I don't own any of the following characters.which might be a good thing
because I don't want to own Relena.
Well, well.chapter 13 and people are still reading. Getting closer to the end of this story, but I have good news! Not only will the other scouts be showing up (finally!) but the long awaited moment has come! Not only will the contents of the mysterious (and long forgotten) third box be revealed but Relena will cease to exist! Not only that, I hope this should turn out to be a nice long chapter as a special thank you to all my reviewers!
And is if that wasn't enough, eventually an as of yet unnamed sequel will be out. (once I finish developing a plot for it). Not to spoil anything for you, but in case you want to know, the basic premise is that Zechs, hearing that his sister is dead, goes looking for her killer. This will make more sense as a plotline once you've finished the chapter.
Word of the day-Jiyuu! It means freedom.
Enjoy!
The next few days seemed to drag on forever. Yet at the same time, they didn't seem nearly long enough for some people.
Heero and Lita became virtually inseparable. They were together almost every waking hour. If Lita was in the kitchen, Heero would be perched on a chair with his laptop. If Heero was in the living room working, Lita would be sitting next to him reading or dozing.
Normally Heero hated having people around while he was working.he preferred to be alone. Not this time however. Even if he'd wanted to, he wouldn't have been unable to push her away.
For her part, Lita knew that something was bothering Heero and she was determined to be there in case he needed anything.
Their time together was mostly silent, no words passing between either, but it didn't matter. They knew how the other felt and that was all that was necessary.
Then came the night. Heero told her they were going out, but she wasn't going with them this time. He made her promise to wait for them, and wait she did.
Well after midnight, the group of pilots walked back into the house. "Who's there?" mumbled a sleepy voice, flipping on the light switch in the living room.
"Lita?" Duo asked, dumbfounded. "What are you doing up? It's almost 2:00 in the morning!"
She yawned. "That early hmm?"
"You should be.." He was interrupted with a look from Heero that said I'll- handle-this.
"Um.I meant I should be going to bed. A growing boy needs his sleep. Night," he said hurriedly, before dashing up the stairs.
"Don't the rest of you have places to be right now?" Heero said gruffly.
The remaining three looked at each other and back at Heero, then silently took their leave.
Wufei scowled on his way up the stairs. "Did Duo put starch in Heero's laundry again?"
"No Wufei," Trowa answered. "This is a hard time for him. Out of all of us, he's the one closest to Lita. In fact, I think she's closer to him then any of us."
Quatre nodded. "I don't think it will be any easier for her. I guess we'll know in the morning."
The three nodded among themselves before separating for the night.
Meanwhile, back downstairs, Heero had gotten Lita back into her bedroom and she was now sitting on her bed, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Why did you stay up?" he asked, sitting down next to her on the bed after turning on the desk lamp and shutting the door behind him.
"I was waiting for you," she said looking at him, noticing for the first time the slight slump in his shoulders and the weariness lurking in his voice. "Heero.what's wrong? What are you hiding from me?"
He looked down at the floor. "All of us, we've been working almost 24 hours a day trying to disprove the rumors. We failed. We failed our mission."
"Failed?"
"We proved the rumors tonight Lita, and because of that.because of that you're going to have to go back to Juuban."
"What?" she screeched, all but awake now. "Heero, I'm not going back."
"Listen to me..this isn't a game Lita. There's going to be a war here. A secret underground organization named Jiyuu, they're gathering here from all over, all of them anti-pacifists. Somehow their dislike of pacifism has been stirred up into a violent hate. Feeling that this philosophy has been suppressing their freedoms, they're rebelling and taking down the problem at its source. They plan on destroying the Sanq Kingdom, down to every last building. Do you understand?"
"I'm not leaving Heero. I'm staying."
He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Are you crazy? It's too dangerous for you to stay here!"
"It is not! I've been in worse," she said pulling out of his grip. "I can help you guys."
Heero shook his head. "How? You have no training as a soldier or a pilot. You have your powers, true. But we don't know how effective against a mobile suit they'll be. Besides, once you use them, you'll have revealed yourself to a lot of unscrupulous people who would stop at nothing to have that electric spark inside you."
"But.but Heero." she said, pleading.
"Lita none of us want to see you go, least of all me, but this is for the best. We're only doing this for your own protection. Please Lita.let's not spend the last hours we have arguing."
She nodded slowly, trying to blink back a couple tears.
"We're taking you to the train station tomorrow morning. You'll have to get your own plane ticket though."
Lita shook her head. "I'll call Setsuna. I.my parents were killed in a plane crash. I don't want to be on a plane, especially not now."
"Did she bring you here?"
Lita nodded. "She created a portal between the two airports so all I had to do was walk between them, then catch the shuttle to the train station and take the train out here."
Heero nodded. "Speaking of which, do you have somewhere you can stay?"
"I.I can call Rei.Mars, Sailor Mars?"
He thought for a moment, then blinked in recognition. "The priestess?"
"That's right. She lives in that shrine with her grandpa and Chad, the sort of apprentice. I bet she'd let me stay and I could help her out. Rei'd probably enjoy having some company," she smiled sadly.
"You better do it then. We don't have time to waste."
She nodded and picked up the phone in her bedroom, dialing Rei's number. "..Hello Rei, it's Lita.yes, I'm fine. Listen, I know I haven't kept in touch but I need a favor. I'm coming back to Juuban.no, I don't know how long. Listen, I need a place to stay while I'm there and I was wondering if I could stay with you. I'd help you out in the shrine in return.I know I don't, but I don't want to be a freeloader.tomorrow afternoon.yeah, well.I gotta go. I need to talk to Setsuna.yeah, til tomorrow. Bye Rei."
She hung up the phone. "Rei said it would be ok."
"Good. Now you need to make your other call."
"I know, I know.." Sighing, she picked up the phone again and dialed the number where Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru all called their own. ".Setsuna, it's Lita. I'm coming back to Juuban tomorrow and I need you to help me out again.yeah, just like last time.no, I don't know what time but you're supposed to be able to see the futures so why did you even ask?...Thanks Setsuna..bye."
