Forsaken Gabriel
He stood in front of the large windows...his hands clinging tight to his elbows as he pulled himself into a mock embrace. She had never seen him like that before. He was always the one smiling, always the one you went too for that escape. But here? Here, standing in the pale moonlight, his head hung so low that his baby blonde hair swept over his hidden eyes...he looked human. She almost didn't want to disturb him...almost didn't want to stir him from his mindless thoughts. However, she didn't have anyone else to go to but him. He couldn't have been thinking of anything too important, right?
"Quatre?" She asked softly, taking a few steps closer to him. If she was going to distract him, she wasn't about to do it violently. He didn't look up at, merely made an motion to agknowledge her. He let escape a soft sigh and held himself closer.
"Hello Princess..." He muttered. She frowned a bit. She wasn't use to people not making eye contact. Still...he might have been sleeping?
"I...just wanted to talk." She said as she made her way to the piano bench directly behind him. "You don't mind, do you?" He rose his head slowly...tilting it backward to his neck and opened his eyes, rolling his eyes backward for a breif moment.
"I suppose not." His voice strained and he brought his face even with the view before him once more. "It's what I'm here for." She nodded. Of course...of course it's what he was here for. Quatre was the innocent Gundam pilot...he wasn't hardened like all the rest. Oh sure, she knew there was something behind Heero that he wouldn't show her...but he was *raised* not to show feelings! Quatre? Well, Quatre was Quatre. Everyone knew the real Quatre. He was a genuine. And that's why she could trust him as a friend.
She didn't say anything for a moment...just looked at Quatre though the opaque reflection in the window. Was Quatre...angry about something? He didn't have his usual carefree smile that made her forget all about her pre-mature responcibilties. It was replaced with a very bitter look...the lips pressed together as if he were forcing back an angry sneer. Those beautiful eyes that melted any sort of fear or resentment she felt for herself or her current situation were clouded by the reflection of the water. Actually, most of his face was obscured by the reflection. She furrowed her brows...as she relized she could only make out about from the nose down on Quatres face. She never relized how uneasy it made her feel not to be able to see someones eyes. But, however uptight Relena Peacecraft felt right now, she couldn't deny that fact that there was some sort of strange tranquillity in watching the waters flow over his face. It was like...like he was able to take her away from this all. That she could cling to this young solider, and he'd take her away on some whimsical adventure that she only read about in childrens books! And at the end...he'd bring her to her Heero. Because he was wonderful like that, Quatre Winner, always making sure her hope was never destroyed...treating her like the Princess she was meant to be.
He barely glanced over his shoulder when she didn't say anything for while.
"What?" He asked rather shortly, taking little effort to hide the impacent tone in his usual gentle face. "Am I in the way of your view, Highness?" She blinked...taken back by the unfamilar shortness in his voice...and she shook her head slowly.
"No, I'm sorry...I was just..." She smiled a bit and laughed quietly..pointing a bit to the natural painting on the window. "I was just looking at your reflection, s'all."
"Oh?" He asked with false interest, turning his attention back to his scene. "See anything you liked?"
"Actually, yes." She said with a confident nod. "You...reminded me of something." Quatre didn't say anything to her. It..confused her, in a way. Usually Quatre would hop right in when she was thinking of something profound. She brushed it off, figuring he was just waiting for her to continue. "You reminded me of the stories mother would tell me as a child."
"Hm. Of stories, huh? I'm one big fantasy, then?"
She laughed and shook her head.
"No, no, not like that. It's...hard to explain." She paused for a moment, her lips twisting to one side as she thought very hard on how to get this across to him. "I suppose....I suppose...you remind me of a Faerie Godmother." He scoffed at that. She tactifully ignored it. "Obvious not the Godmother part but, ah, you know....sort of like the Angel who leads the Princess to her destiny." She sighed happily and closed her eyes...clasping her hands at her lap and giggling innocently. He still made no motion toward her...merely turned his head up a bit.
"An angel...?" He asked dully. She shook her head out of her girlish cloud for a moment and nodded.
"Yes...like...oh! You'd know this refurance! Like the Angel Gabriel!"
