~~Oceans and Skies~~
Author: Fallen Angel
Email: fallen_angel_2012@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. Don't sue.
A/N: An Alternate Universe written for Blissful Ignorance's Fanfic comp. It sees Relena and Heero on a ship set for Australia in the early 19th century and…why am I telling you all this? Go ahead and read it. Note: there may be some minor inaccuracies regarding dates and places and events but they are VERY minor - I actually researched for this one.
Rating: PG-13 for violence
Pairings: 1xR (duh) and references to 2xH, 5xS and 4xD
Chapter 1
[Somewhere in the Pacific, off the coast of New Zealand]
14th November, 1805
Dearest Log,
Once again, it gives me great pleasure to write this. Sometimes I believe that these entries are the only thing keeping me sane while on this arduous journey, Dearest Log. (I did intend to call this a diary however Father insisted that, as we are on a ship, 'log' would be more suitable. I obeyed him, as I always do. It must be out of love. I realise now though, that I must love him very much to agree to leave beloved England and accompany him to Australia.)
Already, we have been at sea for 8 months and have still another month to go, I think. I would know more, but Captain Chang will not speak more than two words to me. It is strange, but I believe he thinks women to be bad luck on a sailing vessel. I have noticed he treats what few other women there are on this ship with a similar disdain. It bothers me not: I have met many men with similar views on women. At least Captain Chang shows no sign of being abusive.
But I should not complain about my situation. There are others in worse living conditions than myself here on the 'Nataku'. (Yes, an unusual name. Father told me it is the name of the Captain's departed wife.) The convicts, for example, spend many dark and damp - and I'm sure, hot - days beneath decks while I am free to walk about. Even the free settlers, poor farmers from Ireland or the like, have it worse than I do.
Also, it is not every day that a girl such as myself - only 18 and just out of finishing school - gets the chance to travel the world and start a new life in a new country. Although this is all because of father. His agreement to help mediate the difficulties they are having in Sydney has brought us this far from home. Apparently, the governor of New South Wales' treatment of both the convicts and the free settlers has resulted in a number of riots. Father hopes talks will resolve the problem, as opposed to violence.
I only hope that it is cooler in Sydney than it is here. It is November, but here in the Southern Hemisphere it is fast approaching summer and the temperatures are rising higher than they ever were back in England. It sounds indecent, but I would give anything to strip off some of the layers of my dresses during the midsummer heat, as some of the free settlers' wives do. Of course, as married women, they are a lot safer than I am around these sailors and convicts. I've seen how they watch me sometimes and I give thanks to God that my position as a politician's daughter I am watched over carefully by the higher ranking officers. I'm also afforded better medical care than many of the others. (Unfortunately, I have heard of quite a few deaths since our journey began, mostly of scurvy, I believe. God bless their souls.)
I am grateful for the protection, mostly. However, it is isolating. I am a bird in a gilded cage, unable to get close to anyone, whether I want to or not.
And yesterday, Dearest Log, I met someone I would give a great deal to be closer to. He intrigues me and offers a welcome distraction from the monotony of this long journey.
His name is Heero Yuy…
He watched in sympathetic amusement as Miss Relena Peacecraft Dorlain bent over the railing, rapidly losing her lunch. It was cloudy and humid and the winds had knocked the boat about quite a bit. Even he, already well accustomed to the rough conditions, was finding it hard to hold on to a meal. He admired her though, for choosing a spot well away from the other sailors and officers, as if to keep up her image of the princess, unaffected by such human things as an upset stomach.
The ship gave another strong lurch and Miss Dorlain gave a soft moan of agony. He knew it was risky to make contact with her - she was too close to her father - but he couldn't help himself.
"Miss Dorlain?"
It was a credit to her finishing school that she took a moment to calm herself before standing up and answering. "Yes?"
He held out his small canister of fresh water - on any vessel, even one as well supplied as Captain Chang's, fresh water was like gold. Still, she spied the canister as if it were poison.