"She said she she'd meet me at the airport tomorrow and take care of everything."
Heero nodded. "Good. Now, I have something else to tell you. We've been informed that Relena was evacuated. Knowing her, she won't go to her designated place.she'll be looking for you. With that in mind, I want to give you something."
"Give me something?"
"It's upstairs." He stood up and grabbed her hand. "Come on." Heero opened the bedroom door and guided her through the house, up the stairs, to his room. He flipped on the light and shut the door behind him. He then crossed the room to his dresser and after some rummaging, he found what he was looking for and went back to where she was standing. "Here."
"Your gun? Heero, why are you giving me your gun?"
"I told you, Relena's going to go looking for you and she won't stop until she makes it to Juuban. Something tells me it won't be for a social call. I want you to take this. You know how to use it. Let's just call it insurance ok?"
"But.but don't you need it?"
Heero laughed. "Are you kidding? Come here," he said, beckoning with his finger.
Lita followed him over to his bed.
Heero reached underneath it and pulled out what looked like a huge black suitcase. He plopped it on top of the bed and opened it up, revealing an assortment of handguns. "I've got several more of these hidden around the house. Some just like these, some with machine guns.so I don't need that one."
Normally, the thought of being with so many guns would have made Lita nervous, but instead she was smiling. "Heero, you laughed. I don't think I've ever heard you laugh before."
"Probably not. But I don't think you need to leave sad. Rather give you something to smile about."
"Yeah, I guess.," she said softly, running her fingers over the gun in her hand.
Heero looked at her. He could see the tiredness and hear the hints of sadness in her voice. "Come on Lita, you need to get some rest."
"Yeah.guess I should get a little sleep..I guess I'll see you in the morning. Wait, it already is morning.later this morning I mean." She said her goodnight and turned to leave.
"Lita, wait."
She turned back to him. "Did you forget to tell me something?"
"I guess you could say that."
"What is it?"
"I was just wondering.why should we go our own ways any sooner then we have too.."
"Do you mean.?"
"Do you want to be alone tonight?"
She shook her head slowly.
"Then stay here with me. Please?" he asked, holding out his hand to her.
Lita went over to his dresser and laid the gun down on top of it. Then she went over and took his hand, allowing him to pull her into a hug.
"I'll be back in a minute ok?" Without waiting for a response, he freed himself and grabbed some things off a chair, leaving the room. He came back a few minutes later dressed in his pajamas. After putting things away, Heero flipped off the light and climbed into his bed, trying not to disturb the already sleeping girl curled under the blankets. Not bothering to say a goodnight that would fall on deaf ears, he pulled the blankets up and drifted to sleep.
It seemed almost an instant later that Lita stirred, feeling the sun dance across her face. She blinked open her eyes, not recognizing her surroundings for the sleepy haze in her eyes. She shook her head slightly to clear it, suddenly realizing where she was. She sat straight up, trying to remember how she got there, or if she was only dreaming this. Deciding it could only be a dream, Lita started crawling around the bed, waiting to see if she would fall through. When that didn't work, she started feeling the blankets. She was in the process of doing this when Heero walked in.
"What are you doing?"
She frowned. "You're talking. Dreams don't talk."
"Not normally," he answered. "But what makes you think you're dreaming?"
"I woke up in your bed. Isn't that reason enough?"
Shaking his head, he took the gun off the dresser and handed it back to her. "You better get ready. It's almost time.."
Blinking, she stared at the weapon in her hand. "Last night.you gave it to me last night and then.guess I wasn't dreaming after all." Sighing, she slid off the bed, cradling the gun in her hands as she left the room.
A couple of hours later, Lita had gotten herself packed and ready to go. She gave the room one last going over before pushing the suitcases into the kitchen. Then she turned out the light and shut the door behind her.
She made her way into the living room, finding Heero standing and looking out a window. She crept up behind him and tugged on his shirt sleeve. "I'm finished Heero." She didn't say she was ready, because she wasn't. No matter how much time she had, she would never be ready to leave.
He nodded and turned around to face her for a brief instant before heading to the kitchen. With Lita tagging along behind, the two of them grabbed her suitcases and took them out to the car where the other pilots were already gathered.
The car was loaded and everyone climbed in. Soon they were on their way, nobody saying a word the entire time. The silence still hung about everybody when the all clamored out at the train station. The group unloaded her bags and found a place to set them down. Meanwhile, Quatre went and purchased her ticket.
"Your train leaves in 10 minutes," Quatre said as he came back.
Lita took the ticket in her hand. "Thanks."
"Well get your bags on," Duo said, volunteering himself and Wufei for the job. They got her bags on the train and came back.
"I.I guess I better say good-bye now. I don't want to be late," Lita said. She started with Quatre. "I just want to thank you for everything Quatre. Letting me work for you, everything you did.be careful ok? I wanna make sure I have an employer to come back to."
He laughed. "I promise."
Smiling, she gave him a hug before moving on to Trowa. "Well gee Trowa.we never really got to know each other, but when I come back hopefully we can fix that. Take care." And she hugged him goodbye as well.
Next was Wufei. "Wufei.I know we haven't been best friends, but at least we're not exactly enemies either. Maybe if you try hard, next time I see you you'll actually be able to beat me in an argument?"
"Count on it," he said, surprising everybody by initiating the goodbye hug.
Next was Duo. Lita laughed. "I remember I how mad we were when we found out what you'd done.but it turned out alright in the end," she smiled, shaking her head. "Thank you Duo.I owe you one, a big one." Like the other's, she hugged him before moving on to the next and final member.
"I'm gonna miss you Heero. You take care of yourself ok?"
He nodded, pulling her into a hug. "I promise that as soon as it's safe again, we'll come to Juuban and get you."
"Promise?" Lita asked.
"Promise. As long as you promise to look after yourself."