"'The Angel Gabriel'...." He repeated. He lowered his head once more to his chest as he left out another heavy sigh that, honestly, confused her a bit. "The Forsaken Angel Gabriel..."
"'Forsaken'?" She asked stupidly, turning her head to her right shoulder in question. He nodded and brought his gaze back toward the window. She fought to catch a glimpse of his eyes, even for a brief moment, but the glare still hid him from her. She sat back into the bench in silence...waiting for him to explain to her.
"The Angel Gabriel...who left the saftey of heaven so he could protect the innocent. Left the security of heaven so he could preach the wonders of his master...his very reason for living. Naturally, he didn't have too...it wasn't like he was chosen to do it...no...no not Gabriel. Gabriel *chose* to do it." He laughed bitterly and shook his head. "Foolish little Angel...leaving his home. But...but he did alright. He never disobey and was actually happy, despite current state. It didn't take much to make Gabriel happy. Until..." His voice lowered for a moment, to a sound that she had never heard echo in his throat. He had the voice of a song bird! Not of a demon! "Until one day he recieve a new command. He was to deliever a message to a virgin. A beautiful speciman of purity unlike any he would ever see, even in the center of Paradise! And he would be giving her the message that every woman would want to hear! He would sing for her the most beautiful song when he would present her with her destiny! This...was his most prized mission he relized...and he took it to heart. He even hesitated in telling her right off...practicing...*memorizing* exactly what he would tell her! Oh...the little Angel was very excited, Princess, very excited indeed." She nodded quickly in responce though...she didn't know quite what he was getting at.
"But he wasn't welcomed like he was thought to be. Though the young Virgin took the young Angel with open arms...she was angry when she heard the reason for his visit! Why, with this new news...she could never be with the man she *truly* loved! And Gabriel?...Was speechless! Speechless! When any woman would have accepted his message with open arms! No...." He growled...his fingers coiling even tighter around the sleeves. "No....all she could think about was *him!* What would he think if he heard such a message? He'd shun her! Hate her! Throw her out into the streets to be stoned in ridiculed!" His voice softened then, almost as if he caught the sudden harshness it had taken. "Gabriel....didn't understand. If this man loved her so much...he wouldn't do such things to her! And if she really loved him...she wouldn't fear him! And he would have told her these things if..." His voice broke, and a hand moved up to itch under his eye. "...if he wasn't so afraid he'd see her cry because of of this explination. So he did the only thing he could do...."
"What was that?"
"...he went to her most beloved...and he told him not to fear. For...for an Angel of God gave them both his blessings. And the only thing he asked in return was that he never let the Virgin cry. And that was that. Gabriel had out lived his usage. The Virgin was happy...and her love kept his prize. And The Angel..." Pause. "The Angel gets nothing. The Forsaken...Angel...Gabriel..." They both stood in silence for a long while....she idly playing with the edge of her sleeves and him just staring off into that endless purgatory. She finally broke the silence with a very simple responce.
"Oh. Wow Quatre. I never relized you knew so much about the Christan Bible! I thought you were a whole other religion all together!"
It was then that he finally turned around to face her. His eye brows narrowed as if he didn't quite understand what she just said. Finally though...his expression untensed into that smile she came in search of. His smile..turned to snickers...his snickers turned to chuckles...until he finally broke into an entusiatic laugh. It confused her for a moment...he laughed like he was the only one to catch the punchline of a joke. She wasn't...offended really....just didn't understand.
She waited for him to finished...watched him brush a tear from under his eye and he shook his head.
"Yes...well...the Angel Gabriel is a strong figure in my religion too." He explained gently. He finally walked toward her and extended his loving hands for hers. "Now c'mon...wasn't there something you wanted to ask me about Heero?" Her eyes widened with child like amazment as he lifted her off the seat.
"Wow...I can't believe you knew that! How do you always know these things, Quatre?" He only smiled that same smile...taking her hand and putting it over his chest where she felt the dull beat of his heart beneth her palm.
"It was only a message. That's all."
~ End
HORRAY!! Maeve writes another bad fic. Pssh. Well, I hated the The Third and everyone *really* like that so...maybe? We'll see. It's getting harder and harder to get reviews on the Gundam Fan Fiction board. Eeeh...