I didn't buy any of these characters at C-Kon, so I still don't own them.
However, should somebody be willing to donate ownership to me, I would
gladly accept.
I'm glad all of you are enjoying the story thus far. (Thank you all for reading and reviewing!)Lots of surprises are still to come, so keep reading! Warning-this chapter contains elements of the supernatural. Nothing creepy.well, not really creepy anyway. ^_^ Also, there will be a large amount of dialogue.hopefully it is entertaining. Don't want to bore everyone.
Deepest apologies for the lateness of my update, but this is a very special chapter and I had to get it just right. Emotions can't be forced after all.
Enjoy!
Heero sat outside on the platform that ran around Hikawa Shrine. It was well after midnight, seeing as the sky was a dirty orange; a color seen when the sun first struggles to break over the horizon. Staring dully out in front of him, his right hand gripping the gun he had given to Lita months ago, when she returned to Juuban. In all honesty, he knew this wasn't the answer. His death wouldn't bring back Lita or the son he'd never met. Yet now his life didn't seem worth living.especially once he started hearing the voice.
"Heero Yuy! You put that gun down this instant!"
A scowl darkened Heero's features. Looking around, he searched for the source of the voice he recognized as Relena Peacecraft's. "What kind of joke is this?"
"It isn't a joke Heero," a rather transparent looking Relena said as she materialized in front of him. "I am Relena.in spirit of course. I am dead after all," she said laughing at herself.
"You are nothing but an evil figment of my imagination. I'm only seeing you because of my emotional state."
"Excuse me, but I am not a figment of anything. I'm perfectly real. See here?" She tossed a crumpled ball of paper at him.
"What's this?"
"The letter Lita left for you."
Heero tossed the gun down, opened the paper and read the message. As much as he hated to admit it, the writing on the page was Lita's and the paper was solid enough, meaning that this apparition of Relena wasn't just something his mind was making up. "Hn," he said, tossing the ball to the dirt. "What was the point of bringing this to me? Stupid letter.as if that's going to make things alright."
"And I thought you'd be grateful to have it."
"I'm supposed to be grateful?" Heero kicked the crumpled ball across the yard. "She wouldn't have had to write this at all if it hadn't been for you," he accused.
Frowning, the Relena spirit pointed a finger. "And what of you? Didn't you read that closely? She said she'd be waiting for you. Don't you have any faith?"
"Faith in what? I did have faith that once you were gone I'd be rid of you. Look how true that faith has proven."
"Don't you believe in anything anymore Heero?"
"I don't have any reason to."
"None at all?"
"No."
"Fine.be stubborn and mean. I'll just take back the present I brought you."
"If it's from you, I don't want it."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"As you wish, but I think you'll regret your hasty decision."
"Hn," Heero shrugged, not interested. Staring down into the dirt, he absently kicked a few tiny stones away from him. "Just leave me alone Peacecraft. "
"Oh alright. I'll leave.eventually."
Ready to deliver one of his famous biting remarks, Heero's eyes widened slightly upon hearing a familiar voice echoing through the shrine yard.
"Oi, Relena.couldn't you have used your divine influence to get us a ride? My feet are killing me!"
Heero's head snapped up toward the apparition of Relena. "What kind of sick joke are you pulling?"
"Joke?" Relena huffed. "I am insulted. There's no joke involved Heero. Go see for yourself." She pointed one semi-transparent finger in the direction where the stairs finally met the courtyard.
He turned his head to the indicated direction and was rewarded with the sight of a head of chocolate colored hair popping up into view, which then promptly was laid down on what would be the top step.
"Relena.I'm talking to you," the voice said. "I thought you said you had divine influence.so where's my ride?"
"Right here."
The owner of both voice and hair looked up to see someone kneeling down next to their head. "Heero!"
"That was my name last time I checked."
"Y.you..I thought I was going to die and that's all you can say to me??"
"Welcome home Lita," Heero said, smiling slightly down at the face of the green eyed girl he knew so well. Despite his best efforts to hide it, he could feel something wet at the edge of his eyes.
"Heero.," she said, reaching a hand up toward his face.
Taking a firm grip on her hand, he pulled her up all the way into the shrine's courtyard before picking her up.
"Heero, what are you doing? I can walk you know."
"I know. But weren't you just complaining that your feet hurt?"
Lita blushed slightly, scratching the back of her head. "Well.yeah.."
