Obsessed
This chapter, and all others following (9, I hope ^.^} are dedicated to Ashiko-chan, who has been the best supporter for NM and all of my fics ^_^ Anyone who hasn't read her fics {especially ZERO Tolerance!!!} is missing out big time on some incredible writing!
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"W-what are you doing in here, Yuy?" She stammered, staring at him with her bewildered jade eyes. Truly the last person she'd expected was Heero…after waking up she assumed it would be Malattia or Dorothy…
"Ms. Darlian thought it best that I see you first." He answered simply, and pulled up a chair next to her. Eventually her gaze on him lost its question, and he tried to sound remotely friendly. "How do you feel?"
Madeira groaned and flopped back onto her pillows, after which a pain-filled moan followed. "Like hell…" She muttered.
I know what that is like…he thought, amused at her choice of words. "Well," he said, "you were hit by an ambulance." And he paused before resuming in a gentle voice, "No one expected you to come out a alive, Brindisi."
The woman smiled feebly up at the ceiling. Surprise, surprise…she thought. "Expect the unexpected, I guess…" She voiced.
He grunted, crossing his arms across his chest and getting comfortable in his chair. "Funny."
"Is Wing all right?" Madeira asked after a brief silence, her voice filled with meaningful concern. "She didn't get hurt, did she?"
Heero shook his head. "She's fine….the ambulance missed her completely." He hesitated again, his eyes narrowing and he gritted his teeth. "I…I owe you an apology." He muttered hoarsely, and averted her stunned eyes when she looked at him.
"What the hell for?!" She exclaimed.
"…I didn't take you seriously." He admitted, keeping his eyes on his knees. "I thought you were messing around with this. But people don't throw themselves in front of moving vehicles for the fun of it."
"You can say that again…" Madeira moaned. She kept her eyes on him, and gave him a quiet thank you. He nodded, and there was another uncomfortable silence. In a way, she wished he would go away. His presence was somewhat of an annoyance, and the silence was eating away at her. But then again, she appreciated his efforts to apologize, and she knew he was grateful for her rescue of his goddaughter.
And then he spoke up again, bringing conflicting thoughts to a halt.
"You're crazy." Heero informed her matter-of-factly. She smirked sarcastically, holding back the urge to roll her eyes.
"Why, thank you." She responded politely.
"You've only been here a month, Brindisi…and I'm already running out of reasons why everyone shouldn't like you."
Her eyes flickered, not with anger, but rather with amused curiosity. "Is that why the unit has an attitude with me?"
"In all but the cases of Smithe and Oren, I'd say so."
Madeira sneered at the mention of the young man, and her eyes flashed with intense hate. Both Heero Yuy and Lee Smithe were the only two people she'd ever known to flare her anger the way that they did, but even then there was a difference. Yuy was a constant thorn in her side, but it was still possible that on some level she respected him. Still, she would deny such a preposterous notion when confronted with it…
Lee was…an idiot. The less she saw of him, the better. He constantly followed her, pestering her with ridiculous and sometimes rather personal questions. While Yuy would stimulate annoyance…Lee destroyed all patience and made her consistently want to slap him. Other violent things came to mind, involving guns, knives, and even rabid raccoons…sometimes all at once….but that would hardly solve anything.
Madeira looked to him again, the rage beginning to dissipate. "Why do you call me crazy?" She inquired.
"Again-- you've only been here a month…and I have to eat my words about you. It's been a long time since one of the Darlian family members have come into public danger, and it was a newbie who took the fall. And it wasn't for Ms. Darlian…you jumped in front of an ambulance for her daughter, who you have only met once or twice." He rambled for a moment, trying to convince himself as much as Madeira. And I know I would have done the same…so that makes you crazy…
She smiled, which caught him a little off guard. "When I became a bodyguard for Malattia, I became a guard for her family. I would just as soon save her third cousin, even if I had never met them, as I would save her."
"…Of course, all but her brother-in-law." He grinned. Madeira let out a small burst of laughter, and nodded.
