Disclaimer:
Yes!! I own it all!! All of it!! You see, the Matrix controls everything....and I control the Matrix!! I am invincible!! MWAHAHAHAHA!!! *thud*
Tama-neko: *holding a club* Sorry, I had to knock her out before she called every vulture- I mean, lawyer- in the country down on us. No, she owns nothing but us poor muses, and even then, she doesn't own out names. *sigh*
Heero-Plushie: *pulls out a gun* Omae o korosu, Ayanami.
Tama-neko: No! *thwack* Bad Heero-Plushie! If you kill her, then we get sent to Ayame-chan!
Heero-Plushie: Which is worse? Evil girl or evil girl's twin sister? *shrug* At least here I'm not trapped with that weird bandit or that blue haired monk dude.
Ayanami: Tee hee... Heero said 'dude'. *giggle*
Heero-Plushie: Omae o korosu, Ayanami!
Elements of Destruction: Chapter 2
Tearful Partings
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FLASHBACK
Relena Darlian was wearing one of her most expensive and impressive ball gowns, which unfortunately made it one of the most cumbersome. It was white, covered in pearls and layers of lace, but underneath were at least a dozen layers of petticoats. Girls of the past had thanked the Powers That Be that the dresses of the 16th century had gone out of style. Relena could only curse said Powers, for those dresses had once more become popular with the rise of Romafeller.
Relena sighed, and looked out over the crowded room. It was her 18th birthday and, much to her dismay, Millardo had thrown a ball for her. Hilde had advised her to ditch, and had given her the location of a rather large rave taking place in the desert that same night. Relena was sorely tempted, but her brother had come all the way from Mars to see her. Not to mention, if she disappeared like that, her brother was going to go nuts. No, he'd go worse then nuts. It'd be like Quatre on Zero. No, ditching was no an option.
It was only 10 pm and she had already danced with every man in the ball, some twice. But she had yet to dance with the one man that she longed to see, the one guest from whom she'd received no RSVP.
Heero Yuy.
She wasn't sure what she'd do if she saw him. Would she run to him and throw herself into his arms? That sounded good and romantic, but she doubted she would. She'd sooner slap him and scream her heart out, telling him exactly what kind of hell the past few years of her live had been. That sounded very therapeutic, but it wasn't really his fault, so she shouldn't rant at him. And, option number three, would she catch a glimpse of his deep blue eyes, and then run and hide? That last was the least appealing option of all, but she forced herself to admit that it was most likely. She really didn't know, and she wasn't going to find out soon.
Quatre and Duo were standing over by the refreshments, chatting quietly. The had both told her that they were sure Heero had received the invitation, but neither knew if he would come. Duo had ventured a guess, then placed money on it. He said that Heero would come, but definitely not through the front door. Just to humor him, Relena took his bet before returning to the dance floor. That had been two hours ago.
There. Noin had Millardo occupied, probably by hinting at things that Relena didn't want to know. Relena's bodyguard, a talented young woman named Mary, was being hit on by some minor nobility. Wufei, with his permanent scowl, was currently directing his attention on a young duke who had the gall to ask Sally Po for a dance. If looks could kill, that man would be nothing but a pair of smoldering boots. Relena stifled a giggle and took her chance, sneaking out into the gardens behind the ballroom. It's amazing how one can learn to move so silently, even in a ball gown, if one had enough practice.
Once she was out of sight of the many balconies overlooking the gardens, she ran into the hedge maze. She knew exactly where she was, and where she was going. Soon she came to an ornate marble fountain, set with jade, onyx, and other semiprecious stones. She sat down on the grass surrounding the fountain, her skirts billowing out around her.
She let out another long sigh, perhaps the millionth one this night, and thought to herself. He's not coming back. Ever. Why can't I accept this? Why can't I just forget him and get on with my life? She buried her face in her hands and whispered, "Why?"
"Why what?" a deep, familiar voice came from behind her.
Relena's head jerked up, and she look around for the voice's owner. looking behind her, she spotted a dark figure hidden in the shadows. He stepped into the moonlight, meeting Relena's tear-filled eyes.
