A/N:
Sorry for the delays- I wanted to get another story finished before I went full out with this one.
You forgive me, ne? Hopefully... thanks for not giving up and leaving reviews and little messages of encouragement. Things have gotten really busy with me leaving the country and all- In two days, Kate will no longer be in the country! Hopefully this doesn't mean I'll stop writing fics- I plan on writing more, so keep an eye out for me.
Thanks for waiting and here's the chapter you've all been waiting for...
The man's body flew across the room before he had the chance to strike Relena a second time.
Ryo's eyes were closed as his body continued to swing from the chains that held him. Using his legs- he had hooped the man's head between his feet shackles. Relena was silent as Ryo swung back and forth from his arm restraints after snapping the other man's neck.
His breath was ragged as he tried to calm the anger that erupted seconds ago.
As the man's body slumped down to its final resting place on the floor a jingle of keys caught their attention.
Moving swiftly, Relena snatched they keys and returned to Ryo's side. Releasing his chains, Ryo quickly pulled her to his chest.
"Relena... are you all right?"
"I'm fine... but you're bleeding all over..."
"He hit you... I..."
"I'm fine," she tried to assure him as his fingers moved over the bruised area of her face. "We need to escape before more come... and we need to get you to a doctor. Ryo you shouldn't be running around at all after what happened in space, it was only a few days ago..."
"You are more important." He simply stated removing his hand from her cheek. Grabbing Relena's hand, Ryo kicked down the door of the cell and led her out of the dark and creepy room.
Looking back at the woman behind him, Ryo's eyes went angry again thinking of the bruise on her face and the fear in her eyes.
Dropping her hand, he ran ahead letting a primal roar echo on the walls of the compound. He saw nothing, felt nothing and most of all he was not going to let anything stop him from keeping these men away from her...
Relena was afraid, yes that was only natural when a situation like this happened. She was use to danger and fear- yet there was something different this time.
The former queen of the world, vice-foreign minister who had survived blackmail, kidnaping and several wars now found a new source of fear...
It was no longer these Red Doves, their possible death or the guards beginning to shoot at them... no something much worse worried her. It was the man ahead of her. The look in his eyes... they were void of everything but rage. She called out to him as he dropped her hand, but no response.
The look in his eyes for a moment made her question if she could help him- help him back to a comfortable place between both extremes. Between the pacifist and kind soul of Ryo and the machine-like fighter and lost soul of Heero Yuy.
Watching him murder armed men with his bare hands made Relena sick to her stomach. Even when they were safe enough from the injured men, Relena had to look away as Ryo continued to pummel the enemy.
Their screams for mercy were what finally made Relena go into action.
Throwing herself in front of one bleeding and battered man before another fist could connect, Relena took the full force of Ryo's hate and pain.
The impact from his fist felt like a ton of bricks; she had never felt anything this strong... this much force... the power behind the misleading stature of Heero Yuy caused Relena to fly back and hit the wall with a thud. A small scream of pain left her lips before she lost consciousness.
It was that cry that calmed a portion of the rage in his soul. Blinking and trying to clear his head, the former pilot looked around at the carnage. His eyes stopped at the form of a small woman slumped against the corner... her eyes closed and her face relaxed.
Rushing to her with lightening speed, he noticed blood coming from her lip and a fresh wound from another impact to her face. His hands shook as he ran to her and checked for a pulse.
"Relena... did... did I do this?" He asked her not remembering what happened when his rage erupted.
He had wanted to keep her safe... keep those men from hurting her... never had it even occurred to him that she needed protecting from himself as well.
"I'm sorry... Relena, I'm sorry." He whispered to her as he took her in his arms in a gentle embrace. "I'm sorry love."
Zeches and the other gundam pilots quickly entered the compound of the Red Doves. After tracking a device, secretly placed on Relena's clothing by an... over protective big brother, the group had assembled and moved out.
Armed with a massive re-con division of the preventers, the men stormed the building expecting large resistance. Instead they found small pockets of scared men who already voluntarily disarmed and surrendered.
The frightened looks on their faces caused Zechs to worry. 'Just what happened here and where is my sister? Yuy... I swear if she's hurt, you had better hope these bastards kill you before I get to you...' He thought as he continued to search. Finding nothing but terror and blood all throughout the compoundhe began to get angry, and then Duo only added to Zechs foul mood with another one of his comments.
"Maybe they don't want to be found, well at least for an hour or two.. You never know- Heero could be a stud."
The remark of possible...compromising situations going on between the ex-gundam pilot and his little sister made Zechs double his efforts to find them and now!
Nearly sprinting down the hallways Zechs heard some noise coming from a room off the main hallway. Turning quickly, he threw open the door and drew his gun. Pointing it at the occupants of the room, Zechs wasted no time announcing his presence.
