A/N: Hello again-
I have to say, the original copy of this chapter died along with my computer on Friday... technically it wasn't my computer- but that's a different story... Anyway Friday so sucked! I Hate Microsoft!
I innocently update the Windows security like prompted and then boom! Restart city... it totally pissed me off.
However, I fixed everything by the end of the day- thanks to the oh sooo cute computer guy. I read a few GW fics, got back into the mood and suddenly I recreated the chapter.
The moral of the story folks... um...
I got' nothing.
Make up your own...
And
Enjoy!
-
Relena had led him through the halls to the room they had set up for him. It was large, not to mention way to fancy.
However, none of that mattered as he settled down in the bed. He felt bad for lying to them all, he was not tired in the least. At dinner, he had decided to talk with the blonde man to get more information. No one else was talikng, and he had a feeling the only one to turn to was the older man.
Relena was still beside him sitting on the bed as he closed his eyes. Not that he minded her sitting on the bed, stroking his hand affectionately, however he had so much to figure out now. Her soft fingers and the warmth that he felt when she was near were also quite distracting. He fought with his eyes to remain closed and pretend sleep had claimed him.
Once he calmed down his breathing, she accepted he had fallen asleep. Getting up from her spot on the bed slowly, as to not disturb him, Relena bent down and placed a soft kiss to his forehead.
"I love you. No matter who you are. And I'll protect you." She whispered before she left his side. Walking to the door, she finally exited.
Ryo waited for the click of the door latch before he exhaled all the air he had been holding back. 'How can she have such an effect on me?' He wondered as he waited a little longer to get up.
Quietly slinking over to the door, Ryo pressed his ear up against the solid wooden frame to make sure no one was out in the hallway. Hearing nothing, he opened the door enough to stick his head out, also to find nothing in the hall.
Slipping outside of his room, Ryo began to retrace the trek back towards the dinning area. While Relena had brought him back, he made sure he could find his way alone by taking notice of the wall hangings.
Soon he found himself at the doors to the family's dinning room. The lights were dimmed and no sounds came from within. Opening the doors lightly, he was discouraged to find the dishes gathered and taken away, a solitary maid occupied the room, wiping down the table.
Sighing Ryo knew he could not give up now. Coming all this way for nothing was not an option. Continuing to wander the halls, he made out a faint noise that sounded like voices. Following the voice, he soon recognized it to be that of Millardo, Relena's brother, and his current target.
Ryo found himself in a different hallway leading to a well-lighted room at the end of the hall. Quietly he came up to the door that was cracked open. Sure enough, it was the older man in the room, talking to someone possible over a videophone.
Not knowing if he should intrude, Ryo stood by the door contemplating his next move.
"You can go in if you like." A feminine voice said from behind him. Jumping in little Ryo realized he had not even heard the woman coming up behind him.
"Sorry, if I scared you." She smiled warmly. "Millardo will be done soon, so just go in."
Ryo followed silently as the dark haired woman opened the doors to the room and entered. Taking in his new surroundings, Ryo found this room more relaxed in feel than the many other rooms. It had a family room, or den feel. A small fire burnt in the fireplace across the room from the doors.
The blonde man looked up from his piles of papers to find his wife and the brown haired ex pilot come into the room.
"Is she asleep?" He asked in his deep voice ignoring the other occupant of the room.
"Finally, Relena is reading her a story." Noin answered as she walked over and looked at the piles of paper. "I'll finish these, I think you two need to talk." She added as she picked up the pile and exited the room after kissing her husband.
Once the door shut, the two men stood in silence for a time, their eyes ran up and down the other- trying to get a better understanding the other man.
Millardo never did like the man before him. He had his reasons; the former adversary, Heero Yuy was the only man alive that could actually give Millardo a fight that really mattered. It annoyed him that every time they met on the battlefield their test of strength had been interrupted. Neither wanting to concede loss to the other, Yuy had been a worthy opponent.
However, that was not half of the blonde's problem with the younger man. Once the war was over there was a new reason for him to be weary of the brown haired man. It all started during the war actually, once a certain young woman reentered his life.
The day he found out his younger sister was still alive; the older brother instinct had kicked in full gear. He was very protective towards Relena. Ever since the end of the war, Millardo had promised himself that family would always come first in his life, he was now dead set on making sure all the family he had left in the world would be happy and safe.