"I would sooner save you than the little fool." She chuckled.
"How nice."
She laughed again, but soon quieted. Her mind drifted to the accident, and she flinched, recalling the sight of the large car ramming into her body. She could still dimly remember the impact, the spray of lifeblood as she practically exploded on the hood, the scent of a hot engine and smoke…and the screams…
His scream?
Her eyes locked onto his, misted over with a far-away look. Her mouth was straight, not scowling or smiling…but together with her eyes, she looked like a lost child.
"…I scared a lot of people…" She murmured. Heero nodded, wondering what was wrong…and he fleetingly thought he should get Madeira's doctor. "I even scared you." She stated.
His eyebrow raised in question, studying her in bewilderment.
"I heard you…you called me Madeira." She continued, her voice just as distant as her eyes. "Although I told you never to call me by my name."
Heero narrowed his eyes. "Well I apologize for that, as well." He said lowly. I will never understand this girl, he thought bitterly. And then to his astonishment, she smiled.
"It doesn't sound as bad as I thought." She said. "Call me Madeira."
Heero blinked at her, and slowly, a calculating grin appeared on his face. "Sure thing, Kiddo."
~*~*~
(1)
Lee picked the lock with a fair amount of ease. Chuckling at his own genius, he slipped into the small room and closed the door behind him. His eyes eagerly studied her room, from everything to her dresser, desk, dark blue bed and the small pile of papers on her floor.
This was Madeira's room.
He kneeled on the floor, shuffling through the little stack and finding himself reading letters to and from Madeira's sister-in-law, Naiad Brindisi. He didn't read much, just a letter or two. It was just a recount on Madeira's first few days and a rather saddening description of the bombing. And he found a brief mention of himself as the "perverted freak". He grinned.
Lee stood, wandering around the room, peering into and around everything. Her closet was virtually empty, with only a few blouses, a short blue dress and a box up the shelf. He reached out his hand, stroking the fabric of the dress. It was very small…but considering the height of the woman, it probably fit her perfectly…
He smiled again, images of the dress coming off surfacing in his mind.
He moved along before he got too excited, which he knew would happen. Lee reached over to her dresser and opened one of the large drawers. Like her closet, her drawers contained little as well. In the drawer he found a few shirts and a pair of shorts, along with a set of keys and another small box. After nosing through it momentary, he found it had nothing more than a few personal nick-nacks and random jewelry.
Without even a second thought, he snatched up a small necklace charm and put it in his pocket. It was a small golden orb with some Latin lettering on the side, he assumed it meant something to her…
And that was all the more reason he desired to have it.
Pausing, Lee took another look into the drawer, searching for something else- something possibly that meant something to her…symbolized Madeira in some way. Reminded him of her.
He saw it then, a black, filmy blouse to be worn over a tank top- he'd seen her wear it twice…it was great on her. A smirk tugged at his lips as he picked it up and held it gingerly in his hand, almost the way a mother would hold her first born. The only consideration he held was for himself. He wouldn't be able to see her wear it again.
The thought almost made him put it back.
Almost.
He shut the drawer, with her charm and blouse clutched possessively in his fist. Stealing a glance into her bathroom, the blonde young man reached out with his other hand, and took her hairbrush swiftly, shoving it into the pocket of his jeans.
His eyes darted around the room, and finding nothing else he wanted, Lee Smithe exited the room, clasping his newfound treasures to his chest.
~*~*~
Madeira bowed her head, feeling a fleeting flare of shame and apologized sincerely.
"Stop apologizing, Madeira." Dorothy scolded fondly. "You shouldn't be afraid to ask for help…especially when you know you need it. Like now, for instance."
The smaller woman, leaning onto Dorothy Catalonia for support as they walked, could only avert the blue gaze that settled upon her sympathetically.
"…I hate feeling helpless, Dorothy." She murmured. Dorothy nodded, lessening the piteous look as to not offend Madeira. She couldn't help it, though. Only two weeks had passed since the incident with the ambulance, and the stubborn Italian had already convinced the doctors to release her from their care.
