Finding the Other Half of My Soul - Quatre's Arrival
Relena sat on the rail that wound around her balcony, looking up at the night sky. She was lost in thought, unaware of anything around her.
~*~
"She'll get herself killed sitting up there. I mean, one strong gust of wind and she'd fall to her death," Duo said, watching Relena from his own balcony.
"Relena knows what she's doing, Duo. She won't fall," Hilde said, coming up to wrap her arms around her boyfriend's waist.
The two watched as Dorothy Catalonia walked out onto Relena's balcony.
"I'd better get over there. That crazy bitch might push 'Jousan off the rail," Duo said and turned to go back inside.
Hilde shook her head. "She wouldn't do anything to hurt Relena," she said. "For some reason known only to her, Relena considers Dorothy Catalonia a friend."
Duo looked back over his shoulder worriedly. His eyes widened when he saw Dorothy hug Relena.
~*~
"What's wrong Miss Relena?" Dorothy asked as she walked onto the balcony.
Relena looked at Dorothy, her eyes wet with unshed tears. "I'm lonely, Dorothy. I know I have all of you around me, but I'm still lonely," she whispered.
"You can be in a crowded room and still feel lonely, Miss Relena. I know that feeling very well," Dorothy said. "We're just missing the other half of our souls."
"I don't want to be lonely Dorothy," Relena said softly. A tear slid down her cheek, followed by the rest that she'd been holding back. She started to sob when Dorothy hugged her, burying her face in the other girl's shoulder as she cried.
Dorothy held Relena while she cried, doing her best to comfort the weeping princess silently. 'Damnit Yuy! Where are you? Can't you see that Miss Relena needs your strength and your heart,' she thought angrily. She knew that the pilot of 01 had feelings for her friend, no matter how hard he tried to deny it, and knew that the only way for her friend to stop being lonely was to be with Heero Yuy. 'I just wish I knew who the other half of my soul was,' she thought mournfully, a tear sliding un-noticed down her own pale cheek.
~*~
"What did she say to 'Jousan to make her cry?" Duo wondered aloud.
"Relena probably just needed to cry Duo. Though why she's crying on Dorothy Catalonia's shoulder is beyond me," Hilde replied. "Heero should be the one comforting Relena when she cries."
"He still won't admit that he loves 'Jousan. I don't think he's ready to yet," Duo said. What Duo didn't know was that Heero was listening to Dorothy and Relena from the shadows of Relena's balcony.
~*~
Heero watched Relena cry into Dorothy's shoulder, wondering why Dorothy was even there. 'When did they become friends, let alone close friends?' He wanted to be the one holding Relena, but he was too afraid
to let any emotions show.
Relena's sobs soon stopped and she gave a muffled hiccup as she pulled away from Dorothy's shoulder. "Sorry about that Dorothy. That's the second time this week that I've gotten your shirt wet with my tears," she said sheepishly.
"It's nothing, Miss Relena. I know that you'd do the same for me," Dorothy said with a genuine smile. She let go of Relena and pulled out a hankerchief, handing it to her friend. "Dry your face off. Tears don't suit such a strong person like you," she said. "Besides, crying makes your face turn red," she teased.
Relena gave a watery laugh and slid off the railing, drying the remains of her tears off her face. "You don't look much better when you cry either," she shot back.
Dorothy grinned. "At least I look better than you do in the morning," she said.
Relena laughed and threw Dorothy's hankerchief back at her. "At least I don't .... Damn! I can't think of a good comeback," she said, breaking out into giggles.
Dorothy disolved into laughter as well. She leaned against the other girl as they both slid to the marble floor, tears of laughter streaming down their cheeks.
Relena recovered first and attacked Dorothy, tickling the other girl mercilessly.
Dorothy continued to laugh, trying to avoid Relena's fingers.
