The week slowly ended. Things were planned and figured out, now it was just up to their individual ends to get the ball rolling. Quatre would help provide supplies from his company to get removal started. She had to process it with the senate and also talk to the colony senators to get approval for such a lengthy venture. Once she got started, she would let Quatre know and then they could pick workers and details. After putting her bag in with the others on the shuttle, she looked to her friend and tried not to cry. GOD but she didn't want to back to Sanc! This week had been great, if not hectic. She hoped everything went okay with Quatre and Divinity and was rooting for the two. The girl's history was quite interesting and she was happy to have an inside track about how they first met. "I'm going to miss this so much..." "You'll miss the sleeping IN...admit it." She smiled, rapidly blinking. "That too...but I'm going to miss your company." "You'll have the others around for company." She slightly cringed at that. Duo was gone, and there was no way she could be with the others...not like she was with Quatre. "You forget the work factor..." She muttered, mildly scowling. "The only time I'll be able to spend with them is morning and nights." A hand rested on her shoulder, gently squeezing. "I know it's hard Relena. If I didn't have Diva to work by me, I think I'd start cutting down my hours." Their lips twinged. "But you'll make it through, you always have. You were strong during the war, something ten times worse than this, and you made it through." She sighed and looked to blue. Her eyes shone in the fake, outdoor lighting as she stepped forward and tightly hugged Quatre. "I'll keep you updated on Hilde's progress." She whispered, getting a tight squeeze back. "I'll hold you to that amiga." Quatre whispered back. She smiled at his language slip. Divinity hadn't been able to teach her anything, as she left for Earth soon after her arrival. It was fine...she knew they'd meet up in the future if this plan took root. Pulling away, she gave a brave smile and wiped at the tears that spilled when her head rested on Quatre's shoulder. "I've got to get going..." Quatre solemnly nodded. "We'll see each other again...just let fate cross our paths." It was something Trowa said and there was the same instance again. Another friend was going back home and Quatre was left behind while she made the trip. More tears filled her eyes and she gave a quick, tight hug before running to the shuttle steps and hurrying inside. She paused in the archway to toss a final wave, getting one in return before Quatre headed away and let the shuttle take off. She heavily plopped in a seat, feeling empty. She hated leaving one of her friends. She and Quatre were so far AWAY... Unlike the war, she didn't know when she would see them last. At least when the war was going on, there was always that knowledge that no matter how far they were one would come in contact with her for a little bit. Not to mention those she met during the war were ten times better than the stuffy senators she saw! A hand propped her head up as a few more tears spilled down her face. She would miss Quatre's pleasant mood and sense of humor the most. As well as his business tactics. They talked and ranted a lot about their respective jobs, comparing and finding a few things out to try. When the shuttle started, her heart sped up and she momentarily forgot about her loneliness. Hands gripped the seat as she was soon thrown back in the chair until they passed the stratosphere. After that, she peeled her hands off the armrests again and looked to the stars. Time to go home. Sigh... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Come in Sanc Mansion, come in! This is Duo Maxwell and I need to gain access into the hanger area NOW and have Sally bring a med team! Is anyone there?? Copy!" Nothing answered for what seemed forever as the large mansion came into view. Violet quickly darted to the still unconscious form in his lap. Duo had NEVER known Heero to pass out before, so this HAD to be serious! "Damn it Heero, don't you DARE die on me!" Duo grit out, nearly punching the console with his finger again. "DAMN IT! SOMEONE come IN over there!" He shouted. Violet blazed as the Taurus circled around close to the back... "Duo is that YOU??" That feminine voice never sounded so heavily. "HILDE! Love!" "Welcome back Duo! Now what's with all the shouting??" Hilde pleasantly retorted. Violet blinked, now able to clearly think after the heavenly buzz of hearing Hilde's voice died down. "What are you doing out of BED??" He ordered, brow furrowing in worry. "Where's Relena?? And Noin?? Where's SALLY?!" "Calm DOWN love...Noin and Sally are both