"And weren't you just asking where your ride was?"
"Uh.might have.."
"And I said I was right here didn't I?"
"Well, yeah.but it isn't like you to volunteer yourself Heero."
"For you Lita, I'd do anything," he said softly in her ear. Smiling to himself at the pink stain on her cheeks, he carried her toward the shrine. "And I think the first thing I should do is get you to bed."
"Bed?" Lita pouted. "But.but Heero.."
"No buts. The last couple of days have been very stressful for everyone and I know you're no exception. Rest first. I'll still be here when you wake up."
"Hmm.alright. Actually.I am feeling a little tired.." She tired to hide a yawn behind her hand, failing miserably. However, it didn't really matter because before she knew it, Lita was tucked into her futon sleeping soundly.
Once back outside, Heero spotted the visitor-in-spirit hovering around the place where she had first materialized. Making a disgusted face, he turned away from her. "I never thought I would see the day I would be grateful to you for anything. I don't like being indebted.especially not to you."
"I didn't figure your opinion of me would change."
"You're right..I still don't like you.much." Heero turned to face her. "But the least I can do is thank you. I.I am very grateful for your bringing her back to me. But I want to know how you did it, and why?"
"HOW AND WHY?" Relena got a deadpan look on her face. "You just got your fiancé back and that's what's important to you? You idiot!" She reached into the sleeve of her robe and pulled out a giant white mallet with little golden wings on the handle. On the mallet was written "Divine Influence".
"You spent your last minutes on Earth trying to take Lita away from me and now you bring her back..That doesn't strike you as odd?"
"Well, now that you mention it, it does seem strange doesn't it.?"
"Not as strange as that," Heero said, motioning to the mallet.
"What...this?" Relena said, holding it up. "Yeah, well.this is why I couldn't use my divine influence to get a ride.nobody would want to help you if you hit them up side the head with this thing."
"You mean.this thing.."
She coughed. "I am a recent addition to heaven.so I kind of.can't exactly use my charming personality to get favors....So I can't exactly get heaven to intervene just.whenever.so this is my substitute. Hehe.." Her laughter trailed off. "But at least this 'Divine Influence' is good for beating sense into people. I learned that when I used it on the head of the government at home.or what used to be home."
Heero's jaw dropped and he stared in disbelief. "You.you hit somebody.a government official.with that.."
"Damn right I did."
".. Did I just hear you say damn?"
"Clean the wax out of your ears Yuy."
He twitched. "My ears are not stopped up thank you very much."
"Then maybe I didn't say it loud enough. DAMN, DAMN, DAMN! Did you hear that?"
Hero blinked. "So I wasn't hearing things.but the Relena I knew totally disapproved of swearing."
"Well, I'm not quite the Relena you knew. Spending a few months in hell will change you, and not necessarily for the better. I still don't like it, but I found a use for such.vulgar language. It was just what I needed to help Lita. You see, NOBODY interferes with the plans of the great and powerful Peacecraft." She laughed a rather scheming laugh.
Heero raised an eyebrow. "Great and powerful should not be used in the same sentence as your name."
Relena sighed. "You're right of course. My sphere of influence is non- existent at the moment."
"Anyway.about the real question.."
"Hmm? Oh yes.how and why. Well, I am of the opinion the how is better left until Lita wakes up. She herself hasn't heard the how of the story yet, and frankly I'd rather not tell it 15,000 times. Besides, at the time I'm not sure she was in a state where she could fully comprehend the seriousness of the actions I had to take. But in any case, I thought it was more important to tell her why I did it. After all, the why is the reason I'm here at all."
"Hn," Heero acknowledged.
Relena rolled her eyes. "Glad to see your conversation skills have improved in my absence."
"Stuff it Peacecraft."
"You be nice to me or I'm not answering your questions."
"Damn you.."
"Aww.poor Heero's getting blackmailed by a ghost.."
Heero glared at Relena. "Shut up or I'm going to kill you."
"You can't kill me..I'm already dead. Duh.."
"As if I didn't know that."
Relena snickered. "As if I'd be worried. It's just an idle threat anyway. But in all seriousness Heero.it's time I told the why."
"So tell me already."
"Pushy. Anyway, you better sit down for this one."
Heero plopped himself down on the platform he'd been sitting on earlier. "Nice to see your communication skills haven't gotten any better in your absence. You still have to give those long winded speeches."
