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So Close... And Yet So Far
Part Three: Night
"Duo?" a young woman's voice called out softly, "Duo! I saw on the news, Relena's-"
"Yeah I know, Hilde," replied Duo, wearily, as he shut the front door behind him. Hilde embraced him tightly, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt the comfort of his warmth.
"Do you know if Relena is...?" questioned Hilde, uncertainly.
"We're pretty sure she's still alive, but we don't know what shape she's in, or how long she can survive down there." Duo furrowed his eyebrows and frowned. He stepped back from the embrace to look at Hilde's face. He saw the sorrow in her bright blue eyes, and she saw the same in his violet ones. She looked to her side and withdrew her hands from his.
"Who could do such a horrible thing?" she shuddered, crossing her arms as if trying to hold herself. Duo remained quiet, walked towards her and embraced her once more. "I just talked to her yesterday." Her voice trembling, "she was going to come down and visit us after the meeting. I even baked a cake, I just--" The tears streamed readily down her face. "Oh Duo," she buried her face into his solid chest, and he tightened his hold on her. There they stood in the darkened hallway, buried in each other's arms.
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"Zechs, you can't stay out here all night," Noin's calm voice trying to reason with the 'Lightning Count'. "There's nothing you can do for Relena by just standing here getting tired and stressed. You should rest. We have to make a statement to the press soon. It won't help if you're any more irritable than you usually are, just for lack of sleep."
Zechs raised an eyebrow. She smiled at him, looking for any sign of concession. He sighed and turned away. Crossing his arms, he surveyed the scene before him. A crew of about 35 workers worked painstakingly to uncover the rubble piece by piece. They worked in a 10-foot radius of the signal they were getting from Relena's tracking device. Most of the men looked tired and worn out, but the urgency of their task kept them going. Relena was their candle of hope; they would not let her die.
Zechs looked at his dust-covered hands helplessly. Relena, please, my hands are stained with too much blood to try and carry your mission. I need you, the world needs you. My baby sister, what a great weight rests upon those fragile shoulders. The weight of a world that forbids your brother from lightening your burden.
"Noin," he said turning to the dark-haired woman standing beside him, "I can't go. I can't leave my baby sister alone in the dark."
*******************************
Heero surveyed the scene before him. It was a little after midnight and the club was packed. He leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed. It was late enough for most of the crowd to be a little tipsy, and the volume level was climbing. Heero's gaze paused at a heavyset man sitting at the bar. He was joking flagrantly with the bartender, or more accurately, about the bartender, in his aim to boost his own ego. The bartender would give him a forced smile from time to time, but focused on pouring the drinks. As the man continued to laugh boisterously at his own jokes, a woman with painfully dyed blonde hair, and clothes a bit too tight for her voluptuous figure, giggled beside him. He caught sight of this and introduced himself. They chatted quietly. She was obviously a lot more drunk than her new friend was and he knew it.
Heero's eyes narrowed as the two rose from their barstools. The woman stumbled from intoxication, but the man caught her and proceeded to pretty much drag her out of the club. Heero debated going after them, but realized that it wasn't part of his job description. He was only being paid to stop any loud disturbances. This obviously didn't classify as one. He shrugged off the whole situation as if he couldn't care less. Suddenly, he turned to the manager,
"I'm taking my ten minutes." The manager nodded as Heero proceeded to the stairs. He had a sudden urge to check on Relena.
*****************************
The vidphone beeped insistently. Quatre struggled with the lock to his hotel room.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," he called to the phone. He ran toward it as soon he entered the room. He answered with a breathless, "Yes?" An attractive woman, with pale blonde hair and striking ice-blue eyes appeared and replied,
"Mr. Winner, I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."
"Miss Dorothy, how many times have I told you to call me Quatre?" he replied gently, "and don't worry, this isn't a bad time. I just got in actually. How did you know I would be here? I just checked in." Quatre questioned. Dorothy's eyes widened and she blushed, as she tried to reply.
"I—well, I knew you would were going to Preventer HQ and this is the best hotel in the area, so I just assumed—" Quatre could tell Dorothy was a bit embarrassed and tried to change the subject.
"I thought you would be coming down here also." He interrupted.
"Oh yes, well actually that's why I called you. I wanted to know what the situation was before I came down. Are there any new developments?"
"Well, I'm afraid Miss Relena's situation hasn't changed, but her brother, Milliardo Peacecraft has actually come out in public to oversee her rescue."
"M-Milliardo?" This was not a favorable situation. Two major members of the White Fang seen together, would most likely elevate the already tenuous circumstances. Quatre realized his friend's hesitation.