She nodded, pulling away reluctantly. "Goodbye everyone.hope to see you again soon." Trying to smile, she gave a small wave and turned to go down the platform.
"Wait a minute," Heero called out, stepping up next to her. "Here." He took a small box and an envelope out from inside his jacket. "Open it when you get on the train, or at home.just not here."
"Why not?" she asked puzzled.
"You'll understand."
"Yeah.oh, no! I almost forgot." She grabbed a piece of paper from her purse and a pen and scribbled down a phone number. "To Rei's temple. If you need to reach me."
He nodded. "You.you better go now."
"Bye Heero," she said softly, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning and disappearing down the platform.
Lita climbed into the train and found her seat, settling in for the brief ride to the airport. Laying the envelope in her lap, she opened the lid of the box. "Oh my god." she whispered to herself. Not believing her eyes, she snapped the lid shut and set it down, picking up the envelope. She opened the flap and pulled out the contents: a photograph and what looked like a note.
The photograph was a little worn around the edges, like somebody had just stuffed any which where. It was a picture of a young boy, around 5 or 6.a boy that looked just like Heero. Lita flipped it over. On the back was written Our Little Boy-AC 185. Frowning, she picked up the sheets of paper that had been enclosed and mouthed the words written there.
'Dear Lita,
I'm no good with words, but you know that by now. I think, though, that I owe you some explanations.
If you're reading this, it means that you've opened the envelope I gave you. Which also means you've found the picture.
I found that a couple years ago in some rubble. See, I'm originally from the space colony L1. About 2 years ago, we were on a mission there.practically destroyed the place during the fight. I recognized one pile of rubble from the gates at the front. It was the orphanage I'd stayed in briefly before I started my training. I went in and poked around, hoping to find something that might give me a link to my past. All I found was this photo sitting in an unmarked metal box. No name on it, just a date.but there's no doubt that the boy in the picture is me.
I've had it tucked away in a drawer in the hopes that one day it might come in handy. Well, now's the time. I'll never get any information from it so it's pointless for me to have it. Therefore, I'm giving you this picture.a reminder of my promise to come back for you.
As for the box.well.I couldn't bring myself to tell you, and I can't even write it down. Yet somehow I know you'll understand. Next time I see you, I'll know your answer based on your finger. In the meantime, be careful.
Heero'
Not even noticing the train was already on it's way, she slid the items back into their envelope and shut it as best she could. Choking back her sadness, she slipped the envelope into her purse, then turned her attention back to the box in her lap.
Flipping open the lid open again, she took out the small silver ring it contained. In the center of the band was a pink sapphire in the shape of a heart. There were also six small diamonds, clustered in threes, on either side of the heart. Blinking back yet more unshed tears, she slipped the ring onto the third finger of her left hand, her mind sinking into daydreams.
Lost in thought as she was, she almost missed her stop at the airport. Shaking herself back to reality, she climbed off the train and gathered her bags, going in search of Setsuna. Finally spotting a restroom, she went inside. Fortunately it was unoccupied, for the moment she stepped in Sailor Pluto appeared, time staff in hand to create the portal needed to move between the two countries.
Lita stepped through, followed by Pluto, coming out in a bathroom of the Juuban airport. Gathering her bags, Setsuna helped her carry them out to the parking lot.
"I'll be taking you to Rei's," she said. "In case you wondered."
Lita nodded. "Thank you Setsuna. You've been a great help to me."
"I'd wager not as much as your 'friend'," she said, stealing a glance at the ring on Lita's finger as they loaded Setsuna's car.
Lita blushed.
Setsuna smiled. "I'm happy things have worked out for you. I know it wasn't an easy choice for you to leave your friends behind."
Lita smiled back, relieved that her actions had been understood, at least by one person. "I guess I'll have to explain all this to the others," she said as the car left the parking lot.
"They will want an explanation, yes. And I have no doubt you will be mobbed," she laughed. "But maybe that's what you need.to get reacquainted with your friends, to be surrounded by people who care about you."
Lita nodded. "Something to help me make it through. I'm just worried that something will happen. But I guess I should have more faith in my friends. Heero promised they'd come back and I have a feeling he'd kill God himself to keep it."
Silence then took over the conversation and kept things quiet til the hill of the Hikawa Shrine came into view. Setsuna parked the car at the foot of the hill, and with Lita's help, unloaded the car proceeding up the hill's steps up to the shrine.
At the top of the steps, Lita set down what she was carrying up spotting her priestess friend feeding her pet ravens, Phobos and Deimos. "Hi Rei.I'm back."
Rei turned around, jumping at the sound of the voice. "Lita!" she exclaimed, running over and hugging her friend. "It's so good to see you again!"
"You too Rei. How have you been?"
"Oh, the same," Rei laughed, letting Lita step back. "Only Chad's singing has gone from bad to worse. I swear that boy tries entirely too hard." That's when Rei noticed it. "I see you've done quite well."
"Hmm?"
"The ring! Why didn't you tell me you were engaged?"
"I.it just happened," Lita answered, blushing.
"Oh wait until Mina hears about this," Rei laughed. "Speaking of, the others will be here in a little bit. I told them you were coming back today, so we made plans to have everybody meet here at the shrine for a reunion of sorts."
Lita smiled. "It'll be good to see everyone again."
"Yeah, they were all excited when I told them you were coming back. So.when do we get to meet this fiancé of yours?"
"I.I don't know. You will, I promise, but.."
Setsuna interrupted the conversation. "Why don't we take your things inside Lita and get settled?"
Lita nodded. "I would like to be 'moved in' before the other's come."
"Yeah, wouldn't want to miss your party. Follow me!" she said, helping the other two carry the bags inside to an unoccupied room next to Rei's. "There you are."
"Thanks Rei."
"No problem. Anything I can help you with?"
"Well, if you want to help me unpack, I guess you can."
