Perfect Beauty
Chapter 6
It was the middle of the night when Kanani suddenly awoke from her slumber. She sat up and looked at her surroundings and finally realized that she was back in her room. One minute she was with Heero and the next, she was back in her room. 'How the heck did I get here?' she thought to herself. Then the memory of earlier that night came to mind as she realized that she was still wearing Heero's jacket. She could smell the subtle aroma of the leather and the unique scent that only Heero himself possessed. 'I must have fallen asleep in Heero's arms. I can't believe he carried me all of the way back to my room and put me to bed,' she thought with a slight smile on her face. 'I will have to thank him in the morning for that. Hmm, I wonder if he's awake.' She shook her head. 'Nah, I think I will let him sleep, too much stress in one day for the both of us to handle. I should get some sleep as well I guess.' Kanani curled back under the sheets and shut her eyes as she slowly drifted back to sleep, but before she could do so, the phone rang.
"Hello?" she answered sleepily.
"Did I wake you?" a voice replied softly.
"Heero? No you didn't wake me but why did you call? Is something the matter?"
"How come you are up?" he asked, avoiding the question completely.
"I just woke up out of the blue," she responded. "Is something wrong?"
"Uh, no, not really. I couldn't sleep," Heero muttered.
"Heero, I know something is wrong, you wouldn't wake me up in the middle of the night if there wasn't. Would you like to come over and talk about it? Maybe it will let you rest a little easier."
"OK. Be over in a second," Heero said then hung up.
Kanani got out of bed and decided to change her clothes and put her pajamas on. She quickly twisted her hair into a braid at the nape of her neck and sat down on her bed and looked out the window at the dark landscape before her. Minutes later, she heard a gentle rapping at her door. She softly padded across the room to answer it. To no avail, there was Heero. She let him in and she took a seat back on her bed as he sat on the edge of the bed along side her. The room was almost completely dark except for the faint glow of the night sky peering in through the slit in her curtains. "I thought I was the one who did all of the waking up eh Heero? Something must be on your mind," she said as she peered out her window and then looked back at him.
"Kanani, I'm going to give it to you straight, your life is in danger. It is not safe here anymore," he said seriously.
"What?" she said in almost disbelief.
"The IRA wants you dead as payment for your father's misdeeds. We must get you out of here as soon as possible. Your father thinks it is best for you to hide out with me for the time being, they have probably caught on to the school already and are just waiting to strike. We can't let that happen."
"What do you mean hide? I can't just keep running away!" she exclaimed.
"If you have any regard for your father's feelings, you should, it is for your own good. Earlier today, your father received a call from the IRA and they threatened him again, the same voice with those same exact words as before. Kanani, we must leave tomorrow night."
"But why didn't he tell me that?"
"He didn't want to worry you."
"Worry me? I'm his daughter for crying out loud! I have every right to know if my life is being threatened!" she said angrily. Then there was an awkward moment of silence as Heero looked at Kanani from the corner of his eye. Kanani hung her head low and stared back out the window. "I'm frightened Heero, I don't want to die," she said solemnly.
Heero placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head up to meet his gaze "Don't worry Kanani, I'm going to protect you no matter what. I promise that nothing will happen to you as long as I am alive and I'm sure as hell not going to let you die, got that? Now let's get some sleep, I will stay here with you tonight," he said soothingly.
"But I don't know if I can sleep Heero, too much is happening. My head is spinning and it refuses to stop," Kanani said as she stood up. She opened up the curtains and stared blankly out the window, slowly running her fingers down the cold glass. "All I ever wanted to be was a normal girl, to lead a normal life," she said wistfully. "Heero can I ask you something?"
"Yeah."
"Why did you decide to protect me?"
Heero remained silent for a moment and then replied. "Many innocent people have died at my hands. By protecting you, I can guarantee that at least one innocent person will live."
"But out of all the innocent people in the world, why me?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know," he replied.
"Don't know or won't tell me," she retorted.
After a moment of brief silence, Heero spoke up. "Do you really want to know?" That got Kanani's full attention.
"I chose you because I not only wanted someone to protect, but I wanted a friend as well, something that I have never truly had. I didn't want to live my life alone any more," Heero said, Kanani's smile softened with his words..
"Well Heero, thanks for choosing me. It's nice having a friend for more than a few days and especially one who can put up with me," she said lightening up the conversation a bit.
"I didn't think it would be this hard though," he said sarcastically.
"Is that a sense of humor I detect?" she said mocking him.
Heero cracked a small smile at what she had just said. "Now Kanani, as much as I enjoy our late night chats, I think we both could use a little sleep."
"Hey, you're the one who called me," she said smiling.
"Yeah and look where it got me."
"Funny," she said as she stuck her tongue out at him. She said no more after that and nestled back down under the covers as Heero laid down beside her. Before she shut her eyes, Kanani whispered, "Thank you Heero."
"For what?"
"Everything," she said, and went to sleep before Heero could get the last word in. Heero just looked at her and thought, 'I promise I will not let you die Kanani, I swear on my life.'
Throughout the night, Heero just watched her sleep, so peaceful and calm, you would never think she had received a threat on her life. Her hair fell around her in a veil of auburn, making her seem angelic. It was then that Heero reached his hand out to smooth away a strand of hair from her face, but his mind was disputing his actions. 'You can't do this, she's your mission Yuy, do not let your emotions interfere,' his hand stopped in midair at the thought. 'Must not get involved,' he ordered himself. But as he looked at her, his mind began to sway in the opposite direction. 'But is it so wrong to act on your emotions?'
