Chapter 29 - The Board of the Ark

Relena POV

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Next morning

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Relena couldn't remember when was the last time she had slept this long and comfortably.

She rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes, lazily watching her closest surroundings. She wasn't laying on the floor nor on any old, smelly furniture, but in a standard bed, with a mattress and new bedding. Her body was washed and clean, her hair was thoroughly combed and tied into a thick braid. She was wearing loose and clean clothes. She felt no hunger or thirst. Relena turned her head, looking around the large room, built of wood, with two additional beds. The room was cozy, now filled with warm, sunny light and the smell of summer wind that was carrying in the delicate scent of the forest and fields surrounding Evergreen.

Even so, something was missing...

"Oh, you're awake!" she suddenly heard a cheerful voice. "Mornin', Relena!"

The person who greeted her, Catherine, was standing by the opened window in the oversized T-shirt, combing her shoulder-length, brown hair. Relena slowly sat upright on the bed, brushing unruly strands of her hair behind her ear.

"Good morning," she sighed.

"How are you feeling, love? Look what a beautiful day we have today."

Relena threw a thin blanket away and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The moment she rested the weight of her body on legs, she almost lost balance; her body was struck by the accumulated pain of wandering for many weeks. Her muscles were sore, the skin on the soles of her feet stung uncomfortably on every contact with the floor, and her knee joints hurt as if thin blades were stuck between the bones. Relena gasped lightly, but slowly got on her feet and walked barefoot to the window, standing next to Catherine and leaned on the windowsill to gaze outside.

It was already late morning, and it was so noisy outside that Relena was surprised that she hadn't woken up even earlier despite that noise. It seemed that one of the busiest streets of the settlement was situated just outside their window.

The laneway was full of people: men, women, children. Old and young. Evergreen inhabitant's life was vibrant; there were heard raised voices, roars of various types of tools, squeaking of children running in the yard, even neighing of horses. Residents seemed busy with their own affairs and responsibilities, walking briskly in all directions. However, they spared no kindness to each other; they stopped here and there to exchange a word with a friend or to rub on the hair children running freely between them. The air was filled with a mixture of the sandy road's dust, the moisture of horse sweat, and the smell of smoke from the chimneys.

There was a noticeable harmony in this tumult.

"In fact," Relena sighed, "it's beautiful here. And so… different than in the zone."

"That was the same thing I had thought when I had come here for the first time," Catherine said. "The settlement was much smaller then."

"How did you get here?" Relena asked.

"Just like you, running away from the infected," Catherine replied, sighing a bit with a sentiment. "Trowa had saved me and brought me here."

Relena leaned her elbows on the windowsill and drew the morning air into her lungs. She relished the scents she hadn't felt for so long and which she always associated with bustling villages. "So, this is your home now?"

"It is. My home and my big family," Catherine hung her voice for a moment and looked away. "Although there are various rules and restrictions, I prefer that than the wilderness behind the gate. I prefer that even to the zone. Here we live close to nature, we trust ourselves and support each other. Otherwise, we wouldn't have survived this long."

Both girls fell silent for a moment, observing the people outside, as Relena mulled Catherine's words. Indeed, it was a completely different place than the zone. There were no ubiquitous soldiers on the streets, only individual men with guns could be seen at the top of the wall, looking somewhere far, far beyond the village. People seemed laid back, absorbed in small matters of everyday life...

"So, you do know Quatre Winner?" Catherine spoke again, interrupting Relena in her thoughts. "I actually wanted to ask you yesterday, but you were too exhausted."

"I do," Relena nodded with a smile. "He's my childhood friend."

"So you're really that Relena Peacecraft?" Catherine grinned widely, then, noticing Relena's surprised gaze, she added, "rumors already spread in Evergreen!"

Relena felt unsure hearing the word 'that' while she still wasn't sure what it actually meant here. She felt her cheeks involuntarily blush a bit.

"Well…" she muttered silently, untangling her braid as she decided to ask. "I noticed that it's a piece of news here. As stupid it sounds, I don't fully understand why?"