"Ok!" The next couple hours were occupied with unpacking and conversation. Rei caught Lita up on all the doings of the past months in Juuban. Just about the time everything was all put away and arranged, a loud "LITA!" echoed through shrine.
"SERNEA!" Rei screeched, storming out of Lita's room.
"Rei, where's Lita?" Serena said.
"I'm right here," Lita said, waving.
"LITA!" Serena yelled, promptly bowling over the taller girl. "It's been forever! How are you? Where'd you go? OH MY GOD! IS THAT A RING?"
Lita laughed at the storm of questions coming from her meatball haired friend. "One question at a time, and please, if I could wait until everyone was here? I'd rather not have to explain 7 times."
"Oh, sorry!" Serena said cheerfully.
"Ring? Ring? Who's got a ring?" another voice called, as a second blonde head poked around the corner of the hallway.
"Lita's got a ring!" Serena called back.
"Stop pestering her," the soft voice of Ami broke in. "I'm sure she had a long trip. At least give her some time to rest before you mob her."
"Oh, sorry," Mina said, sweatdropping.
"Hey you guys, the others are here!" Rei said. "We're meeting in the main room, so hurry it up!"
"Coming, coming!" Serena yelled back. "Geez.what a crabapple," she muttered.
Lita laughed. "I never though I'd live to see the day that I'd actually enjoy your little fights."
Serena grinned and grabbed Lita's arm. "Welcome home Lita!"
She smiled back, Mina and Ami following the other two into the meeting room. As she entered, she was greeted by the rest of the outer scouts. Smiling in acknowledgement, she took a seat in the circle on the floor. Before she could even open her mouth, somebody else opened there's.
"Lita! When do we get to meet him hmm?" Serena asked.
"Him who?" Haruka asked.
"Him him." Serena answered matter of factly.
"Him him who?" Haruka asked again.
"Him!" Rei answered, grabbing Lita's left hand and holding it up so all could see the ring on her finger.
"Rei, rings aren't male."
"I know that meatball head. What I meant was the him who gave her the ring!"
"Oh.I knew that!"
"Sure you did Serena."
"Well, well," Haruka said. "So our not-so-little chef is engaged?"
"Well, yeah," Lita said, blushing slightly.
"So, when do we get to meet him?" Mina asked.
"I.I don't know," Lita answered. "He's a soldier and, well.he's gone to war. It will be a while before I see him again."
"What does he look like?" Serena queried. "Do you have a picture?"
"How did you meet?" Mina asked.
"Have you set a day yet?" Rei wanted to know.
"Well.I.." Lita stuttered, being overwhelmed by all the questions at once.
"Perhaps you'd rather start at the beginning?" Hotaru asked, a small smile on her face.
"Yes.yes that would be easier." So the tale was recounted, from Juuban to the Sanq Kingdom and back again. Yet there were some things that she kept to herself, special things she wanted to keep as a sort of secret between herself and Heero. "So you see," Lita said as she neared the end of the story, "as soon as the war is over he promised they'd come back for me. You'll meet him then."
"Good," Rei said. "We're going to make sure that he passes inspection."
Lita sweatdropped. "Well, um.." She scratched the back of her head nervously.
"I think Lita's had enough story telling for one day," Setsuna said. "I think we should all take our leave and let her get settled in. You'll have many days to spend together after all." With that, she slowly herded the others out of the room, she being the last to leave. "He won't break his promise to you, that I can tell you," Setsuna said. "In the mean time, we will be here for you if you need us."
"Thank you," Lita said, giving the older woman a hug of gratitude.
Slowly, time moved on and three months passed with now word from any of the pilots. However much she wanted to know they were alright, she accepted the fact that there would be no communication. Even if they had written a letter, in the chaos of war the odds were not good it would have gotten through anyway.
Fortunately, Lita had her friends. She helped Rei in the shrine, sweeping and selling charms. She studied with Ami, read manga with Serena, and played volleyball with Mina. The inner scouts could always be found at the mall on weekends, and when not with them, Lita went to go visit the outer scouts. She'd occasionally play tutor for Hotaru, listen to Michiru practice her violin, hang out with Haruka, and talk to Setsuna. Things were going well, in all.until one night toward the beginning of the fourth month.
Lita had gone on a late night run to the store to pick up some ice cream. It was a nice night with just a hint of chill in the breeze, and the convenience store wasn't too far away, so Lita had walked. However, as she returned home with the bag, she heard the distant rumbles of thunder. Preferring not to get wet, took an ally short cut to get back to the road leading to the shrine. Just as she had reached the end and was preparing to step out onto the road, she turned at the sound of a voice.
"I finally found you, you bitch."
"Relena.."
"You remember. I'm impressed." Relena stepped forward.
In the dim light of the ally, Lita could just make out the gun in Relena's hand.
"I made the mistake of letting you get away last time. A mistake I don't intend to repeat. Whatever went on between you and Heero is over as of now. With your death, there'll be no one standing in my way."
Faced with a gun pointed toward her, Lita desperately tried to decide what to do. Using her powers was out, and even though she could easily overpower the pacifist princess, she'd be shot before it made any difference. Realizing she had no other choice, Lita pulled out the gun she'd tucked inside her jacket. She'd never taken it with her before, but going out at night alone she thought she should keep her promise to Heero to carry it. "Relena, please. Put that away before somebody gets hurt."
"That's the whole point," Relena hissed, slowly pulling back on the trigger.
In that split second, without conscious though, Lita pulled the trigger on her gun. The next thing she knew, Relena's body landed with a thud on the pavement. Horrified, Lita stuffed the gun back in her jacket and ran over to where Relena lay, the bag with the ice cream in it forgotten on the street. There was a hole in her chest, right at the heart, the red blood of her life flowing out steadily. It didn't take Lita but a second to realize that her opponent was dead.by her hand.
"Oh my god," Lita whispered, her voice shaking. "I.I didn't mean for this to happen.." She stood up slowly and backed away. She grabbed the bag with the slowly melting ice cream in it and ran out of the ally, toward the shrine.