"Fresh water may help cure what ails you, Miss," he said carefully, since she was still eyeing him warily. Not surprising, he realised, seeing how beautiful she was - even with the red tinge of a sunburn and the flush of seasickness. Beneath all that, he could see her delicate features and blue eyes like the colour of a summer sky that had some of the cruder sailors making rude commentary about her. He only wished he could see more of her golden hair beneath her bonnet. Yes, a girl like that would have to keep her wits about her on such a vessel.
"Thank you," she replied politely, "but I'm feeling much better now."
In retrospect, he should've taken that as her answer and left. But something about her sparked his curiosity.
Careful, Yui, he thought, she's not just some doxy. She's Mr. Dorlain's one and only daughter.
Still, he persisted, in a tone that left very little room for argument. "I assure you, it's only water. And, if I may say so, you're still looking a bit green. I'd much rather offer you water now than have to carry you back to your quarters after you pass out."
A flash of indignant anger showed in her cool blue eyes and Heero held back a smile. He'd always suspected there was a spark beneath all that primness.
"I'm sure I'd be very grateful for your assistance, Mr…?"
"Yuy. Heero Yuy. It's a pleasure."
"Mr Yuy. Perhaps, though, in the interest of keeping my quarters private, I think I shall accept your offer," she said, the tone in her voice making it clear she was accepting his drink on her terms.
When she'd taken a small, but decent enough drink from the canister, she handed it back to him, meeting his eyes all the time. This enticed Heero more than lowered lids or blushing would have - she was an independent minded one, this one. Just like her father.
…he left then and I was left bewildered.
I had seen Mr Yuy around the decks and occasionally in the Captain's quarters. Which of course, led me to believe that he may be some sort of gentleman. However, the fact that we'd never been properly introduced and that I didn't actually know what he did led me to believe otherwise. Not only that, what sort of fellow wanders around offering drinks of water - and yes, it was just water - to seasick young women they don't know? It hinted at a type of self-confidence which had me as intrigued as it had me annoyed. Especially since he appeared only a few years older than I.
Forgive me - I have forgotten to describe him. Perhaps you will better understand then. You see, he was dressed well enough, in black trousers and a plain, white shirt with a pale blue cravat that set off the colour of his eyes. He wore no hat, surprisingly, so I could tell he had dark brown hair - which was well in need of a cut but suit him nonetheless - and blue eyes, deeper in colour than the deepest oceans. And now that I've seen the deepest oceans, I know that for a fact. He spoke like an Englishman, but had looks more intense and exotic - Asian of some type, perhaps.
Yet it wasn't his appearance that had me intrigued, it was many little things that on their own mean nothing, but combined make a whole picture. Like the way he didn't take the opportunity to brush my fingers while handing me the drink - as many men would have. Or the way he spoke like a gentleman, but not as pompously. So many things, I could use up a whole ink pot describing them. And I only met him for a few moments.
How much then, Dearest Log, could I learn over the weeks to come?
She spotted him just as she was tucking the pieces of paper, her quill and an inkpot back into the pocket in her travelling skirt. He was wandering along the upper deck, idly watching the horizon shift ever so slightly up and down in the distance. Of course, the horizon wasn't moving, the ship was. But after many months, the former appeared to be true.
Strange, thought Relena, how time can make us see things differently.
With that thought still in her mind, Relena found herself walking up to meet Mr Yuy.
"Mr Yuy," she said in greeting as she approached. "Good day."
"Good day," he answered but it seemed forced.
"Is something wrong, Mr Yuy? Have I caught you at a bad time?"
"No, Miss Dorlain, I was simply examining the clouds."
She tilted her head to one side in thought. "Examining the clouds? Why, may I ask?"
"Well," he leaned over and pointed, so that she could see the exact cloud formation he was looking at, "you see those clouds over there?"
"Yes."
"They seem harmless now, but should the weather continue as it has been and should the wind remain the same, it could very well be a storm by tonight."
Relena was a little taken aback by that comment. On the seas they'd seen a fair number of storms, but each was different from the one before it and each brought a new set of dangers.
"Does the Captain know this?"
"I'm sure he does," answered Heero. "But he is the Captain and it is his worry. There's nothing you or I could do about it, so the best thing for us to do is go below decks tonight and stay out of the way."
"Not together, I hope!" said Relena indignantly, taking his comments the wrong way.
