Chapter 6
Zechs could feel the rage towards the leader for the decision he had made for his sister. There was nothing he could do at the time being. He had to stay with his tribe. They still followed the leader's control. It was twisted; all of it was, hell, the whole world was twisted. The leader was old and a new leader would have to be chosen. He would take that place. It was the only way to bring them out of this despair.
(3 years pass)
Relena smiled when she saw Joshua running towards her dugout from the tribe. He was four of age now. Being that Trowa had asked Cathy a year later after they had arrived to marry him, Relena had the dugout to herself. It was larger than Duo's because she had shared it with Cathy. They were all still shunned and Trowa was treated with less respect, but he still maintained his friendships with Heero, Quatre, Hilde, Natria, and Lucrezia.
"Rewena!" cried the little toddler. Trowa and Cathy followed slightly behind, smiling as Cathy's brother leaped into Relena's arms. Duo walked over and pat the little boy's head. Then quickly picked him up, throwing him up in the air, causing Joshua to let out a squeal of laughter.
"Duo! Be careful!" Cathy called the traditional warning and Duo gave the usual grunt in reply. Someone else was there as well.
"Lucrezia!" cried Relena. She ran forward and embraced the older woman, who returned in kind.
"I'm sorry I haven't been by in a while I had guard duty the last few evenings and I'm exhausted.
"It's all right. It's great to see you." Lucrezia smiled.
"Anything new?"
"Well, I've sold some more herbs."
"That's great! You're becoming more popular now."
"Slowly, but surely."
"Relena, Cathy and I need to talk to yo9u, about your tribe." Relena's eyes saddened.
"Yes?"
"We've been told that your brother was made the new leader and plans to come back for you." Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Milliardo…" Joy, returning pain, remembrance, everything returned in a matter of seconds. The strange thing was she was happy with her life now.
"Who knows of this?" asked Duo hesitantly.
"Almost everyone," answered Lucrezia. The thought of seeing Zechs again was breathtaking. Duo's curse brought her back to the situation.
"That means we may be kicked out." In the distance, Heero could be seen coming from the village. He had, even after his father revoked the punishment, continued to visit out of habit. His presence was almost required now for each do to Relena. He never spoke much and still treated them as foreigners, but he still came. Relena never tried to examine why. Every time she did start, she would become distracted from her thoughts. He was always acting coldly towards them. Exactly, the same way he was three years earlier. Joshua spotted Heero and immediately struggled from Duo's grasp to run into Heero's arms. It seemed as if Heero only smiled to Joshua. Everyone stared at Heero as he came closer. Finally, he stood before them. All of them had changed physically, but Heero's cold demeanor never did.
"I assume you've heard the news, he said stoically. Relena nodded. Heero glanced at Trowa and he took the message.
"Come on, Duo, can we go inside? It's really hot out."
"Sure." They made their way into the other dugout. Heero refused to let Relena go by. She glared at him.
"What are you doing?" she said with annoyance.
"I need to figure out some things."
"Fine, what?"
"Let's go into your dugout." Relena shrugged and Heero followed to the opening. When they were inside, Relena lit a candle in the corner. Heero's eyes ran over the space. Two straw mats, small table, a pail for water, and other than that it was bare. A corner held the herbs for Relena.
"Now, what do you want?" She sat on the mat and gave him her full attention.
"I want to know if you plan on leaving.
"I don't know. I would be home again. Heero almost flinched at that, but he trained his face into a scowl.
"You know of course, what'll happen if you leave, don't you?" Her look was questioning.
"I assume nothing will happen."
"You have been supplying my people with medicine and rudiments. If you leave, the sick will die because they have grown accustomed to your medicine. If I'm correct, several are still sick and any income of medicine being stopped they will become even worse."
"They will not be sick forever." Heero grit his teeth.
"But my mother will!" Relena was shocked by this outburst.
"I didn't know you even had a mother." Heero's eyes narrowed.
"That's because she's been sick since I was born. She's been getting better gradually because of your medicine."