"Relax," Catherine spoke again, "we all here hope for a cure for this terrible virus to be found. Quatre has been gathering all possible information about the state of research for a long time. We are determined to help everybody working on the cure. Your family, your peaceful ideals, and your father's work on the vaccine are a unique symbol for us."

Relena raised her eyebrows, surprised by these words. Catherine seemed as if she really meant them, but Relena didn't think that anyone in this world still was inspired by the ideals of her family. Not after all that happened, not after the world was absorbed by the ruthless war. The awareness of this caused her eyes to burn, but she smiled at Catherine.

"I appreciate that."

"What's more…" Catherine suddenly approached Relena, almost breaking her private space and sounding very conspiratorial, "there are some who suspect you didn't come here by accident; that you're heading south to create a cure or a vaccine. Are they right? Where are you heading to? Is it true that a vaccine can be created?"

Relena swallowed nervously at the avalanche of questions, and Catherine's cautious look. She hoped that no detail of her expression revealed that a vial with one ounce of the already produced vaccine was now laying hidden somewhere deep inside Heero's backpack. She cursed in her soul, realizing that she hadn't thought in advance what story to tell in a similar situation.

"I can't… really talk about this," Relena smiled, embarrassed, trying hard to figure anything.

Catherine made a shocked face, then sent Relena a broad, very cheerful smile.

"I knew it," she whispered, a heartfelt smile never disappearing from her face. "Relax, I won't ask more… though I'd really want to. Maybe you'll tell me more later. You just can't imagine what a relief it is to get hope back."

Relena breathed a sigh when Catherine stepped away from her and closed the window, then draped the curtains.

"Well, let's get dressed," she announced, walking briskly around the room. Relena followed her with her gaze, slowly sitting down on her bed. "We'll eat something and then I'll show you around the village…"

"Wait, Catherine," Relena interrupted her, trying to get her attention. "I have to... I haven't seen Heero since yesterday, I desperately need to talk to him."

"Heero? You mean that handsome devil of yours? Don't worry about him, he's all right," Catherine said with a playful smirk, then she took off her nightgown, remaining in her underwear and started choosing clothes for the day. "By the way, he was here already."

"Here?" Relena raised her eyebrows. "When?"

"Earlier this morning. When we were all still asleep," Catherine explained, standing with her back to Relena and picking through her clothes. "He sneaked here, sat next to your bed, probably wanted to make sure you were all right." Catherine hung her voice for a second as if she was mulling over something. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea how long he had been here. Silvia suddenly woke up, and she chased him out of the room. You know those rules..."

Relena felt an unexplained warmth in her heart at the realization that Heero was actually here. She sat on the edge of her bed, combing her hair with her fingers. So Heero kept his promise.

"I see," she whispered. "Shame that I didn't get to speak to him."

"You were sleeping like a log, babe. Oh, these will suit you," she heard Catherine's voice, then the girl threw her a pair of clean pants and a loose shirt onto her bed. "Those rags of yours were useless, I threw them away. We'll sew your new clothes."

Relena took new clothes in her hands and smiled. They were ordinary and plain, but their sight evoked a warm feeling of everyday normality in her heart.

"You are wonderful, Catherine. Thank you."

"Oh, shut up," Catherine sighed with a smile, pulling on her pants and zipping up.

Suddenly the door to the room opened, and a frail blonde girl with green eyes stood in the doorway. She was dressed in earth-soaked jeans and a dark shirt with a delicate checkered pattern, and she still had garden gloves on her hands. She looked slightly breathless, gazed around the room, then focused her eyes on Relena.

Relena unwittingly straightened herself under the power of the gaze of that girl. There was no warmth in her eyes to which Relena already got used while being in Catherine's presence.

"You woke up," the girl noted dryly.

Realizing the girl was addressing precisely to her, Relena instantly got up from the bed, wanting to say hello, but Catherine had beat her up to it.

"Hello, Silvia. Relena, I think you fell asleep yesterday before Silvia returned to the room, so let me introduce you. This is Silvia Noventa. Silvia, this is..."

"Yes, I know, Relena Peacecraft," the girl named Silvia recited, then approached Relena. Relena raised her chin, sending a gentle smile, but Silvia's intentions still weren't clear to her. Silvia eyed Relena from head to toe quite critically. "I'm very pleased. My father, General Noventa, was an ally of your family's views before the outbreak. As one of the very few military men."

