Disclaimer: I don't own GW, and I'm getting nothing but a kick and a head ache from this, so there is no need to SUE. Seems like that is what everyone is turning to nowadays. . .
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Whoo, sorry this one is long… are you beginning to notice a strange pattern?
Wings of Last Impression
Part 7
"Madame, we can't control those urges he feels when he's around that Darlian woman!" a man shouted.
The woman in the swivel chair turned to his direction.
"Increase the magnitude, Wilde. He'll pay for his damn memories if they ever seek him once more," she said rather angrily.
"But, Madame, if we do that, we'll hurt him," the man responded.
"That's the whole point of the SolChip. If he doesn't learn from his mistakes the first few rounds and doesn't find ways to control it, then I'm afraid that we've invested all our time and effort into another human being, and not that war-glorified specimen we've been tailing for quite some time. Continue!"
"Yes, Madame," the man said meagerly.
~~~~~
Relena's hands left her temples as there was a knock on her door.
"Coming!"
Opening the door to the smiling face of Montel, she took the arm that was offered to her. Sighing as she snuggled up to him, she realized something. It hit her rather abruptly and hard, but all the affection that she had been showing him had stemmed off of her crushed love for Heero. But then she realized that somehow, her version of long ago Heero had died out. No, this is love for Montel, this is. But there still might be that chance. . . where Heero might reveal himself like he did on that night so long ago. Nothing happened physically, but something did happened.
"Are you alright? Deep in thought, hmm?" Montel's voice cut across her thoughts.
"Just thinking how nice it is to have your company at a time like this, that's all," Relena replied.
Montel smiled at her and patted her hands gently. They reached the bottom of the stairs and walked towards the kitchen. Relena had her breath taken away as she saw the lovely decor of the kitchen. The lights were completely turned off, and in place of the light bulbs were candles. The light threw off a soft glow that enhanced the mood. There were five plates at the table, and Relena breathed a sigh of relief as she noticed that. Lilies and snapdragons adorned the table and vines spilled onto the floor from the center of the table.
"Please, sit!" Hilde said, coming up behind them.
"Oh, Hilde, you're beautiful!" Relena said, admiring her friend.
"Oh, this old thing?!"
"Old thing?" Duo said, popping out from the shadows, "Didn't you buy that thing today?" Hilde poked Duo as he hugged her from behind, smiling as she heard an "Oomph" from Duo.
"Where's He-I mean, where's Odin?" Relena asked, worried that he wouldn't keep his word.
"I'm here," Heero said, making his way into the kitchen.
Relena's jaw dropped to the floor and Hilde gently picked it up and placed it back. For a moment, Relena thought that the Angel of Death had come for her. Heero's pale complexion stood out against the dark garment that covered his body. The shadows and light played with his silhouette as he glided past Relena.
"Alright, now that we are all here, let's EAT!" Duo said rather enthusiastically.
"Not before we say our grace!" Hilde said.
"Fine, fine. Thank you, Shinigami, O Mighty Keeper of restless souls, for this drop-dead meal you had your servant prepare for us tonight. Heal these people tonight that joined us from their struggling battles and find... and find, uh... ripening fruit at the end of their dark passage because--" Hilde cleared her throat to stop him and resumed herself.
"--because without this _faithful_ servant of yours, this banquet would not have been possible. Amen, now let's eat!"
"That was my line, Hilde!" Duo whined.
Hilde stuffed a sweet roll into Duo's mouth, which stopped his talking for the moment as the God of Death munched away happily. Relena, Montel, and Heero hesitated for a moment after that quick scene. The enticing smell got the best of them as they piled their plates up with food. Silence reigned over the five as they ate. Two hours later, the table was cleared as Hilde set warm slices of apple pie in front of everyone. Hilde then heaped a large scoop of vanilla ice cream on the pie, finishing it off with sprinkles of cinnamon and nutmeg. The smell of cinnamon tickled Relena's nose.
"You're too much, Hilde," Montel said as he sank his teeth into the pie.
"Mmph mmph mmmmmmmmmmmph," Duo said, or rather, mumbled.
"I think Duo said 'I agree'," Relena said, giggling. Duo shook his head vigorously to show that Relena was right.