"Yuy, get away from my sister!" Zechs shouted even before he knew the identities of the two people in the room. Getting a better look at the man in the room as their eyes met, Zechs was stunned speechless.
Seeing actual tears running down the face of his greatest rival- not of the Ryo from earlier, but the eyes of Heero Yuy, the warrior- hit him like no other impact had in life.
"What did you do to my sister?" Zechs would have spit venom if he had the ability.
No response came from the man who held Relena in his arms. After taking a deep breath, the brown haired man stood up. Still clutching Relena to his chest, he brought her over and gave her to her brother.
"Keep her away from me... All I ever do is hurt her... all I can even bring is pain...I'm better off dead." He said in a dejected voice. His eyes were still teary and void of everything. "Tell her one thing will you..."
"That you love her and think that leaving will make her happy? Get over yourself!" Zech snarled. He knew that Yuy would kill himself- it was that look in his eyes, the one that Zechs had seen in many soldier's eyes after they had finished their final mission and didn't wish to continue.
"So you're running away? Like the coward you are! I knew you were never good enough for her! She wasted five years of her life on you!"
"Yes, she did..." Came Heero's monotone reply.
"If you were truly a man, you'd stay and work things out." Zechs didn't know why he was doing this... maybe it was for the little sister he held in his arms. She would only be happy if this man was in her life... and Zechs did want to see her happy... he would have to get use to that fact. "You remember your past now don't you? Well live that life. Don't throw away the Heero Yuy from the wars along with the Ryo from the past... live as both... live for her."
"But I've killed too many... even when I didn't want too... I..."
"We repent in our own ways... I have Noin and Promise, they make me a full man... no longer a nameless killer... I am Millardo Peacecraft. You find out who you are- Heero Yuy, Ryo, or maybe there's room for both."
Relena awoke with the sun in her eyes. She was a little sore, but nothing seemed broken. Stretching out on her bed, Relena found she was back in her room at home in the Peacecraft mansion.
Everything from before came flooding back into her mind- the Red Doves, the blood, Heero... 'where was he? Was he still there?' Her mind raced. Sitting up quickly, her hand hit something hard. Hearing a groan, something shifted in her bed and rolled over.
Relena blinked twice to make sure she wasn't seeing things. There in her bed, sleeping above the covers was a bandaged Heero Yuy. His eyes were closed but his serious look still stayed put on his face.
Shifting a little to get a better look at him, Relena tried to not wake the sleeping man. Looking down on him from her angle on the bed, her breath stopped in her throat. He was so handsome, she would have been attracted to his looks, no question- but it was his soul and his eyes that captured her heart.
Brushing back a strand of his messy hair, Relena sighed.
"Can we ever work this out Heero? After what happened... I should be afraid of you, but I'm not... I don't know why... I want us to have a future... which ever person you want to be Ryo, or Heero, I'll love you both if that means you'll stay." She whispered to him. "I love you... I want to be with you forever if you'll let me..."
"That should be my line." Came his tired voice. His eyes slowly opened to meet her brilliant orbs. "Relena... I... I'm..." He looked away quickly, the bruise on her cheek made him remember hitting her. 'What was I thinking? I shouldn't have stayed... why did Zechs tell me too? I thought he hated me...' His mind made him worry, even after her words of love, he couldn't face her... he needed to leave...
"Don't go." She told him grabbing his arm before he could slip off the bed. "Please. Don't go and leave again."
"But I hurt you." He said looking back at her face. As he did, Heero received a swift punch to the face.
"There, we're even now. Does that make it better?"
Heero looked at her with a confused expression. Had Relena just punched him? Well he deserved more than that, but it was still odd.
"Heero, I love you. You'd hurt me a thousand times more if you left again... it hurts when you leave... if you truly are worried about me, stay. Be a part of my life, and let me be in yours."
Taking his hand and placing it on her face, Relena locked eyes with his.
"I've survived much worse than this. I'm strong and I can handle anything that comes my way... but only if I have you at my side... please consider staying..."
"But my past... it's.."
"What? We all don't have things were regret? I sure have many things I wish would have done differently or not at all- but you don't see me moping about them... Heero, life is a journey. We take wrong paths at times, but there's always a way back..."
"..."
"Live with me..."
"..."
"As Ryo or as Heero, I love you for you... not the soldier, not the memories... You."
"Me?"
"Yes, who ever you are..."
"I am... I am Heero Yuy, not the soldier or the pilot... just Heero Yuy. And I want to be with you always."
A/N:
Well folks, that's all she wrote. Like I said thanks for sticking with me- and thanks for the reviews! Now if you'll excuse me, it's off to Japan!