Saying this, Silvia frowned at Relena confrontationally. Relena desperately searched her memory, but she didn't recall nor the name nor the man. It didn't seem strange to her. Her parents knew a lot of people, many people also visited their home, but she wasn't connected with a friendship bond with their children. Quatre was the exception. She bowed her head gently.

"I'm sorry. I was six at the time. I don't remember..."

"Too bad," Silvia summed up, her voice full of remorse, then sent Relena a crooked, malevolent smile. "I was five at the time, and yet, I do remember your father."

Relena looked back at Silvia, into her green eyes. They were filled with hostility as if this girl truly challenged her to a duel to prove which one has a better memory, and just won the first round. And Silvia seemed apparently proud of it. Relena bowed her head slightly, resisting the hard look...

"All right, girls, gimme a break," Catherine suddenly laughed out merrily and entered between them, trying to release the growing tension. "You'll kiss and hug after breakfast."

"I've already eaten," Silvia wrinkled her nose, then threw away Catherine's hand and turned her steps to leave. At the last moment, however, she turned around and faced Relena again. "Well, what should I say: welcome to Evergreen, Relena. I hope Catherine will introduce you in detail to the rules here."

Then she left, slamming the door behind her.

When Relena looked at Catherine with surprised eyes, Catherine shrugged in response.

"Don't you worry about her, she has her moods," Catherine sighed, making a funny face. "She apparently got pissed off by your boyfriend's raid at night in our room, but she'll get over it."

"I see…"

Another mention of Heero made her feel a great desire to see him again, to make sure he was all right. Relena sighed loudly and started putting on her underwear and pants. Dressing up, she thought that perhaps it was too naive of her to believe that only because of the fact that she was friends with Quatre, she would be accepted by everyone here.

Once dressed, Relena walked out of the room. Catherine was waiting for her outside the door of their shared apartment. When she closed the door behind them, the girls walked down the short corridor that led outside their wooden building. Relena followed Catherine through the wooden doors out, and the moment they went outside, she shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand and blinked, looking around.

"We eat in that building," Catherine pointed to a long barrack by the wall, then held Relena by her hand, and they walked briskly through the street. Relena let her friend led her, while she was looking sideways, admiring the world around her.

From this perspective, Evergreen seemed even bigger than it seemed to her the day before when she stood at its towering gates. Evergreen was full of life, everyone was busy: some men chopped wood, others worked with various machines, others shoed horses, others worked in the gardens... The fortress-like settlement consisted of a dozen or so wooden, long barracks, each apparently had different uses. Life was buzzing between those barracks - in the courtyards that were full of families, artisan farms, small industrial plants, pastures for farm animals.

Walking behind Catherine, Relena quickly noticed that there was one thing that indeed distinguished this place from any other she had seen so far in her life after the outbreak: children. Relena couldn't remember when she had last seen such a freewheeling view as a loudly laughing child. In the Philadelphia zone, the few children that were born each year were taken away from their parents as soon as they turned six and forced to attend a military boarding school. Here, children were running, chasing each other between the buildings of the settlement and between their busy parents.

"It's like paradise here," Relena sighed, whipping her head around, trying to look at all the details. "I can't believe such a place truly exists!"

"You couldn't have hit better," Catherine admitted.

Suddenly, one of the little boys ran closer to Relena and stretched his small arm up to her. Relena stopped abruptly, smiled at him, then knelt down and reached out to shake his hand, but before she did it, the boy dodged her and ran around Relena, hiding behind her back. The boy laughed the happiest laugh Relena had ever heard in her life, so light-hearted and joyful, then ran further away from, to the other boys.

"My God," Relena whispered, slightly covering her mouth with her hand with admiration. "As if there was never any outbreak..."

Catherine smiled at her, then grasped Relena's hand again.

"Come on, or we'll never reach the canteen!"

Relena allowed Catherine to pull her into the nearby building. Upon entering, she sensed a pleasant smell of cooked food, and when they walked inside, the air filled with a tasty smell almost knocked Relena off her feet.