Well, well.chapter 13 and people are still reading. Getting closer to the end of this story, but I have good news! Not only will the other scouts be showing up (finally!) but the long awaited moment has come! Not only will the contents of the mysterious (and long forgotten) third box be revealed but Relena will cease to exist! Not only that, I hope this should turn out to be a nice long chapter as a special thank you to all my reviewers!
And is if that wasn't enough, eventually an as of yet unnamed sequel will be out. (once I finish developing a plot for it). Not to spoil anything for you, but in case you want to know, the basic premise is that Zechs, hearing that his sister is dead, goes looking for her killer. This will make more sense as a plotline once you've finished the chapter.
Word of the day-Jiyuu! It means freedom.
Enjoy!
The next few days seemed to drag on forever. Yet at the same time, they didn't seem nearly long enough for some people.
Heero and Lita became virtually inseparable. They were together almost every waking hour. If Lita was in the kitchen, Heero would be perched on a chair with his laptop. If Heero was in the living room working, Lita would be sitting next to him reading or dozing.
Normally Heero hated having people around while he was working.he preferred to be alone. Not this time however. Even if he'd wanted to, he wouldn't have been unable to push her away.
For her part, Lita knew that something was bothering Heero and she was determined to be there in case he needed anything.
Their time together was mostly silent, no words passing between either, but it didn't matter. They knew how the other felt and that was all that was necessary.
Then came the night. Heero told her they were going out, but she wasn't going with them this time. He made her promise to wait for them, and wait she did.
Well after midnight, the group of pilots walked back into the house. "Who's there?" mumbled a sleepy voice, flipping on the light switch in the living room.
"Lita?" Duo asked, dumbfounded. "What are you doing up? It's almost 2:00 in the morning!"
She yawned. "That early hmm?"
"You should be.." He was interrupted with a look from Heero that said I'll- handle-this.
"Um.I meant I should be going to bed. A growing boy needs his sleep. Night," he said hurriedly, before dashing up the stairs.
"Don't the rest of you have places to be right now?" Heero said gruffly.
The remaining three looked at each other and back at Heero, then silently took their leave.
Wufei scowled on his way up the stairs. "Did Duo put starch in Heero's laundry again?"
"No Wufei," Trowa answered. "This is a hard time for him. Out of all of us, he's the one closest to Lita. In fact, I think she's closer to him then any of us."
Quatre nodded. "I don't think it will be any easier for her. I guess we'll know in the morning."
The three nodded among themselves before separating for the night.
Meanwhile, back downstairs, Heero had gotten Lita back into her bedroom and she was now sitting on her bed, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Why did you stay up?" he asked, sitting down next to her on the bed after turning on the desk lamp and shutting the door behind him.
"I was waiting for you," she said looking at him, noticing for the first time the slight slump in his shoulders and the weariness lurking in his voice. "Heero.what's wrong? What are you hiding from me?"
He looked down at the floor. "All of us, we've been working almost 24 hours a day trying to disprove the rumors. We failed. We failed our mission."
"Failed?"
"We proved the rumors tonight Lita, and because of that.because of that you're going to have to go back to Juuban."
"What?" she screeched, all but awake now. "Heero, I'm not going back."
"Listen to me..this isn't a game Lita. There's going to be a war here. A secret underground organization named Jiyuu, they're gathering here from all over, all of them anti-pacifists. Somehow their dislike of pacifism has been stirred up into a violent hate. Feeling that this philosophy has been suppressing their freedoms, they're rebelling and taking down the problem at its source. They plan on destroying the Sanq Kingdom, down to every last building. Do you understand?"
"I'm not leaving Heero. I'm staying."
He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Are you crazy? It's too dangerous for you to stay here!"
"It is not! I've been in worse," she said pulling out of his grip. "I can help you guys."
Heero shook his head. "How? You have no training as a soldier or a pilot. You have your powers, true. But we don't know how effective against a mobile suit they'll be. Besides, once you use them, you'll have revealed yourself to a lot of unscrupulous people who would stop at nothing to have that electric spark inside you."
"But.but Heero." she said, pleading.
"Lita none of us want to see you go, least of all me, but this is for the best. We're only doing this for your own protection. Please Lita.let's not spend the last hours we have arguing."
She nodded slowly, trying to blink back a couple tears.
"We're taking you to the train station tomorrow morning. You'll have to get your own plane ticket though."
Lita shook her head. "I'll call Setsuna. I.my parents were killed in a plane crash. I don't want to be on a plane, especially not now."
"Did she bring you here?"
Lita nodded. "She created a portal between the two airports so all I had to do was walk between them, then catch the shuttle to the train station and take the train out here."
Heero nodded. "Speaking of which, do you have somewhere you can stay?"
"I.I can call Rei.Mars, Sailor Mars?"
He thought for a moment, then blinked in recognition. "The priestess?"
"That's right. She lives in that shrine with her grandpa and Chad, the sort of apprentice. I bet she'd let me stay and I could help her out. Rei'd probably enjoy having some company," she smiled sadly.
"You better do it then. We don't have time to waste."
She nodded and picked up the phone in her bedroom, dialing Rei's number. "..Hello Rei, it's Lita.yes, I'm fine. Listen, I know I haven't kept in touch but I need a favor. I'm coming back to Juuban.no, I don't know how long. Listen, I need a place to stay while I'm there and I was wondering if I could stay with you. I'd help you out in the shrine in return.I know I don't, but I don't want to be a freeloader.tomorrow afternoon.yeah, well.I gotta go. I need to talk to Setsuna.yeah, til tomorrow. Bye Rei."
She hung up the phone. "Rei said it would be ok."
"Good. Now you need to make your other call."
"I know, I know.." Sighing, she picked up the phone again and dialed the number where Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru all called their own. ".Setsuna, it's Lita. I'm coming back to Juuban tomorrow and I need you to help me out again.yeah, just like last time.no, I don't know what time but you're supposed to be able to see the futures so why did you even ask?...Thanks Setsuna..bye."
