By Chibi Acky
Disclaimer: N.O. (which also stands for "No Own" but could work as something like NO!
I don't own it! Which brings me to the point of realizing I've been rambling...)
)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(
"You taught me that life doesn't last forever. That's why we have
to help each other and
live life to the fullest."
- Freya Crescent (Oh God, I'm still on my FF9 kick...)
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All of his life, the man had been an outcast. An ugly and deformed one at that.
Since the scars had formed, he had had to hide himself, living in the
shadows of the slums.
But not anymore... not anymore.
"So... I'm assuming everything went well..." The voice behind
the chair was almost light
hearted. The physically and emotionally scarred man was surrounded
by a normal office,
but he still didn't know who his employer was.
"Yessssss..." His voice was always scratchy and hoarse, "Wheeeennn
wiiillll I geeeett my
paaaaay?"
The chair let out a high squeal as it twirled around, "In good time,
my dear sir... all in
good time."
"Yoooooou're-!"
A single gun shot rang pierced the air.
_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_
"Un-uh. No way!"
"Oh, you wimp!"
"HEY! Give me a break here!"
Relena pouted thoroughly from her hospital bed, "Duo...."
The self-proclaimed Shinigami was turning a rather unflattering
shade of green,
"No really, 'Jousan... the food's all yours..." An evil grin
lit up Relena's normally serene
one, "And all this time I thought you were the toughest..." It
didn't take more reasoning
than that, for Duo began to shovel in Relena's "delicious" hospital
food. With each
passing bite, his face turned from green to pink to purple to blue,
until he finally had to run
from the room, covering his mouth.
"What's wrong with him?" Catherine asked upon entering with
Trowa, and in
doing so, nearly choked on the strong aroma of flowers that had filled
up the entire room.
"My goodness, it looks like you're starting up your very own Botanical
Garden in here..."
A groan was heard from the bed, "Don't remind me... everywhere
I turn, there's
some bright happy flower staring back at me." Trowa shot Catherine
a quick look,
indicating she needed to say something.
"Um... so how's the hospital food?"
There were a few giggles and a faint, "I dunno, ask Duo."
Catherine turned to
look at Trowa, "You'd better go check to make sure he hasn't thrown
up any vital
organs."
As soon as Trowa had left the room, Catherine whipped out a bag
from her purse,
"Hey 'Lena, guess what I have for you!"
"Ooooooooh! Thanks Cathy!" Relena nearly squealed
emerging from under the
covers, as Catherine handed her the chocolate bars, "How did you know
I was craving
these?"
"Oh I don't know... maybe that subtle 'Caaaaaatttthhhhhhyyyyy!
Go get me some
chocolate pleeeeasssseeeee!' was a hint." She sat down in the
seat next to her friend's
bed, "So what's cooking, sugar?"
"Well, I have a headache, but that's pretty much it."
Relena said as she chewed
on one of her chocolate bars. Feeling slight sympathy she handed
two of the back to
Catherine, "Can you do me another favor? Give one to Heero and
tell him thanks... and
when Duo's able to stand the sight of food, will you tell him I'm sorry?"
"Will do."
There was a pregnant pause as Catherine put the two candy bars
away, "So... has
Heero come in to see you yet?" A downhearted sigh escaped Relena's
lips, "Not really...
he hasn't talked to me, but at night he stands at my door and keeps
guard. I don't know if
that really counts though." She gave Catherine a wink, "I'll
snag him sooner or later!"
Their laughter was interrupted as a knock was heard at the door.
In popped Sally
Po with a strange expression on her face. "Hi girls, what are
we talking about today?"
"The usual."
"Ah... then you won't mind if I ask you if I can talk to Relena
about something
alone."
"Oh! No, that's quite all right!" Catherine stood
up, "I'll be back in a little while,
okay?"
"Yeah, sure... bye Cathy!"
"Bye Relena."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Now Relena... we don't have to tell anyone..."
"No, that wouldn't be right...." Her voice was apathetic.
"Oh Relena... I'm so sorry!" Sally was crying again. Since
when did she start crying over
death?
"Why Sally? Why waste your tears? I have the full intent
of living." Relena patted her
friend's hand.
"Don't worry Miss Relena, I won't let you die."
Relena leaned back against her starched hospital bed pillow, "Sally,
do you think I could
have some time alone...?"
"Of course!"
"Don't let anyone come in until I tell you I'm ready to talk about it...."
With that, Sally
left Relena alone.
][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][
Outside of Relena's room, ten anxious people watched as the normally
stalwart Sally Po
silently shut the door to Relena's hospital room. She leaned
back against the wall, slowly
sliding down and resting her head against the unforgivingly bright
white wall. She rested
her forehead against her stethoscope, and breathed a heartrenching
sob.
"I have some bad news."
{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}
All alone in her room, a young woman sat staring from her window.
Down below her,
hundreds of people lined the hospital, lighting candles, setting down
flowers, and crying.