It irritated him how much she clung to the Wing Zero pilot, even during the war. Seeing Relena run to Heero, a solider with hands as bloody as his own, numerous times caused pain and jealousy to arise in the older man. From the first time, he had seen Relena, she was involved with the younger pilot more than he would have liked.
After the Christmas uprising, when Heero had been taken to the hospital unconscious and exhausted, Millardo knew Relena's feelings for the gundam pilot was not a silly crush. Her words of love, and gentleness towards the sleeping man reminded him of his love. The bond he and Noin shared was similar to the younger couple's... he could not deny it even if he tried.
The big brother in him knew that deep down he should be happy for her, however he was not sure on Yuy's feelings... if he even felt anything. At times it was hard to read the perfect solider, the only thing that the man showed emotion in was threatening to kill the young woman who kept following him.
There were hints at something a kin to affection towards his sister that could be seen, if one looked hard enough. Millardo's desire to protect the beautiful woman was matched only by Heero Yuy.
"I know you don't like me..." Ryo began breaking the silence between the two men. "And, I'm sure I've given you reasons to feel that way, however I came to ask you for a straight answer..."
"Are you sure you want to know about the past?" Millardo asked sitting down in a chair near the fire.
"I've seen flashes of large machines, death, everything is so haunting... yet... I need to understand what's going on. You can't shelter me forever. I want to know what I did to make those people hate me so much that they attack a peaceful organization..."
"What exactly are your feelings for Relena?" The man asked instead of answering any question.
"Relena..." Ryo began but stopped. "I'm so confused right now... I don't know myself, how can I possibly feel anything for anyone here... but it's different with her. I remember that smile, and the warmth more clearly than anything." He continued to search his heart for the right words to describe Relena. "I... I... know I don't want anything bad to happen to her, I just have this feeling inside that tells me I've loved her for a long time..."
Millardo nodded emotionlessly and motioned Ryo to take a seat in the chair across from him. He hated putting the confused boy on the spot, adding frustration on top pf the current situation could only cause him more problems. However, before he stuck his neck out anymore for the ex pilot, he needed to know.
The younger man's words had assured him that he understood what was important. Millardo had been so thankful to find someone like Noin in his life. The warrior within had been quelled as he found true importance in loved ones- he wanted Relena to feel happiness like he and Noin.
"Heero Yuy was the code name given to you by the L1 colony in Operation Meteor..." The blonde began as he attempted to help piece together the life of the man next to him. Relying on information, he had received from the Preventor's research archives, and his own experiences with the perfect soldier, Millardo told the quiet man everything he knew.
"You we injured badly in your last mission... we had thought their target was the Vice Foreign Minister, however we were wrong."
"So they murdered this Dr. J person, destroyed the base on L1, and now seek to destroy every part of this Perfect Solider program..."
"Basically that is correct."
"So I am the reason they attacked... they had every right to want me dead... these hands..." He said in a voice full of disgust as he looked down on his hands. "I've murdered so many... caused so much pain..."
"As much as I hate to admit it, Heero Yuy saved us all. He may have murdered and killed during the wars, however if it were not for you... we would have all failed and there would still be more blood shed today." Millardo replied knowing what the young man was going through. It had taken him a time to recover and move on in a new life after all he had done in the years leading up to the peace. No one who survived the wars were innocent- they all had blood on their hands in one-way or another.
"Murder is still murder." He said countering any understanding Millardo was trying to get across.
"I've done all that... and still she loves me." Ryo whispered more to himself than for the ears of the other man.
"She's a remarkable woman. Her heart is limitless, however it is fragile."
Ryo looked up at the man who looked at him with stern eyes.
"It would hurt her if I left..." He said in a way that made it more of a statement than a question. He received a nod from the other man.
"I... I want to protect Relena... I cannot sit back and be protected from something I must face... I need to do something."
Millardo smiled at the young man's determination. The person in front of him was so different from the Heero Yuy he had known during the war; however, it was clear that the old Heero was not totally gone. The intense look of determination in his Prussian blue eyes was the same.
"I've asked several of the other pilots to come and better come up with a strategy to put down this current uprising... this group has shown itself to be a threat to the peace. We will deal with it." Millardo told him.
"What do I do?"
"As you are right now, there is nothing you can really do. Until you regain your memories on combat or something else comes up, I want you to lay low and stay near Relena."
-
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming and I promise to keep the chapters going as well. Actually I'm hoping to finish this fic rather quickly... before the huge amounts of school papers begin to be due.
Ja Ne Minasan