"I need to introduce you to the rules here, so I should get started. In Evergreen, everyone does a task for the community," Catherine suddenly started explaining, taking the small plates from the nearby desk. Relena uncertainly followed Catherine, who approached the short counter, followed by stone kilns lined with wood. Several people were busy around the kitchen, apparently preparing the last portions of breakfast. Relena couldn't remember when she had last seen so much food…

"As a rule, you do what you're most capable of, for example, cooking, sewing, blacksmithing, gardening... It is possible to change the occupation if you get bored. You should think about what you feel most skilled in," Catherine continued, imposing two full breakfast portions on their plates: two slices of delicious-looking bread, scrambled eggs, and pieces of green pepper. "Here," Catherine said, passing one of the plates to Relena.

Relena grabbed it and looked around. The hall with tables was half-filled, most likely with people getting up late, who were eating without any rush.

Among that small group of people, Relena still couldn't see the only person who she truly wanted to see.

"Let's sit here," Catherine said, choosing one of the long tables just by the open window.

Relena followed Catherine but stopped abruptly at a metal chair, still looking around closely. She nervously squeezed her fingers around the plate she was holding, trying to see among the other persons inside the makeshift canteen the familiar face. Futilely. She felt a lump of nervousness building up in her throat that almost made her breathless.

"What is it?" Catherine asked, surprised by Relena's sudden stop. "You want to sit somewhere else?"

Relena straightened up, placing her plate with breakfast on the table.

"Catherine, I really need to see Heero," she said firmly. "I can't stand not knowing what's going on with him."

"…I get it, but you really don't need to worry," Catherine said comfortingly, motioning to Relena to sit down. "He's probably still resting. You both came here on the verge of exhaustion..."

"It doesn't matter," Relena cut her off shortly. She knew she might be misunderstood; it wasn't that she had any bad premonitions - at least not yet. But she just had to make sure he was all right. "I'm going to get him. I need to talk to him."

"Wait a minute-" Catherine managed to mumble, but Relena had already turned on her heel towards the exit from the building and walked briskly out. "Relena, wait!"

But Relena just quickened her pace, wanting to leave the building as fast as possible. She felt anxiety in her heart. The longer she didn't know what was happening with him, the more anxious she felt. Her legs carried her alone, and in a few seconds, she was already outside the door to the canteen.

Then, suddenly, she got abruptly stopped by a hand that clamped on her forearm. Staggering, she looked up, feeling both surprise and relief as a pair of familiar Prussian-blue eyes stared back at her.

"Oh, Heero!" Relena gasped.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, looking down at her with scolding eyes. Like a parent catching a child on prohibited pranks. "You need to eat to regain strength."

Relena looked around before daring to speak. Heero caught her just outside the canteen door; the spot he was standing made her realize that maybe he was... hiding.

"I should ask: what were you doing here?" Relena asked, clasping his hand in hers. She studied his face; he seemed calm and controlled, as always. He looked well-rested; the dark circles under his eyes that she had seen yesterday disappeared. The wound on his cheek, which he had got while fighting the infected, was now correctly dressed. His hair was still disheveled, and he was wearing a new pair of gray trousers and a white T-shirt. "I wanted to look for you!"

Heero's eyes betrayed a flash of mild impatience.

"I told you I would be around," he said with a low voice, then grasped Relena firmly by a hand, and started escorting her back into the building, in the direction of Catherine's table.

Realizing that she had just been caught on the apparent disbelief in him and his words, Relena felt her cheeks burn with shame.

"I mean… I was worried about you…" Relena whispered, bowing her head. "That's because you're sneaking so much. If you'd come to me in the morning or to breakfast like a normal man..."

"I had eaten when you were still asleep," Heero replied, giving her only a brief look over his shoulder.

Although Relena was used to his curt temper, it was hard to bear it this time. Now, instead of embarrassment, Relena started to feel irritated by his attitude. And partly by her own earlier concern about him.

