Nope, still don't own 'em.
Anyway, in an attempt to please my faithful readers, the plan is to make this chapter longer than the other ones. We'll have to wait and see, though. ^_^
HEALING PEACE
Heero and Relena sat across from each other at the kitchen table. The room was awash with sunlight, giving it a cheerful atmosphere. Even so, Relena couldn't help but notice the dark shadows that haunted Heero's face. Some were healing bruises, but others were far more lasting; in the shadows that played across his features, Relena could see the pain and emotional distress that her friend, the man that she loved, was feeling.
Heero picked up the sandwich that sat in front of it. Meat, cheese, and vegetables poked out from between the bread. Slowly, almost carefully, he took a bite. He looked up as he was chewing, and caught Relena looking at him. He quickly swallowed the mouthful. "What?" he asked.
Relena only looked slightly abashed at being caught while gazing at him. She recovered quickly, however. "Is it good?"
Heero looked startled at his question. Food was food. He realized that he had never really stopped to consider whether or not a certain item of food was "good." And certainly no one had ever asked him what he thought of the taste of something. He didn't know what to say.
"It's a simple question," Relena teased. "If you don't like my sandwich, you can tell me."
Heero looked shocked for a second. "No," he finally stated. "It's delicious."
__________________________________
Relena shut the door of the small cottage. *Well, that was fairly successful,* she thought. The lunch had been peaceful; to most, it would have seemed to be uneventful. But to Relena, great progress had been made. Progress in the area of Heero Yuy. For the second time since he had arrived, he had let his guard down when it came to her. He was pleasant to be around, even with the shadowed look that haunted his face. *I will figure out a way to erase those shadows,* Relena absolved. *Any way that I can.*
With her goal in mind, Relena headed back up to the school. She had meetings to attend, and, at least for now, Heero seemed to be relaxing peacefully.
__________________________________
Heero gingerly leaned back in one of the padded chairs that adorned the living room. In his hand he held a paperback book, which he opened to the first page. Before she had left, Relena had pointed out the bookshelf that lined the wall in the room in which he sat. She had casually suggested that in between her and Sally's visits, he might be able to find amusement between the covers of the many books. Heero had just nodded, but a few minutes after she left, he had proceeded to select a volume. Reading would keep him distracted, and right now that was what he needed. Distraction. Anything to keep the terror that lurked within the recesses of his mind at bay. Perhaps, when Relena returned, he could convince her to take him up to the school, so that he could use a computer and figure out what he was going to do from here. He wasn't ready to rejoin the other pilots; not right now, at least. But, he also didn't feel as though he could afford to spend too long in leisure while the others worked. He had a mission to complete, after all.
*What's wrong with recovering here, though?* he thought. *This place is secure, OZ doesn't know where I am, I have needed supplies.* The idea of remaining near Relena was oddly comforting. He also didn't feel enthusiastic about having to search for another place to stay. As much as he hated to admit it, in his condition, travel would be difficult, to say the least. For now, remaining here was probably the best idea. *Only until I have recovered,* he told himself. *As soon as I am fit to travel, I'll leave.*
Satisfied at having made a decision involving his course of action, Heero settled back to read his book.
__________________________________
Duo cursed and slammed his fist against the desk. All the time that he had spent looking for the OZ commander that had captured Heero, and still nothing. It was as if the man had disappeared off of the face of the planet. *I should have just blown the whole base while I was there,* he told himself. As soon as he thought it, though, the image of Heero as Duo had found him appeared in his head. Duo was still haunted by the image of Heero, unconscious, covered only by Duo's shirt. *That's why I didn't destroy the place at the time,* Duo realized. His friend had needed help immediately, and at the time, helping his friend was the only thing that Duo had been thinking of. Now, however, Duo had a different goal in mind. Finding the bastard that had hurt Heero, and punishing him with the wrath of the God of Death.
