Other Worlds
Chapter 13
Duo has more lines in this chapter and Heero get embarrassed! Also some Relena-bashing because I hate her and believe she deserves to did and that Heero is too good for her. MAJOR SAP WARNING! My writing has become a bit fluffy due to the influence of my friend Kousei. Go read her fics! They're very good! Enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters do not belong to me.
It soon grew too dark to continue down the trail so the decision was made to set up camp for the night. Nikita, after loudly proclaiming that she was tired, promptly went to sleep. Aldrich sat by the fire hunched over a strange looking book with the broadsword that Nikita and Heero had found earlier in his lap, trying to translate the runes that decorated the black scabbard. Duo sat across from Heero, staring at the flames that danced in the center of their camp, rubbing his sore arm every now and then. Heero sighed and got up. Sitting around doing nothing was getting to him a little and he decided to go for a short walk away from their campsite to be alone with his thoughts. He glanced back at Nikita who slept soundly on her blanket, the urge to lay down next to her and fold her in his arms again becoming almost irresistible. But he would never do that in front of Aldrich and especially in front of Duo, who would probably tease him about it all next day. No, he would just leave for a while until this urge passed.
Heero stepped out into the dark woods, the cool night air of the forest feeling soothing after sitting close to a fire for so long. He stopped and leaned back against one of the many trees, feeling the rough bark bite into his back, but paying it no mind. He tilted his head up to look at the dark sky with its thousands of stars glittering in its inky blackness like a million tiny candle flames. He wondered for the moment what was going on back in his world. Was he missing any missions? Had the others been captured? Did they think that he and Duo had died out in the woods that surrounded their tiny little safe house? He would never know until he went back. He wasn't sure if he was looking that forward to going back anyway. He knew Nikita would probably not come with him, after all this was the world she had been born in and would probably rather live. Heero was starting to want to permanently live here too, traveling around with Nikita at his side. A few days they had been together and already life without her was beginning to become unimaginable, almost unbearable. Her sweet voice, that cheerful smile, her long honey-blonde hair with the sunlit streaks running through them. And then there was the simple fact that she cared about Heero. No one had ever cared about him before. Not with the same intensity as Nikita anyway. She was willing to die for him, with him and her eyes never spoke of anything but pure and honest love for him. There was one other who cared for him, but it was not quite the same as with Nikita.
Relena. Thoughts of the girl from his world did nothing for him. They didn't send the heat flushing through his veins or a smile to curl his lips like when he thought of his petite blonde elf. She cared about him, but it was a fanatical love, he was an obsession with her. She thought of Heero as the prince on a white horse who would carry her away someday to his castle where they would live happily ever after. Heero snorted in disgust. The girl wanted a fairy tale romance. She was always trying to change Heero, make him that prince. She did not seem to be able to comprehend that she could not simply mold him like a piece of clay to her fantasies. He thought back to the day when Relena had first kissed him. It was cold and wet, like kissing a fish. It made his stomach turn over and left him feeling colder than before. Heero had done nothing to stop it, only stood there impassively as she pressed her lips to his. The girl had tried to get even bolder with Heero, not seeming to notice his unresponsiveness, trying to pry his mouth open with a coaxing tongue. Heero had pulled away from her then, disgust rolling through his body at what had almost transpired. He shoved her away, ignoring the hurt in her eyes and her pleas of "I love you" as he walked away. Even after that moment, she still went after him, clung to him, believing Heero just to be shy and in need of a girl who "understood him" and could "care for him" like she could. She just did not understand that Heero wanted nothing to do with her. He had only saved her that one time and to this day he still didn't know why he had done it, maybe it was out of pity. After that she only clung to him harder, believing that act was proof of his love for her. He felt he would never be rid of her and her delusions of Heero being her "white knight".