She pulled her hand from his grip, stopping abruptly. Heero stopped too, then turned and looked at her curiously. People of Evergreen passed them by, surprised by the bizarre behavior of two new arrivals: the famous Relena Peacecraft and the guy whom almost no one knew yet, apparently making a fuss around themselves. Completely unexcited about peoples' reactions, Relena shot a confrontative look at Heero's indifferent, steely eyes.

"This is what you meant by 'being around'? How long were you planning to hide from me like that? Did it entertain you?"

But Heero's face betrayed no emotion. What it did reveal, though, was a sudden flash in his eyes, as if he was misunderstood.

"No."

His voice was calm and low, as always. And yet, his behavior upset Relena like anything ever did. What was the purpose of this hiding? she thought.

"Oh, well, that's a relief," Relena spat mockingly and bitterly, then passed him by, but he caught her wrist again.

"Relena-"

She staggered at her feet under the force of his grasp, then straightened herself up to meet his confident, fierce eyes. The look he gave her, the way he scanned her whole form, proved that he noticed it. Then Heero's eyes twitched as if he was to cast his gaze down and apologize. Relena froze, silently counting on it, though at the same time, she was quietly scolding herself in her soul for worrying about him at all. However, after a split second, Heero narrowed his eyes on her again.

"What's with you?" he hissed, simultaneously scanning the surroundings behind her back.

"Nothing," Relena whispered, now feeling fury rising in her chest and… belly rumbling. She cast her eyes downcast at their joined hands. "Let me go," she ordered silently.

He let. Relena jerked her hand and quickly returned to the table, where Catherine was still waiting for her.

"What the heck just happened?" Catherine asked, startled, looking over Relena's shoulder.

"Nothing," Relena replied. She didn't turn to see if Heero had followed her, nor did she look up when she heard the sound of a metal chair sliding across the floor right beside her; a second later, Heero sat down next to her at the table.

"Mornin'," he greeted Catherine, as indifferently as possible.

"Hello," Catherine replied, then reached out her hand across the table to Heero. "Nice to meet you, I'm Catherine. I don't think we were introduced to each other officially."

Heero peered at her from behind his unruled bangs. After a moment of hesitation, he reached and squeezed her hand over the table.

"Heero."

"Was it you who waltzed into our room?" Catherine asked with a grin, still eyeing Heero, but he didn't seem to react at all. Relena narrowed her brow as she felt anger at the thought of his nighttime escapade; why didn't he even wake her up?

Meanwhile, without getting any answer from Heero, Catherine raised her eyebrows and leaned back in her chair.

"Chatterbox, aren't you…?"

"That figures…" Relena muttered angrily, biting the piece of her food; when she did, she realized that this was the first time in years when she was eating real bread. She narrowed her eyes in delight, letting out a short gasp, enjoying the taste. It tasted so good, almost like the one she had eaten at home. At least, she thought so... because her memories were already blurring.

"Enjoy your meal," they all suddenly heard the merry greeting.

Quatre Raberba Winner approached the table, followed by still cautious Trowa. They both looked busy; their clothes were already dusty with sand from the streets of Evergreen. "Good morning, everybody."

"Hi," Catherine and Relena greeted them happily, while Heero was still sitting with a stony face.

"I hope you all slept well," Quatre said, choosing the chair on the right from Catherine and sitting down, while Trowa sat down to the left of Catherine, right across from Heero. "And how is your breakfast?"

"Delicious!" Relena almost squealed, "I don't remember the last time I ate bread."

Quatre smiled proudly.

"Thank you! We have our own wheat field right behind the wall, and we recently developed a simple baking method. This bread is the outcome."

"That's brilliant," Relena beamed, then remembered something she wanted to ask about. "But how did you manage to get the electricity? It rankles me all the time... We were able to reach Evergreen only thanks to the high voltage lines."

"Well, this area is a former hydroelectric power plant," Quatre explained, leaning back in his chair, shooting a gaze outside the window. "Despite the passage of years, it wasn't destroyed, and a few months ago, we were able to restart the turbine. But we don't run it every day, just once or twice a week to charge the batteries. Because of this, electricity isn't here as often as in the zone."

"So you launched them yesterday," Relena smiled, "that's why we found your settlement. We followed the sound from the cables."