__________________________________
Unknown to Duo, Relena was also searching for Heero's abuser. In the Sank Kingdom, she had requested that the profiles of all OZ soldiers and officials posted at the base that Heero had been captured at be delivered to her. Not to raise suspicion as to the cause of her request, Relena had also requested profiles of soldiers posted at three other bases. That way, anyone who might be curious as to why the leader of the Sank Kingdom was interested in OZ soldiers could not conclude that it was due to a very important prisoner that had been held captive recently. Once she had the profiles, she would figure out what to do from there. Obviously, the man would have to be brought to trial for his crimes. However, she wasn't sure that Heero would be ready to testify against the man, not to mention the fact that Heero could not take the stand anyway, because according to OZ, Heero was a criminal as well. Relena sighed. She'd figure everything thing out if she was able to determine the identity of the man who had hurt the person that she loved.
__________________________________
A week, and then two, passed relatively uneventfully. Relena continued her daily visits to Heero's cottage. The bruises that had covered his face faded finally, and the day came and went when Sally removed the stitches from his body. Relena was relieved to see that the odd gait with which Heero had walked vanished with the removal of the stitches. Sally assured her that Heero was healing very well. Relena, however, was still concerned. Although he was pleasant when she was around, his eyes were still haunted. And even though he never spoke of it, Relena was fairly sure that he still had nightmares. It was something that troubled the girl greatly. She was at a loss at to what to do to.
Relena shook herself from her thoughts and pushed her chair back from her desk. She stood, stretching. It was mid-afternoon, and the day was gorgeous. *Perhaps a day outside will be good for Heero,* she thought. Although the pilot sometimes sat on the porch of the cottage, he rarely ventured further than that. Relena knew of a small lake not too far from where the cottage lay, and it was fairly secluded, so she didn't need to wonder about people asking questions about the man that accompanied her. *Yes,* Relena concluded. *I think that a day outside is just what Heero, and I, need.*
__________________________________
It had been a trifle difficult to persuade Heero to leave the confines of his cottage. But, with a little pleading, he had reluctantly agreed to accompany Relena to the lake. Thus, the two teenagers walked next to each other down a wooded path toward their destination. Heero was silent, while Relena talked about this and that. While she was talking, she stole a sideways glance at her companion. Heero walked leisurely next to her, his hands buried deep into the pockets of his blue jeans. The sleeves of his white button-down shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and the first two buttons were undone. His dark brown hair, freshly washed, lay haphazardly over his brow. He was staring up at the trees above him, apparently lost in thought. Relena stopped walking, half expecting the man to run into her, since he appeared not to be paying attention. But, as aware and nimble as ever, Heero stopped as well, his gaze never leaving the trees. "Why are we stopping?" he asked.
"I was just wondering what you are thinking about so intensely?" Relena asked, and Heero sensed a note of teasing in her voice. He looked at her.
"I was just thinking that since I am nearly healed, I should be making plans to leave soon," he stated directly.
Relena looked shocked for a second, but she quickly regained her composure. It was true, his wounds were nearly healed; of course he would want to leave. "If you must," she replied. "Tomorrow, I will bring you up to the school and you can use a computer to figure out where you want to go." She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She had always known that he would have to leave sooner or later. She would have just preferred that it be later. Changing the subject, she said, "Well, we are almost at the lake. Let's enjoy the outing." She held out her hand.
Heero's gaze softened as he looked at her. Without hesitation, he accepted her offered hand. Her hand was soft and delicate, so different from his callused one, hardened by years of training and battle. "This is nice," he commented.
Relena smiled. "Isn't it?" She led him the rest of the way down the path. They arrived at the shore of the lake. The afternoon sun glinted off of the water, sparkling brightly. They made their way down to the water, and sat down near the edge. Neither person said anything more; they simply relaxed by the water's edge, enjoying the day and each other's company.
__________________________________
"Sir, we've located the fugitive." The young soldier looked over his shoulder at his commander. "Our sources tell us that he is in the Sank Kingdom.
"Good work, soldier." The commander smiled darkly. "We'll make plans to immediately recover the fugitive. We cannot allow our reputations to suffer by permitting an escaped prisoner to remain on the loose, now can we?"
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Oooh, cliffhanger! *evil grin* Perhaps, if I receive many nice reviews, I can be persuaded to update soon...