here, but I talked Relena into a MUCH needed vacation. One she should be arriving home in a few hours from now." "Oh THAT'S lovely!" Duo retorted. "I was hoping to keep her out of the way somehow, and now I'm screwed until she touches down again..." Hilde's brow furrowed as she shifted in the chair and set the towel down. "What do you mean?? What's going on??" "Heero's in bad shape. He took quite a beating from psycho chick and he's unconscious." Heero Yuy UNCONSCIOUS?? That didn't sound good at all! "Oh shit..." Hilde breathed, eyes impossibly wide. "Relena's going to FLIP! As far as I know, she was supposed to leave this morning and she should be here sometime in the afternoon!" Light blue spied a clock across the wall. It was already eleven. "What's your e.t.a. and position?" "Probably thirty seconds if someone can get those doors back open and right outside the place." Blue widened again. "You're immediately outside the mansion?!" "Yea...how did you NOT hear the mobile suit arrive??" Hilde scowled and made for the stairs. "I'm in the basement in the gym. The place is practically soundproof." That boyish cut head looked around and a hand idly went to the cordless earpiece strapped to that head. "Which brings me back to my earlier question you haven't answered. What are you doing out of bed?!" Hilde scowled. She was going to get an earful as soon as everything settled and Heero was stabilized. The only problem was, she didn't know what emotion Duo would vent. "I've been trying my damndest to get well Duo. You'll have to see when you get here. I still can't walk very fast, and I don't know where the place is at, but I'll try to flag down Noin or Sally. They'll know what to do." "Get Noin. She knows where to go and can take things from there. But have her find Sally too." Hilde grimaced and carefully took the steps one at a time. The wood cane given to her from Sally helped a lot and she'd been using it since Relena left. A hand went and shut the portable phone off, one used for those in the gym area to keep working out. She would return it later when everything smoothed out. For now, it went in the safety of her pocket. There was a small problem with 'flagging' Noin down. Yes Hilde knew where she was, which was in the gardens for a little solo time, but that was outside and a ways away. Hopefully there was a closer area to duck through or a worker nearby that she could stop and have them run to Noin. Thankfully, there was a butler leaving the dining room as she passed the hallway near the kitchen. Hurriedly, Hilde grabbed the tux sleeve and steadied herself on the cane. "Sir! This is highly important! I need you to go get Ms. Noin from the gardens and have her meet me. And do you know where Sally Po is??" "She was in the kitchen grabbing a quick snack Miss Schbeiker. What shall I tell Noin the reason for fetching her if she asks?" A roar of machinery suddenly blasted the area and both in the hall immensely startled. The butler didn't calm as Hilde did, and she gave a wry grin. A finger pointed toward the ceiling. "THAT. Hurry now and tell Noin to meet me in the kitchen. Hopefully Sally won't have strayed too far..." "Right away!" They went separate directions and Hilde hurried as much as possible. The doors suddenly swung open and a body crashed into her, knocking her to the ground with a painful THUMP. "OWIE! That hurts!!" "God Hilde I'm so sorry about that!" "Well, at least I don't need to go LOOKING for you now..." Sally's concern eyes met Hilde's, then turned urgent as she helped the girl off the floor. "What in the seven hells is going ON?! Are we under attack??" Hilde smiled and looked to the hall, hoping Noin heard as well. She was pretty sure...and that meant Noin would be rushing inside as well for answers or to warn them. "Only by a certain braided moron who will either kill me or praise me for my hard work...and a stupid Wing Zero pilot. Duo took a Taurus with him to Shanghai when he met up with Heero after the idiot left a long time ago." Sally's eyes bulged a little and looked on in shock. "Didn't you KNOW any of this?? Duo found out from Heero and Relena even knows! No one bothered to inform YOU either left??" "No! That's rather annoying, but how did YOU know Heero was here and gone??" Blue turned away with a knowing look. Sally wouldn't believe her in a million years, so she kept quiet and turned to face the footsteps approaching. "Ah good, the rest of the party." Blue met blue again. "Do you think you could give me a piggyback ride somewhere? I would like to see Duo again and find out about Heero." Sally's brow furrowed, but she nodded. "Sure. What's up with Heero?" Hilde's face darkened as she turned to Noin. "That's where your medical expertise is left help