"Heero..." she whispered, getting lost in his deep blue eyes. She turned away from him, and covered her face with her hands once more. She tried desperately to control herself, but gave up as a sob racked her body. He's here, oh God, he's here... the thoughts tumbled. Why...? Tears? I should be happy, but I'm crying? Why?
"Relena?" he asked, concern and confusion evident in his face, if not in his voice. She felt him place a warm hand on his shoulder, and jerked away.
"Don't touch me!" she yelled, glaring at him through her tears. "Go!" she commanded. He did not obey. Looks like I owe Duo ten dollars. she thought, enjoying the small, cruel irony. "I said go!" she yelled once more, before she fell, sobbing to the ground. Why am I crying?! I'm stronger than this! I am! she sobbed even harder, angry at herself. He had finally come to her, and all she could do was scream and yell and cry.
Heero stared at her, shocked at her reaction. Whatever he had expected from her, he hadn't expected this. Seeing her cry like this, he was completely paralyzed. He couldn't move or speak. He'd never seen her break down completely, and when she did cry, she never had cried this hard. The sight of it broke his heart, whose existence he'd only managed to accept recently. Seeing her like that made him want to pull her into his arms and comfort her, although he had no idea where such ideas were coming from.
He's just here to jerk me around some more, he won't stay, his 'missions' are too important. God, what am I thinking! Do I really doubt him that much! her conscious reprimanded her. She would have cried harder if she had had the strength to.
"Re...Relena..." he found his voice. Did I really hurt her that much? his guilt assailed him.
Relena didn't hear him, or the pain in his voice. She was smiling through her tears, laughing silently at the cruel irony that ran her life. Less than an hour before she had been wish with all her might to see him. Of course, that was when she was dancing with one of the most corpulent of her guests, and was dreaming of a fairy-tale prince with Heero's face to sweep her off of her feet, and ride away on his white horse, happy ever after. I want to disappear. I hate this. I wish I was anywhere but here. I want to go somewhere else. Please, God, take me somewhere else...
"Relena! Relena!" his panicked cries broke through her hastily erected shields, and pierced her to the core. He was afraid of something, that much she could hear in his voice. Afraid for her? She opened her eyes, only to squeeze them shut again.
"It's so bright." she whispered, covering her eyes with her arms. She had cried her self dry, and was now tired, calmly accepting the strange light around her. She could hear the rustling of the trees around her, the soft crunch of Heero's shoe on the grass. It seemed as if there should be a great roaring in her ears, but there was not. She felt herself grow lighter, and the ground drift down below her. Didn't resist as she was carried upward, still covering her eyes.
"Relena!" she felt a tug on her arm. Opening her eyes despite the brightness, she saw Heero, with a firm grip on her arm. She wrapped her fingers around his forearm, and began to move the other hand down to grasp his other arm. Then fear made it's way through her, filling her eyes and her heart. Why are you resisting, Princess? A thousand tiny voices echoed in her ears. Don't you want to come with us? To go someplace else?
Relena's fear drained away. She gave Heero a soft, sad smile, and closed her eyes, falling into blissful sleep. Heero's grip soon faltered, and Relena floated away, disappearing in a matter of seconds.
"Relena!!!" He cried out, reaching for the heavens. The light disappeared and he was left alone in the cold night.
END FLASHBACK
When they arrived at the cluster of tents, Kaoru and Sakoto saw one of the elders approaching them. She, despite her age, had rich brown hair that reached the ground and fine pale skin. Her pure white wings were spread, framing her flawless beauty.
Kaoru and Sakoto bowed before, as was custom. They straightened, and the Lady favored them with a smile. "You two have been causing trouble?"
"I haven't!" Kaoru said, glancing at Sakoto. She simply stuck her tongue out at him in a most juvenile display. The Lady laughed once more.
"You've not been called on to answer for one of your crimes." she said, evoking memories of missing blueberry pies in all of them. Her face saddened. "Remember what I told you two before?" she asked, her meaning clear. Sakoto grabbed Kaoru's hand and nodded. "It is time."
