Night of Blue

By Perfect Soldier




Chapter 5




The forest was thick and dense. The trees owned wide, long trunks and a mass of green leaves crowning their head. From a distance it looked as if a huge white bird flew swiftly in and out of the trees with great speed. However, the vision would only include the brilliant white wings and the rest would be in shadow.

Heero flew with Relena in his arms dodging every stray branch with great accuracy. The girl swayed slightly from side to side as Heero flew, but she wasn't afraid. She knew that the person above her, holding her tightly in his arms, would never let her fall. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Relena could feel Heero's breath on her hair. It sounded as if something was hurting him. Instantly she knew that something wasn't right. Not once in their journey had he started breathing like that.

"Heero?" Suddenly Heero winced and let out a short gasp. Before Relena knew what was happening she was hurtling towards the ground. Heero knew how to handle this though. It had happened before. He whirled Relena around in his arms and held her to him tightly. Heero shifted his weight so he would break Relena's fall. Luckily they weren't flying in the sky and were fairly near the ground. Heero curved one of his wings around them to prevent more harm. However, the other wing wouldn't curve round. As he tried, a wave of pain shot down his spine. Heero let out a cry of pain.

"Heero!" Relena shouted. She was trembling like mad. Never in her life had she been so scared. First Heero had turned her around so fast she didn't know what was happening. Second, Heero shoved her against him, and had such a tight grip around her waist she almost couldn't breathe.

They crash-landed onto the muddy ground leaving a trial in the wet leaves. They slid along the ground and eventually came to a stop. Relena's eyes were closed very tightly and she was hanging onto Heero for dear life.

"Are you ok?" Heero asked.

"Yes. I'm fine...but...you...what happened?"

"Nothing. It's happened before." Heero said while releasing Relena from his iron grip. The warmth of his body vanished as he pulled away from her, and Relena felt a rush of wind blow around her. She stood up, a little shaken, and brushed off the mud and leaves that clung to her clothes. As she looked across to Heero, she saw what had caused their fall. His right wing was bent.

Heero tried to stand up, but fell back down after another pain wave surged through his body. Another cry of pain escaped his mouth.

"Heero!" Relena said as she rushed to his side, "Are you ok? You're wing, it's..." But before she could finish, Heero cut in.

"Bent. I know. They never actually finished the entire experiment they intended to do, so everything is a bit loose. But it's noting I can't handle." Heero said trying to hide the pain.

"Oh Heero..." Relena breathed out. A moment of silence passed by.

"Relena? Could you push my wing back into place?" He took her hand and put it against the soft feathery joint on his back, "Just push up and forwards. It will slip into place."

Relena did as she was told, and after a few tries, Heero suddenly shouted out as the joint shifted into place.

"I'm so sorry!"

"No it's ok. That happens. It's fine now." Heero stood up and stretched his wings. Relena stood also and looked at the boy standing only a few metres away from her. She took the time she had to think things over. He was still the same person, but different in appearance. He still owned that cold exterior, but she knew inside he had a gentle heart. He had shown her that slight slip of emotions several times without himself knowing. He would talk back to her and sometimes, even talk to her out of his own interest. Relena noticed he didn't show that type of manner to anyone else, only her. Heero was still a partial mystery waiting to be solved by her. Tonight, he had come of his own will to find her and talk to her. He had even taken her out of where he was hiding. What did he want from her? Relena only knew that she would find out soon. She couldn't foretell what Heero had in store for her. She could only wait and see what would happen.

Heero was about to turn round to face Relena when he felt a soft touch on his wing. The sensation washed over him as the silk like touch weaved it's way in and out of his feathers. Never had anything touched his wings except his bloodstained hands. He felt strange; something that had been haunting him somehow had been dug out of his barriered soul and cast away. Heero closed his eyes and savoured the moment. The feeling made him shudder with pleasure. The damp leaves and dirt that had clung to his white feathers were now gone. It was as if the leaves that stuck to his wings were the same as his blood stained history as a gundam pilot. Now they were gone, so were the memories of the bloodthirsty battles. Maybe the meaning of having these wings was more than just punishment.

As suddenly as the touch came, it went away again. Heero opened his eyes and turned to face Relena. She looked at him but turned her head away. He saw that her hands were muddy. Her gentle hand had been touching his wings. She was the one who had washed away the hardships the pain and death that he had felt.

Heero looked at her. She seemed to want to avoid his gaze, not to look at him. She stood there looking a different direction. Her loneliness was particularly evident at that moment. Relena stood alone in the world, doing what she thought was right whether others liked it or not. That was the way she was. She defied everyone else when they were against her. Her confident shell was protecting something very delicate, a feeling of fear and sorrow. If her exterior broke, she would become vulnerable to the taunts, scared of the criticism, and frightened of rejection.

Heero suddenly realised why only she could reach out to him. Her feelings were similar to his own. Both of them had an outside and an inside that were opposite of each other. Both were scared, both tried to hide their emotions, both of them were the same.

Heero walked over to his partner. Still she looked the other way. He noticed her eyes were beginning to tire. Heero reached out towards Relena and put his hand on her shoulder. She flinched at his sudden touch, but relaxed almost as quickly. Her eyes now stared at the floor, still not wanting to make eye contact. Heero felt overcome by the rush of emotions that swam within his blood. He encircled the girl in his arms and held her.

Relena was shocked at Heero's actions towards her. His warmth returned to her body as she stood in his embrace.

"Heero..." Relena returned his affection as she wrapped her arms around him. Tears began to tug at her eyes, and she let them fall freely. Heero felt her tears on his chest. He pulled back slightly to look at her.

"Why are you crying?" Heero brushed away the tears with his finger and cupped her face.

"Heero...why? Why now? Why not two years ago?" Heero suddenly felt ashamed of himself. He had only thought of himself. He had never thought of Relena's feelings at all.

"Relena..." He brought her back into his arms and hugged her tightly, "I'm sorry, I never thought I could hurt you so much. Please forgive me. Do you want me to take you back home? I understand if you do."

"No Heero. I never want to leave your side." Relena said breaking out in more tears. All her sorrow that had been stored up, put behind the walls of her heart was now gushing out of her eyes, and streaming down Heero's chest.

"Don't cry tenshi." Relena's eyes widened at what Heero just called her. The tears in her eyes subsided as she looked up at him.

"What did you call me?"

"Angel." Heero translated.

"Heero..." Her tiredness finally gave in. Relena's eyes closed, and sleep consumed her. Heero smiled, and held her to him a little longer before flapping his wings and again taking to the sky to finish their journey.