"There was nothing wrong with those speeches Heero Yuy! Anyhow, I have a lot of explaining to do.for many things. Naturally a thorough explanation takes time. Not like you have anything else to do right now anyway."
"I could think of some things," he mumbled under his breath.
"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that," Relena said, making herself at home suspended in mid-air. "Let's see.where to start.."
"How about the beginning?"
"That would be best wouldn't it.." Sighing, she tilted her head back a little, looking up at the sky. "I guess it all started when I first realized I loved you. I don't exactly when it happened, but I think it was the first time I realized the person you were was just a mask.a shell hiding the real Heero Yuy. I sensed that somehow there was another, different you under that spit and polish soldier and I decided I was going to put everything into getting him to come out. What a failure that was.."
She shook her head, remembering her vain efforts. "I did everything I could think of to try and break through your shell. Yet the most I ever got from you was a tolerance of my presence and that was only because you didn't have much choice.it was part of the mission after all. All the other times you just brushed me off; but it didn't bother me so much then because I knew that's just how you were. You wouldn't be a willing acceptant of help...that I knew. So I continued to pursue you, hoping that my devotion would eventually wear you down. Then she came along."
"Lita.?"
Relena nodded. "It was the first time I experienced jealousy. I'd never had to be jealous before.you avoided the female sex like the plague unless orders dictated otherwise. But this time was different.. Lita seemed to be able to elicit reactions, emotions from you that I'd never been able to. Not even your friends could do it, but she was able to. It wasn't like she was really trying too.it just happened. Something about her was causing you to open up and I couldn't stand it. It was supposed to be my job to break through that soldier to the man underneath. Instead it was her..It was Lita that you always defended when I went into one of my jealous, angry rages. It was Lita you were opening too and Lita you were allowing closer. I was blinded by my envy and it consumed me to the point where I was willing to do anything to get you back. I told myself you were mine to begin with and I wouldn't let some little girl come along and steal you from me. So when I was forced to evacuate, I made up my mind that the only way to bring you back was to get rid of her, but as you can see my plan backfired; because even then you protected her. I'm quite certain the gun she had that night came from you."
"Relena.," Heero said softly. He hadn't been her number one fan...that much was true. Yet now that he was hearing her unload this from her heart, he almost felt sorry for her. I wonder, he thought. If I had been in her place, would I have done the same?
"When I came to in my present form, I was in hell. I was furious..I was Relena Peacecraft, champion of world peace and pacifism. I didn't belong in hell. Hell was a place that only the vilest of people went. I couldn't accept this as my eternal fate and I constantly complained and protested my place here. But one day, I got tired of whining about the stench of sulfur and the horribly prominent flame décor. My mind drifted to why I was here in the first place.and I realized that it was because I was a vile person. I had been a first class idiot."
She brushed some of "hair" out of her eyes. "I had been in love with you, and I thought my actions were done out of love. But I was wrong. They were selfish. If I had truly loved you, I would have respected your wishes; I would have done anything to make you happy, regardless of what it took. When I saw that maybe, just maybe Lita was the one making you happy I couldn't accept it. I allowed myself to believe that I was imaging things; but I wasn't. I guess I always knew deep down that there would never be a relationship between us. Not like I wanted. The love I so wanted you to give me you gave to her because it made you happy to do so and like the fool I was, I tried to destroy your happiness because I didn't want to believe that it was real. I'm not sure now what I really felt for you in all honesty. I thought it was love, but a person in love doesn't act the way I did. A person in love acts like Lita did.like you did. Both of you willing to sacrifice yourselves for the other, putting somebody else ahead of yourself."
"It was when I realized this that I was given the chance to redeem my soul. A messenger came to me, telling me what had taken place here. I could leave hell behind and go to heaven at a price. I would have to reunite the two of you and make apologies for my actions. The selfish, 'in love' Relena popped up first, wanting to know why I should return her to you when you were mine. The just plain selfish Relena welcomed it as a chance to get out of hell. I mean really.sulfur is murder on hair and red is SO not my color. But I knew I could never know full redemption until I got rid of all selfishness. I had to look past what I wanted, what I thought I wanted and do what was right for the right reasons, not for my own reasons; and I knew that what was right was returning her.it wasn't fair to make either you or her suffer for something I brought upon myself. So I agreed.and you know the rest of the story, almost." She smiled. "I stayed true to what I felt was right and brought her back to you Heero."
"And so you were redeemed?"