~*~
Heero watched the two girls in bewilderment from his place in the shadows. 'How can women be crying one minute then laughing the next?' he thought in frustration. His body tensed when he heard someone enter Relena's room. He relaxed when he saw Quatre walk out onto the balcony.
~*~
Quatre stepped out onto the balcony, intrigued by the sounds of two girls laughing. He recognized one of the voices as Relena's, but he didn't know who the second belonged to. His eyes widened when he saw Relena tickling Dorothy and that Dorothy was the second one laughing. "Miss Relena? Miss Dorothy?" he asked hesitantly.
The two girls froze and turned their heads to look at Quatre. They looked at his startled face then at each other and started laughing again.
Quatre was bewildered by the laughter of the two girls. He saw a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye and moved towards it. He wasn't surprised to find Heero glariing at him.
"What ... are ... you ... doing ... here ... Quatre?" Relena managed to get out between giggles.
"I thought I'd come and visit you for a while," Quatre replied. "My sisters forced me to take a vacation and I haven't seen you in a while."
Relena nodded and tried to get her laughter under control. She finally managed to do so and got to her feet, turning to help Dorothy up. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like, Quatre. I have plenty of room available. Duo and Hilde are here aldready," she said, giving Quatre a happy smile.
"Why not put him in the Green room? It's far enough away from Duo and Hilde's room so he won't have to listen to them screaming at night," Dorothy suggested, avoiding Quatre's eyes as she spoke.
Relena nodded. " Good idea," she said. She looked at Quatre. "If you'll follow Dorothy and I, we'll show you to your room," she said, slipping into the role of a polite hostess.
Quatre nodded in reply, covertly studying Dorothy as she and Relena walked past him, into Relena's room and out into the hall. he was surpriseed to find his heart beating a little faster as Dorothy's hair brushed against his hand. 'What is this feeling?' he wondered, following the two girls down the hall. He found his eyes repeatedly drawn to the soft swaying of Dorothy's hips beneath her black silk robe. He was startled when the two girls stopped in front of him.
"This will be your room during your stay, Quatre," Relena said. "Duo and Hilde's room is down that hall and you already know where my room is."
"Where is your room, Miss Dorothy?" Quatre asked.
"Adjoining yours," Dorothy replied, finally looking directly at Quatre. "Why do you ask?"
Quatre stopped breathing for a brief second when he looked into Dorothy's eyes. 'So beautiful!' he gasped iinwardly. "I just wanted to know," he replied lamely.
Dorothy raised one eyebrow but let the subject drop. "I'll see you in the morning Miss Relena," she said and opened a door a litle ways away from Quatre's and paused just inside it. "Don't forget that we have a meeting with the Ambassidor of L1 tomorrow afternoon," she said before she closed the door.
Quatre turned to Relena, a questioning look on his face.
"Dorothy is my aide. She's been a really big help," Relena said. She smiled softly. "She's changed a lot since Libra, Quatre. She might want to talk to you while you're here."
"I'm looking forward to talking to her," Quatre replied. And he really was. He wanted to find out why Dorothy was in pain and what he could do to help her. "Thank you for letting me stay with you, Miss Relena."
"It'll be nice to visit with you Quatre. If you're not too tired, why don't you come down to the kitchen with me and have something to eat or drink?" Relena suggested. She didn't want to go back to her lonely room and try to sleep. She wanted someone's company for a while.
Quatre could sense Relena's need for company, guessing that she didn't know Heero was guarding her, so he accepted. 'I just hope Heero doesn't decide to kill me for talking to her,' he thought as he followed Relena down to the kitchen.
~*~
Heero followed Relena and Quatre down to the kitchen, listening to every word they said through a listening device he'd slipped onto Relena's clothing as she'd passed by him earlier. 'Quatre's a dead man if he touches her,' he decided as he positioned himself outside the kitchen wondow.
~*~
"What would you like?" Relena asked Quatre.
Quatre looked thoughtful for a moment. "How about grilled cheese and milk?" he suggested.