Nah, just kidding. I promise to update as soon as possible. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
Anyway, in an attempt to please my faithful readers, the plan is to make this chapter longer than the other ones. We'll have to wait and see, though. ^_^
HEALING PEACE
Heero and Relena sat across from each other at the kitchen table. The room was awash with sunlight, giving it a cheerful atmosphere. Even so, Relena couldn't help but notice the dark shadows that haunted Heero's face. Some were healing bruises, but others were far more lasting; in the shadows that played across his features, Relena could see the pain and emotional distress that her friend, the man that she loved, was feeling.
Heero picked up the sandwich that sat in front of it. Meat, cheese, and vegetables poked out from between the bread. Slowly, almost carefully, he took a bite. He looked up as he was chewing, and caught Relena looking at him. He quickly swallowed the mouthful. "What?" he asked.
Relena only looked slightly abashed at being caught while gazing at him. She recovered quickly, however. "Is it good?"
Heero looked startled at his question. Food was food. He realized that he had never really stopped to consider whether or not a certain item of food was "good." And certainly no one had ever asked him what he thought of the taste of something. He didn't know what to say.
"It's a simple question," Relena teased. "If you don't like my sandwich, you can tell me."
Heero looked shocked for a second. "No," he finally stated. "It's delicious."
__________________________________
Relena shut the door of the small cottage. *Well, that was fairly successful,* she thought. The lunch had been peaceful; to most, it would have seemed to be uneventful. But to Relena, great progress had been made. Progress in the area of Heero Yuy. For the second time since he had arrived, he had let his guard down when it came to her. He was pleasant to be around, even with the shadowed look that haunted his face. *I will figure out a way to erase those shadows,* Relena absolved. *Any way that I can.*
With her goal in mind, Relena headed back up to the school. She had meetings to attend, and, at least for now, Heero seemed to be relaxing peacefully.
__________________________________
Heero gingerly leaned back in one of the padded chairs that adorned the living room. In his hand he held a paperback book, which he opened to the first page. Before she had left, Relena had pointed out the bookshelf that lined the wall in the room in which he sat. She had casually suggested that in between her and Sally's visits, he might be able to find amusement between the covers of the many books. Heero had just nodded, but a few minutes after she left, he had proceeded to select a volume. Reading would keep him distracted, and right now that was what he needed. Distraction. Anything to keep the terror that lurked within the recesses of his mind at bay. Perhaps, when Relena returned, he could convince her to take him up to the school, so that he could use a computer and figure out what he was going to do from here. He wasn't ready to rejoin the other pilots; not right now, at least. But, he also didn't feel as though he could afford to spend too long in leisure while the others worked. He had a mission to complete, after all.
*What's wrong with recovering here, though?* he thought. *This place is secure, OZ doesn't know where I am, I have needed supplies.* The idea of remaining near Relena was oddly comforting. He also didn't feel enthusiastic about having to search for another place to stay. As much as he hated to admit it, in his condition, travel would be difficult, to say the least. For now, remaining here was probably the best idea. *Only until I have recovered,* he told himself. *As soon as I am fit to travel, I'll leave.*
Satisfied at having made a decision involving his course of action, Heero settled back to read his book.
__________________________________
Duo cursed and slammed his fist against the desk. All the time that he had spent looking for the OZ commander that had captured Heero, and still nothing. It was as if the man had disappeared off of the face of the planet. *I should have just blown the whole base while I was there,* he told himself. As soon as he thought it, though, the image of Heero as Duo had found him appeared in his head. Duo was still haunted by the image of Heero, unconscious, covered only by Duo's shirt. *That's why I didn't destroy the place at the time,* Duo realized. His friend had needed help immediately, and at the time, helping his friend was the only thing that Duo had been thinking of. Now, however, Duo had a different goal in mind. Finding the bastard that had hurt Heero, and punishing him with the wrath of the God of Death.