"Of course not, Miss Dorlain," he answered, the corners of his mouth tugging into a smile at her mistake. "I meant separately."
"Oh," Relena blushed furiously. She was sure, even with her slight sunburn, he could tell. And it annoyed her that he was getting a great deal of amusement out of her discomfort. "Well, since your advice has yet to lead me astray, I shall take it, Mr Yuy. Good day."
"Good day, Miss Dorlain."
As I said, I had seen storms before, during my time on the Nataku. But nothing like the one Mr Yuy had predicted.
The sun had only just set when the winds blew up. They took down the sails but by then we were already being carried into rougher waters.
I was below decks but I could hear it, almost sense it starting. It began with the sudden rush of sailors to the deck and the sound of rain falling on the beams. It started off softly, and then became heavier and heavier until it pounded with such ferocity it seemed the only sound to fill our quarters.
My thoughts instantly went to my father. He usually joined me in our quarters only after the sun had set. I thought, under such conditions, that he would have joined me sooner. He hadn't. I hoped he was with the other higher ranking officers in the Captain's office, but I had been informed by a passing sailor that all the officers were helping the Captain keep control of the ship. In which case, I had no idea where my father might be.
As the first crash of lightning lit up the now darkened sky, I made up my mind. I was going to find father. I knew better than to go straight out onto the deck, but if I could just look out and hope to catch a glimpse of him, I would at least feel better.
So, against the almost insane and completely unpredictable tossing of the ship I was able to make my way to the door which led onto the deck. What I found, though, was far from what I'd expected.
Before I'd left I'd brought with me a coat to protect against the rain. It offered no protection though, against the waves that crashed over the deck and into the corridor behind me, drenching everything in sight. I gasped for air as I clung to the doorjamb. Any hope of catching sight of my father were dashed as I looked out onto the scene before me. I was lucky enough to even catch sight of a passing sailor before another wave crashed over the sides and onto the deck, swallowing up the deck and everyone on it.
"Father!" I cried, my voice lost to the wind. "Father!"
It was, perhaps, because I was so focused on looking out for him that I forgot to prepare myself for the next wave. It crashed with such force, and knocked our vessel so strongly sideways that I was thrown away from the doorjamb and onto the deck itself. As I gasped for air beneath what felt like tonnes of water, a pair of hands grabbed me by the arms and pulled me up from the floorboards.
At first I thought it was father, until I heard, "What the hell are you doing out here?"
It wasn't as polite as it always was but I would know that voice anywhere. Heero Yuy.
I blinked water from my eyes, but his form became no clearer. "I was looking for father," I cried out over the sound of thunder and the howling wind.
"Your father is most likely below decks," he told me, a note of anger in his voice. But what should he care if I were on deck in the storm? "You should be there too. I thought I told you to stay in your quarters during this."
"You did," I admitted as he helped me walk back to the doorway. It was exceedingly difficult with my skirts as wet and heavy as they were. "But a gentleman doesn't point out when a woman has made a mistake."
He turned to me then, something mysterious and almost terrifying in his eyes. "Who ever told you I was a gentleman?"
My response was lost as another wave crashed over the side of the vessel and rushed over the deck. I felt myself being ripped from Mr Yuy's arms and carried towards the railing. Vaguely, I heard someone call my name before my hand was grasped in another's. But it was too late. The water was already carrying me, carrying us, over the railing.
I felt the wind being knocked out of me as I hit the frigid water. And though I had been taught to swim while on holiday in France the force of hitting the water winded me and the weight of my skirts held me down until, to my horror, I found myself slipping beneath the ocean's surface. The air in my lungs was already gone and I could do little more than close my eyes and pray it would be over soon…
Until a shadow appeared over me and grabbed me, pulling me up towards the surface again. In my delirium, I couldn't help thinking of the mermaids of legend, enticing sailors to their watery deaths. If this were a mermaid, then, they were doing a terrible job of letting me die, I thought as my head broke the surface and I was able to breathe in deep, blessed breaths of air. Yet it was still too much and unconsciousness beckoned me. I felt myself slip into sleep, yet the arms around me did not lose their grip. Before I did though, I noticed, vaguely, that my mermaid rescuer's arms were clad in sleeves.