The whole time it felt as if Heero had the devil and an angel on each of his shoulders telling him what to do. 'I'm not the person I used to be, I am a human, not a machine,' he said putting an end to the conversation going on within his mind. He followed his heart and gently tucked that stray lock of hair behind her ear, admiring her face as his hand softly brushed up against her cheek, he then pulled it back slowly. She stirred slightly at the gentle touch but remained asleep. From then on, Heero just laid there, watching every breath that escaped from her lips. She was beautiful to him.
At first he thought of her as annoying and just another person whom he had to protect, but then she grew on him and became more than just another person. She's the first real friend that he has ever truly had and we wants to keep that no matter what. Sleep finally overtook him as he joined Kanani in peaceful slumber.
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The light of dawn poured in through the window, waking both Kanani and Heero. Kanani winced at the bright sunlight and curse herself. "I knew I should have close those curtains last night, argh."
Heero turned over on his side to face the grumbling girl beside him. She looked back at him with lazy eyes. "Don't worry about the curtain, we've got a lot to do before tonight. Now get up," Heero ordered as he got out of bed. "Go take a shower while I go back to my room to collect my things. I will be back shortly," Heero said as he walked out the door.
Kanani sprawled out on the bed, her mind and body not fully awake and aware of what was going on that day. She then remembered what Heero told her last night and she frowned at the thought. 'I don't want to leave, but I guess I have no choice,' she thought. Kanani then rolled out of bed and trudged over to the bathroom to take a shower in an attempt to wake herself up.
Meanwhile, Heero was in his dorm room packing what little he had with him into a bag. His laptop, a few items of clothing, his extra gun, and whatever miscellaneous things he could find. He was not looking forward to this but he knew it had to be done. After he finished packing, he took a quick shower, it would be awhile before his next. He was in and out and got dressed quickly. He tucked his gun behind his back in his jeans and pulled his jacket over him. He then grabbed his bag and headed back towards Kanani's room.
Kanani had just got out of the shower and just finished getting dressed when she heard a knock at her door. She knew who it was and said, "Come in."
Heero let himself in and said, "After class, I want you to pack your stuff so we will be ready to head out tonight, maybe sooner."
"Sooner?" Kanani asked curiously.
"It is always good to be prepared."
"Oh, ok. Well I'm ready, let's go," she said waving him out the door. "We have class to go to."
The two went to class knowing that it would be their last. Heero didn't want to miss class that day because he didn't want to look too suspicious. They took their usual seats in the back of the classroom acting as if it was any other day. Heero paid attention while Kanani, on the other hand, had too much on her mind to even pay attention to the lecture at hand. As soon as class was over, Kanani took one last look at her classroom before leaving, it would be her last time ever seeing it. Heero looked at her and he knew how she felt, he had never stayed in one place too long and this was going to be hard for her. He was used to it but the first time was never the easiest. He put an arm around her shoulder and said, "Come on, let's go."
With those words, he guided her out of the class and back down the hall. "Heero, can we go someplace before we go?"
He turned and looked at her and said, "Sure, where would you like to go?"
"The little grass knoll over by the terrace, it has a beautiful view of the valley," she said wistfully.
Heero nodded and they headed off to the gardens. When they got there, they took a spot on the grass and sat peacefully. They both just sat there, admiring the breathtaking view of the valley below. "This place is so beautiful, I wish we didn't have to leave it," Kanani said as she sighed. "The damn IRA," she spat out bitterly.
"Kanani?"
Tears slowly welled up in her eyes. "I'm fine Heero. I'm just saying good-bye to my somewhat normal life."
"I said good-bye to that when I was first born. You're lucky Kanani, at least you still have the chance to live a normal life after all of this is over. For me on the other hand, I will never have that option," Heero said as he looked ahead at the valley below.
"You still have a chance to lead a normal life Heero, you're only 18, you have your whole life ahead of you. Don't give up now."
Heero just turned at her and smiled slightly, he definitely wanted to live a normal life after this was all over. "Hey Heero?"
"Yeah?"
"When all of this is all over, let's say that you and I lead a normal life together, I mean as friends. No bodyguard and protectee, none of that, just a good old friendship," Kanani said cheerfully, hoping in her heart for the answer she wanted to hear.
Heero just smiled at the proposition and said, "It's a deal."
Kanani smiled broadly and leaned her head against his shoulder, looking up at him from the corner of her eye. Heero looked down at her and smiled with his eyes, deep down in his heart, he was hoping that one day they could have a relationship stronger than friendship alone. Kanani saw that odd look in his eyes and said, "What's wrong Heero, you're looking at me funny?" she said, catching him a little off guard.
"Oh nothing," was all he said.
Kanani then gave him a peck on the cheek. "For a man of so few words, you sure are a great guy."
He chuckled at her little joke and didn't say anymore. The two enjoyed the rest of the day on that hill, knowing very well that they will probably never see it again. After they watched the sunset, they headed back to grab something to eat in the cafeteria before they left. Soon after, they headed back to Kanani's room to await their departure.
It was a cold night so Kanani layered herself in some warm clothes. She put on a pair of jeans along with thermals, a snug long sleeve turtle neck sweater, and a jacket. She had put all of her stuff in a backpack, she was ready to go. Heero double checked everything that they would need and had and at the stroke of midnight, they were off. He took Kanani by the hand and said, "Let's go."