Relena nodded. "I was, the moment I told Lita I was sorry for everything I'd done." She smiled. "I meant it too.every word. I couldn't believe how much lighter I felt, like a huge weight was gone. I didn't have to feel guilty anymore because she knew and she understood. That doesn't mean what I did was right of course.if it had been, I wouldn't have been in hell to begin with." She laughed. "But even if I had wound up not getting to free my soul, I think it would have been enough for me just to be able to tell the both of you what you've heard me say."
All Heero could do at the moment was nod dumbly. Relena had always seemed, well.rather shallow to him. So he was a bit surprised by the outpouring. His thoughts were interrupted by crashing noises and sounds of commotion coming from inside the shrine. Frowning, he pocketed the gun he'd tossed aside earlier and stood up, going inside. Poking his head around the corner into the hall where the bedroom's where he saw Rei, in her Shinto robes, hopping around with her broom, screaming something about a ghost. Everybody else was still in their pajamas, stumbling around trying to figure out what was going on.
"Stupid onna," Wufei growled, still groggy from sleepy. "There's no ghost."
"There is!" She pointed through the door of the room where Lita was sleeping. "Look!"
"I am looking," Duo said, rubbing his eyes. "But the ghost is out here!" He pointed down the hall toward Heero.
Rei followed Duo's finger. "ANOTHER GHOST???" she screeched.
Heero looked up. Sure enough, there was Relena hovering overhead. "You had to follow me didn't you?"
She shrugged. "I have nothing better to do if that's what you're asking."
Everybody was now staring down the hall dumbly. "Heero.are you talking to Relena.?" Duo asked.
"Yes, I am talking to Relena. Or more appropriately what's left of her."
"Heero, you just have a sick sense of humor," Relena said.
"Hn."
Rolling her eyes, Relena decided to ignore him. "Long time no see guys." She smiled and waved.
"DIE PEACECRAFT!!" Wufei shouted, grabbing Rei's broom and running down the hall, trying to smack her ghostly image. It wasn't working to well.she kept dodging, just like the plastic gopher in those whack-the-gopher games.
"Stupid," Relena said. "I'm already dead. Why would you want to kill me anyway?"
"I'm tired. My sleep was interrupted by that stupid priestess screaming about ghosts and then you're floating at the end of the hallway. Am I supposed to be happy about this??" He waved the broom around angrily. "Now be gone evil spirit!"
"And you interrupted my sleep," a groggy voice said.
Everyone turned toward the bedroom Rei had fingered as the ghosts hiding place. "L.Lita?" Duo stuttered.
"Umhmm," she nodded, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "I was trying to get a little sleep seeing as I haven't had any for a while, but no.you all decided to play Ghostbusters in the hallway." Drumming her fingers on the door frame, she looked at them. "You all really deserve a nice big shock and I'm.."
"Not going to do anything," Heero said, grabbing hold of her arm. "You are in no condition to be wasting your energy zapping people that have jellyfish for brains."
"I feel insulted now," Duo said.
"Why? I thought the description fit you perfectly," Wufei replied.
Sensing that Lita was starting to get irritated with the bickering, he gave them both a nice dark glare, causing everyone in the vicinity to clam up and stand quietly. "Now before we have anymore ghost sightings, I think we should get a few things straight. This," he said, pointing to Lita, "is not a ghost. This," he said, pointing to Relena, who had followed him down the hall, "is a ghost."
"What is a ghost doing in my shrine?" Rei asked.
"Just doing what any ghost on earth does. Letting myself rest in peace. To do that, I had to take care of some unfinished business."
"In other words," Lita said, smothering a yawn, "she came back to save me. That's why I'm not a ghost."
"This is an interesting situation," Trowa commented. "But might I ask.just how does a dead person go about staying an execution and getting someone released from prison?"
"I was hoping you'd ask that." Relena grinned. "I've been dying to tell it all night!"
"This I have to hear," Duo said.
"I have a feeling this is going to take a while," Rei said, eyeing the assembled. "Why don't we all go sit down?" Getting an affirmative response from everyone, Rei led the group into the living room where everyone made themselves comfortable.
"Lita, you start," Relena said.
"Me.? Well, I guess I should.."
"It's alright," Heero whispered softly from his place next to her. "Your bad memories can't hurt you here. Everyone is here for you. I'm here for you." So saying, he slipped an arm around her waist.