"She said she she'd meet me at the airport tomorrow and take care of everything."
Heero nodded. "Good. Now, I have something else to tell you. We've been informed that Relena was evacuated. Knowing her, she won't go to her designated place.she'll be looking for you. With that in mind, I want to give you something."
"Give me something?"
"It's upstairs." He stood up and grabbed her hand. "Come on." Heero opened the bedroom door and guided her through the house, up the stairs, to his room. He flipped on the light and shut the door behind him. He then crossed the room to his dresser and after some rummaging, he found what he was looking for and went back to where she was standing. "Here."
"Your gun? Heero, why are you giving me your gun?"
"I told you, Relena's going to go looking for you and she won't stop until she makes it to Juuban. Something tells me it won't be for a social call. I want you to take this. You know how to use it. Let's just call it insurance ok?"
"But.but don't you need it?"
Heero laughed. "Are you kidding? Come here," he said, beckoning with his finger.
Lita followed him over to his bed.
Heero reached underneath it and pulled out what looked like a huge black suitcase. He plopped it on top of the bed and opened it up, revealing an assortment of handguns. "I've got several more of these hidden around the house. Some just like these, some with machine guns.so I don't need that one."
Normally, the thought of being with so many guns would have made Lita nervous, but instead she was smiling. "Heero, you laughed. I don't think I've ever heard you laugh before."
"Probably not. But I don't think you need to leave sad. Rather give you something to smile about."
"Yeah, I guess.," she said softly, running her fingers over the gun in her hand.
Heero looked at her. He could see the tiredness and hear the hints of sadness in her voice. "Come on Lita, you need to get some rest."
"Yeah.guess I should get a little sleep..I guess I'll see you in the morning. Wait, it already is morning.later this morning I mean." She said her goodnight and turned to leave.
"Lita, wait."
She turned back to him. "Did you forget to tell me something?"
"I guess you could say that."
"What is it?"
"I was just wondering.why should we go our own ways any sooner then we have too.."
"Do you mean.?"
"Do you want to be alone tonight?"
She shook her head slowly.
"Then stay here with me. Please?" he asked, holding out his hand to her.
Lita went over to his dresser and laid the gun down on top of it. Then she went over and took his hand, allowing him to pull her into a hug.
"I'll be back in a minute ok?" Without waiting for a response, he freed himself and grabbed some things off a chair, leaving the room. He came back a few minutes later dressed in his pajamas. After putting things away, Heero flipped off the light and climbed into his bed, trying not to disturb the already sleeping girl curled under the blankets. Not bothering to say a goodnight that would fall on deaf ears, he pulled the blankets up and drifted to sleep.
It seemed almost an instant later that Lita stirred, feeling the sun dance across her face. She blinked open her eyes, not recognizing her surroundings for the sleepy haze in her eyes. She shook her head slightly to clear it, suddenly realizing where she was. She sat straight up, trying to remember how she got there, or if she was only dreaming this. Deciding it could only be a dream, Lita started crawling around the bed, waiting to see if she would fall through. When that didn't work, she started feeling the blankets. She was in the process of doing this when Heero walked in.
"What are you doing?"
She frowned. "You're talking. Dreams don't talk."
"Not normally," he answered. "But what makes you think you're dreaming?"
"I woke up in your bed. Isn't that reason enough?"
Shaking his head, he took the gun off the dresser and handed it back to her. "You better get ready. It's almost time.."
Blinking, she stared at the weapon in her hand. "Last night.you gave it to me last night and then.guess I wasn't dreaming after all." Sighing, she slid off the bed, cradling the gun in her hands as she left the room.
A couple of hours later, Lita had gotten herself packed and ready to go. She gave the room one last going over before pushing the suitcases into the kitchen. Then she turned out the light and shut the door behind her.
She made her way into the living room, finding Heero standing and looking out a window. She crept up behind him and tugged on his shirt sleeve. "I'm finished Heero." She didn't say she was ready, because she wasn't. No matter how much time she had, she would never be ready to leave.
He nodded and turned around to face her for a brief instant before heading to the kitchen. With Lita tagging along behind, the two of them grabbed her suitcases and took them out to the car where the other pilots were already gathered.
The car was loaded and everyone climbed in. Soon they were on their way, nobody saying a word the entire time. The silence still hung about everybody when the all clamored out at the train station. The group unloaded her bags and found a place to set them down. Meanwhile, Quatre went and purchased her ticket.
"Your train leaves in 10 minutes," Quatre said as he came back.
Lita took the ticket in her hand. "Thanks."
"Well get your bags on," Duo said, volunteering himself and Wufei for the job. They got her bags on the train and came back.
"I.I guess I better say good-bye now. I don't want to be late," Lita said. She started with Quatre. "I just want to thank you for everything Quatre. Letting me work for you, everything you did.be careful ok? I wanna make sure I have an employer to come back to."
He laughed. "I promise."
Smiling, she gave him a hug before moving on to Trowa. "Well gee Trowa.we never really got to know each other, but when I come back hopefully we can fix that. Take care." And she hugged him goodbye as well.
Next was Wufei. "Wufei.I know we haven't been best friends, but at least we're not exactly enemies either. Maybe if you try hard, next time I see you you'll actually be able to beat me in an argument?"
"Count on it," he said, surprising everybody by initiating the goodbye hug.
Next was Duo. Lita laughed. "I remember I how mad we were when we found out what you'd done.but it turned out alright in the end," she smiled, shaking her head. "Thank you Duo.I owe you one, a big one." Like the other's, she hugged him before moving on to the next and final member.
"I'm gonna miss you Heero. You take care of yourself ok?"
He nodded, pulling her into a hug. "I promise that as soon as it's safe again, we'll come to Juuban and get you."
"Promise?" Lita asked.
"Promise. As long as you promise to look after yourself."