But Nikita…no words could describe what he felt when he was with her. Her kiss left him breathless, it was smooth as silk, sweet as honey, and burned like hellfire, sending heat through his body that seared his soul and left him wanting more. Her soft, sly gazes made sent ripples through his body every time he felt her beautiful sea-green eyes on him. Her touches sent electricity through him, burning every nerve and numbing his mind until he was aware of nothing but her and the feel of her soft skin touching him. Her voice was sweet, tinkling and laughing like a child's bell, heavenly to his ears. The smell of strawberries and fresh cream haunted him whenever he was near her, pulling him towards it so he could breathe in the delightful scent deeper. He could almost taste the ripe red fruit every time he was close enough to catch her scent. Her hair was so beautiful, sparkling in the sunlight of an early sunrise. It felt like the softest silk every time Heero was able to run his fingers through the long golden locks. And the feeling a familiarity that he felt with her, like they belonged together and always had. It felt like the missing half of his soul was returned to him every time he held her small soft form in his arms, her body pressed tightly against his, their heat melding together and melting the ice that covered Heero's heart.
"Deep in thought again?" Heero spun around at the sound of the voice, so lost was he in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Duo walking up behind him. He glared at the braided boy then turned his head back to the stars.
"What do you want?" He growled, annoyed at having his thoughts interrupted.
"I saw you walk off and was wonderin' where you were wandering off to." replied Duo, settling against the tree across from Heero so he could see the stoic boy.
"So, what's up?"
"Nothing." said Heero sharply.
"Uh-huh, sure." replied Duo, rolling his eyes. "Well, since there's 'nothing' up, can I ask you a couple questions?" Heero remained silent.
"I'll take it to mean you don't mind if I ask some questions." said Duo in reply to Heero's silence. Heero grudgingly turned his eyes back to Duo.
"What?"
"Do you have any idea whatsoever how we're going to get back?" asked Duo. Heero rolled his eyes.
"If I did, do you think I'd still be here?" he sarcastically replied.
"Sort of." Heero's eyebrows shot up. There was no way he could know…
"What do you mean?" Duo gave him a sly glance.
"I know you think I'm an idiot, but I can be pretty observant when I want to be." He replied. "I saw the way you were lookin' at her back at camp." Heero felt his breath hitch and his cheeks felt slightly warm.
"Is there something going on between you two?" Duo prodded. Heero remained silent.
"I can understand why you might like her," Duo continued, "She's nice and she's pretty hot too, a real babe. So is there anything happening between you two?" Heero stared at the ground, his face hidden by his messy brown hair.
"Is the answer no?" asked Duo, getting a mischievous look in his eye. "If so, maybe I'll flirt with her a little. She'd make an awesome girlfriend."
"Don't you dare." Heero growled. Duo laughed.
"I was just kiddin' Heero, relax." replied Duo. "So I guess I was right. Wow, who would've guessed that Mr. Perfect Soldier would ever develop a crush on anybody." He flipped some of his chestnut brown bangs out of his eyes.
"So, does she like you back?" Heero didn't reply.
"It's okay Heero, you can tell me." said Duo. "I won't laugh."
"She kissed me." Duo nearly fell over in shock.
"What?!"
"Last night, at the inn, she asked me to hold her while we were sleeping." Heero wrapped his arms around himself, feeling warm at the memory of having Nikita snuggled up against him. "And that morning when you came there with Aldrich, she kissed me."
"Wow." mumbled Duo, all seriousness now. "Was it your first kiss or somethin'?"
"No." Heero replied. "But it was the first one that meant anything to me."
"How did it make you feel?"
"Warm." Heero said the first word that popped into his head at the memory of Nikita's lips on his. "Like fire was burning through my veins."
"Do you think about her a lot?" Heero nodded.
"When she touches you, does it feel like there are little sparks of electricity running through you?" Heero nodded again.
"Aww, Heero," said Duo in a mockingly sweet tone, "I think you're in love. How cute!" Heero glared at him.
"I regret I ever said anything." He grumbled, blushing a little.
"Sorry Heero, I couldn't resist." Duo replied. "I'm a little surprised though. I thought that you and Relena had a thing goin'." Heero snorted in disgust.
