4. The funeral
Disclaimer- I don't own G.W. or any of its characters. Also,for this chapter, so that it is less confusing, I am using Iria in subsitute for Relena!!!
*__* indicates thought
Please R&R ( - Lady Scythe
Before long, Iria's alarm was buzzing. She reached out to push the snooze button but missed and therefore was forced to sit up. Her eyelids were like weights and she struggled to open them. Grogginess flooded her as she finally silenced the noisy beast. Iria cast a look into the mirror. She looked awful. It had been a long and sleepless night. As she dressed, she remembered her intruder with a certain sorrow she couldn't shake.
Iria stumbled over to her vanity table and applied a lot of coverup to hide her lack of sleep. With this, she managed to go down the hall and to the formal dining room where she found all of her friends eating. Dorothy had arrived (though Iria didn't remember inviting her) They were all placed in between the former Gundam pilots according to their admiration of each one. The place next to Heero was empty, and Iria felt obliged to fill it. Right as she sat, she felt all of the eyes upon here and heard the buzzing silence that filled the room.
She saw Hilde's glare and the scowls coming from the rest of the girls but she pretended not to notice.Conversation slowly picked back up, but it all seemed to be aimed at Iria. Tears welled up in the back of her eyes and it was all she could do not to let them fall. Regret made her appetite very small, and Iria was sure that she seemed to have an eating disorder to everyone else. *Oh well, I guess you have to take the good with bad.*Iria shook her head and quickly finished. Right as she was about to leave Miliardo came into the room.
"My dear sister's funeral will be at noon, please prepare yourselves as nesscary." he annouced in a trembling voice.
A hush fell over the table once more, and in this time Iria excused herself and went straight to her room.
She knew this action looked insenstive but she couldn't stand to be at the table any longer than she already had.
Heero watched her go, and he felt really guilty. Her words echoed in his head, "Wait, Relena told me of you. The dark haired Gundam pilot who had stole her heart and ran with it. Who was reckless with her feelings but conservetive with his own. She told me how everynight when she went to sleep she wished for the familiar form of the pilot to be there, and every night she was dissapointed," He rose silently and jogged after the retreating young woman. *For Relena* thought the former pilot.
"Iria!" called Heero, catching Iria's sleeve. She forced herself to turn and meet the eyes of her love, who's emotionless eyes inveitably held nothing.
"What? As if my humilation at breakfast wasn't enough you. I loved Relena just as the rest of you did," Iria spat, with the tears she had never cried gathering at the cornor of her eyes.
"I know that," he responded simply. He was trying to be polite. It wasn't working. His patience was growing real short, real fast.
"Really," Iria snapped, squinting her eyes and flipping her hair around as she contiuned her ascent up the stairs.
"Iria wait, please," begged Heero, the desprateness in his voice becoming stronger. Almost human.
So of course Iria froze at the top of the stairs and looked back down. She paused and caught Heero's gaze. For a spilt second the two just looked at each other.
Heero shook his head and he then ran after her.
"I'm sorry they treated you like that, but they're just not used to you. Relena was a major part of their lives for a brief time but she changed their lives so much. You, are like an interruption of a fanasty-like world they have built up. A reality check," confessed Heero, almost passionatly.
Iria cocked her head and smiled. "Thanks, for everything," she whispered and excused herself.
The next time Iria glanced at her clock it was time to go. She slipped out of the door and locked it behind her.
There was a mumur indicating the mass of public people who had arrived. Iria breathed easy knowing she could melt into the crowd. The majority of the masses were pushing towards Miliardo and the urn, all hoping to pay their last respects to the fallen 'Dove of Peace'. The line wove through the large front room where the funeral had been set out. The day before the room appeared to be so small. Now it looked horzinless. Soon she was apologizing to Miliardo for his loss, and pretending to place a rose on the shrine of flowers that littered the urn.
Iria was soon bustled away and she decided to sit in the back, where no one could see her. She observed Heero and his group. Although he did a good job of hiding it, Heero would cast a glance around the room once and awhile while the interduction organ music played. Iria shrunk behind a taller man in front of her, just to make sure she was invisible. The last thing she wanted to be was uncomfortable at her own funeral. At last, the preacher's voice began to speak, then to drone, before finally stopping. Iria jumped, for she had been slowly falling asleep and she realized now it was Hilde's speech.
