Meeting
Disclaimer – See Chapter 1
-Begin Chapter-
Relena walked around her room. It was a strange room in the sense that one of the walls had a large mirror running its length. She walked over to the mirror and adjusted her hair. Peering into the glass, she noticed that she had a wrinkle to the side of either eye. Sighing, she returned to her bed and stretched out. Maybe it would be soon. Maybe even today.
*
Heero looked through the glass. He was amazed at how defeated Relena looked. She had always been so relentlessly perky that he couldn't imagine her any other way. It was then that the Japanese pilot remembered what confinement and depression could do to a person. He had gone through that after the wars. The adjustment took time, but his friends had helped him to make it through. Even Relena's constant stalking had been a lifeline he could hang on to.
Dr. Stephens looked at Heero and said "So, as you can see, my boy, you have the chance to bring Relena from out of the depths of her despair. All you have to do is go in and meet with her. In doing so, you'll climb that final hill and help her at the same time."
Heero suppressed a chuckle at the doctor's inane platitudes. Didn't he realize that meeting Relena would do nothing toward Heero's therapy. The girl would be hurt worse than he ever could. Heero knew this, because Relena's current situation was as a result of their last meeting.
"So, Heero, are you up to it?" the analyst asked.
Heero noticed the emphasis of up. Heero thought darkly "So Dr. Stephens thinks he's going to get his jollies watching me and Relena. Is he in for a surprise."
"Sure." Heero replied blankly.
"Wonderful. I'll stay here. The door is just around the corner of the corridor. Knock and then enter."
Heero turned and headed in the direction the doctor had indicated. As he turned the corner, he saw his compatriots standing in the shadows. Heero smirked as he knocked on the door and entered the room. He closed the door behind him. He hoped that the room was soundproof.
"Hee...Heero? Is that really you?" Relena asked from her bed.
"Yes, Relena."
Relena looked at the young pilot hopefully. "You've finally come for me?"
"In a sense. But not the one you're thinking of."
Relena's features immediately turned downcast. "So you really don't love me?"
"No, Relena, I don't love you. I've told you that before. We are friends, however."
"But I love you. How can we only be friends like that?"
Heero looked at the young woman. "I know better than to call your love an obsession. But you can't have me. I'm in love with Duo. You know that."
Tears streamed down the girls face. "I know, Heero. I just kept hoping...."
Heero smiled at his friend. "Relena, sometimes hope is all that you have. I think that you will find that holding on to this hope is bad for you."
"But what else do I have? I just don't see a reason to keep going."
"I felt the same way, not too long ago. My friends helped me to see that there are many, many reasons for me to go on."
Relena stood, unsteadily, and walked up to Heero. She put her arms around his chest and hugged him. "Will you help?"
Heero smiled and hugged Relena back. "Of course I will, Relena. I'll be there when you need me." The pilot turned Relena's face towards his and gave he a kiss on the forehead. "Now, it's time we go and take you home."
"Home? It's been a while."
"I can tell you that your friends have been waiting for you. You'll be happier there. Perhaps not immediately, but soon."
Heero put his arm protectively around Relena's waist and turned toward the door. Neither had heard it open. Duo Maxwell stood in the doorway smiling at the two. "So, it looks like things are gonna work out, eh Relena?"
"I don't know, Duo. Heero told me he's my friend. What about you?"
"Always, babe!" Relena smiled at Duo's response. "I've never had anything against you other than Heero. I think you'll find it's true of the others as well." Duo then walked up to Relena and kissed her forehead. "Those kissed by Shinigami are friends for life, even if we do have the occasional bust up."
Relena found Duo's words and actions surprisingly helpful. She reached out and took Duo's hand. "Thank you, Duo. I hope that someday I'll be able to appreciate you."
Duo nodded and led Relena and Heero from the room. Trowa and Quatre appeared with a hogtied Dr. Stephens and unceremoniously dumped him into the now empty room. The analyst looked in confusion at Heero and said "But how? The meeting was supposed to break you! That's what all of the therapy was aimed at. You couldn't have gone through it without breaking."
Heero smirked at the Doctor. "May I say, my dear boy, that your files laid out exactly what you had planned. Once we knew what you were up to, I had my friends to help me when I needed it. Your therapy, bolstered by them, actually had done me a world of good. Your intentions and actions have had the exact opposite effect you had hoped for."
The door shut and closed off the analyst's cry of "Nooooooo...."
"The man sounds as if he's going to need some therapy, now" Trowa said happily.
"I wonder if he'll ever figure out that you were analyzing him the whole time, Heero?" Quatre smiled as he asked the question.
"Give him a couple of years to work things out. Maybe, in time, he'll even be able to thank us." With that, the five young adults headed toward the exit and a new chapter of their lives.
*
Doctor Stephens sat in his room. His mind wondered where it could. He stretched out on his bed and pulled up the covers. Before he slept, his last thought was "I can see the final hill. All I have to do is climb it." And in his dreams, he would not be able to make that climb for quite some time.