"Heero…"
"I won't let you leave."
"I… But… home… I want to go home."
That home abandoned you remember!" yelled Heero ruthlessly. It was harsh, but he wasn't about to let her go. Her eyes shimmered.
"My family is there! My father… my brother… my friends…"
"And you have no friends here?
"Yes but…"
"You're not leaving.
"To tell you truthfully, I can leave because there isn't any required obligation for me here! It's your own people's fault they grew to need me, but I did not force, I offered."
"Required obligation? You have none back at your tribe!"
"My family is enough!" Heero scoffed.
"They didn't come after you did they!"
"Stop it…" Her voice cracked. He didn't let up.
"They could have come to get you! They could have tried!"
"No… they were… they couldn't… they…"
"Face it Relena. The only thing you could do is stay. It's the only place you are required." Relena's head was bowed she spoke in a sorrow-filled, hoarse voice.
"You're cruel… Heero Yuy. For three years…" She looked up with tearful eyes. "For three eyras! I've waited to go home!" she yelled. "And even now you're trying to take that away! Everything! It was all cruelty. I wanted to be relieved of my pains… you refused, me that three years ago to live with shame for being who I am! You take me from my home! My life! Now it's like you're taking it away again!"
"You talk of that now, but think about it! This is your home! IT was three years ago and it is now! Now all you have to do is accept this! Cathy has!"
"That's not fair! I have a family back in my tribe! That's all I want!"
"You want family? Fine let me be your family!" Relena froze, blinked once, twice.
"Y… you would be my family?" Heero was horrified at what he had said. He finally shook himself.
"In exchange for my mother's life." Relena's eyes watered.
"A bargained family? Is that what you think I'll settle for?"
"Why don't you come and see my mother?" he stated icily. "I will do anything to help her." Relena went silent. She knew Heero well enough to know he sacrificed a lot to say that and his offer made it even more meaningful. Then he said something she thought she would never hear him say earnestly. "Please." Her eyes watered. As if someone had possessed her, she stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Heero's cheek. His eyes held hers.
"All right. Fore the exchange, I agree." Heero nodded slowly. For some reason he became fascinated with her mouth. For a moment, he was afraid he was going to kiss her, but he abruptly pulled back.
"Do I have your word?" Hesitantly, she nodded.
"Can we make a blood oath?" Relena nodded again. Heero pulled out a knife and swiftly cut open his palm and Relena gave him her left hand. He quickly cut her palm as well. He took some of his blood and made a cross on her forehead as a sign of eternal binding to her words and she did likewise. Then he twined his hand with hers, letting the mingled blood drip onto the floor of the dugout. He said the traditional words.
"You are mine and I am yours." She repeated him.
"You are mine and I am yours." Relena remembered the day Cathy came to the dugout with a bleeding hand and a faint cross on her forehead. She had left that day to live with Trowa. Things were lonely after that, but Duo kept her company.
They stood staring at one another. At that moment, Relena finally admitted her attraction, but she'd be damned if she said it now. The tears still dripped down her cheeks. Heero let his thumb brush one away. She smiled a little and leaned into his warm hand.
Heero left soon after. The others had waited anxiously outside the other dugout. Duos eyes widened when he saw the red mark on Heero's forehead. Then Relena stepped out into the sunlight as well. She too wore a red mark.
"Oh my God!" cried Cathy as she ran up to her friend. "I can't believe it!" Relena smiled slightly. Her face was pale and she seemed to be in a state of shock.
"I can't believe it either!" Shooting a look over to Lucrezia to follow they walked back into the dugout. Trowa looked at Duo and they exchanged expressions. One of shock and one of total bafflement. Joshua just giggled, oblivious to hat had happened. Then both men looked down at the little boy. Trowa smiled and asked if the young boy wanted to play catch.
"So? Spill it!" cried Lucrezia.
"He said he would be my family here," Relena said simply.
"That's it?" stated Cathy skeptically.
"Well… not really, it wasn't exactly romantic…"
"Tell us anyway!" stated Lucrezia.