__________________________________
Unknown to Duo, Relena was also searching for Heero's abuser. In the Sank Kingdom, she had requested that the profiles of all OZ soldiers and officials posted at the base that Heero had been captured at be delivered to her. Not to raise suspicion as to the cause of her request, Relena had also requested profiles of soldiers posted at three other bases. That way, anyone who might be curious as to why the leader of the Sank Kingdom was interested in OZ soldiers could not conclude that it was due to a very important prisoner that had been held captive recently. Once she had the profiles, she would figure out what to do from there. Obviously, the man would have to be brought to trial for his crimes. However, she wasn't sure that Heero would be ready to testify against the man, not to mention the fact that Heero could not take the stand anyway, because according to OZ, Heero was a criminal as well. Relena sighed. She'd figure everything thing out if she was able to determine the identity of the man who had hurt the person that she loved.
__________________________________
A week, and then two, passed relatively uneventfully. Relena continued her daily visits to Heero's cottage. The bruises that had covered his face faded finally, and the day came and went when Sally removed the stitches from his body. Relena was relieved to see that the odd gait with which Heero had walked vanished with the removal of the stitches. Sally assured her that Heero was healing very well. Relena, however, was still concerned. Although he was pleasant when she was around, his eyes were still haunted. And even though he never spoke of it, Relena was fairly sure that he still had nightmares. It was something that troubled the girl greatly. She was at a loss at to what to do to.
Relena shook herself from her thoughts and pushed her chair back from her desk. She stood, stretching. It was mid-afternoon, and the day was gorgeous. *Perhaps a day outside will be good for Heero,* she thought. Although the pilot sometimes sat on the porch of the cottage, he rarely ventured further than that. Relena knew of a small lake not too far from where the cottage lay, and it was fairly secluded, so she didn't need to wonder about people asking questions about the man that accompanied her. *Yes,* Relena concluded. *I think that a day outside is just what Heero, and I, need.*
__________________________________
It had been a trifle difficult to persuade Heero to leave the confines of his cottage. But, with a little pleading, he had reluctantly agreed to accompany Relena to the lake. Thus, the two teenagers walked next to each other down a wooded path toward their destination. Heero was silent, while Relena talked about this and that. While she was talking, she stole a sideways glance at her companion. Heero walked leisurely next to her, his hands buried deep into the pockets of his blue jeans. The sleeves of his white button-down shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and the first two buttons were undone. His dark brown hair, freshly washed, lay haphazardly over his brow. He was staring up at the trees above him, apparently lost in thought. Relena stopped walking, half expecting the man to run into her, since he appeared not to be paying attention. But, as aware and nimble as ever, Heero stopped as well, his gaze never leaving the trees. "Why are we stopping?" he asked.
"I was just wondering what you are thinking about so intensely?" Relena asked, and Heero sensed a note of teasing in her voice. He looked at her.
"I was just thinking that since I am nearly healed, I should be making plans to leave soon," he stated directly.
Relena looked shocked for a second, but she quickly regained her composure. It was true, his wounds were nearly healed; of course he would want to leave. "If you must," she replied. "Tomorrow, I will bring you up to the school and you can use a computer to figure out where you want to go." She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She had always known that he would have to leave sooner or later. She would have just preferred that it be later. Changing the subject, she said, "Well, we are almost at the lake. Let's enjoy the outing." She held out her hand.
Heero's gaze softened as he looked at her. Without hesitation, he accepted her offered hand. Her hand was soft and delicate, so different from his callused one, hardened by years of training and battle. "This is nice," he commented.
Relena smiled. "Isn't it?" She led him the rest of the way down the path. They arrived at the shore of the lake. The afternoon sun glinted off of the water, sparkling brightly. They made their way down to the water, and sat down near the edge. Neither person said anything more; they simply relaxed by the water's edge, enjoying the day and each other's company.
__________________________________
"Sir, we've located the fugitive." The young soldier looked over his shoulder at his commander. "Our sources tell us that he is in the Sank Kingdom.
"Good work, soldier." The commander smiled darkly. "We'll make plans to immediately recover the fugitive. We cannot allow our reputations to suffer by permitting an escaped prisoner to remain on the loose, now can we?"
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Oooh, cliffhanger! *evil grin* Perhaps, if I receive many nice reviews, I can be persuaded to update soon...
Nah, just kidding. I promise to update as soon as possible. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!