us figure out." "WHAT?!" "Hilde, Sally, what's going ON around here??" Noin demanded, skidding to a stop. Nodding her thanks to the servant, Hilde turned to Sally who promptly turned and kneeled. "Duo's outside in a Taurus apparently been left here from the war." As Hilde carefully mounted Sally's back to avoid further injury, she noticed Noin's eyes gain a thoughtful look. Noin shook her head as Sally stood and faced her. "Say no more. Follow me. Since you seem to know more than the both of us, you can inform me just what the hell is going ON! How did Duo FIND that place?? It was supposed to be sub, SUB basement! Relena didn't even know about that until an attack on Sanc!" Hilde tightly gripped her cane and hold to Sally as best as possible as the two jogged down corridors. Noin expertly led the way and the two started descending steps. "He's an ex-Gundam pilot Noin and curious as hell. He was probably like a two-year old in a candy store when he saw those..." Hilde mused, mostly to herself. "But you'll have to see for yourself when we get there. There's not enough time now." Noin quickly opened the storage door, finding the lock still picked, and ran to the controllers. She bypassed the stunned looks from the other two women and to get the doors open. Both women stood around dumbly, looking at the dusty white suits. "WOW..." Hilde mused, hearing her voice bounce off the walls. A small kerthunk sounded before part of the wall opened up. Light blue blinked again and Sally backed up at finding them too close for comfort. With just barely enough room, the Taurus haphazardly flew in and landed, nearly knocking everyone down. Noin quickly halted the opening and shut the doors again before running to the suit with the other two. The hatch popped open and a shout sounded. "I thought I told you to have Sally bring MED supplies!" Hilde blinked, than glared up at the opening to the cockpit. "Excuse ME mister sporadic, but I barely had time to get them DOWN here so you could get in and stop making everyone think we were under ATTACK!" That chestnut head popped out as a fierce glare directed below. Hilde suddenly knew that opening her mouth wasn't the time right now. When Duo got that look, he was in kill/attack mode and wouldn't hesitate to hurt something. "NOT NOW DAMN IT! Get off Sally so she can help me with Heero and go round up some doctors or something! Noin, do you know where the medical supplies are??" Noin shouted an affirmative and took off like a shot to go find some. Hilde quickly, but gingerly slid off Sally's back and braced herself with the cane as the woman rushed to the foot of the suit. Hilde slowly hobbled over, watching high above with wide eyes. With a deep breath, praying to whatever God existed up there; Duo gripped the towline and walked as best he could with Heero still unconscious down the suit's side. It worked until Heero weakly coughed and threw him off- balance, nearly slamming him into the metal and dropping the wounded soldier. With a loud curse of frustration and worry, Duo's awkward embrace tightened as he pressed release faster on the tow. They descended at twice the speed, finally reaching the ground. Duo breathed a sigh of relief and helped an extremely worried Sally help him to horizontal position for inspection. "FNALLY..." "Duo Maxwell!" Violet looked over to find arms savagely wrapping around his waist. Duo's returned the hug when a wooden clack echoed off the walls and tightly held Hilde to him. "I missed you so much babe..." Hilde suddenly pulled away and looked into those gorgeous eyes with tears in hers. She glared at Duo as her grip tightened. "Don't you EVER, EVER scare me like that again! I thought my heart stopped seeing you try to juggle Heero like that and almost hurt yourself!" "That makes two of us babe." Hilde's throat convulsed as she tried to swallow. "You...crazy, stubborn, cocky, foolish, risk taking... God I love you so much!" Lips quickly attacked Duo before he could utter a retort. Duo quickly kissed Hilde back, having missed this most of all. Below, Sally pointedly cleared her throat to break up the scene. Blue darted from Heero to the pair. "If you two are through LIP locking, mind giving me a hand here?? He's got multiple lacerations, external bruises, bruised ribs and spine, his arm is badly sprained and the wrist on the other is broken. His knee is dislocated and the other ankle is as well. Gods...what a JOB he did...or was done TO him..." Duo carefully let go of Hilde who kneeled and went for her cane. Violet took note of that to ask later before Duo kneeled to be of assistance. Seconds later as Sally finished checking the prone soldier; Noin shoved the door open with a loaded bag and a few doctors. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A small smile appeared as the shuttle slowed and the sky became visible. 'It IS good to be home...' She mused, waiting until the shuttle stopped to leave her seat. An attendant held the door open and she smiled in farewell, looking as a car slowly started pulling to the spaceship. She waited near her bags and nearly beamed as Pagan opened the door with a smile on his face. Leaving everything where it was, she let titles and etiquette slide to run and give her dear friend a hug. "I missed you Pagan..." "Welcome home Miss Relena. Shall I get your bags and we can be off?" The thought of her elder friend taking a load didn't set right and she quickly started over. "Only if I help." She called, already reaching for one. The ride was a nice one, if quiet. There was never a thing as too much quiet...not when she was going to have the opposite for who knew how long. Seeing the naturalness of her home brought a calm she forgot deep down. It was VERY good to be home. As the car stopped in front of the large estate, she looked at it with a smile. Home... Mentally shaking herself, she went for the trunk holding her things. Able to get it all in one trip, she dropped everything in the doorway for someone to pick up. Though she wasn't messy, she wanted to see her friends. "Hilde, Noin, Sally! I'm back!" She called, a bright smile on her face. Nothing happened as she got a little more situated. After closing the closet door, her brow furrowed at the near eerie quiet. "Odd..." She mused. Pagan stood still holding her bags and she quickly went to him. "You can leave them there Pagan. I, or someone else, should be able to get them. Right now I just want to say hi again." The cheerful look left with another wondering look. "Do you know if anyone left before you came to pick me up?" "No Miss Relena. Ms. Po and Schebeiker were around here somewhere and Ms. Noin was in the garden last I knew. It's nearly lunchtime, maybe they decided to eat outside? Or perhaps in a different area of this big old place and didn't hear you." She nodded, though her eyes remained thoughtful. Something didn't feel right for some reason... She really hoped Hilde wasn't injured somewhere and unable to get assistance... That spurred the mother hen and hostess factor, and she left her things in search of everyone. 'I hope Hilde's alright...' "Hilde? Noin? Sally? ANYONE here??" She walked down the main hallway, but all was silent except her steps. "Miss Relena. Are you sure you don't want me to carry your things to your room?" She spun around and saw the few bags lying in the front doorway. Teeth bit her lip. "As many as you can I guess Pagan, but DON'T overexert yourself!" She didn't want anything to HAPPEN to him... The man smiled and nodded, picking up what he had before and heading upstairs. She sighed and quickened the pace, ears straining to hear ANYTHING. She wondered if the others were together and what floor. This place was one big hide and seek trap waiting to happen...but she wasn't in the mood to play. Worry and suspicion were increasing the more she was unable to see her friends. Where WERE they all?? Was it possible they WERE outside? If that was the case, she would NEVER find them until they came to her! Who knew how long THAT would be... A thump sounded and she jumped in the quiet. Was it that silent that she heard it upstairs? The place was old, but still pretty well intact. With a sigh, she ascended the back steps for the second floor, figuring they were all in Hilde's room. It was a little ways away, and the noise came from that general vicinity... A small commotion gained her attention. Just a whisper, but it seemed hurried and jumbled together. Her brow furrowed and she followed it as silently as possible. Maybe halfway there, the jumble stopped and she paused. After a few seconds, more muttering sounded and she went double pace to catch up to it. If it stopped, she wouldn't find it and figure out what was going on! Turning a corner, she stopped so suddenly it was like she ran into an invisible wall. Blue widened in confusion and anxiety at seeing DUO back and slumped against the closed doorway to Hilde's room with the small girl sitting silently next to him. That confused her. What were the two doing on the floor, looking so glum, when they should've been happy to be reunited again? She startled as if spooked, her mind running at a feverish pace. The only reason Duo would come back is if...HEERO were with him! She ran the distance as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels, fear icing her heart. Duo shouldn't look that down if nothing bad happened... He should be telling excited tales of the mission he and Heero went on and trying to kiss Hilde