"Fine… We got into a fight and…"
"Ha! I told you!" cried Cathy triumphantly to Lucrezia. "That'll be five yen!" Relena's jaw dropped. Cathy merely shrugged.
"Hey your yelling was loud enough to wake the dead!"
"You two are crazy!"
"We know, tell us what the fight was about anyway," pushed Lucrezia.
"Whether or not I should leave because of my obligation to supply medicine." Lucrezia raised her eyebrows.
"Really?"
"I told him I had to leave because of my family…"
"Did he announce his undying love?" asked Cathy. Relena rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long gossip session.
Trowa threw the small leather ball to Duo, who threw it to Joshua, who missed it and ran to get it.
"Hey Trowa… how did you decide to marry Cathy?" The question caught him off guard, so he didn't see the ball fly towards him. He was mowed over by it. Duo walked over and helped Trowa up. He accepted the offered hand.
"Uh… what brought this on?" asked Trowa.
"Well, it seems as if everyone is marrying and since the subject is in the air, I just started to wonder. All I remember is that you had suddenly been with Cathy." Trowa seemed to contemplate this for a long moment.
"I didn't really realize I wanted to marry her until I asked the first time."
"There was a first time?" Trowa nodded grudgingly.
"I couldn't' stand thinking I'd have to live my life without having her by my side. I didn't care about what the situation was, but she did care. Another mistake was I failed to mention my feelings to her the first time."
"So what happened?"
"I told her the second time after I put both of us through hell for a while, that I loved her. I didn't know to do for a while."
"Is it true?"
"What?"
"That love hurts?"
"Only if you make it hurt. You can make it the best ting in your life, or the total downfall of your whole world." Duo was confused… not confused… shaken to his core.
"So if you do love someone it's better just to not love at all?"
"I didn't say that. I would rather know love then not at all." His friend nodded as he listened to this statement.
"If you love a person, it's always better when you're around them, you don't have to pretend to be someone else because they accept you and you accept them. When they are close to you, your whole body seems to go cold and then on fire in a single instant. A mere look cans send you into a hurricane."
"From what you're telling me, it's an ordeal."
"Yes, but every bit of it is worth it." A flying ball flew straight towards Duo's head, making his eyes bug out as it slammed into his face. Joshua merely laughed and ran forward and tackled Duo, who laughed as the little boy landed on him. A corner of Trowa's mouth went up in a small imitation of a smile.
Heero entered the small hut his father resided in. He stopped in mid-tracks when he saw a young woman and an older man sitting next to his father. Their hands were gripped together in a handshake. Heero's eyes narrowed when he recognized the attire of the newcomers from so many years ago. It was of the tribe that had attacked the White Banshee tribe three years earlier. His eyes caught with the young woman's chocolate eyes. They were filled with an evil loathing directed at him. She was beautiful, but her coldness marred it.
"Mr. Yuy turned around and smiled at his son, who was standing in the shadows.
"Son! You have a bride now! Natamo Yurisho has offered his daughter in matrimony to bring our tribes together."
"Yes, I have a new bride," agreed Heero. His father sighed in relief, realizing his son wasn't going to put up a fight to marriage, but it was quickly dispersed when his son stepped from the shadows.
"But it isn't to her."
"What? But… but to who?" cried his father.
"To Relena." His father's eyes narrowed in fury.
"She has bewitched you."
"No, I asked her myself."
"Father! You promised me honor!" screeched the tribe princess.
"I assumed you would, but evidently Owen Yuy has forgotten this," fumed Yurisho. "We shall demand revenge, since we have been made fools of! No one gets away with mocking the Demon tribe." They both stormed out of the hut leaving the father and son. Heero turned to leave, but his father yelled out his name in fury.
"You fool!"
"Even if I was not going to marry Relena I wouldn't' have married her. They are murderers."
"They are strong!"
"And they would have overwhelmed us. Our tribe would have disappeared."
"Do as you wish but I will not protect you from the others." Heero nodded. "Leave this hut and don't enter it again as my son." He did leave.