Relena nodded and pulled out the stuff needed to make grilled cheese sandwiches.
Quatre was startled. "You're going to make it?" he asked.
"Of course. I know how to bake and cook and other stuff like that. Pagan is too old for me to wake him up at this hour just to make food. You can get the milk and glasses," Relena said, busy gettign the sandwiches made while she waited for the grill to heat.
Quatre did as he was directed, keeping up a steady flow of talk.
Relena held up her end of the conversation, used to doing more than one thing at once. She put the sandwiches on plates once the cheese had melted and the bread was a golden brown. She set two plates on the table and carried a third plate over to the window. She opened it and put the plate in a startled Heero's hands before shutting the window and joining Quatre at the table. She laughed when she saw the look on Quatre's face.
"You knew he was there?" Quatre asked, finally closing his mouth.
Relena nodded. "I always know when he's close by," she replied.
"How?" Quatre asked.
Relena shrugged. "I've just always known when he's nearby," she said. "I don't even think about how I know it anymore. I just accept it."
Quatre nodded. "I know, or I think I know, what you're talking about," he said.
Relena swallowed the bite she'd taken. "You mean your empath ability?" she asked.
"How did you know about that?" Quatre asked.
"Dorothy told me about it," Relena replied.
~*~
Outside, Heero was looking at the plate Relena had handed him, still startled that she'd known he was there. Since he was hungry, he decided to eat the sanwiches while he listened to Quatre and Relena talked, wishing he had something to wash the sandwiches down with. He was surprised when the window opened again and Relena gave him a glass of milk.
"Make sure you put them in the sink when you're done," Relena said softly and closed the window.
Heero took a gulp pf the milk, wondering how she'd known he was thirsty and why she'd finally decided to speak to him now if she'd known he was there all along. He was still sitting outside when Relena and Quatre said their 'good night's and went up to bed. He slipped inside and put his glass and plate in the sink like he'd been asked and went upstairs to resume his post outside on Relena's balcony.
Relena sat on the rail that wound around her balcony, looking up at the night sky. She was lost in thought, unaware of anything around her.
~*~
"She'll get herself killed sitting up there. I mean, one strong gust of wind and she'd fall to her death," Duo said, watching Relena from his own balcony.
"Relena knows what she's doing, Duo. She won't fall," Hilde said, coming up to wrap her arms around her boyfriend's waist.
The two watched as Dorothy Catalonia walked out onto Relena's balcony.
"I'd better get over there. That crazy bitch might push 'Jousan off the rail," Duo said and turned to go back inside.
Hilde shook her head. "She wouldn't do anything to hurt Relena," she said. "For some reason known only to her, Relena considers Dorothy Catalonia a friend."
Duo looked back over his shoulder worriedly. His eyes widened when he saw Dorothy hug Relena.
~*~
"What's wrong Miss Relena?" Dorothy asked as she walked onto the balcony.
Relena looked at Dorothy, her eyes wet with unshed tears. "I'm lonely, Dorothy. I know I have all of you around me, but I'm still lonely," she whispered.
"You can be in a crowded room and still feel lonely, Miss Relena. I know that feeling very well," Dorothy said. "We're just missing the other half of our souls."
"I don't want to be lonely Dorothy," Relena said softly. A tear slid down her cheek, followed by the rest that she'd been holding back. She started to sob when Dorothy hugged her, burying her face in the other girl's shoulder as she cried.
Dorothy held Relena while she cried, doing her best to comfort the weeping princess silently. 'Damnit Yuy! Where are you? Can't you see that Miss Relena needs your strength and your heart,' she thought angrily. She knew that the pilot of 01 had feelings for her friend, no matter how hard he tried to deny it, and knew that the only way for her friend to stop being lonely was to be with Heero Yuy. 'I just wish I knew who the other half of my soul was,' she thought mournfully, a tear sliding un-noticed down her own pale cheek.
