God, things were worse off than she allowed others to believe. As she exited the house she closed her eyes as the cool breeze washed over her. As she stepped onto the grass in her bare feet, she reveled in the feeling of the dampness of it. He silky gown bellowed around her as she spun in the moonlight her head tilted upward. She stopped spinning and headed into the garden, finding her way to where the path was lined with lilacs. She loved lilacs and spent a lot of time here in silent contemplation. Many had inquired about her unique perfume that
smelled so wonderful of lilac. As she looked along the path she saw someone in the small clearing by the pond. She could only see the faint outline of a man, as that was all that the moon would permit. She walked cautiously up the path, approaching the figure slowly. Upon reaching the edge of the clearing she could see him better. His back was to her, and he hadn't seemed to sense her presence, his hands though not clenched, trembled. She heard a choking sound. The sound one makes when sorrow overcomes you. He fell to his knees as his entire body began to tremble and he began to sob into the hand he managed to move to his face. Relena forgot her self in that moment and ran to the man and took one knee in front of him. As he brought his tear-streaked eyes to her, she wanted to make all the sorrow go away. It was Heero. The man with no feelings was sobbing freely and seemed to be unable to stop even now that she had made her presence to him known. In an instant he wrapped his
arms around her neck and cried into her hair. She heard herself choke and begin to cry for him. She stroked his back in a comforting manner as she wrapped her arms around him. He responded by burying his face further into her hair and sobbing louder, comfortable in her care.
After a while, his sobbing quieted and his grip slacked as his muscles relaxed and the trembling stopped. Relena felt her heart cry out when he pulled away from her, she wanted to stay in his arms longer, though only an instant later, she was already longing to be back in contact with him. He wiped the tears from his eyes harshly, and looked at her through clear vision. He reached his hand out, and in the lightest of touches, wiped her tears away as well. He did not break eye contact with her or move at all. After a moment he spoke. His voice ragged from his crying, "Thank you." he whispered, voice breaking slightly. At this she wanted to cry again but she held her face firm, nodding silently. He slowly stood and took her hand into his own. The sun had just begun to rise and a golden glow washed over both of them. He led her back to the mansion and to her room. He opened her door for her but did not enter. She walked slowly around him and into her room. Then she turned to
face him.
"Goodnight." he said in a whispered tone, but not as ragged as before. He brought his hand to her face for a moment and stroked her cheek. Slowly he moved closer to her, taking a step into her room. His lips touched hers so lightly at first that she had barely been able to feel it, but after a moment had gotten slightly deeper. She had never known him to be so gentle. Her hands found his back again and she pulled him closer. He didn't protest and leaned in, deepening the kiss still. Then slowly again, he began to pull away, her head screamed out for him but she stood still, letting him turn around and walk away without a word. She took a deep breath and smiled as a tear formed in her eyes. She turned around and shut the door. Soon she was asleep, having found a new peace to sustain her. It was now nearly five in the morning and even though she knew she would get no more than two hours of sleep, she would enjoy the sweet dreams she knew would come.
*******
The pounding on her door woke her up suddenly. Relena stretched as she sat up in bed and glanced at her clock. Whoever was at the door continued to slam their fist against it as he yelled her name. The clack read 11:08 ((AN: That's my lunchtime at school. lol)). She was shocked. "But oh, what a nice dream." She whispered softly as she got out of bed and opened the door. Her brother stood on the other side of it, completely red in the face with screaming. "Good morning Milliardo." She said with a yawn.
"Well good morning to you too missy." He said, calming himself. "You missed four meetings already before someone told me you weren't at work." He walked over to her as she gazed out the window in silence. He looked at her questioningly for a moment, then placed his hand on her shoulder. This seemed to knock her out of her reverie.
"Oh, I'm sorry Milliardo, what were you saying?" she asked her cheeks stained red for a moment with embarrassment.
He sighed, "There was a very important reason why I had called your office looking for you Relena."
"And what would that be?" her attention immediately and fully was on her brother.
"I wanted to know if you knew where Heero was." He said quietly. "He wasn't here when I awoke this morning and I called his associates at USAMRIID, none of his staff has shown up for work today."
She got a far off look in her eye as her chest began to ache. Something was wrong and she could feel it. "I have no idea." She said, making eye contact with him again. "Why were you looking for him?"
Milliardo looked around to make sure no one else was in earshot, then he leaned in and whispered, "Because Colony representative Starlen has just crashed and bled out this morning."
**********
Heero awoke in a cold place. He was lying on the ground, which seemed to be made of cold stone. He did not open his eyes, or show any sign of being awake. He wasn't alone in this room. He could hear the soft breathing of three others. Two, he could tell, were awake. They were whispering as softly as they could. But still, their voices echoed off the walls. He could tell that one was male, and on was female. The third was either still unconscious, or chose not to talk. He opened one eye slightly. Looking through his eyelashes. The room was dark, though it had a light fixture hanging from the ceiling. He recognized the three people immediately. The two awake were Carol Hews and Samuel Decon, and the third was Robert Kent. These three were his team at USAMRIID.
Author's Note: Cliffhanger! I love reviews, so go ahead and write something, even if it's criticism. Chapter three will take a little bit longer to get out, so be patient.