Zechs could feel the rage towards the leader for the decision he had made for his sister. There was nothing he could do at the time being. He had to stay with his tribe. They still followed the leader's control. It was twisted; all of it was, hell, the whole world was twisted. The leader was old and a new leader would have to be chosen. He would take that place. It was the only way to bring them out of this despair.
(3 years pass)
Relena smiled when she saw Joshua running towards her dugout from the tribe. He was four of age now. Being that Trowa had asked Cathy a year later after they had arrived to marry him, Relena had the dugout to herself. It was larger than Duo's because she had shared it with Cathy. They were all still shunned and Trowa was treated with less respect, but he still maintained his friendships with Heero, Quatre, Hilde, Natria, and Lucrezia.
"Rewena!" cried the little toddler. Trowa and Cathy followed slightly behind, smiling as Cathy's brother leaped into Relena's arms. Duo walked over and pat the little boy's head. Then quickly picked him up, throwing him up in the air, causing Joshua to let out a squeal of laughter.
"Duo! Be careful!" Cathy called the traditional warning and Duo gave the usual grunt in reply. Someone else was there as well.
"Lucrezia!" cried Relena. She ran forward and embraced the older woman, who returned in kind.
"I'm sorry I haven't been by in a while I had guard duty the last few evenings and I'm exhausted.
"It's all right. It's great to see you." Lucrezia smiled.
"Anything new?"
"Well, I've sold some more herbs."
"That's great! You're becoming more popular now."
"Slowly, but surely."
"Relena, Cathy and I need to talk to yo9u, about your tribe." Relena's eyes saddened.
"Yes?"
"We've been told that your brother was made the new leader and plans to come back for you." Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Milliardo…" Joy, returning pain, remembrance, everything returned in a matter of seconds. The strange thing was she was happy with her life now.
"Who knows of this?" asked Duo hesitantly.
"Almost everyone," answered Lucrezia. The thought of seeing Zechs again was breathtaking. Duo's curse brought her back to the situation.
"That means we may be kicked out." In the distance, Heero could be seen coming from the village. He had, even after his father revoked the punishment, continued to visit out of habit. His presence was almost required now for each do to Relena. He never spoke much and still treated them as foreigners, but he still came. Relena never tried to examine why. Every time she did start, she would become distracted from her thoughts. He was always acting coldly towards them. Exactly, the same way he was three years earlier. Joshua spotted Heero and immediately struggled from Duo's grasp to run into Heero's arms. It seemed as if Heero only smiled to Joshua. Everyone stared at Heero as he came closer. Finally, he stood before them. All of them had changed physically, but Heero's cold demeanor never did.
"I assume you've heard the news, he said stoically. Relena nodded. Heero glanced at Trowa and he took the message.
"Come on, Duo, can we go inside? It's really hot out."
"Sure." They made their way into the other dugout. Heero refused to let Relena go by. She glared at him.
"What are you doing?" she said with annoyance.
"I need to figure out some things."
"Fine, what?"
"Let's go into your dugout." Relena shrugged and Heero followed to the opening. When they were inside, Relena lit a candle in the corner. Heero's eyes ran over the space. Two straw mats, small table, a pail for water, and other than that it was bare. A corner held the herbs for Relena.
"Now, what do you want?" She sat on the mat and gave him her full attention.
"I want to know if you plan on leaving.
"I don't know. I would be home again. Heero almost flinched at that, but he trained his face into a scowl.
"You know of course, what'll happen if you leave, don't you?" Her look was questioning.
"I assume nothing will happen."
"You have been supplying my people with medicine and rudiments. If you leave, the sick will die because they have grown accustomed to your medicine. If I'm correct, several are still sick and any income of medicine being stopped they will become even worse."
"They will not be sick forever." Heero grit his teeth.
"But my mother will!" Relena was shocked by this outburst.
"I didn't know you even had a mother." Heero's eyes narrowed.
"That's because she's been sick since I was born. She's been getting better gradually because of your medicine."
"Heero…"
"I won't let you leave."