She nodded, pulling away reluctantly. "Goodbye everyone.hope to see you again soon." Trying to smile, she gave a small wave and turned to go down the platform.
"Wait a minute," Heero called out, stepping up next to her. "Here." He took a small box and an envelope out from inside his jacket. "Open it when you get on the train, or at home.just not here."
"Why not?" she asked puzzled.
"You'll understand."
"Yeah.oh, no! I almost forgot." She grabbed a piece of paper from her purse and a pen and scribbled down a phone number. "To Rei's temple. If you need to reach me."
He nodded. "You.you better go now."
"Bye Heero," she said softly, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning and disappearing down the platform.
Lita climbed into the train and found her seat, settling in for the brief ride to the airport. Laying the envelope in her lap, she opened the lid of the box. "Oh my god." she whispered to herself. Not believing her eyes, she snapped the lid shut and set it down, picking up the envelope. She opened the flap and pulled out the contents: a photograph and what looked like a note.
The photograph was a little worn around the edges, like somebody had just stuffed any which where. It was a picture of a young boy, around 5 or 6.a boy that looked just like Heero. Lita flipped it over. On the back was written Our Little Boy-AC 185. Frowning, she picked up the sheets of paper that had been enclosed and mouthed the words written there.
'Dear Lita,
I'm no good with words, but you know that by now. I think, though, that I owe you some explanations.
If you're reading this, it means that you've opened the envelope I gave you. Which also means you've found the picture.
I found that a couple years ago in some rubble. See, I'm originally from the space colony L1. About 2 years ago, we were on a mission there.practically destroyed the place during the fight. I recognized one pile of rubble from the gates at the front. It was the orphanage I'd stayed in briefly before I started my training. I went in and poked around, hoping to find something that might give me a link to my past. All I found was this photo sitting in an unmarked metal box. No name on it, just a date.but there's no doubt that the boy in the picture is me.
I've had it tucked away in a drawer in the hopes that one day it might come in handy. Well, now's the time. I'll never get any information from it so it's pointless for me to have it. Therefore, I'm giving you this picture.a reminder of my promise to come back for you.
As for the box.well.I couldn't bring myself to tell you, and I can't even write it down. Yet somehow I know you'll understand. Next time I see you, I'll know your answer based on your finger. In the meantime, be careful.
Heero'
Not even noticing the train was already on it's way, she slid the items back into their envelope and shut it as best she could. Choking back her sadness, she slipped the envelope into her purse, then turned her attention back to the box in her lap.
Flipping open the lid open again, she took out the small silver ring it contained. In the center of the band was a pink sapphire in the shape of a heart. There were also six small diamonds, clustered in threes, on either side of the heart. Blinking back yet more unshed tears, she slipped the ring onto the third finger of her left hand, her mind sinking into daydreams.
Lost in thought as she was, she almost missed her stop at the airport. Shaking herself back to reality, she climbed off the train and gathered her bags, going in search of Setsuna. Finally spotting a restroom, she went inside. Fortunately it was unoccupied, for the moment she stepped in Sailor Pluto appeared, time staff in hand to create the portal needed to move between the two countries.
Lita stepped through, followed by Pluto, coming out in a bathroom of the Juuban airport. Gathering her bags, Setsuna helped her carry them out to the parking lot.
"I'll be taking you to Rei's," she said. "In case you wondered."
Lita nodded. "Thank you Setsuna. You've been a great help to me."
"I'd wager not as much as your 'friend'," she said, stealing a glance at the ring on Lita's finger as they loaded Setsuna's car.
Lita blushed.
Setsuna smiled. "I'm happy things have worked out for you. I know it wasn't an easy choice for you to leave your friends behind."
Lita smiled back, relieved that her actions had been understood, at least by one person. "I guess I'll have to explain all this to the others," she said as the car left the parking lot.
"They will want an explanation, yes. And I have no doubt you will be mobbed," she laughed. "But maybe that's what you need.to get reacquainted with your friends, to be surrounded by people who care about you."
Lita nodded. "Something to help me make it through. I'm just worried that something will happen. But I guess I should have more faith in my friends. Heero promised they'd come back and I have a feeling he'd kill God himself to keep it."
Silence then took over the conversation and kept things quiet til the hill of the Hikawa Shrine came into view. Setsuna parked the car at the foot of the hill, and with Lita's help, unloaded the car proceeding up the hill's steps up to the shrine.
At the top of the steps, Lita set down what she was carrying up spotting her priestess friend feeding her pet ravens, Phobos and Deimos. "Hi Rei.I'm back."
Rei turned around, jumping at the sound of the voice. "Lita!" she exclaimed, running over and hugging her friend. "It's so good to see you again!"
"You too Rei. How have you been?"
"Oh, the same," Rei laughed, letting Lita step back. "Only Chad's singing has gone from bad to worse. I swear that boy tries entirely too hard." That's when Rei noticed it. "I see you've done quite well."
"Hmm?"
"The ring! Why didn't you tell me you were engaged?"
"I.it just happened," Lita answered, blushing.
"Oh wait until Mina hears about this," Rei laughed. "Speaking of, the others will be here in a little bit. I told them you were coming back today, so we made plans to have everybody meet here at the shrine for a reunion of sorts."
Lita smiled. "It'll be good to see everyone again."
"Yeah, they were all excited when I told them you were coming back. So.when do we get to meet this fiancé of yours?"
"I.I don't know. You will, I promise, but.."
Setsuna interrupted the conversation. "Why don't we take your things inside Lita and get settled?"
Lita nodded. "I would like to be 'moved in' before the other's come."
"Yeah, wouldn't want to miss your party. Follow me!" she said, helping the other two carry the bags inside to an unoccupied room next to Rei's. "There you are."
"Thanks Rei."
"No problem. Anything I can help you with?"
"Well, if you want to help me unpack, I guess you can."
"Ok!" The next couple hours were occupied with unpacking and conversation. Rei caught Lita up on all the doings of the past months in Juuban. Just about the time everything was all put away and arranged, a loud "LITA!" echoed through shrine.