"But, why now, Lady?" Sakoto protested. "I've still got much to learn!"
"You've learned all I can teach you." the matriarch assured them. "Now go!" a sudden urgency entered her voice. "Hide in the mountains! Go!" Kaoru nodded, and was going to pick Sakoto up when she spoke again. "No! Hide your wings and let no one see your magic!"
"Yes, mother." Kaoru respond, and the two of them ran out of the camp, hand in hand. He turned and called out, "Goodbye!" Sakoto waved, and they turned and ran again.
Varie sighed, and waved back. "Take care, my son." she whispered. "Protect her, and yourself."
Hitomi floated down through the column of light, and landed softly in a small garden. She looked around and confirmed her horrible doubts. "Kore wa Gaia ja nai." she said to herself. Turning around, her eyes fell on a young man, standing very still, staring at her. Hitomi supposed that she'd scared the wits out of him. He was short, and looked to be Japanese in origin. He had chocolate brown hair and dark blue eyes.
"Who are you?" he asked, harshly. Hitomi paused, not expecting to hear another language. She dredged up her old English lessons, and replied.
"I am Hitomi Kanzaki." she said, stumbling on the foreign words. "Who are y-" she cut herself off as the garden around her rippled and faded into black, leaving only the two of them. "Iie, iie..." she slipped back into Japanese, her eyes focused on the brown-haired boy. Then he too vanished, and she was alone in the darkness.
Hearing a rhythmic swooshing sound, she whirled around. She saw her red pendant, the one her grandmother had given to her, and she, in turn, had given to Van. It was swinging in the air before her, keeping it's perfect time. And, as always, it seemed to have an inner fire burning within it.
Something caught Hitomi's eye. It was a flash of light, from a white pendant across from her. Behind the pendant was a girl, about two years younger than her, with raven hair. Her white pendant was a clone of Hitomi's, except for the color. To Hitomi's left was another girl, but she had red hair. Before her swung a green pendant. Finally, the last component of the vision, the girl to Hitomi's right, staring back at her with all of the confusion and fear that was in Hitomi's heart, and probably mirrored in her face. She was about the same age as Hitomi, and had long blond hair and light blue eyes. A blue pendant was suspended in front of her, swinging in rhythm with all the rest.
Her red pendant stopped midswing and stood incredibly still, as if it had been put on pause. Then in burst into flame, throwing sparks everywhere. Gasps and yelps told her that the other girls were experiencing similar problems. The fire leaked out of the pendant, burning its way to the center of the circle. There it met with a river, a tornado, and a rocky outcropping, each coming in from the other girls' pendents.
All four of the elements crept together, and when they all touched in the center, light flashed around them. Hitomi thought she saw a rose in the center, before everything went black.
"Yuki? Yuki!" Yuki, felt herself being shaken roughly.
"Wha... what?" she groaned. Blinking, she tried to sit up, but was held back. "What happened?"
"You fainted." her guardian said, worried.
"Fainted? No, I didn't," she shook her head, sending her black hair flying. "I...I had a vision!" she declared.
"A vision?" he asked warily, "Like-"
"Yes! Just like Usuakari said!" she exclaimed. Pulling herself up, she continued. "He wasn't lying." her voice was full of wonder.
"Yuki, I don't trust Usua." he said, but she ignored him. he ran his fingers through his dark hair, and shook his head.
"Yamoto, he told the truth!" she insisted. "I saw it...I saw the other worlds... I saw the Magic that he told us about." Yuki walked over to the window and pressed her hand against the cold glass. The sky was clear, and the other side of the colony was visible above them.
"He told me that there are four realms... and I was born to be the Queen of all of them."
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Don't shoot me!! I'll have more out soon!! I promise!! *hugs for all*
Kore was Gaia ja nai. - This is not Gaia.
Iie, iie. - No, no.
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-Ayanami_Chan
ayanami_rei@softhome.net
http://go.to/ayanami_shrine