~*~
"What did she say to 'Jousan to make her cry?" Duo wondered aloud.
"Relena probably just needed to cry Duo. Though why she's crying on Dorothy Catalonia's shoulder is beyond me," Hilde replied. "Heero should be the one comforting Relena when she cries."
"He still won't admit that he loves 'Jousan. I don't think he's ready to yet," Duo said. What Duo didn't know was that Heero was listening to Dorothy and Relena from the shadows of Relena's balcony.
~*~
Heero watched Relena cry into Dorothy's shoulder, wondering why Dorothy was even there. 'When did they become friends, let alone close friends?' He wanted to be the one holding Relena, but he was too afraid
to let any emotions show.
Relena's sobs soon stopped and she gave a muffled hiccup as she pulled away from Dorothy's shoulder. "Sorry about that Dorothy. That's the second time this week that I've gotten your shirt wet with my tears," she said sheepishly.
"It's nothing, Miss Relena. I know that you'd do the same for me," Dorothy said with a genuine smile. She let go of Relena and pulled out a hankerchief, handing it to her friend. "Dry your face off. Tears don't suit such a strong person like you," she said. "Besides, crying makes your face turn red," she teased.
Relena gave a watery laugh and slid off the railing, drying the remains of her tears off her face. "You don't look much better when you cry either," she shot back.
Dorothy grinned. "At least I look better than you do in the morning," she said.
Relena laughed and threw Dorothy's hankerchief back at her. "At least I don't .... Damn! I can't think of a good comeback," she said, breaking out into giggles.
Dorothy disolved into laughter as well. She leaned against the other girl as they both slid to the marble floor, tears of laughter streaming down their cheeks.
Relena recovered first and attacked Dorothy, tickling the other girl mercilessly.
Dorothy continued to laugh, trying to avoid Relena's fingers.
~*~
Heero watched the two girls in bewilderment from his place in the shadows. 'How can women be crying one minute then laughing the next?' he thought in frustration. His body tensed when he heard someone enter Relena's room. He relaxed when he saw Quatre walk out onto the balcony.
~*~
Quatre stepped out onto the balcony, intrigued by the sounds of two girls laughing. He recognized one of the voices as Relena's, but he didn't know who the second belonged to. His eyes widened when he saw Relena tickling Dorothy and that Dorothy was the second one laughing. "Miss Relena? Miss Dorothy?" he asked hesitantly.
The two girls froze and turned their heads to look at Quatre. They looked at his startled face then at each other and started laughing again.
Quatre was bewildered by the laughter of the two girls. He saw a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye and moved towards it. He wasn't surprised to find Heero glariing at him.
"What ... are ... you ... doing ... here ... Quatre?" Relena managed to get out between giggles.
"I thought I'd come and visit you for a while," Quatre replied. "My sisters forced me to take a vacation and I haven't seen you in a while."
Relena nodded and tried to get her laughter under control. She finally managed to do so and got to her feet, turning to help Dorothy up. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like, Quatre. I have plenty of room available. Duo and Hilde are here aldready," she said, giving Quatre a happy smile.
"Why not put him in the Green room? It's far enough away from Duo and Hilde's room so he won't have to listen to them screaming at night," Dorothy suggested, avoiding Quatre's eyes as she spoke.
Relena nodded. " Good idea," she said. She looked at Quatre. "If you'll follow Dorothy and I, we'll show you to your room," she said, slipping into the role of a polite hostess.
Quatre nodded in reply, covertly studying Dorothy as she and Relena walked past him, into Relena's room and out into the hall. he was surpriseed to find his heart beating a little faster as Dorothy's hair brushed against his hand. 'What is this feeling?' he wondered, following the two girls down the hall. He found his eyes repeatedly drawn to the soft swaying of Dorothy's hips beneath her black silk robe. He was startled when the two girls stopped in front of him.