"Dorothy, it's been two years since the Eve Wars, and the Barton Incident in between. I'm sure most people have forgiven or at least forgotten your previous trespasses." He tried to assure her. Dorothy still seemed uncertain. "Please, just come. I'm sure Miss Relena would want you here." That statement seemed to wash away the furrow of her brow.
"Of course," she replied with renewed enthusiasm, "you will pick me up from the space port, won't you?" Quatre smiled and nodded.
"Goodnight Miss Dorothy, see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight Mr.—I mean Quatre." She fumbled, as she cut off the connection. Quatre sighed. This was one girl who just kept getting more confusing.
****************************************
Relena stared at the blank white ceiling above her and let out a relaxed sigh. Peace and quiet for once...well almost quiet. She could hear the murmur of car engines and people shouting, some construction going on in the background. It was wonderful. No one knocking at her door to drop a new pile of papers for her to review and sign, no urgent midnight phone calls from paranoid colony representatives, no annoying press photographers blinding her with camera flashes. She could finally relax. Unfortunately, habit and her afternoon nap had left her unable to sleep. She was so used to staying up until 2 am doing something or other that now, at 12:30 am, she was restless.
Relena got up from the bed and went to the window. She opened it halfway and let the cool breeze drift in. Her skin prickled with goose bumps as the cold air traveled over her bare arms. She had found a tank top and a pair of shorts in Heero's duffel bag that would be perfect to sleep in. She smiled as she watched a couple strolling down the street arm in arm. Two friends screamed at each other from opposites sides of the street. There was something so wonderful about exchanging pleasantries at 5 times the normal decibel level.
Heero opened the door slowly, expecting Relena to be asleep. Instead, he saw Relena, clad in one of his tank tops and a pair of shorts, smiling softly as she gazed out the window. The city lights gave her figure an uncanny glow, and the breeze gently brushed her golden locks away from her face.
"Heero, how long are you going to stand there?" she called out softly, without turning around. He started at her unexpected words. How did she…? He dodged her obviously rhetorical question and built up his shield once again.
"You shouldn't stand so close to the window," he warned, "Somebody might see you." Relena frowned and withdrew from her position. She turned to face him.
"I never realized how wonderful a peaceful world really was. I mean I knew it was good but, Heero, have you seen the streets? The people are laughing and shouting. There's no more hiding from soldiers or mobile suit attacks. Everybody is so…carefree. It's beautiful."
Even in the dark, he could see her eyes shining. His heart felt light from her naïve observations. If he ever allowed himself to smile he would have right then.
"I'm sorry, Heero. Of course you've seen it. That must have sounded so childish." At this retraction, the lightness of Heero's heart suddenly disappeared. He felt pain for Relena, and anger towards the society that had made her question her innocent and naïve thoughts. The world was trying to make her as harsh as itself.
He stood there, trying to think of a reason to stay a little longer.
"Relena--" she looked up at him expectantly, "close the window." He finished.
"Heero," she started. Heero turned. "I—umm—oh, where are you planning to sleep?"
"Right there on the floor, of course," he answered, confused. "Where else?"
"I just don't think it's very fair, that you're the one who's working and running around all day, and you have to sleep on the cold, hard floor."
"Relena—"
"I know, I know," she interrupted, "you wouldn't dare have me sleep on the floor," a sarcastic emphasis on the word 'dare'. "But like the manager pointed out, it is a double bed. It's big enough for the both of us."
Heero looked at her, uncertainly. "Really, Heero, it's ok by me. Why torture yourself on this horrible floor with who-knows-what crawling around?" she said very seriously.
Heero was not one who could out-argue a foreign minister, let alone Relena Darlian-Peacecraft. He grunted his concession and left.
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Duo passed through the kitchen and noticed Hilde staring absently at the cake in front of her.
"Alright hun, I'm goin' out. Don't wait up!" No response. "I'm going to go blow up some mobile suit bases!" He baited.
"Okay," she assented, softly. Duo raised an eyebrow.
"You wanna come?" She'd have to jump at that!
"No, it's ok." She whispered. Duo furrowed his brow.
"I'll be back." He said as he set out the door with new determination. Those bastards are gonna pay. The God of Death has returned.
Hilde was completely oblivious to Duo and didn't even hear him slam the door. She was staring at the angel-food cake sitting in front of her. It was perfect. The coconut and frosting were spread across the surface with unvarying evenness. She had taken such pride in its symmetry when she had finished making it. But it didn't matter now. The person she had worked so painstakingly for would never see it. She purposefully poked her finger into the angel-food and traced it around the edge of the cake. She stared at the clump of coconut resting on her fingertip, and with decided finality, stuck her finger in her mouth. Her eyes squeezed shut as she forced herself to swallow. Tears streamed down from the corners of her eyes. The expression on her face conveyed one of painful distaste, as if she had tasted caustic acid and not the sweet, sticky coconut that she had previously enjoyed. She pulled her finger out of her mouth and began to weep softly. She cried for her friend. And she cried for peace.