"Yeah, right." He replied. "I can hardly stand to be around that girl."
"I can understand why. She gets kind of annoying after a while." Duo shrugged. "She's absolutely obsessed with you though."
"I know. Nothing I do seems to make her understand that I don't want her." said Heero.
"I guess you're just irresistible Heero." said Duo with a wink. "Almost as irresistible as me." Heero rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, whatever."
Nikita eyes opened slowly and rose from her blanket on the ground. Something did not feel right, which was what had caused the interruption in her rest. She glanced around the campsite and noticed that Heero and Duo were missing.
"Where's Heero and Duo?" she asked her brother who was hunched over a book of runes, trying to translate the ones on the scabbard of the enchanted broadsword. Aldrich grunted and gestured off to the right with a shake of his head. Nikita got up and began walking in that direction. She did not get far before she heard the familiar voices of Heero and Duo. She was about to continue forward when something made her stop. They were talking about somebody. She crouched behind a tree.
"So, does she like you back?" she heard Duo ask. There was silence, then Duo's voice again.
"It's okay Heero, you can tell me. I won't laugh."
"She kissed me." said Heero.
"What?!" The shock was so clear in his voice, that Nikita could imagine the expression on his face.
Last night, at the inn, she asked me to hold her while we were sleeping." Nikita wrapped her arms around herself, smiling at the memory of having Heero's strong arms around her, his rough callused hands gently stroking through her hair. "And that morning, when you came there with Aldrich, she kissed me."
"Wow." She heard Duo say. "Was it your first kiss or somethin'?"
"No." Nikita felt a little stab of jealousy at Heero's reply. "But it was the first one that ever meant anything to me." The jealousy was instantly replaced with a warm feeling inside her heart. Their kiss had meant something to him!
"How did it make you feel?"
"Warm. Like fire was burning through my veins." Nikita smiled. She had felt the same way when their lips first made contact in that brief moment. The heat of Heero's breath, his warm male scent so close, his strong body pressed so close against hers. It had been a small moment of heaven.
"Do you think about her a lot?" she heard Duo ask. She held her breath in anticipation of Heero's answer, but grew frustrated when she heard none.
"When she touches you, does it feel like there are little sparks of electricity running through you?" Duo asked. Again Nikita waited for an answer, but none came.
"Aww, Heero," said Duo in a mockingly sweet tone, "I think you're in love. How cute!" Nikita felt her heart skip a few beats. Was Heero really in love with her? She heard Heero grumble something, but it was too quietly said for her to make out.
"Sorry Heero, I couldn't resist." She heard Duo reply. "I'm a little surprised though. I thought that you and Relena had a thing goin'." That jealousy returned. Who was this Relena? Was she from Heero's world? Nikita strained her ears to catch Heero's answer.
"Yeah, right." He replied. "I can hardly stand to be around that girl." Nikita's heart immediately settled. Whoever this Relena was, it was obvious that Heero didn't like her very much.
"I can understand why. She gets kind of annoying after a while." Said Duo. "She's absolutely obsessed with you though."
"I know. Nothing I do seems to make her understand that I don't want her." Nikita found herself wanting to meet this Relena person and telling her to back off of Heero. This other girl sounded very annoying, bordering pathetic.
"I guess you're just irresistible Heero." She heard Duo say. "Almost as irresistible as me."
"Yeah, whatever." Heero replied. Nikita chuckled softly to herself. Heero was irresistible. She loved everything about him, his wild brown hair, his intense cobalt eyes that seemed to be able to see directly into your soul, the strength that he emanated always made her feel safe in his presence. Nikita stood up from her hiding place and continued walking to where Heero and Duo were.
"Hi." She said. Heero's head snapped around and he seemed to suddenly grow nervous when he saw Nikita. Did she hear him and Duo talking?
"Hey." Duo greeted back. He began walking back towards the camp. "I'll just leave you two alone." He winked at Heero before disappearing into the trees. Heero could feel his cheeks burning and silently cursed himself for blushing. He was lucky it was dark or Nikita surely would have seen the redness spread across his face.