"I'm not dead yet." Relena murmured as she shut the impeccably
white curtains of her
room. Carefully wheeling her IV back over to her bed, she carefully
tucked herself back in
bed. A few minutes passed by as she sat in silence.
So this is what it feels like to be dying.... how very... pleasant....>
She trailed her slender
fingers along her scratchy and coarse bed sheets. Funny I
don't feel any different.>
"I just feel the pain in my heart." Suddenly, she wished the ground
would just open up
and swallow her whole.
"Oh... but it'll be hurting a whole lot more when I'm done with you!"
Relena's eyes
snapped up from off of the floor. She made a lunge for the paging
button, but a gun was
instantly drawn to her head, "Go ahead, I'm going to die anyway, aren't
I?"
"Of course, but my dear, we want your ultimate demise to be a little
more... painful..." He
jabbed the needle into her arm, covering her mouth with his hand to
keep her from
screaming.
When the job was done, the figure slipped out of her room, and into the night.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""'
"So that's it then, there's nothing we can do?" Milliardo's voice
was tight in his throat,
and his grip on Noin's hand was nearly cutting off her circulation.
Sally merely shook her
head, "I'm sorry..."
"SORRY ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH!" Hilde anger surprised everyone, "She's
my friend,
Sally! She's my best friend!" Almost embarrassed, she fled
from the room, leaving a
stunned Duo in her wake. He stood up, sadness etched in his eyes,
"I'll go calm her
down."
Silence.
"This can't be happening... not to Relena..." Quatre buried his
face in his hands, passing
them through his tousled blonde hair. He looked up suddenly,
as if remembering an
important detail they had all left out, "Uh... where's Heero?"
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Heero Yuy, the man also known as the Perfect Soldier, stood at the end
of a pristine
hospitable bed. The girl that lay before him was still, mumbling
softly in her sleep,
"Heero, why are you here?"
He blinked once.
So she was awake.
"Silence as usual... I just wish I could get inside that head
of yours just once." She smiled,
indicating with a tilt of her head that he should occupy the empty
chair next to her bed.
He obeyed, sitting down rather gracefully.
"...No you don't..."
"I'm sorry, what?" Relena raised a delicate eyebrow.
Silence, again.
"So..." Relena began, staring straight ahead. Oh yeah,
great conversation starter, girl!>
Heero didn't even bother to glance in her direction. Oh,
I know what's he's thinking
about... Sally must have already told them...>
"Heero, it's not your fault."
He turned to her finally, his eyes extremely cold, "Yes. It is."
"Stop it, just stop it right now!" She poked a free finger at
him, "You're always doing
this to yourself!" She waved her arms around, "This... illness...
or whatever this is...
couldn't be your fault!"
"I should have protected you."
"How could you have protected me from myself, huh Heero? This
is my fault. My fault
for being sick." Heero hung his head, seemingly in defeat.
Why did her logic always
make perfect sense to him? He was whacked on the head again,
startling him out of his
reverie.
"You're brooding again!" She accused, a small smile playing on
her face. Heero... don't
look so sad for me...>
"Sorry." He mimicked her tone almost perfectly.
Silence, yet again.
"You know, don't you? You know you're going to die, so stop acting
as if nothing's
wrong in the world!" Heero's sudden outburst of emotion nearly
made Relena shrink
back in fear.
"Who said I'm going to die? Fate has interesting way of tormenting
us just to test our
strength. I figure this is mine. This is my test, Heero,
just let me try to pass it myself."
"No. I won't let you die." He's voice was firm, and almost imperious.
"But what if I'm in so much unbearable pain, Heero, that I simply couldn't go on?"
"I wouldn't let you die."
"But that's rather selfish, isn't it?" Relena leaned back against
her starchy pillow, "You'd
keep me alive in so much pain? Why Heero?" Maybe she'd
get him to say it.
"I won't let you die." Heero paused, "You're too important to
the world."You
weakling! Just tell her already!> His mind scolded him.
No. He wouldn't.
Not just yet.
To the world? What about you, Heero? What am I to you?
Just another mission?> For
some odd reason, the thought enraged her.
Relena shut her eyes, and turned to lay on her side the best she could
with numerous tubes
attached to her body.
"Go Heero." He didn't move.
"GO HEERO!" She shouted, obviously trying to hold back tears.
He left without another word spoken between them.
"Just go Heero..." She whispered into her pillow as she felt a
familiar pain inside her
body.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, I know, I'm SO lazy. Just call me the queen of procrastination....
*grumbles about
the injustice of life* Anyways, I'm working on The Scavenger
Years, which has just
picked up like ten or so more reviews ( ^^; ?) Why now?
Thanks for them anyway.
Please review this chapter, sorry it took me so bloody long *sings*
blame Final Fantasy,
blame Final Fantasy!
luvs and hugs
Chibi Acky
http://kupo.bored.org