-End Chapter-
Disclaimer – See Chapter 1
-Begin Chapter-
Relena walked around her room. It was a strange room in the sense that one of the walls had a large mirror running its length. She walked over to the mirror and adjusted her hair. Peering into the glass, she noticed that she had a wrinkle to the side of either eye. Sighing, she returned to her bed and stretched out. Maybe it would be soon. Maybe even today.
*
Heero looked through the glass. He was amazed at how defeated Relena looked. She had always been so relentlessly perky that he couldn't imagine her any other way. It was then that the Japanese pilot remembered what confinement and depression could do to a person. He had gone through that after the wars. The adjustment took time, but his friends had helped him to make it through. Even Relena's constant stalking had been a lifeline he could hang on to.
Dr. Stephens looked at Heero and said "So, as you can see, my boy, you have the chance to bring Relena from out of the depths of her despair. All you have to do is go in and meet with her. In doing so, you'll climb that final hill and help her at the same time."
Heero suppressed a chuckle at the doctor's inane platitudes. Didn't he realize that meeting Relena would do nothing toward Heero's therapy. The girl would be hurt worse than he ever could. Heero knew this, because Relena's current situation was as a result of their last meeting.
"So, Heero, are you up to it?" the analyst asked.
Heero noticed the emphasis of up. Heero thought darkly "So Dr. Stephens thinks he's going to get his jollies watching me and Relena. Is he in for a surprise."
"Sure." Heero replied blankly.
"Wonderful. I'll stay here. The door is just around the corner of the corridor. Knock and then enter."
Heero turned and headed in the direction the doctor had indicated. As he turned the corner, he saw his compatriots standing in the shadows. Heero smirked as he knocked on the door and entered the room. He closed the door behind him. He hoped that the room was soundproof.
"Hee...Heero? Is that really you?" Relena asked from her bed.
"Yes, Relena."
Relena looked at the young pilot hopefully. "You've finally come for me?"
"In a sense. But not the one you're thinking of."
Relena's features immediately turned downcast. "So you really don't love me?"
"No, Relena, I don't love you. I've told you that before. We are friends, however."
"But I love you. How can we only be friends like that?"
Heero looked at the young woman. "I know better than to call your love an obsession. But you can't have me. I'm in love with Duo. You know that."
Tears streamed down the girls face. "I know, Heero. I just kept hoping...."
Heero smiled at his friend. "Relena, sometimes hope is all that you have. I think that you will find that holding on to this hope is bad for you."
"But what else do I have? I just don't see a reason to keep going."
"I felt the same way, not too long ago. My friends helped me to see that there are many, many reasons for me to go on."
Relena stood, unsteadily, and walked up to Heero. She put her arms around his chest and hugged him. "Will you help?"
Heero smiled and hugged Relena back. "Of course I will, Relena. I'll be there when you need me." The pilot turned Relena's face towards his and gave he a kiss on the forehead. "Now, it's time we go and take you home."
"Home? It's been a while."
"I can tell you that your friends have been waiting for you. You'll be happier there. Perhaps not immediately, but soon."
Heero put his arm protectively around Relena's waist and turned toward the door. Neither had heard it open. Duo Maxwell stood in the doorway smiling at the two. "So, it looks like things are gonna work out, eh Relena?"
"I don't know, Duo. Heero told me he's my friend. What about you?"
"Always, babe!" Relena smiled at Duo's response. "I've never had anything against you other than Heero. I think you'll find it's true of the others as well." Duo then walked up to Relena and kissed her forehead. "Those kissed by Shinigami are friends for life, even if we do have the occasional bust up."
Relena found Duo's words and actions surprisingly helpful. She reached out and took Duo's hand. "Thank you, Duo. I hope that someday I'll be able to appreciate you."
Duo nodded and led Relena and Heero from the room. Trowa and Quatre appeared with a hogtied Dr. Stephens and unceremoniously dumped him into the now empty room. The analyst looked in confusion at Heero and said "But how? The meeting was supposed to break you! That's what all of the therapy was aimed at. You couldn't have gone through it without breaking."
Heero smirked at the Doctor. "May I say, my dear boy, that your files laid out exactly what you had planned. Once we knew what you were up to, I had my friends to help me when I needed it. Your therapy, bolstered by them, actually had done me a world of good. Your intentions and actions have had the exact opposite effect you had hoped for."
The door shut and closed off the analyst's cry of "Nooooooo...."
"The man sounds as if he's going to need some therapy, now" Trowa said happily.
"I wonder if he'll ever figure out that you were analyzing him the whole time, Heero?" Quatre smiled as he asked the question.
"Give him a couple of years to work things out. Maybe, in time, he'll even be able to thank us." With that, the five young adults headed toward the exit and a new chapter of their lives.
*
Doctor Stephens sat in his room. His mind wondered where it could. He stretched out on his bed and pulled up the covers. Before he slept, his last thought was "I can see the final hill. All I have to do is climb it." And in his dreams, he would not be able to make that climb for quite some time.
-End Chapter-