"If so, you were terribly lucky," Trowa interrupted. "Because just yesterday, we worked with the engines and cables to ensure that electricity would no longer spread throughout the rest of the city. As a target, we want all the circuits to begin and end behind the walls - to save energy. But that's a lot of work yet to do."

"And the wall?" Relena asked, with her mouth full of bread. She felt excitement in being able to learn more about this fascinating place. "Did you have to build it from scratch?"

"Not exactly," Quatre said, "even before the outbreak, it was a fenced area, all we had to do was strengthen a wall."

"Wonderful," Relena beamed, then took another bite of her bread. She peered merrily at Catherine, but her eyes were downcast, with an apparently sad, slightly resigned expression. The change was sudden, and Catherine seemed lost in some dark thoughts. It was actually the first time Relena saw her concerned, but she didn't feel in a position to ask what happened yet. She glanced sideways. Trowa and Heero continued looking at each other with undisguised resentment, even hostility. Relena cleared her throat, thinking of a way to release tension.

"So, Quatre... yesterday you said that you'll tell about how you imagine mine and Heero's stay here…"

That second Quatre and Trowa exchanged glances, then Quatre furrowed his brows as he shifted his gaze at Relena.

"Relena, you are free to do whatever you like. For now, until you'll familiarize with the community, you can help Catherine," Quatre proposed, putting his hand on Catherine's shoulder. Relena noticed that her usually merry friend didn't even look up at this gesture. "You can help with sewing clothes, packing ammunition, cooking... whatever you want."

"But as far as you are concerned," Trowa continued in a low voice, eyeing Heero, "we want you to help us hunt the infected."

The ominous, grave silence fell between all of them; it seemed as if these words aroused interest also among the uninvolved people sitting around in the canteen. Relena glanced at Trowa, then at Quatre, noticing the abashment painting on his features. She definitely didn't like what she was hearing. She fought the urge to look at Heero and involuntarily clenched her hands, placing them on the table on both sides of her plate.

"Hunt?" Relena asked with a shaky voice. "What do you mean by that?"

Eventually, Quatre looked up at Relena with his kind, green eyes and sighed sadly before speaking.

"It's not a mystery that infected are our greatest threat. They regularly appear around, sometimes come too close to the gate - like yesterday when they ran here lured by you. To fight them, once in a while, we collect a group of… bravest that goes beyond the gates. To somehow clear the area around Evergreen and neighboring villages. Although it never goes without victims..." Quatre hung his voice for a moment, "it allows us to keep these beasts at bay."

"This time is nearing again," Trowa continued towards Heero. "And you could be useful for us. You and your skills."

That second, Relena turned her head to look at Heero. He was sitting perfectly still with his arms folded over his chest, his cold but confident eyes fixed on Trowa. Though she was just mad at him a moment ago, realizing what task awaited him, now Relena felt overwhelmed by fear. She remembered how many infected attacked them yesterday and how close it was for them both to die. She remembered a deathly threat that awaited just outside the settlement, about which was easy to forget while being in safety.

"Is it... necessary for him to go?" she asked, gazing into Quatre's eyes, clenching her fists involuntarily on the table again. She felt a familiar wave of heat building up in her chest as if she were an animal in a blind corner. Fear was almost palpable. "We've just reached here…"

"I'm sorry, Relena," Quatre stated firmly, interrupting her, "I must admit that this became the condition to agree on your stay here."

Before Relena could say anything more, she got interrupted…

"Fine."

Startled, Relena whipped her head at Heero. He didn't look back at her; instead, he tilted his head a bit up, his bright eyes half-shrouded by his chocolate-brown bangs.

"I'll go," Heero said again, his voice firm and emotionless.

His words caused a flash of relief in Quatre's eyes.

Witnessing the way he agreed, without a moment of hesitation and without revealing even a shadow of emotion, Relena felt her heart squeeze to a point it almost stopped beating. She felt omitted and outplayed as if a decision had been made above her head. Resentment about Heero and anger from a moment ago was suddenly replaced by fear and anxiety for his life. She realized that he just decided so simply to go into the wilderness, expose himself to danger while she would be securely locked up here. He may even die during this "hunt," and she would have to deal with life without him, behind a safe gate…

Helping Catherine, sewing clothes, packing ammunition, cooking... doing "whatever she wanted."