Lita smiled, curling up against his side. "Well, I guess I should start at the beginning.."
I'm glad all of you are enjoying the story thus far. (Thank you all for reading and reviewing!)Lots of surprises are still to come, so keep reading! Warning-this chapter contains elements of the supernatural. Nothing creepy.well, not really creepy anyway. ^_^ Also, there will be a large amount of dialogue.hopefully it is entertaining. Don't want to bore everyone.
Deepest apologies for the lateness of my update, but this is a very special chapter and I had to get it just right. Emotions can't be forced after all.
Enjoy!
Heero sat outside on the platform that ran around Hikawa Shrine. It was well after midnight, seeing as the sky was a dirty orange; a color seen when the sun first struggles to break over the horizon. Staring dully out in front of him, his right hand gripping the gun he had given to Lita months ago, when she returned to Juuban. In all honesty, he knew this wasn't the answer. His death wouldn't bring back Lita or the son he'd never met. Yet now his life didn't seem worth living.especially once he started hearing the voice.
"Heero Yuy! You put that gun down this instant!"
A scowl darkened Heero's features. Looking around, he searched for the source of the voice he recognized as Relena Peacecraft's. "What kind of joke is this?"
"It isn't a joke Heero," a rather transparent looking Relena said as she materialized in front of him. "I am Relena.in spirit of course. I am dead after all," she said laughing at herself.
"You are nothing but an evil figment of my imagination. I'm only seeing you because of my emotional state."
"Excuse me, but I am not a figment of anything. I'm perfectly real. See here?" She tossed a crumpled ball of paper at him.
"What's this?"
"The letter Lita left for you."
Heero tossed the gun down, opened the paper and read the message. As much as he hated to admit it, the writing on the page was Lita's and the paper was solid enough, meaning that this apparition of Relena wasn't just something his mind was making up. "Hn," he said, tossing the ball to the dirt. "What was the point of bringing this to me? Stupid letter.as if that's going to make things alright."
"And I thought you'd be grateful to have it."
"I'm supposed to be grateful?" Heero kicked the crumpled ball across the yard. "She wouldn't have had to write this at all if it hadn't been for you," he accused.
Frowning, the Relena spirit pointed a finger. "And what of you? Didn't you read that closely? She said she'd be waiting for you. Don't you have any faith?"
"Faith in what? I did have faith that once you were gone I'd be rid of you. Look how true that faith has proven."
"Don't you believe in anything anymore Heero?"
"I don't have any reason to."
"None at all?"
"No."
"Fine.be stubborn and mean. I'll just take back the present I brought you."
"If it's from you, I don't want it."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"As you wish, but I think you'll regret your hasty decision."
"Hn," Heero shrugged, not interested. Staring down into the dirt, he absently kicked a few tiny stones away from him. "Just leave me alone Peacecraft. "
"Oh alright. I'll leave.eventually."
Ready to deliver one of his famous biting remarks, Heero's eyes widened slightly upon hearing a familiar voice echoing through the shrine yard.
"Oi, Relena.couldn't you have used your divine influence to get us a ride? My feet are killing me!"
Heero's head snapped up toward the apparition of Relena. "What kind of sick joke are you pulling?"
"Joke?" Relena huffed. "I am insulted. There's no joke involved Heero. Go see for yourself." She pointed one semi-transparent finger in the direction where the stairs finally met the courtyard.
He turned his head to the indicated direction and was rewarded with the sight of a head of chocolate colored hair popping up into view, which then promptly was laid down on what would be the top step.
"Relena.I'm talking to you," the voice said. "I thought you said you had divine influence.so where's my ride?"
"Right here."
The owner of both voice and hair looked up to see someone kneeling down next to their head. "Heero!"
"That was my name last time I checked."
"Y.you..I thought I was going to die and that's all you can say to me??"
"Welcome home Lita," Heero said, smiling slightly down at the face of the green eyed girl he knew so well. Despite his best efforts to hide it, he could feel something wet at the edge of his eyes.
"Heero.," she said, reaching a hand up toward his face.
Taking a firm grip on her hand, he pulled her up all the way into the shrine's courtyard before picking her up.
"Heero, what are you doing? I can walk you know."
"I know. But weren't you just complaining that your feet hurt?"
Lita blushed slightly, scratching the back of her head. "Well.yeah.."
"And weren't you just asking where your ride was?"
"Uh.might have.."