"SERNEA!" Rei screeched, storming out of Lita's room.
"Rei, where's Lita?" Serena said.
"I'm right here," Lita said, waving.
"LITA!" Serena yelled, promptly bowling over the taller girl. "It's been forever! How are you? Where'd you go? OH MY GOD! IS THAT A RING?"
Lita laughed at the storm of questions coming from her meatball haired friend. "One question at a time, and please, if I could wait until everyone was here? I'd rather not have to explain 7 times."
"Oh, sorry!" Serena said cheerfully.
"Ring? Ring? Who's got a ring?" another voice called, as a second blonde head poked around the corner of the hallway.
"Lita's got a ring!" Serena called back.
"Stop pestering her," the soft voice of Ami broke in. "I'm sure she had a long trip. At least give her some time to rest before you mob her."
"Oh, sorry," Mina said, sweatdropping.
"Hey you guys, the others are here!" Rei said. "We're meeting in the main room, so hurry it up!"
"Coming, coming!" Serena yelled back. "Geez.what a crabapple," she muttered.
Lita laughed. "I never though I'd live to see the day that I'd actually enjoy your little fights."
Serena grinned and grabbed Lita's arm. "Welcome home Lita!"
She smiled back, Mina and Ami following the other two into the meeting room. As she entered, she was greeted by the rest of the outer scouts. Smiling in acknowledgement, she took a seat in the circle on the floor. Before she could even open her mouth, somebody else opened there's.
"Lita! When do we get to meet him hmm?" Serena asked.
"Him who?" Haruka asked.
"Him him." Serena answered matter of factly.
"Him him who?" Haruka asked again.
"Him!" Rei answered, grabbing Lita's left hand and holding it up so all could see the ring on her finger.
"Rei, rings aren't male."
"I know that meatball head. What I meant was the him who gave her the ring!"
"Oh.I knew that!"
"Sure you did Serena."
"Well, well," Haruka said. "So our not-so-little chef is engaged?"
"Well, yeah," Lita said, blushing slightly.
"So, when do we get to meet him?" Mina asked.
"I.I don't know," Lita answered. "He's a soldier and, well.he's gone to war. It will be a while before I see him again."
"What does he look like?" Serena queried. "Do you have a picture?"
"How did you meet?" Mina asked.
"Have you set a day yet?" Rei wanted to know.
"Well.I.." Lita stuttered, being overwhelmed by all the questions at once.
"Perhaps you'd rather start at the beginning?" Hotaru asked, a small smile on her face.
"Yes.yes that would be easier." So the tale was recounted, from Juuban to the Sanq Kingdom and back again. Yet there were some things that she kept to herself, special things she wanted to keep as a sort of secret between herself and Heero. "So you see," Lita said as she neared the end of the story, "as soon as the war is over he promised they'd come back for me. You'll meet him then."
"Good," Rei said. "We're going to make sure that he passes inspection."
Lita sweatdropped. "Well, um.." She scratched the back of her head nervously.
"I think Lita's had enough story telling for one day," Setsuna said. "I think we should all take our leave and let her get settled in. You'll have many days to spend together after all." With that, she slowly herded the others out of the room, she being the last to leave. "He won't break his promise to you, that I can tell you," Setsuna said. "In the mean time, we will be here for you if you need us."
"Thank you," Lita said, giving the older woman a hug of gratitude.
Slowly, time moved on and three months passed with now word from any of the pilots. However much she wanted to know they were alright, she accepted the fact that there would be no communication. Even if they had written a letter, in the chaos of war the odds were not good it would have gotten through anyway.
Fortunately, Lita had her friends. She helped Rei in the shrine, sweeping and selling charms. She studied with Ami, read manga with Serena, and played volleyball with Mina. The inner scouts could always be found at the mall on weekends, and when not with them, Lita went to go visit the outer scouts. She'd occasionally play tutor for Hotaru, listen to Michiru practice her violin, hang out with Haruka, and talk to Setsuna. Things were going well, in all.until one night toward the beginning of the fourth month.
Lita had gone on a late night run to the store to pick up some ice cream. It was a nice night with just a hint of chill in the breeze, and the convenience store wasn't too far away, so Lita had walked. However, as she returned home with the bag, she heard the distant rumbles of thunder. Preferring not to get wet, took an ally short cut to get back to the road leading to the shrine. Just as she had reached the end and was preparing to step out onto the road, she turned at the sound of a voice.
"I finally found you, you bitch."
"Relena.."
"You remember. I'm impressed." Relena stepped forward.
In the dim light of the ally, Lita could just make out the gun in Relena's hand.
"I made the mistake of letting you get away last time. A mistake I don't intend to repeat. Whatever went on between you and Heero is over as of now. With your death, there'll be no one standing in my way."
Faced with a gun pointed toward her, Lita desperately tried to decide what to do. Using her powers was out, and even though she could easily overpower the pacifist princess, she'd be shot before it made any difference. Realizing she had no other choice, Lita pulled out the gun she'd tucked inside her jacket. She'd never taken it with her before, but going out at night alone she thought she should keep her promise to Heero to carry it. "Relena, please. Put that away before somebody gets hurt."
"That's the whole point," Relena hissed, slowly pulling back on the trigger.
In that split second, without conscious though, Lita pulled the trigger on her gun. The next thing she knew, Relena's body landed with a thud on the pavement. Horrified, Lita stuffed the gun back in her jacket and ran over to where Relena lay, the bag with the ice cream in it forgotten on the street. There was a hole in her chest, right at the heart, the red blood of her life flowing out steadily. It didn't take Lita but a second to realize that her opponent was dead.by her hand.
"Oh my god," Lita whispered, her voice shaking. "I.I didn't mean for this to happen.." She stood up slowly and backed away. She grabbed the bag with the slowly melting ice cream in it and ran out of the ally, toward the shrine.