"This will be your room during your stay, Quatre," Relena said. "Duo and Hilde's room is down that hall and you already know where my room is."
"Where is your room, Miss Dorothy?" Quatre asked.
"Adjoining yours," Dorothy replied, finally looking directly at Quatre. "Why do you ask?"
Quatre stopped breathing for a brief second when he looked into Dorothy's eyes. 'So beautiful!' he gasped iinwardly. "I just wanted to know," he replied lamely.
Dorothy raised one eyebrow but let the subject drop. "I'll see you in the morning Miss Relena," she said and opened a door a litle ways away from Quatre's and paused just inside it. "Don't forget that we have a meeting with the Ambassidor of L1 tomorrow afternoon," she said before she closed the door.
Quatre turned to Relena, a questioning look on his face.
"Dorothy is my aide. She's been a really big help," Relena said. She smiled softly. "She's changed a lot since Libra, Quatre. She might want to talk to you while you're here."
"I'm looking forward to talking to her," Quatre replied. And he really was. He wanted to find out why Dorothy was in pain and what he could do to help her. "Thank you for letting me stay with you, Miss Relena."
"It'll be nice to visit with you Quatre. If you're not too tired, why don't you come down to the kitchen with me and have something to eat or drink?" Relena suggested. She didn't want to go back to her lonely room and try to sleep. She wanted someone's company for a while.
Quatre could sense Relena's need for company, guessing that she didn't know Heero was guarding her, so he accepted. 'I just hope Heero doesn't decide to kill me for talking to her,' he thought as he followed Relena down to the kitchen.
~*~
Heero followed Relena and Quatre down to the kitchen, listening to every word they said through a listening device he'd slipped onto Relena's clothing as she'd passed by him earlier. 'Quatre's a dead man if he touches her,' he decided as he positioned himself outside the kitchen wondow.
~*~
"What would you like?" Relena asked Quatre.
Quatre looked thoughtful for a moment. "How about grilled cheese and milk?" he suggested.
Relena nodded and pulled out the stuff needed to make grilled cheese sandwiches.
Quatre was startled. "You're going to make it?" he asked.
"Of course. I know how to bake and cook and other stuff like that. Pagan is too old for me to wake him up at this hour just to make food. You can get the milk and glasses," Relena said, busy gettign the sandwiches made while she waited for the grill to heat.
Quatre did as he was directed, keeping up a steady flow of talk.
Relena held up her end of the conversation, used to doing more than one thing at once. She put the sandwiches on plates once the cheese had melted and the bread was a golden brown. She set two plates on the table and carried a third plate over to the window. She opened it and put the plate in a startled Heero's hands before shutting the window and joining Quatre at the table. She laughed when she saw the look on Quatre's face.
"You knew he was there?" Quatre asked, finally closing his mouth.
Relena nodded. "I always know when he's close by," she replied.
"How?" Quatre asked.
Relena shrugged. "I've just always known when he's nearby," she said. "I don't even think about how I know it anymore. I just accept it."
Quatre nodded. "I know, or I think I know, what you're talking about," he said.
Relena swallowed the bite she'd taken. "You mean your empath ability?" she asked.
"How did you know about that?" Quatre asked.
"Dorothy told me about it," Relena replied.
~*~
Outside, Heero was looking at the plate Relena had handed him, still startled that she'd known he was there. Since he was hungry, he decided to eat the sanwiches while he listened to Quatre and Relena talked, wishing he had something to wash the sandwiches down with. He was surprised when the window opened again and Relena gave him a glass of milk.
"Make sure you put them in the sink when you're done," Relena said softly and closed the window.
Heero took a gulp pf the milk, wondering how she'd known he was thirsty and why she'd finally decided to speak to him now if she'd known he was there all along. He was still sitting outside when Relena and Quatre said their 'good night's and went up to bed. He slipped inside and put his glass and plate in the sink like he'd been asked and went upstairs to resume his post outside on Relena's balcony.