"And I said I was right here didn't I?"
"Well, yeah.but it isn't like you to volunteer yourself Heero."
"For you Lita, I'd do anything," he said softly in her ear. Smiling to himself at the pink stain on her cheeks, he carried her toward the shrine. "And I think the first thing I should do is get you to bed."
"Bed?" Lita pouted. "But.but Heero.."
"No buts. The last couple of days have been very stressful for everyone and I know you're no exception. Rest first. I'll still be here when you wake up."
"Hmm.alright. Actually.I am feeling a little tired.." She tired to hide a yawn behind her hand, failing miserably. However, it didn't really matter because before she knew it, Lita was tucked into her futon sleeping soundly.
Once back outside, Heero spotted the visitor-in-spirit hovering around the place where she had first materialized. Making a disgusted face, he turned away from her. "I never thought I would see the day I would be grateful to you for anything. I don't like being indebted.especially not to you."
"I didn't figure your opinion of me would change."
"You're right..I still don't like you.much." Heero turned to face her. "But the least I can do is thank you. I.I am very grateful for your bringing her back to me. But I want to know how you did it, and why?"
"HOW AND WHY?" Relena got a deadpan look on her face. "You just got your fiancé back and that's what's important to you? You idiot!" She reached into the sleeve of her robe and pulled out a giant white mallet with little golden wings on the handle. On the mallet was written "Divine Influence".
"You spent your last minutes on Earth trying to take Lita away from me and now you bring her back..That doesn't strike you as odd?"
"Well, now that you mention it, it does seem strange doesn't it.?"
"Not as strange as that," Heero said, motioning to the mallet.
"What...this?" Relena said, holding it up. "Yeah, well.this is why I couldn't use my divine influence to get a ride.nobody would want to help you if you hit them up side the head with this thing."
"You mean.this thing.."
She coughed. "I am a recent addition to heaven.so I kind of.can't exactly use my charming personality to get favors....So I can't exactly get heaven to intervene just.whenever.so this is my substitute. Hehe.." Her laughter trailed off. "But at least this 'Divine Influence' is good for beating sense into people. I learned that when I used it on the head of the government at home.or what used to be home."
Heero's jaw dropped and he stared in disbelief. "You.you hit somebody.a government official.with that.."
"Damn right I did."
".. Did I just hear you say damn?"
"Clean the wax out of your ears Yuy."
He twitched. "My ears are not stopped up thank you very much."
"Then maybe I didn't say it loud enough. DAMN, DAMN, DAMN! Did you hear that?"
Hero blinked. "So I wasn't hearing things.but the Relena I knew totally disapproved of swearing."
"Well, I'm not quite the Relena you knew. Spending a few months in hell will change you, and not necessarily for the better. I still don't like it, but I found a use for such.vulgar language. It was just what I needed to help Lita. You see, NOBODY interferes with the plans of the great and powerful Peacecraft." She laughed a rather scheming laugh.
Heero raised an eyebrow. "Great and powerful should not be used in the same sentence as your name."
Relena sighed. "You're right of course. My sphere of influence is non- existent at the moment."
"Anyway.about the real question.."
"Hmm? Oh yes.how and why. Well, I am of the opinion the how is better left until Lita wakes up. She herself hasn't heard the how of the story yet, and frankly I'd rather not tell it 15,000 times. Besides, at the time I'm not sure she was in a state where she could fully comprehend the seriousness of the actions I had to take. But in any case, I thought it was more important to tell her why I did it. After all, the why is the reason I'm here at all."
"Hn," Heero acknowledged.
Relena rolled her eyes. "Glad to see your conversation skills have improved in my absence."
"Stuff it Peacecraft."
"You be nice to me or I'm not answering your questions."
"Damn you.."
"Aww.poor Heero's getting blackmailed by a ghost.."
Heero glared at Relena. "Shut up or I'm going to kill you."
"You can't kill me..I'm already dead. Duh.."
"As if I didn't know that."
Relena snickered. "As if I'd be worried. It's just an idle threat anyway. But in all seriousness Heero.it's time I told the why."
"So tell me already."
"Pushy. Anyway, you better sit down for this one."
Heero plopped himself down on the platform he'd been sitting on earlier. "Nice to see your communication skills haven't gotten any better in your absence. You still have to give those long winded speeches."
"There was nothing wrong with those speeches Heero Yuy! Anyhow, I have a lot of explaining to do.for many things. Naturally a thorough explanation takes time. Not like you have anything else to do right now anyway."