"How long have you been there?" he asked nervously.
"I just got here." Nikita lied, not wanting to embarrass him. "I woke up and you and Duo weren't there anymore, so I went to look for you." She stepped closer to Heero so they only stood a few paces apart. She looked up into Heero's eyes expectantly, as if she was waiting for something. Heero stared back silently, memorizing the way the pale moonlight fell on her fair skin and her golden hair.
"What?" he finally asked. Nikita said nothing, only smiled and closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Heero's waist, nuzzling her face against his chest and breathing in his warm scent. Heero put his own arms around her, holding her tightly against him. She looked back up at him and slid her arms up his back until they were around his neck. She ran slender fingers through his wild brown locks and pulled him closer to her, until their faces were millimeters apart, their breath mingling together in the cool night air. Nikita held still, waiting for Heero to make the first move. Heero removed his arms from around her waist and cupped her face in his hands, bringing their lips together. Heat exploded through their bodies, as their lips played against each other. Nikita pulled Heero closer, pressing her body tight up against his until not a breath could pass between them. Each had their eyes closed, lost in the sensation the other created as their heated kiss was slowed and savored. A few moments passed before they separated, bodies flushed and panting lightly. Nikita sighed and rested her head against Heero's shoulder. Heero re-wrapped his arms around her slender form, resting his chin against the top of her head, losing himself in her familiar smell of strawberries and cream.
"Woo, way to go Heero." said Duo softly from his hiding place. He had decided to see what was really going on between Heero and Nikita so instead of going back to camp, he had crouched behind a bush instead. What he had seen had definitely proven that there was something serious between them. Duo had never seen so much passion in the normally stoic soldier.
"Man, Relena's gonna go nuts when she finds out about this." He grinned. It might be kind of funny to see the look on the princess of the Sanq Kingdom's face when she heard that Heero was in love, just not with her.
"I didn't know you were a voyeur, Duo." Said a voice behind him. Duo let out a surprised squeak and spun around, sighing in relief when he saw it was just Aldrich. He glared angrily at the smirking elf.
"Don't sneak up on me like that! You nearly scared me to death!" Aldrich just chuckled at Duo's little outburst.
"If you hadn't been so wrapped up in spying on Heero and my sister, you would have heard me coming." Duo just snorted and turned back to the couple who were still contentedly holding each other, oblivious to Duo and Aldrich who only stood a few feet away.
"You shouldn't be spying on them anyway, you know. They deserve their privacy." Duo just mumbled and ignored Aldrich. Aldrich sighed then reach over to grab the back of Duo's shirt and began dragging him unceremoniously back to camp. Duo let out an indignant yelp and struggled as best he could in Aldrich's surprisingly strong grip.
"What the hell are you doing? Let me go!" Aldrich ignored Duo's outraged cries and didn't let him go until they arrived back at camp where he promptly let Duo go. Duo was unprepared for Aldrich's sudden abandonment and fell over, hitting the back of his head on the hard ground. He yelped in pain and got up to glare at Aldrich, rubbing the back of his sore head.
"I didn't really need a concussion along with my half-eaten arm." He grumbled. Aldrich just smirked and laid down on his blanket.
"Maybe next time you'll listen to me when I tell you not to spy on my sister."
Heero opened his eyes then blinked them back shut as he stretched and yawned. He noticed something strange, the ground felt unusually soft and smooth. He sat up and noticed that he wasn't out in the woods anymore, he was lying on a large, soft bed draped in dark blue silk sheets. The room, obviously a bedroom, was lavishly decorated, with creamy marble walls and four large pillars, one in each corner, made of the same marble and a large wooden door over on the right side of the room. The pillars were inlaid with gold and rubies. There were large brightly colored rugs on the floor that had intricate designs weaved into them and several large silver candelabra with tall white candles burning brightly, casting an almost dreamy glow about the room.