"I… But… home… I want to go home."
That home abandoned you remember!" yelled Heero ruthlessly. It was harsh, but he wasn't about to let her go. Her eyes shimmered.
"My family is there! My father… my brother… my friends…"
"And you have no friends here?
"Yes but…"
"You're not leaving.
"To tell you truthfully, I can leave because there isn't any required obligation for me here! It's your own people's fault they grew to need me, but I did not force, I offered."
"Required obligation? You have none back at your tribe!"
"My family is enough!" Heero scoffed.
"They didn't come after you did they!"
"Stop it…" Her voice cracked. He didn't let up.
"They could have come to get you! They could have tried!"
"No… they were… they couldn't… they…"
"Face it Relena. The only thing you could do is stay. It's the only place you are required." Relena's head was bowed she spoke in a sorrow-filled, hoarse voice.
"You're cruel… Heero Yuy. For three years…" She looked up with tearful eyes. "For three eyras! I've waited to go home!" she yelled. "And even now you're trying to take that away! Everything! It was all cruelty. I wanted to be relieved of my pains… you refused, me that three years ago to live with shame for being who I am! You take me from my home! My life! Now it's like you're taking it away again!"
"You talk of that now, but think about it! This is your home! IT was three years ago and it is now! Now all you have to do is accept this! Cathy has!"
"That's not fair! I have a family back in my tribe! That's all I want!"
"You want family? Fine let me be your family!" Relena froze, blinked once, twice.
"Y… you would be my family?" Heero was horrified at what he had said. He finally shook himself.
"In exchange for my mother's life." Relena's eyes watered.
"A bargained family? Is that what you think I'll settle for?"
"Why don't you come and see my mother?" he stated icily. "I will do anything to help her." Relena went silent. She knew Heero well enough to know he sacrificed a lot to say that and his offer made it even more meaningful. Then he said something she thought she would never hear him say earnestly. "Please." Her eyes watered. As if someone had possessed her, she stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Heero's cheek. His eyes held hers.
"All right. Fore the exchange, I agree." Heero nodded slowly. For some reason he became fascinated with her mouth. For a moment, he was afraid he was going to kiss her, but he abruptly pulled back.
"Do I have your word?" Hesitantly, she nodded.
"Can we make a blood oath?" Relena nodded again. Heero pulled out a knife and swiftly cut open his palm and Relena gave him her left hand. He quickly cut her palm as well. He took some of his blood and made a cross on her forehead as a sign of eternal binding to her words and she did likewise. Then he twined his hand with hers, letting the mingled blood drip onto the floor of the dugout. He said the traditional words.
"You are mine and I am yours." She repeated him.
"You are mine and I am yours." Relena remembered the day Cathy came to the dugout with a bleeding hand and a faint cross on her forehead. She had left that day to live with Trowa. Things were lonely after that, but Duo kept her company.
They stood staring at one another. At that moment, Relena finally admitted her attraction, but she'd be damned if she said it now. The tears still dripped down her cheeks. Heero let his thumb brush one away. She smiled a little and leaned into his warm hand.
Heero left soon after. The others had waited anxiously outside the other dugout. Duos eyes widened when he saw the red mark on Heero's forehead. Then Relena stepped out into the sunlight as well. She too wore a red mark.
"Oh my God!" cried Cathy as she ran up to her friend. "I can't believe it!" Relena smiled slightly. Her face was pale and she seemed to be in a state of shock.
"I can't believe it either!" Shooting a look over to Lucrezia to follow they walked back into the dugout. Trowa looked at Duo and they exchanged expressions. One of shock and one of total bafflement. Joshua just giggled, oblivious to hat had happened. Then both men looked down at the little boy. Trowa smiled and asked if the young boy wanted to play catch.
"So? Spill it!" cried Lucrezia.
"He said he would be my family here," Relena said simply.
"That's it?" stated Cathy skeptically.
"Well… not really, it wasn't exactly romantic…"
"Tell us anyway!" stated Lucrezia.