Dorothy assumed it might be quite a while before Dr. Ahren would be ridding himself of that limp.
"Madeira…two weeks ago you were hit by an ambulance. It's a God-given miracle that you're even alive, let alone able to walk right now." She said softly.
"I know that…but still…" The woman argued feebly, but faltered and continued to allow Dorothy to walk her to her room.
"Remember…no drills, no shifts…nothing. If Miss Relena even sees you in your uniform…" Dorothy advised her again, and Madeira smirked and waved away the warning.
"Believe me, that's the last thing on my mind right now." She mused. "I'm going to pass out on my bed and imitate a corpse for a few days."
Dorothy flinched, giving her a faintly stern look. "Don't say that. Be grateful to be alive…"
Madeira sighed, parting from Dorothy's helping arms and leaning against her door. "Okay…okay. Vegetable, happy?" She amended. "But I am…really." Her voice weakened, becoming sincere. "No regrets. I'm happy to be alive and I don't regret what I did for Wing."
Dorothy smiled. It was mild…an expression not of joy or thrill, merely a softly brilliant smile, fond and caring. Her eyes lit with question, and she opened her mouth to speak.
"Then…would you do it again, for Wing?" She asked, but broke it off, seeing the question much too personal.
Madeira didn't notice Dorothy's regret about the question. Her jade eyes cast down, meeting the tile floor. She winced in a sudden twinge of pain, something stung in her chest, then throbbed gently away.
"Dulce et…decorum est pro patria…mori (2)." She whispered. …Does that mean this is my country now? My home? …I shouldn't feel like that…"I'd do it for Wing…Malattia…you and everyone here except-"
"Heero?" The blonde woman offered, smirking. Madeira snickered, shaking her head.
"Close. Lee." And she offered Dorothy her hand, smiling cheerfully. "Thank you very much, Dorothy."
Dorothy shook it, returning the smile and nodding. "Call me if you need my help again, Madeira."
And with a wave of knee-length platinum hair, Dorothy turned the corner and vanished from Madeira's sight. The young woman took a deep breath before lightly knocking the back of her head against the door, causing a slight ache to develop. Another sigh escaped her, and she entered her room with darkened eyes.
~*~*~
Something was wrong.
Madeira could tell immediately. Something in the air…a smell was underlying the normal scent of the room. Papers out of order… Madeira had an incredible memory, a knack for knowing when something was misplaced.
And something…something had been. She couldn't put her finger on it…but there was something…not right in her room.
A dresser drawer sat slightly ajar, and the ravens-black-haired woman stumbled toward it, ignoring stabbing pains throughout her chest and stomach.
"What the…" She seethed, wrenching it open and glaring murderously into the drawer. To her horror, she saw her safekeepings box open, and her mothers' golden charm missing. "What the hell?!" She raged. Resorting to loud Italian swearing, she began a tirade of anger as she searched the rest of the room for anything else that was missing.
After ten minutes, Madeira collapsed onto her bed, chest heaving. Her forehead was slick with sweat and her dark bangs lay matted and heavy on her brow. Pain chorused through her body, forcing her to let out a low moan of agony.
Hurts…so badly… she thought, holding her hands over her heart tightly. It would do nothing for her pain…yet, it was a comfort. Holding it…shielding it from pain. Maybe feeling as if she had some control over how much it hurt, although she didn't.
From her grueling search, she'd found only a blouse and her hairbrush missing besides the charm. What kind of fruitcake took a woman's hairbrush?!
…Lee…I'll kill him…I'll kill him!!
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Review? ^_^ Please? Again, thank you Ashiko for helping me out with my fics and inspiring me with your writing! ^_^
- Dude…the entire part was weird to write ^_^;
- "It is sweet and seemly to die for one's country." Its Latin. Since I know very, *very* little Italian and a tiny bit of Latin…and since Latin is the root of most European languages, I used this instead ^_^