senseless for being away so long! The two looked up as she neared, eyes widening with panic and an almost horrified look. Duo quickly shot to his feet as she stopped and hurriedly embraced her in an exuberant hug, off-balancing her. "Relena! It's been a while!" He jovially answered, patting her back. She stood there in confusion and dumbly blinked at the 180. "How've you been? I hear you went to space again. Not fair you didn't take me with! Where'd you go? For how long? Who'd you go see? Did you get me anything?" "Enough you two-year old." Hilde broke in. Carefully standing on the cane, light blue met dark. She was met with a smile and nod. "Welcome home Relena. You have a fun trip hanging out with Quatre?" Duo looked from Hilde to her. "You went to L-4?? Not fair! I haven't seen Quatre since-" "Can it Duo Maxwell and tell me what happened to Heero in Shanghai! How badly is he hurt??" Duo's mouth snapped close with a shocked blink. Rarely did she talk to ANYONE like that! And talk about SHARP! "Relena...I...well it's..." A hand scratched the back of his ruffled hair. Violet guiltily shot to the floor. The door suddenly swung open and the three looked to it. Blue rested on Sally's medical clothes and the rubber gloves she was taking off those skilled hands. Fear clogged her throat. "Well he's stable now, though he hasn't regained consciousness yet. I assume that'll come back in-RELENA!" Sally quietly gasped with wide eyes as she tried to compose herself. Detangling herself from Duo, she nearly stalked to the doorway in trepidation, almost unable to breathe. "No wait Relena! You don't want to go in-" She nearly shoved Sally out of the way with hard eyes, feeling angry that everyone would want to keep her from seeing him. She would worry herself to death if she DIDN'T... She wondered why the group was crowded around Hilde's room but not in it and she had her answer. Now in Hilde's bed, with the medical equipment brought back out, was Heero's prone and bandaged body. It felt as if something sucked the air out of her lungs. It was so hard to BREATHE... "Come on Relena... You shouldn't be in here; you don't WANT to be in here... Let's take you to your room so you can lie down. I'm sure you're tired from-" She silently wrenched free from the hold, eyes still locked on that bruised face. When the gentle arms were gone, she slumped to the floor on her knees, not able to keep herself standing. Wide, horrified eyes remained on the bed. "Heero..." "Relena?? Come now Lena...let's follow Sally's advice. I know for a fact that space travel is a bitch if you don't get enough sleep-" The hands that helped her stand were savagely batted away. Leave? Leave him like this?? Were they all MAD?! Unknowingly, deep blue started watering... Another gentle hand rested on her shoulder, but she didn't move. This wasn't meant to restrain her, only offer condolences. She knew that without looking. "Relena...there was nothing Duo could do to help. Whoever did this to Heero was a pro. You know they had to've been if they did THIS to him." "Yea and not a self-detonating switch in sight." "DUO!" Hilde retorted, glaring. Uncomfortable silence followed that rejoin as the others wondered what Relena would do next. All eyes rested on her statue-like form... Slowly becoming aware of her surroundings, her shoulders slumped a little with her posture. It was good to be home? Yea right! "Everyone...would you please leave us for a while?" "But Relena-" "Hush babe. Sure Lena...call if you need anything. We'll be close by..." She stayed utterly still until the door softly clicked shut. After that, she slumped to the floor again, forehead using the wood for support. Tears fell down her face as she quietly sobbed for the man on the bed. "Heero...no...what happened? Please don't die...I couldn't...stand it if you died..." After her tears dried out and exhaustion pulled, she forcefully stood and pulled up one of the many chairs in the room. Red-rimmed eyes stared at that handsome face, desperately wishing those beautiful eyes would open. Teeth bit her lip as she slowly lost hope and slouched in the chair. After a while, a humorless snort sounded in the silence. "And here all this time I thought you'd be fine..." She whispered, more tears springing to her eyes. "This is my fault...if I only tried to keep you from leaving a little harder... Maybe even found out you were staying on the grounds sooner. Maybe...maybe then...you wouldn't be-" Her throat clogged again as she silently cried, gripping a bandaged hand with care. She threaded their fingers and felt his cool skin against the warmth of her hand. Sniffing a few times, she shakily moved and gently kissed what she could of his calloused knuckles. Haggard breathing escaped