"I never knew Relena, like some of you did. I saw her from a distance, and admired her strength,intergity(she glanced at Wufei,knowing he held intergity in high esteem),and courage. She could lead her nation, and for that matter, the world into believing her ideals of pacfisim were entirely correct. And, as all of us know,(Hilde threw a glance at Miliardo) she was entirely correct. I only wish, I had had the time, the boldness and the humlity, to get to know such a remarkable being. Relena Peacecraft was a martyr, there's no other way I can put it. Even though her tragic death was very untimely, her words, her actions, and her beliefs will be carried on through text, and through us." Hilde spoke, with that,she wiped her eyes, and stepped down.
A soft applause followed,before Miliardo spoke. He spoke of how he regretted being seperated from her through most of her childhood but how her living with the Dorlains scuplted his darling little sister into the great young woman she was. He admitted being challenged by her ideals, and threatned by her exsistance but was a better man for it. He hoped that the crowd gathered to mourn Relena today was just as touched as he had been, by her life.
Unlike everyone else, Iria's tears were from guilt, instead of loss. The more her beloved one's spoke, the more she cried, the more she cried, the guiltier she felt. Thus a cycle of unstoppable tears was formed, but no one in the room noticed, for they all felt the same way. The preacher stepped up again and told the gathering of how Relena's soul was finally free from earthly chains and that she was watching over them, in the afterlife.
The service ended shortly after, with no singing from the congergation. Iria slipped out before the majority of the people did, and she went directly to her room, or so planned to do so.
"There you are! Hey, for being such a close friend of Relena's I didn't expect you to be running from the service!" jested the always smiling Duo, but as 'Iria' turned around she saw that Duo's cheeks were streaked with tears and his eyes still watering. Yet his unmistakeable grin was still there along with his haughty stance. He was standing on the bottom step and as Iria could see, Hilde was behind him.
"The truth is," stuttered Iria, "The truth is I don't like the fact that all this strangers came here for the buffet and lunch,"
Duo chuckled and shook his head, "Whatever floats your boat," he said and kind of waved goodbye and followed Hilde to the the buffet line himself.
Iria grimly grinned, but did not rethink her actions and began to clmib the remainder of the steps.
"That's not true," remarked a shadowy figure from the top of the stairs.
"What do you mean, Heero?" Iria questioned, knowing this man too well.
Heero stepped into the light, his countance scowling. "Tell me the truth," he demanded.
-Lady Scythe
Disclaimer- I don't own G.W. or any of its characters. Also,for this chapter, so that it is less confusing, I am using Iria in subsitute for Relena!!!
*__* indicates thought
Please R&R ( - Lady Scythe
Before long, Iria's alarm was buzzing. She reached out to push the snooze button but missed and therefore was forced to sit up. Her eyelids were like weights and she struggled to open them. Grogginess flooded her as she finally silenced the noisy beast. Iria cast a look into the mirror. She looked awful. It had been a long and sleepless night. As she dressed, she remembered her intruder with a certain sorrow she couldn't shake.
Iria stumbled over to her vanity table and applied a lot of coverup to hide her lack of sleep. With this, she managed to go down the hall and to the formal dining room where she found all of her friends eating. Dorothy had arrived (though Iria didn't remember inviting her) They were all placed in between the former Gundam pilots according to their admiration of each one. The place next to Heero was empty, and Iria felt obliged to fill it. Right as she sat, she felt all of the eyes upon here and heard the buzzing silence that filled the room.
She saw Hilde's glare and the scowls coming from the rest of the girls but she pretended not to notice.Conversation slowly picked back up, but it all seemed to be aimed at Iria. Tears welled up in the back of her eyes and it was all she could do not to let them fall. Regret made her appetite very small, and Iria was sure that she seemed to have an eating disorder to everyone else. *Oh well, I guess you have to take the good with bad.*Iria shook her head and quickly finished. Right as she was about to leave Miliardo came into the room.
"My dear sister's funeral will be at noon, please prepare yourselves as nesscary." he annouced in a trembling voice.
A hush fell over the table once more, and in this time Iria excused herself and went straight to her room.
She knew this action looked insenstive but she couldn't stand to be at the table any longer than she already had.
Heero watched her go, and he felt really guilty. Her words echoed in his head, "Wait, Relena told me of you. The dark haired Gundam pilot who had stole her heart and ran with it. Who was reckless with her feelings but conservetive with his own. She told me how everynight when she went to sleep she wished for the familiar form of the pilot to be there, and every night she was dissapointed," He rose silently and jogged after the retreating young woman. *For Relena* thought the former pilot.