Her heart was beating so hard that her ears were ringing. It just… wasn't fair. She couldn't agree with this.

"If Heero has to go, then I'm going too."

Everyone looked up at her, their faces painted with shock at her words.

Everyone, except Heero.

"Relena, are you out of your mind?" Catherine gasped.

"Relena, forgive me," Quatre said, "but this is not a trip. This is an expedition, on which these chosen ones set off armed and have a perilous but important task to do…"

"It's deathly dangerous," Trowa added, "and nobody wants to risk your life, Relena Peacecraft."

At those particular words, Relena felt the blood boil in her veins. With impetus, she pushed her chair back away and stood up from the table.

"You all have no idea what I have been through so far. That I am here, and I still live… I owe it only to Heero," Relena muttered in a low voice, measuring them with angry eyes. "I've made my mind. If you don't start treating Heero equally to me, we'll leave immediately."

Then she left the table and got out of the building, leaving everyone behind.

x x x

Heero POV

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With his arms still crossed on his chest, Heero calmly followed Relena's drifting silhouette with a sideways glance, allowing her to walk out and away from the building. Nevertheless, he made sure to remember which direction she had turned right after leaving the canteen.

He had to deal with this.

"Well… fuck," Trowa sighed under his breath, while Quatre raked a nervous hand through his blonde hair. Catherine seemed shocked and looked nervously at the others, not sure what she should do and whether she should run after Relena. Shooting a quick glance at them all, Heero allowed himself to smirk involuntarily at the thought that if Relena knew how much this behavior had made it easier for him to make this decision, she would never have left this room.

His reaction could not escape the attention of others.

"What about you?" Quatre asked, "what's so funny?"

Heero lifted his eyes back on them, eyeing them provocatively. If that was what they wanted in return, he would give it to them.

"The deal is on," he declared, his voice calm and controlled, then he unwrapped his arms and placed both hands on the table, clenching them in fists. "I'll go with you. I have only one condition."

"I'm afraid it's not you who set the conditions here," Trowa muttered, and Heero shifted his look at Quatre, who narrowed his eyes back at him in interest.

"Tell me," Quatre said.

Heero locked eyes with Quatre, trying to see again in this man the reason why he had actually decided to trust him with Relena's life…

"She'll stay here. As long as she'll want," Heero said slowly, silently. Although a quickening of his pulse made him think that it was more challenging to say it out loud than to let it happen. "Kept safe behind the gates."

His words hung in a tense and restless silence, which seemed unbearable with every passing second. Quatre didn't even blink when he placed both his hands on the table in a solemn gesture. His eyes were full of respect and cordial expression as if he understood the seriousness of what Heero actually asked him.

"You have my word."

Heero tilted his head slightly. That's it - he got what he wanted. He wanted to make sure. He wanted an excuse… no… a promise that will calm his nerves, soothe his conscience that he is actually going to abandon her. If so, he caught himself on waiting for the relief that didn't come… Keeping his nerves at bay and calm surface, Heero nodded at Quatre's words, though a mute scream of protest stuck in his throat.

Then Catherine slowly got up from the chair. "I'll go get her..." she whispered under her breath, but Quatre grabbed her by the elbow, addressing to Heero again.

"I made you a promise. But it's up to you to convince her to stay here. As much as I know her… if she insists, you nor I won't be able to keep her here."

Heero understood what the blonde man had in mind, then rose from the table without any word and headed towards the exit of the building.

"We leave the day after tomorrow," Trowa said after him.

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TBC

Hello, My Dear Readers!

I'm still alive! The coronavirus is currently raging in my country, Poland. I have 2 weeks' leave from work (fortunately not a quarantine), and I stay at home, catching up with various things, also in writing. I also laze a lot, unfortunately. That's why you had to wait so long for this chapter.

What's next? What does this trip mean for Heero and Relena? You will find out in the following chapters. Stay tuned, and please, leave a review if you liked the chapter and the story so far!

Keep safe, ~enelle.