Two days later Heero sat at the dinner table, watching Relena intensely.
She was avoiding his eyes, but he knew that she was conscious of his every
move. He dipped his spoon back into the soup bowl and ladled some soup
into his mouth. It burned his throat as it trickled slowly downwards. His
mouth was frequently dry now, but no amount of water would soften it.
"Would you like some more bread?" He asked finally.
"No thank you." Relena didn't look up at him. She looked so much better now. Her eyes had begun to sparkle after a few days of good food and treatment. Some colour adorned her cheeks and her bones, although still prominent through her skin, no longer stuck so drastically.
Heero sighed and sat back, surveying her silently for a few moments. "I'm sorry." He said finally.
"For what?" Relena played wit the remains of her soup listlessly, filling her spoon then letting the liquid plop back into the bowl.
"For what I am about to put you through." Heero said. "You've been through enough, I shouldn't be asking you to do any more."
"I can handle it." Relena said curtly. "Just because I am a woman does not mean that I am weak."
"I never said that." Heero stood up and crossed to the fire. Absent minded, he picked up the stoker and prodded the glowing embers gently. "I just meant that I'm sorry that you should have to do this. Society should never have gone this far down the wrong path."
He was aware of Relena leaving the table and walking over to him. She stood by an armchair. "I want to do this. I want to free my friends. I want to be free."
Heero straightened up and saw her face illuminated by the firelight. She looked so determined that he decided not to argue anymore. Instead he settled himself on the longer sofa. Relena sat opposite him so that they were facing each other, but seated on the same sofa.
They sat like this for a few moments, watching each other warily, neither wanting to initiate the next conversation, but both knowing that it would have to be brought up eventually.
"I just want to say.no matter what happens." Heero began, but a knocking at the door interrupted him.
"OPEN UP!!!" Someone shouted from the door. Relena cast a fearful glance at Heero, who jumped up and ran to the door.
"She's there!" He shouted, as five armed guards rushed into the room. They grabbed hold of Relena roughly and pulled her to her feet before she could move.
"Heero!" She gasped. "You betrayed me?"
Heero only looked at the ground, a hundred emotions and thoughts crowding his mind.
"Bastard!" She screamed, kicking out at the guards who held her. "And I trusted you!"
Kicking and yelling she was ushered out of the house by the guards. One guard remained with Heero. "Well done kid." He said. "You have done your government proud, catching the convict and turning her in. Here is your reward."
A small bag of coins was pushed into Heero's sweaty hand. He turned away in disgust, the metal coins burning a hole in his hand. He threw them bitterly on the floor as the guard left, closing the door behind him. The house seemed quiet without Relena's presence.
Heero waited for a few minutes, not daring to move. But when he heard a low whistle coming from below his window, he quickly pulled on his black overcoat and boats, grabbed a small bag from the corner and left his house through the back door.
The street was deserted, except for a lone figure crouching in the wayside. From afar the boy looked like an ordinary beggar, his tatty clothes wrapped closely around his body. But as Heero drew near the beggar jumped up and greeted him.
"Phase one went alright then Trowa?" Heero asked. The beggar pulled off his hood and shook out his hair.
"Perfect." He agreed, ushering Heero into another side street that ran parallel to the main one. "The guards have Relena, she put up quite a fight though."
"She's a surprisingly good actress." Heero agreed. "If I hadn't known that she knew that the guards were coming for her, I would have thought that her reaction was real and not an act."
"Let's hope that she puts on a good show all the way." Trowa said quietly. "It will take a lot of work, guts and luck for her to complete the next stage of our plan."
"I still feel guilty about turning her in." Heero said softly.
"It was all part of the plan!" Trowa insisted, stopping by a door and knocking on it three times. "You both knew that. In order for our plan to work you first had to 'turn her in'."
"But what terrors await her back at The Fort?" Heero asked, as the door swung open.
"Nothing if we can execute the rest of our plan in time." Zechs said, standing silhouetted in the doorway. "Are we ready to put phase two into action?"
"Would you like some more bread?" He asked finally.
"No thank you." Relena didn't look up at him. She looked so much better now. Her eyes had begun to sparkle after a few days of good food and treatment. Some colour adorned her cheeks and her bones, although still prominent through her skin, no longer stuck so drastically.
Heero sighed and sat back, surveying her silently for a few moments. "I'm sorry." He said finally.
"For what?" Relena played wit the remains of her soup listlessly, filling her spoon then letting the liquid plop back into the bowl.
"For what I am about to put you through." Heero said. "You've been through enough, I shouldn't be asking you to do any more."
"I can handle it." Relena said curtly. "Just because I am a woman does not mean that I am weak."
"I never said that." Heero stood up and crossed to the fire. Absent minded, he picked up the stoker and prodded the glowing embers gently. "I just meant that I'm sorry that you should have to do this. Society should never have gone this far down the wrong path."
He was aware of Relena leaving the table and walking over to him. She stood by an armchair. "I want to do this. I want to free my friends. I want to be free."
Heero straightened up and saw her face illuminated by the firelight. She looked so determined that he decided not to argue anymore. Instead he settled himself on the longer sofa. Relena sat opposite him so that they were facing each other, but seated on the same sofa.
They sat like this for a few moments, watching each other warily, neither wanting to initiate the next conversation, but both knowing that it would have to be brought up eventually.
"I just want to say.no matter what happens." Heero began, but a knocking at the door interrupted him.
"OPEN UP!!!" Someone shouted from the door. Relena cast a fearful glance at Heero, who jumped up and ran to the door.
"She's there!" He shouted, as five armed guards rushed into the room. They grabbed hold of Relena roughly and pulled her to her feet before she could move.
"Heero!" She gasped. "You betrayed me?"
Heero only looked at the ground, a hundred emotions and thoughts crowding his mind.
"Bastard!" She screamed, kicking out at the guards who held her. "And I trusted you!"
Kicking and yelling she was ushered out of the house by the guards. One guard remained with Heero. "Well done kid." He said. "You have done your government proud, catching the convict and turning her in. Here is your reward."
A small bag of coins was pushed into Heero's sweaty hand. He turned away in disgust, the metal coins burning a hole in his hand. He threw them bitterly on the floor as the guard left, closing the door behind him. The house seemed quiet without Relena's presence.
Heero waited for a few minutes, not daring to move. But when he heard a low whistle coming from below his window, he quickly pulled on his black overcoat and boats, grabbed a small bag from the corner and left his house through the back door.
The street was deserted, except for a lone figure crouching in the wayside. From afar the boy looked like an ordinary beggar, his tatty clothes wrapped closely around his body. But as Heero drew near the beggar jumped up and greeted him.
"Phase one went alright then Trowa?" Heero asked. The beggar pulled off his hood and shook out his hair.
"Perfect." He agreed, ushering Heero into another side street that ran parallel to the main one. "The guards have Relena, she put up quite a fight though."
"She's a surprisingly good actress." Heero agreed. "If I hadn't known that she knew that the guards were coming for her, I would have thought that her reaction was real and not an act."
"Let's hope that she puts on a good show all the way." Trowa said quietly. "It will take a lot of work, guts and luck for her to complete the next stage of our plan."
"I still feel guilty about turning her in." Heero said softly.
"It was all part of the plan!" Trowa insisted, stopping by a door and knocking on it three times. "You both knew that. In order for our plan to work you first had to 'turn her in'."
"But what terrors await her back at The Fort?" Heero asked, as the door swung open.
"Nothing if we can execute the rest of our plan in time." Zechs said, standing silhouetted in the doorway. "Are we ready to put phase two into action?"