He flashed a Victory sign towards Relena as he went for a third helping. Heero ate quietly and slowly, savoring the warm pie in his mouth. A new sensation to his taste buds. By the next hour, everyone was done and in the living room, talking. Montel asked Heero a heap of questions, much to Relena's dismay. Heero replied back coldly and smoothly, his actions precise with the careful choosing of his words.
The night ended with Montel taking a graveyard shuttle back to Colony L1, for duty called him away. With apologies to Relena, they decided to meet again within the next month. Relena and Montel walked to the station, so she could say good-bye to him. As he boarded the shuttle, he waved to her and Relena waved back. She felt weird at that moment, as a dreaded feeling washed deep within her. She felt relieved, of all things, that Montel wouldn't be seen until a few weeks.
"He's my boyfriend, how could I be feeling that way?" Relena asked herself. Relena felt a chill blow through her bones, even though it was more than a little warm out. She rubbed her arms for warmth and turned to head back to Duo's house.
"You shouldn't be out here alone," a voice from the shadows said as she passed by.
Relena jumped up and almost shrieked as she saw whom the voice belonged to.
"Odin! You nearly scared me to death! Promise you won't sneak up on me like that!"
"I promise," Heero said after a few moments, "I won't do that again without giving you a warning."
"Thanks a lot," Relena said, making a slight face.
"Might I walk you back? After all, we are headed in the same direction," Heero said, half of his face obscured by the shadows that claimed him.
'This isn't Heero... this is Odin... but then how could it be Odin when it's Heero that I see?'
"That'd be nice," Relena said, looking down.
Heero cleared his throat as he offered her his arm. She looked at him, and took his arm. Relena was tempted to rest her head on his shoulders, but fought that urge. They quietly strolled through the city streets and parks, only whispering with each breath. The lights lit a dreamy path for the couple; only which they could see, but didn't know the other acknowledged it. They passed by a row of yellow carnations, and Relena came to a slow stop.
"Oh, these are so beautiful!" Relena sighed as she let go of Heero's arm and stooped down to smell it. Heero suddenly stooped down also, picking a single carnation and placed it in Relena's hands. Both were kneeling on the ground, staring intensely at each other. Heero had no idea why he did what he just did, but something, in his mind--no, in his heart--won this little battle.
Heero's hands clasped around Relena's hands, and she blushed under the soft light. As the magic of twilight and stardust seeped its way around the two, their fingers intertwined as Heero leaned in to finally taste Relena's lips. Relena's heart beat a wild rhythm as she returned the kiss, slowly at first.
Our first kiss, Heero. They deepened the kiss to a flaming passion, a fire that went out of control. Relena broke the kiss first, knowing that guilt will soon stomp around in her mind for who knows how long. Heero moaned in disappointment, both finding them standing. Heero held her tight to him, his hands tangled in her honey brown hair. Relena's nails dug their way into the back of his skin, slowly releasing the grip.
"Odin, why--" Heero put a finger to her soft lips, tempted to move his finger and place his own lips there. "Someone, faraway, long ago, told me it was best to act on your emotions."
They stayed frozen that way for a second, but eternity was what they both pictured. Heero offered her his arm again, giving her a rare genuine smile that burned into Relena's soul. She took his arm and they finished the rest of their journey together in silence.
As each separated and went to their own beds that night, confused thoughts and longing emotions surfaced in Heero's dream, as he saw Relena taken away from him, but returned with that same innocent smile. Every time he saw her face, he felt pain. She smiled at him, taking his hands into her own. She opened new doors, gave him opportunities to redeem himself. Heero finally woke up, sweat covering his body as his sides burned with pain.
"Why does it hurt so much when I think of you?" Heero quietly whispered to himself.
~~~~~
"Where is he?"
"We don't know, Madame!"
The woman angrily stalked to the man sitting at the computer. Her cool liquid amber eyes burned in fury at the man's reply.
"I pay you idiots to keep track of him! How the hell are you going to loose him?!" she sputtered.
"Madame, we lost him as soon as he went into Colony L2. We know what his emotions are doing when he's around that Darlian woman-"
She yelled in fury and punched the man, making him double over and startled the other workers. They knew not to cross her path when she was furious, so they continued their work as if nothing happened. The man drew back in fear and quickly turned around and began typing furiously at the keyboard.