as her lips rested against that cool skin. "Oh Heero, Heero... Look at you... God, I'll never forgive myself for not trying to stop you if you don't ever wake up again. I still haven't been able to tell you how much I love you yet... Please wake up, please. Please Heero...just flutter your eyes. Squeeze my hand...anything..." Tears flowed and touched his skin. "Please Heero...wake up and look at me. Let me see those eyes..." Her head drooped minutes later, pleading falling on deaf ears. She quietly sobbed again. Wherever he was, she couldn't reach him. Not even her love was going to get through. Even if she was able to chip off the ice and see a glimpse of his humanity, she wasn't able to wake him. Crying herself out again, her head lay on the soft sheets, fingers still holding his. Sullenly staring at their fingers, she saw the difference in skin tone and type. His hands were so calloused and tanned from the sun while hers were still soft and light from being indoors... Blue slowly closed, sleep finally taking her. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ When blue finally open again, pulling himself from the dark dredges of his mind, he was aware of a few things. The silence, the soft lighting in the room he was in, there was poor lighting besides the lamps, and something holding his near numb hand. Blue looked down as far as he could without straining anything, feeling bandages all over and his normal clothing gone. He double blinked upon seeing that beautiful face near, peaceful in sleep. A nearby lamp caught a track to her skin and he knew she'd been crying...probably over him. He looked away with dull eyes, feeling his mind clear in slow layers. It was like peeling back an onion and he quietly stared at the ceiling until he was able to think fully. In the meantime, a thumb gently and slowly moved across that soft skin, his heart pounding a little faster. It didn't take long for his mind to return to normal and with it came all the emotions of a caged animal with the way he was sitting. Bandages covered every internal wound he had to keep them from being moved. As if that stopped him. The fingers of his hurt wrist were being used and he felt pain, but it only helped to wake him up. If Relena was sleeping next to him, a thought he quickly made logical of fear of alternative consequences, then that meant he was back at Sanc. Duo must've taken them both in the Taurus and Sally fixed him. Now was the question of when they arrived and how long he'd been unconscious. A whisper of a groan sounded and his head bent a little to see better. Thick lashes fluttered open and soon dark blue meshed with surprised dark blue. He didn't bother with pleasantries, wanting answers about his condition to fix it. "How long have I been unconscious?" She stupidly blinked, but it wasn't long before her temper was riled up. It mixed with elation at finally seeing him awake and grateful tears mixed with a weak glare. "I haven't seen you for MONTHS and all you have to ask me is how long you've been unconscious?!" He blinked at the tumult of emotions, feeling a little pain as she gripped his fingers. He refused to wince, even if it trailed up his arm and down his spine. He didn't know what to say to that without erupting her anger, so he simply looked away. She wanted to slap him and kiss him silly at the same time! How was that possible? She didn't know, but she knew she DID majorly want to kiss him! Her eyes finally softened, seeing he was somewhat okay. "Heero..." She whispered, gaining his eyes. A tender smile appeared as she slowly brought his hand to her face and met his eyes. "Thank God you're okay and awake..." He was trapped in intense pools of blue. An ocean full of more emotion than the water currently holding Zero. He found himself unable to look away, yet his heart beat a little faster... Finally he blinked and looked away. "Relena..." She gently squeezed, mindful of his hurt wrist, and kissed his knuckles again. "Shh Heero. Just rest and regain your strength. Don't talk to me or explain until you're a little better. I understand. Don't worry...I'll take care of you." He fought to swallow at that soft, melodic whisper. That was rather hard as the moment he found. He couldn't find his voice to form words to say anything. She would take care of him?... He blinked. What was the point? All he had to do was set the broken bones and favor the sprained or dislocated ones. He'd done it before... He wasn't an invalid...unlike his current position. "No need. I'll just get the bandages off and get my wrist back to normal and then-" Fingers touched his lips, startling them both. She glared at his minutely befuddled look, feeling like shaking in anger. The feel of his mouth on her