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Zechs had been watching the rescue crew so intently that he hadn't even realized that Noin was no longer standing next to him. A gust of wind finally broke his concentration and he shivered, suddenly feeling very cold and unsheltered.
it doesn't mean much
it doesn't mean anything at all
the life I've left behind me
is a cold room
It was then that he realized that he was standing alone. His composure never wavered, though his eyes conveyed an emotion like that of a lost boy.
I've crossed the last line
from where I can't return
where every step I took in faith
betrayed me
and led me from my home
His tense posture suddenly relaxed as he saw her sitting against the tire of a Hummer. Tired of standing, she had taken a seat next to the vehicle to wait until Zechs realized how tired he was. It had seemed that she was also unaware of her own state and had promptly fallen sleep against the tire, her knees bent up and head leaned back. And it was in this position that Zechs spotted her.
and sweet
sweet surrender
is all that I have to give
He walked up softly, so as not to wake her, and settled down next her. He watched her chest rise and fall in even breaths, her lips slightly parted and eyelashes barely brushing her cheeks. He marveled at her serenity, her beauty and how they seemed to mask the inner strength that defined her.
you take me in
no questions asked
you strip away the ugliness
that surrounds me
are you an angel
And he reflected upon himself, the disgraced soldier, with bloody hands and a bloody past.
am I already that gone
I only hope
that I won't disappoint you
when I'm down here
on my knees
He didn't deserve the love she bestowed upon him,
and sweet
sweet
sweet surrender
is all that I have to give
sweet
sweet
sweet surrender
is all that I have to give
the strength she supported him with—
and I don't understand
by the touch of your hand
I would be the one to fall
'No, I will not torture her or myself like this again. She loves me, I love her, that's all that matters.'
it doesn't mean much
it doesn't mean anything at all
the life I left behind me
is a cold room
And with that thought, he wrapped an arm around her and leaned the side of his head against hers.
and sweet
sweet
sweet surrender
is all that I have to give…
He fell asleep faster than she did.
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Sally took down the last eyewitness' report and breathed a weary sigh. She had catalogued all the names of the people involved, a list of those injured, and a testimonial from all those coherent enough to give one. Though some of the reports were far from coherent. From what she had heard, she could gather that the bombs had not gone off simultaneously, but sequentially. After the first one had gone off, Relena had calmed everyone down and led them through the exits in an orderly fashion. It wasn't until the last bomb went off that the ceiling finally collapsed. By that time everyone had evacuated the building, everyone except for Relena, that is. Though the gist of everyone's account was the same, there were some interesting embellishments.
'She was standing there like a Guardian Angel, leading the people to safety. So calm and quiet.' was one tear-stricken woman's. While others seem to be a little delirious, 'I was the last one out and I turned back to look at her as the last bomb went off. There was a dark figure standing next her. It was Death, he had come to get her. The Foreign Minister covered her face with her hands, and I saw him grab her, to take her to the Underworld.'
Sally read over that one again. Oh yeah, this guy's definitely wacked. At least she was finally done. She'd have to compile a full report for Une later. Sally felt a little sorry for her boss. Trying to keep the peace and quell the public uproar, to give the world a façade that everything was under control, she certainly had her work cut out for her. But it gives me some extra time to finish this report, Sally thought, as she headed back to her car. She tried to rub the weariness from her eyes, with little success. Why can't I get any of the fun jobs?
*****************************
Three figures clad in black crept in the shadows of the looming facility. They whispered cautiously to each other in the clandestine wood surrounding the structure.
"Alright Trowa, what's your poison?" Trowa raised his visible eyebrow. "I got some plastique, your run-of-the-mill dynamite, C-4—"
"C-4"
"Really? We're gonna have to use detonators for that. Why don't we just use the timed bombs so we can get this over with?" Duo semi-whined.
"I agree with Trowa," Wufei finally spoke up.
"You too? What's with this C-4 fan club?"
"Justice, Maxwell. Justice."
*******************************
Heero opened the door softly. She's finally asleep, he thought, relieved as he spotted the crumpled mound on the bed. Pulling off his t-shirt and jeans, he walked to the edge of the bed. Relena's face was turned toward him, and he observed how truly child-like she looked. There was no mask of strength and determination here. Now, she looked as vulnerable as he believed her to be. He hesitated before climbing in to the bed, clad in only his shorts. Resting on his back, he slowly closed his eyes, noting in his mind to wake up in exactly four hours, and trying to ignore the warmth of the body resting next to him.
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