"Where the hell am I?" he murmured as he got out of the bed. His head snapped to the right when he heard the creak of the door opening. He quickly crouched down on the opposite side of the bed and watched with wary eyes as someone entered the room. He felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw who it was. It was the man from his dream. He wasn't wearing the simple black shirt and pants that he had seen him in, instead he was dressed in some kind of blue battle armor that looked like it was made of scales.
The golden blond man unclasped the long black cape that hung from his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. That was when Heero noticed the sword that hung around the man's waist. It was the exact same sword that he and Nikita had found in the bandits' hideout.
How did he get it?… He wondered to himself. He kept silent and didn't move, his eyes trained on the mysterious man in front of him. The man then pulled the top half of his armor off, a weary sigh escaping his lips as he dropped it to the floor. He was wearing the simple black shirt beneath it. Then large golden wings unfurled from his back with a loud ripping sound as the cloth tore. Heero's eyes widened in shock. The man stretched his wings and then let them settle comfortably against his back as he began undoing the clasps that held together the bottom portion of his armor. Heero quickly ducked behind the bed, not really wanting to watch this strange person undress.
There was a knock at the wooden door. Heero peeked over the edge of the large bed, relieved to find that this person also had the black pants that he had worn in his dream too. The strange blond man opened the door and a figure in a black cloak stepped inside. The figure quickly shut the door behind them and then ran into the blonde's waiting arms. They held each other for a minute before the dark figure finally stepped back and pulled down the hood of the cloak.
Heero gasped when he saw her. It was a woman with facial features very similar to Nikita's. She even had the same eyes. Her hair was a rich chocolate brown though, instead of the sun-kissed blonde that Heero loved.
"Oh, Hanouri, I've missed you so much." Her voice was soft and sweet, another difference between her and Nikita, whose voice was rich and melodious. The blond man, Hanouri, smiled down at the woman.
"I've missed you as well, Naria." His voice was very similar to Heero's, but a few octaves deeper. The two embraced again and Heero blushed and ducked down behind the bed again. It didn't feel right to be watching them at the moment.
"Have you had any trouble while I was gone, beloved?" asked Hanouri. Heero looked back up when he heard them talking again. The beautiful brunette woman shook her head.
"No, Lady Shara suspects nothing of our relationship." She smiled coyly up at Hanouri. "Before long we may even escape her grasp and be married like we've dreamed of for so many years."
"That would be wonderful beloved." Sighed Hanouri. "But I'm afraid that I'm a prize she is not so willing to let go."
"Do not worry so. We will think of something." Naria reached up and lovingly stroked his cheek. "As long as I have my angel at my side, nothing can go wrong." Hanouri smiled then leaned down and kissed Naria who responded passionately. Heero blushed as he watched the two and was about to duck behind the bed again when another knock sounded at the door. They separated quickly and Hanouri hid Naria behind him as he answered the door.
A mysterious force knocked him away from the door and slammed him heavily into the far wall. Naria cried out in surprise and rushed to her lover. A woman draped in shadows then entered the door, a dagger dripping with a vile black fluid clenched in her pale hand.
"Watch out!" Heero called out, jumping up from behind the bed. No one seemed to hear him though; there was no response at all from the three figures in the room. The woman in shadows stepped up behind Naria, raised the evil dagger-
"No!" Heero screamed, bolting upright. He looked around and saw he was back in the woods, lying on the blanket he had spread out for himself earlier at camp. He looked frantically around for Naria, Hanouri, and the mysterious woman.
"It was a dream?" he murmured quietly. He was trembling and a cold sweat ran down his body, dripping into his eyes and plastering his shirt uncomfortably to his back. He reached up to wipe the sweat away and noticed his body was covered in that strange blue glow again, but it was quickly fading. He suddenly felt a chill run up his spine and he shivered.
"What's happening to me?"
*dramatic music* Ooh, what will happen to our Heero (pun intended) in the next chapter of Other Worlds? Wanna find out? The more reviews I get, the faster the next chapter comes out, so please give me one! ^_^v