hand didn't even register, she was that mad. "How dare you..." She whispered. A brunette brow rose inquiringly. Her eyes slanted even more. "How DARE you. Do you know how badly you scared me today Heero Yuy?? Do you know how much I want to hit you for that stunt you pulled...and yet hug you at the same time?? You were UNCONSCIOUS! That's serious for someone like you! You're not going ANYWHERE unless I know about it first or give the okay! Do you understand me??" He glared back at her pretense to order him around. What could she do again someone like HIM?? "You can't-" "Can and WILL Yuy." She darkly retorted. "While here before, you lived under my roof practically and I let it go, even though you're smart enough to know I would at least WANT to know you were here! Then you come back like this and scare me so badly I nearly fainted!" Her fingers nearly yanked from his in haste as if touching him revolted her. Pain sliced up his arm, through his head, and down his spine again. "Relena... I..." A hand shot between them, though not protecting him from the glare that could almost match his. "No...no talking. You listen." A finger pointed almost accusingly at him. "You're under Sally's care, but MY roof until you're better. That makes you a guest, but in my HOME. I will not tolerate anything but your full cooperation and that you STAY in this bed until I feel it's time for you to get up, or Sally LETS you." A hand gripped his chin and kept his face toward hers. In her fury, she leaned close till they nearly touched noses. "Do you HEAR me Heero Yuy?? You're NOT leaving that bed and if I find out you have, I'll throw you out of the area and not let you return. You think I won't spot you?? I'd know you anywhere!" Angry blue narrowed to slits. "You scared the shit out of me Heero! Do you realize that?!" It was probably the first time he'd ever been so openly shocked in front of Relena. But that was probably because it was the first time he'd ever heard Relena SWEAR too. Apparently, he did quite a job in scaring her, as she said! Fighting a sigh, she forced a deep inhale to calm down, eyes closing. She didn't move away and still kept a tight reign on his chin. Her eyes opened and cleared as if only blinking. "I'm sorry to be so cross with you..." She whispered. Her eyes softened tenfold and stared at him with those same intense pools. He harshly swallowed, wondering what emotions were driving her to be so hot and cold. He would NEVER figure out this person...as much as he kept telling himself. Just when he thought he had her personality PEGGED... Her eyes closed and with a deep breath for courage, closed the gap and gave the briefest and lightest of kisses. When she pulled away, she looked into wide eyes, finding them darker than normal. She didn't want to read into that and stood, giving him space. "Stay put Heero. Please..." Not letting him get a word in, she turned and softly closed the door behind her. She was aware of others in the hallway without fully needing to see them. Blue turned and looked to violet and light blue. "What are you two still doing in the hallway?" "The more important question is...why did you suddenly stop yelling at him??" Duo chimed in, an evil grin spreading on his face. Despite herself, she blushed in the low lighting, knowing it showed from the overhead lamps. "N...none of your business Duo." She stuttered, a small smile breaking through. "Ahhhh, I SEE that smile..." Duo prodded, winking. He ignored the jab from Hilde and pulled them both to stand. Duo beamed and patted a shoulder, almost in congratulations. "Good job Lena...knew you had it in you." She blinked, flushing even more in modesty and looked away. "I have no idea what you're talking about." "Even I see those eyes of yours Relena." Hilde's grin matched Duo's. "You think I haven't seen it enough right before he kisses me?" A hand squeezed Duo's waist where it was situated. Not EVEN going to get into it at the time of night, especially when she still had work tomorrow, her head shook. "I'm going to bed." Her gaze briefly swung to the closed door before meeting blue and violet. "Let me know if he tries to get out of bed." She quietly ordered, heading for her room down the hall. Just as the door closed, the two tried to stifle laughter. Hilde leaned against Duo. "Me thinks she doth protest too much." She quietly kidded, widely grinning. "Me thinks THEY doth protest too much." Duo softly corrected, winking. "He's so anal retentive and she's so shy and timid...though I don't know about a few minutes ago." Violet strayed down the hall and silently locked in the vicinity of her door. After a minute, Hilde squeezed Duo's side again. "Care to go in and say hi?" "If by that you mean bug him, lead on babe!"