'Oh dear, dear Uncle. How troublesome that my cousin wasn't strong enough to oppress the rules of that Foreign Vice Minister. Finding him in his condition was a rather rare blessing,' she thought as she placed herself on the swivel chair. Her silvery-blue hair swayed as she tossed her head in disgust. 'I can not afford to loose him this easily. We're almost there, almost at the point of no return in this mission. The human race is not mature enough to handle the idea of peace. That's what I'm here for,' she grinned.
~~~~~
"Good morning, or rather, good afternoon, Relena," Duo chuckled.
"What? I've been asleep that long?" Relena shook her head and winced at the bright sun.
"What did you and Heero do last night, eh?"
"What?"
"Yeah, I saw him sneak out after you and Montel. So what did ya do?"
"N-nothing, Duo. He was kind enough to walk me back from the station. That's all," she said, and tossed a reassuring smile his way.
"Unh huh, I don't bite into it, though," Duo said as he walked to the refrigerator.
He pulled out piles of ham, turkey, roast beef, lettuce, and the list just goes on and on. He sat himself happily on the counter and fixed the sandwich. After the sandwich was finished, Duo was about to eat but stopped as Relena's eyes rested on him. He looked at the sandwich, then at Relena, then back at the sandwich.
"Should I make you some too?"
"Nice of you to notice me also, Duo," Relena said spitefully, "You're not the only one with a stomach, mind you."
Duo placed a hand behind his head as he tried to laugh out of the situation. As an act of kindness, Duo reluctantly parted with his sandwich and gave it to Relena. After taking a bite, she gave it back to Duo.
"Macaroni with cheese and sausage, odd shapes of sliced meat, olives and sardines are not my kind of thing. . . not altogether simultaneously like that," Relena said with a slight smile.
Duo looked relieved and gratefully took a big bite of his sandwich. Relena decided to go out and eat today, since she was ready for a change. 'What kind of vacation is this if I don't go out and do things?' Relena decided to try and get Heero to come along. It'll be tough, she knew, but she was determined to make him unwind from all that has happened. Smiling, Relena reached his room.
~~~~~
"I'm detecting a disturbance within the atmosphere of the near-by Lunar cluster. Object seems to be dispersing itself strategically in plotted points of the Earth," a man read loudly and with a controlled panic.
"Do you know the original path of this object, Krovach?"
"No, ma'am, we do not. We should have been able to detect it within a thousand-mile radius. We're getting a high reading of neo-titanium."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Well, then, establish communication with the others and alert them of this new find," the woman said and with a click of her heels, she went out the door.
"Yes, Lady Une," the man saluted her gone shadow and turned around to contact the rest of the Special Forces of the Preventers.
~~~~~
"We have the victim in range. What's our next move?" a man clad in black asked into a headphone.
There was a bit of static and angry words. The man hastily murmured sorry and looked into his scope.
"Beautiful. Such a shame we must get rid of her. Miss Reiya stated that she was in our way. She must be eliminated for her sake."
The man looked around him for a bit, then focused his attention again on his target. With the pull of the trigger, the man smiled to himself and quietly left the top towers.
~~~~~
"It's nice to be out of Duo's house," Heero said quietly and tossed a quick little smile Relena's way. "Thank you for getting me out of there."
"Why, Odin! You sound like you just got out of prison!" Relena teased.
The waitress gave a surprised look in Relena's direction as she recognized her. Relena smiled at her and nodded her head. The waitress blushed in surprised at being acknowledged.
"Two specials, please," Relena said.
"Yes, ma'am," the waitress said and left.
Something shiny glinted off of Heero's eyes as he followed the trail. His heart skipped a beat as his keen eyes detected more glare and a tiny figure suspended a thousand feet into the air. Heero instinctively grabbed Relena's hands, not knowing why. He felt that he had to protect her. Hold her close; feel her there with him. Relena blushed at Heero's bold move, but soon her attention was turned on Heero's eyes.
'I've never seen his eyes so full of worry like that. . .' Relena thought. But there was that one incident. . . an attempted assassination on her life. Heero had stood in the shadows, but his eyes were so full of worry, light, before the first shot rang in the auditorium. Relena's eyes widened as she frantically scanned the crowd and buildings around her. Heero got up slowly and casually, taking Relena's hands into his. Relena cautiously got up, but was thrown to the ground as she heard a shot echo off the buildings. Relena screamed with all her might as blood seeped around her and sickly glowed a bright red on the pavement.