"Iria!" called Heero, catching Iria's sleeve. She forced herself to turn and meet the eyes of her love, who's emotionless eyes inveitably held nothing.
"What? As if my humilation at breakfast wasn't enough you. I loved Relena just as the rest of you did," Iria spat, with the tears she had never cried gathering at the cornor of her eyes.
"I know that," he responded simply. He was trying to be polite. It wasn't working. His patience was growing real short, real fast.
"Really," Iria snapped, squinting her eyes and flipping her hair around as she contiuned her ascent up the stairs.
"Iria wait, please," begged Heero, the desprateness in his voice becoming stronger. Almost human.
So of course Iria froze at the top of the stairs and looked back down. She paused and caught Heero's gaze. For a spilt second the two just looked at each other.
Heero shook his head and he then ran after her.
"I'm sorry they treated you like that, but they're just not used to you. Relena was a major part of their lives for a brief time but she changed their lives so much. You, are like an interruption of a fanasty-like world they have built up. A reality check," confessed Heero, almost passionatly.
Iria cocked her head and smiled. "Thanks, for everything," she whispered and excused herself.
The next time Iria glanced at her clock it was time to go. She slipped out of the door and locked it behind her.
There was a mumur indicating the mass of public people who had arrived. Iria breathed easy knowing she could melt into the crowd. The majority of the masses were pushing towards Miliardo and the urn, all hoping to pay their last respects to the fallen 'Dove of Peace'. The line wove through the large front room where the funeral had been set out. The day before the room appeared to be so small. Now it looked horzinless. Soon she was apologizing to Miliardo for his loss, and pretending to place a rose on the shrine of flowers that littered the urn.
Iria was soon bustled away and she decided to sit in the back, where no one could see her. She observed Heero and his group. Although he did a good job of hiding it, Heero would cast a glance around the room once and awhile while the interduction organ music played. Iria shrunk behind a taller man in front of her, just to make sure she was invisible. The last thing she wanted to be was uncomfortable at her own funeral. At last, the preacher's voice began to speak, then to drone, before finally stopping. Iria jumped, for she had been slowly falling asleep and she realized now it was Hilde's speech.
"I never knew Relena, like some of you did. I saw her from a distance, and admired her strength,intergity(she glanced at Wufei,knowing he held intergity in high esteem),and courage. She could lead her nation, and for that matter, the world into believing her ideals of pacfisim were entirely correct. And, as all of us know,(Hilde threw a glance at Miliardo) she was entirely correct. I only wish, I had had the time, the boldness and the humlity, to get to know such a remarkable being. Relena Peacecraft was a martyr, there's no other way I can put it. Even though her tragic death was very untimely, her words, her actions, and her beliefs will be carried on through text, and through us." Hilde spoke, with that,she wiped her eyes, and stepped down.
A soft applause followed,before Miliardo spoke. He spoke of how he regretted being seperated from her through most of her childhood but how her living with the Dorlains scuplted his darling little sister into the great young woman she was. He admitted being challenged by her ideals, and threatned by her exsistance but was a better man for it. He hoped that the crowd gathered to mourn Relena today was just as touched as he had been, by her life.
Unlike everyone else, Iria's tears were from guilt, instead of loss. The more her beloved one's spoke, the more she cried, the more she cried, the guiltier she felt. Thus a cycle of unstoppable tears was formed, but no one in the room noticed, for they all felt the same way. The preacher stepped up again and told the gathering of how Relena's soul was finally free from earthly chains and that she was watching over them, in the afterlife.
The service ended shortly after, with no singing from the congergation. Iria slipped out before the majority of the people did, and she went directly to her room, or so planned to do so.
"There you are! Hey, for being such a close friend of Relena's I didn't expect you to be running from the service!" jested the always smiling Duo, but as 'Iria' turned around she saw that Duo's cheeks were streaked with tears and his eyes still watering. Yet his unmistakeable grin was still there along with his haughty stance. He was standing on the bottom step and as Iria could see, Hilde was behind him.
"The truth is," stuttered Iria, "The truth is I don't like the fact that all this strangers came here for the buffet and lunch,"
Duo chuckled and shook his head, "Whatever floats your boat," he said and kind of waved goodbye and followed Hilde to the the buffet line himself.
Iria grimly grinned, but did not rethink her actions and began to clmib the remainder of the steps.
"That's not true," remarked a shadowy figure from the top of the stairs.
"What do you mean, Heero?" Iria questioned, knowing this man too well.
Heero stepped into the light, his countance scowling. "Tell me the truth," he demanded.
-Lady Scythe