"I could think of some things," he mumbled under his breath.
"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that," Relena said, making herself at home suspended in mid-air. "Let's see.where to start.."
"How about the beginning?"
"That would be best wouldn't it.." Sighing, she tilted her head back a little, looking up at the sky. "I guess it all started when I first realized I loved you. I don't exactly when it happened, but I think it was the first time I realized the person you were was just a mask.a shell hiding the real Heero Yuy. I sensed that somehow there was another, different you under that spit and polish soldier and I decided I was going to put everything into getting him to come out. What a failure that was.."
She shook her head, remembering her vain efforts. "I did everything I could think of to try and break through your shell. Yet the most I ever got from you was a tolerance of my presence and that was only because you didn't have much choice.it was part of the mission after all. All the other times you just brushed me off; but it didn't bother me so much then because I knew that's just how you were. You wouldn't be a willing acceptant of help...that I knew. So I continued to pursue you, hoping that my devotion would eventually wear you down. Then she came along."
"Lita.?"
Relena nodded. "It was the first time I experienced jealousy. I'd never had to be jealous before.you avoided the female sex like the plague unless orders dictated otherwise. But this time was different.. Lita seemed to be able to elicit reactions, emotions from you that I'd never been able to. Not even your friends could do it, but she was able to. It wasn't like she was really trying too.it just happened. Something about her was causing you to open up and I couldn't stand it. It was supposed to be my job to break through that soldier to the man underneath. Instead it was her..It was Lita that you always defended when I went into one of my jealous, angry rages. It was Lita you were opening too and Lita you were allowing closer. I was blinded by my envy and it consumed me to the point where I was willing to do anything to get you back. I told myself you were mine to begin with and I wouldn't let some little girl come along and steal you from me. So when I was forced to evacuate, I made up my mind that the only way to bring you back was to get rid of her, but as you can see my plan backfired; because even then you protected her. I'm quite certain the gun she had that night came from you."
"Relena.," Heero said softly. He hadn't been her number one fan...that much was true. Yet now that he was hearing her unload this from her heart, he almost felt sorry for her. I wonder, he thought. If I had been in her place, would I have done the same?
"When I came to in my present form, I was in hell. I was furious..I was Relena Peacecraft, champion of world peace and pacifism. I didn't belong in hell. Hell was a place that only the vilest of people went. I couldn't accept this as my eternal fate and I constantly complained and protested my place here. But one day, I got tired of whining about the stench of sulfur and the horribly prominent flame décor. My mind drifted to why I was here in the first place.and I realized that it was because I was a vile person. I had been a first class idiot."
She brushed some of "hair" out of her eyes. "I had been in love with you, and I thought my actions were done out of love. But I was wrong. They were selfish. If I had truly loved you, I would have respected your wishes; I would have done anything to make you happy, regardless of what it took. When I saw that maybe, just maybe Lita was the one making you happy I couldn't accept it. I allowed myself to believe that I was imaging things; but I wasn't. I guess I always knew deep down that there would never be a relationship between us. Not like I wanted. The love I so wanted you to give me you gave to her because it made you happy to do so and like the fool I was, I tried to destroy your happiness because I didn't want to believe that it was real. I'm not sure now what I really felt for you in all honesty. I thought it was love, but a person in love doesn't act the way I did. A person in love acts like Lita did.like you did. Both of you willing to sacrifice yourselves for the other, putting somebody else ahead of yourself."
"It was when I realized this that I was given the chance to redeem my soul. A messenger came to me, telling me what had taken place here. I could leave hell behind and go to heaven at a price. I would have to reunite the two of you and make apologies for my actions. The selfish, 'in love' Relena popped up first, wanting to know why I should return her to you when you were mine. The just plain selfish Relena welcomed it as a chance to get out of hell. I mean really.sulfur is murder on hair and red is SO not my color. But I knew I could never know full redemption until I got rid of all selfishness. I had to look past what I wanted, what I thought I wanted and do what was right for the right reasons, not for my own reasons; and I knew that what was right was returning her.it wasn't fair to make either you or her suffer for something I brought upon myself. So I agreed.and you know the rest of the story, almost." She smiled. "I stayed true to what I felt was right and brought her back to you Heero."
"And so you were redeemed?"