'But I don't feel pain,' Relena thought as she collected her thoughts.
"A-Are you okay?" Heero struggled to his feet but collapsed on Relena.
She let out a huge gasp when she saw the blood pouring forth from not her own body, but from Heero's.
"No... this can't be..." she sobbed into his broken chest.
"R-Relena... please..." Heero whispered silently.
'Why does this feel so familiar? Why did I protect her the way I did? Relena...' He felt her warm hand cup his cheek, the other hand placed over the puncture on his chest.
"Heero! Stay with me! Please! I need... I need you..."
~~~~~
"How did it go?"
"It went well, Madame," the dark figure said, bowing.
The woman turned away and scoffed, startling the man before her.
"Well, did it go, you say?" She turned on televidcom.
The man gasped aloud as he saw the frightened and upset face of the still alive Vice-Foreign Minister. As the woman reached to turn it off, the camera zoomed in on a familiar face, though twisted with unrecognizable pain. She caught her breath and outlined his face, whispering to herself. Her face twisted in annoyance as she saw Heero clutching on tight to Relena, and Relena holding him so in her arms so securely.
"Now that we know where he is, we can easily sway his mind to rejoin us. He can't refuse it isn't programmed into the SolChip. Prepare a shuttle for Colony L2!"
"Madame, you wish to go alone?"
"I can handle him. Didn't I handle him before?"
"Yes, Madame, I will prepare a shuttle immediately," the dark figure said, backing away and disappearing.
"No one touches him but me," she seethed into the darkness.
~~~~~
"Relena, is he okay?"
Relena's head shot up at the familiar voice. Her drowsy eyes were bloodshot, her complexion was that of the pale moon, and her body was slumped from the lack of nutrition in the past three days. Relena contemplated on shrugging off the newcomers but thought twice. She offered a weak smile.
"Hi, Duo, Hilde, at least he's out of intensive care. The doctors play a cruel joke on my weak soul by stating. . ." Relena stopped for a moment to get her breath, ". . . by stating that he should wake up any moment."
"Relena," Hilde said.
She sat by Relena and threw her arms around the Foreign Vice Minister, patting her back. Duo lost his mask as Relena saw a flash of dread cross his face. That was the final straw that made Relena cry. Hilde patted Relena's hair, rocking her back and forth, whispering soothing words to calm the heart-aching storm that brewed inside of her.
"I'll go check on Heero, to see if anything has changed. I'll be back," Duo said in the Terminator voice. He puffed his chest and flung his arms out, fists balled.
Duo winked and waddled his way to Heero's room. The girls managed to get a smile and shake of their head out to Duo's shadow.
"He's so great," Relena sighed.
"I know, tell me about it," Hilde said, sticking her tongue out.
"Oh, hush!" Relena said after a while. "At least you know he cares for you, and loves you, and protects you, and makes you laugh and smile when you need it most. You're so lucky, Hilde," Relena finished quietly.
Hilde was at a loss for words, and she blushed slightly at the forward comment Relena had made.
"He's a good person deep down inside, and serious," Hilde said solemnly," Everyone writes him off as the jester or the clown, when really. . . It's Duo that uses the mask Trowa uses." "Thank you, Hilde, for sharing that with me. I'm sure Duo wouldn't want to tell me that and spoil his reputation, eh?"
"No, I don't think so," Hilde said with a little giggle.
Relena sighed once more, sitting up straight and trying to salvage her dignity.
"You have no idea how much you've helped me. . . countless numerous times, Hilde. I love you for that, you and that hunk you call Duo," Relena said, smiling a genuine smile.
"That's what I'm here for! I love you, too," Hilde said, hugging Relena.
"Don't I get any 'I love you's too? Aww, leave me out here. . . alone. . . with no one to hug. . ." Duo sniffled in mock, appearing at the doorway and transforming into a chibi-Duo.
"Ah, you big lug, get over here!" Hilde chided him.
He bounded to them with speed and a big smile, engulfing both of the women in a bear hug. Hilde and Relena played his game by throwing their arms over him and trying to out-bear-hug Duo.
"Oh, oh, enough, enough, I can't take two beautiful women on at the same time! Though it's not a bad position," Duo said, pinching Hilde playfully.