"Fine… We got into a fight and…"
"Ha! I told you!" cried Cathy triumphantly to Lucrezia. "That'll be five yen!" Relena's jaw dropped. Cathy merely shrugged.
"Hey your yelling was loud enough to wake the dead!"
"You two are crazy!"
"We know, tell us what the fight was about anyway," pushed Lucrezia.
"Whether or not I should leave because of my obligation to supply medicine." Lucrezia raised her eyebrows.
"Really?"
"I told him I had to leave because of my family…"
"Did he announce his undying love?" asked Cathy. Relena rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long gossip session.
Trowa threw the small leather ball to Duo, who threw it to Joshua, who missed it and ran to get it.
"Hey Trowa… how did you decide to marry Cathy?" The question caught him off guard, so he didn't see the ball fly towards him. He was mowed over by it. Duo walked over and helped Trowa up. He accepted the offered hand.
"Uh… what brought this on?" asked Trowa.
"Well, it seems as if everyone is marrying and since the subject is in the air, I just started to wonder. All I remember is that you had suddenly been with Cathy." Trowa seemed to contemplate this for a long moment.
"I didn't really realize I wanted to marry her until I asked the first time."
"There was a first time?" Trowa nodded grudgingly.
"I couldn't' stand thinking I'd have to live my life without having her by my side. I didn't care about what the situation was, but she did care. Another mistake was I failed to mention my feelings to her the first time."
"So what happened?"
"I told her the second time after I put both of us through hell for a while, that I loved her. I didn't know to do for a while."
"Is it true?"
"What?"
"That love hurts?"
"Only if you make it hurt. You can make it the best ting in your life, or the total downfall of your whole world." Duo was confused… not confused… shaken to his core.
"So if you do love someone it's better just to not love at all?"
"I didn't say that. I would rather know love then not at all." His friend nodded as he listened to this statement.
"If you love a person, it's always better when you're around them, you don't have to pretend to be someone else because they accept you and you accept them. When they are close to you, your whole body seems to go cold and then on fire in a single instant. A mere look cans send you into a hurricane."
"From what you're telling me, it's an ordeal."
"Yes, but every bit of it is worth it." A flying ball flew straight towards Duo's head, making his eyes bug out as it slammed into his face. Joshua merely laughed and ran forward and tackled Duo, who laughed as the little boy landed on him. A corner of Trowa's mouth went up in a small imitation of a smile.
Heero entered the small hut his father resided in. He stopped in mid-tracks when he saw a young woman and an older man sitting next to his father. Their hands were gripped together in a handshake. Heero's eyes narrowed when he recognized the attire of the newcomers from so many years ago. It was of the tribe that had attacked the White Banshee tribe three years earlier. His eyes caught with the young woman's chocolate eyes. They were filled with an evil loathing directed at him. She was beautiful, but her coldness marred it.
"Mr. Yuy turned around and smiled at his son, who was standing in the shadows.
"Son! You have a bride now! Natamo Yurisho has offered his daughter in matrimony to bring our tribes together."
"Yes, I have a new bride," agreed Heero. His father sighed in relief, realizing his son wasn't going to put up a fight to marriage, but it was quickly dispersed when his son stepped from the shadows.
"But it isn't to her."
"What? But… but to who?" cried his father.
"To Relena." His father's eyes narrowed in fury.
"She has bewitched you."
"No, I asked her myself."
"Father! You promised me honor!" screeched the tribe princess.
"I assumed you would, but evidently Owen Yuy has forgotten this," fumed Yurisho. "We shall demand revenge, since we have been made fools of! No one gets away with mocking the Demon tribe." They both stormed out of the hut leaving the father and son. Heero turned to leave, but his father yelled out his name in fury.
"You fool!"
"Even if I was not going to marry Relena I wouldn't' have married her. They are murderers."
"They are strong!"
"And they would have overwhelmed us. Our tribe would have disappeared."
"Do as you wish but I will not protect you from the others." Heero nodded. "Leave this hut and don't enter it again as my son." He did leave.