Relena nodded. "I was, the moment I told Lita I was sorry for everything I'd done." She smiled. "I meant it too.every word. I couldn't believe how much lighter I felt, like a huge weight was gone. I didn't have to feel guilty anymore because she knew and she understood. That doesn't mean what I did was right of course.if it had been, I wouldn't have been in hell to begin with." She laughed. "But even if I had wound up not getting to free my soul, I think it would have been enough for me just to be able to tell the both of you what you've heard me say."
All Heero could do at the moment was nod dumbly. Relena had always seemed, well.rather shallow to him. So he was a bit surprised by the outpouring. His thoughts were interrupted by crashing noises and sounds of commotion coming from inside the shrine. Frowning, he pocketed the gun he'd tossed aside earlier and stood up, going inside. Poking his head around the corner into the hall where the bedroom's where he saw Rei, in her Shinto robes, hopping around with her broom, screaming something about a ghost. Everybody else was still in their pajamas, stumbling around trying to figure out what was going on.
"Stupid onna," Wufei growled, still groggy from sleepy. "There's no ghost."
"There is!" She pointed through the door of the room where Lita was sleeping. "Look!"
"I am looking," Duo said, rubbing his eyes. "But the ghost is out here!" He pointed down the hall toward Heero.
Rei followed Duo's finger. "ANOTHER GHOST???" she screeched.
Heero looked up. Sure enough, there was Relena hovering overhead. "You had to follow me didn't you?"
She shrugged. "I have nothing better to do if that's what you're asking."
Everybody was now staring down the hall dumbly. "Heero.are you talking to Relena.?" Duo asked.
"Yes, I am talking to Relena. Or more appropriately what's left of her."
"Heero, you just have a sick sense of humor," Relena said.
"Hn."
Rolling her eyes, Relena decided to ignore him. "Long time no see guys." She smiled and waved.
"DIE PEACECRAFT!!" Wufei shouted, grabbing Rei's broom and running down the hall, trying to smack her ghostly image. It wasn't working to well.she kept dodging, just like the plastic gopher in those whack-the-gopher games.
"Stupid," Relena said. "I'm already dead. Why would you want to kill me anyway?"
"I'm tired. My sleep was interrupted by that stupid priestess screaming about ghosts and then you're floating at the end of the hallway. Am I supposed to be happy about this??" He waved the broom around angrily. "Now be gone evil spirit!"
"And you interrupted my sleep," a groggy voice said.
Everyone turned toward the bedroom Rei had fingered as the ghosts hiding place. "L.Lita?" Duo stuttered.
"Umhmm," she nodded, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "I was trying to get a little sleep seeing as I haven't had any for a while, but no.you all decided to play Ghostbusters in the hallway." Drumming her fingers on the door frame, she looked at them. "You all really deserve a nice big shock and I'm.."
"Not going to do anything," Heero said, grabbing hold of her arm. "You are in no condition to be wasting your energy zapping people that have jellyfish for brains."
"I feel insulted now," Duo said.
"Why? I thought the description fit you perfectly," Wufei replied.
Sensing that Lita was starting to get irritated with the bickering, he gave them both a nice dark glare, causing everyone in the vicinity to clam up and stand quietly. "Now before we have anymore ghost sightings, I think we should get a few things straight. This," he said, pointing to Lita, "is not a ghost. This," he said, pointing to Relena, who had followed him down the hall, "is a ghost."
"What is a ghost doing in my shrine?" Rei asked.
"Just doing what any ghost on earth does. Letting myself rest in peace. To do that, I had to take care of some unfinished business."
"In other words," Lita said, smothering a yawn, "she came back to save me. That's why I'm not a ghost."
"This is an interesting situation," Trowa commented. "But might I ask.just how does a dead person go about staying an execution and getting someone released from prison?"
"I was hoping you'd ask that." Relena grinned. "I've been dying to tell it all night!"
"This I have to hear," Duo said.
"I have a feeling this is going to take a while," Rei said, eyeing the assembled. "Why don't we all go sit down?" Getting an affirmative response from everyone, Rei led the group into the living room where everyone made themselves comfortable.
"Lita, you start," Relena said.
"Me.? Well, I guess I should.."
"It's alright," Heero whispered softly from his place next to her. "Your bad memories can't hurt you here. Everyone is here for you. I'm here for you." So saying, he slipped an arm around her waist.
Lita smiled, curling up against his side. "Well, I guess I should start at the beginning.."