"Ow!" Hilde said, letting go of Duo.
Relena stepped away from them and laughed. The laughter mended some of her open wounds, but new and old wounds were opening alike. 'Thank you' Relena thought to them as she slipped into Heero's room. She closed the door behind her without a creak. Silently tip-toeing and making her way through the dark, Relena stumbled upon a chair. She sat down and wiped her brow, afraid that the doctors or nurses had heard the disturbance.
Holding her breath for what seemed like forever, Relena exhaled and inhaled slowly. Able to locate Heero's still body with her eyes, she shifted the chair closer to Heero. Relena got up, walking across the bare room to open the blinds a tad bit, letting the moonlight highlight her figure. She stared up at the moon, in awe of its' awesome silent power to enchant people. Relena made her way back to the chair, and settled comfortably.
Taking Heero's hand into her own, Relena sighed and closed her eyes. Without her knowledge, Relena descended into a deep sleep, still clasping Heero's hand.
~~~~~
The early dawning of the sun infiltrated the blinds, dancing and prodding about the room in a soft wave of comfort and warmth. The machine next to Heero's bed beeped louder and louder until Heero's fingers moved a bit. His eyes tried to force itself shut, being blinded by the sun on first impact. Heero closed his eyes painfully and his left hand automatically caressed the wound in his chest. He kicked at the sheets that bound his legs together, making his whole body stuffy and hot. With all that Heero was doing, he didn't once disturb the sleeping Relena.
Everything coming back to Heero in a painful flash, he sat straight up. The tightening of his chest told him better, so he placed himself back on the bed. He sighed and began to slowly open his eyes. His eyes adjusted to the brightness of the white ceiling. He felt someone there, a warm presence, and turned his head to see Relena slumped on the chair, still holding his hand.
Confusion and strange feelings ran through his mind and heart as he observed the woman sitting in his room. He then looked down at his hand, wondering if it was her touch that brought him about.
"So," Heero spoke softly, "you waited for me? Did you think I was going to die that easily?"
He was surprised that he had used a bitter tone on the last sentence. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, then stared at Relena.
"I do not deserve an angel like you," Heero whispered, slowly bringing her hand to his face.
He stopped as her fingers twitched, the blood rushing into them made her hand burn. Relena yawned and groggily sat up, her eyes fluttering open. Her heart made a pitter-patter sound as her gaze rested upon Heero, his intense Prussian orbs staring straight through her soul. Relena tried to mumble sorry and pull her hand away, but with a surprisingly strong grip, Heero had pulled her to him. Relena sat on the bed, her heart beating faster and stronger.
"Relena."
"Yes?"
"Help me sit up, I know I can't do it alone. I'll just inflict more pain on myself," Heero said.
Relena's eyes widened at his request. Heero would have never said that! Not even to Duo! He had his strength, he had his pride, he had his "perfect soldier" mode. Relena almost trembled at what he asked of her, but her hands shot out in response and steadied Heero into a sitting position. Heero clutched at his chest, and Relena muffled her sob.
As she sat there watching him, her feelings finally came into play. She flung herself on Heero's chest, hurt as he may be, he withstood the pain. Relena's arms snaked their way around his waist and she buried her head in his shoulder.
"Heero! I thought I'd never see you alive again! The doctors said that you'd wake up any minute over the past three days! My hope rose and suffered as each minute ticked by... I was scared... so scared and worried for you..." Relena's muffled voice came out to him.
Heero listened silently, wondering in surprise.
"You stayed with me? This whole time?"
Relena picked herself off of Heero, her arms still around his waist. She nodded her head in response, and met his gaze at eye level. Fresh tears came down her cheeks as she saw him, there, alive!
"Those tears... are they for me?" Heero asked gently.
"Yes, Heero, for you and me..."
'Heero, Heero, am I Heero? Time will unfold itself,' he thought.
Heero took his left hand and wiped away the tears that hung by a single thread of her lush eyelashes, and she stared deeper into his eyes. Just as the north and south pole attract each other, both found themselves lost in their emotions and drew closer. The gap was closed as Heero sealed a kiss on Relena's lips, locking away yet another unknown treasured secret.
~~~~~
I'm sorry-no, I'm not sorry-if the charas are OOCky. Please e-mail if you have any comments or flames.
