Official Quote : They don't have Gundams, they have wings.
A/N : Okay, I wrote this chapter on Valentine day. I apologize for its late upload – I am always slow in editing – but this is my Valentine present for you all. I hope you like it. Happy Valentine!
So, there are people who like my story. I am touched. (sniff) Sorry because I mention it late, but I want to say thanks to my kind readers. Especially for these people, whose names I don't have the chance to include in my writing, I will state it now. (I'm sorry! Believe me that I really really appreciate you!)
Dear Abeytu, thanks for adding my story to your Story Alert. Dear ThruTheMoss and Scott-17, thanks for adding my story to your Favourite Story list. And my personal gratitude for my faithful reviewers, dearest Illico and Akumetsu. Thank you all! And enjoy the story!
Wings
-a Gundam Wing Fanfiction-
Chapter Five : Ivy
~o~
ivy n [U] 1 climbing evergreen plant with dark shiny leaves 2 symbol of friendship and faithfulness 3 emblematic of eternal life and resurrection
~"Those eyes of yours can see through any disguises."~
"How about your words before?"
When the braided guy said that sentence, there were many things which Heero was thinking about. He was tired of surprises, and nothing felt better than had this mission over. He felt out of place when he was in the other dimension, he felt unsure when he had to face the princess… and those blue eyes of her. The bloody nights, his usual fights, were a routine he had already used to. And he wanted to return to it, not facing unexpected events anymore. If Duo was really willing to take the mission…
"Isn't it clear, buddy?" No, it isn't.
"I said : if you don't want the job. Only if." Now that he repeats his words, I only need to say my agreement…
"You were the fastest who found the princess. And the fastest gets the job, remember?"
He drew in a sharp breath. It… it is…
His hand balled into tight fist, as the fact registered into his head.
…true.
So he nodded, realizing that his chance to be freed from this mission had gone with the gesture. He watched the boy grinned at him, for once feeling irritated by his happy face. He had to stop himself from punching the guy when he said his next words.
"So you're on, man. Enjoy your stalk."
Heero glared at his back when the still smiling boy turned around and waved him good bye. But he didn't do anything to stop him.
-.-.-
She couldn't sleep that night.
Relena had spent the rest of her day in her room, doing nothing except staring at the sky outside and the garden below her balcony. Her body felt limp, a tired feeling which was very similar with jet-lag tortured her for hours. But it was not physical fatigue which exhausted her the most. Her most horrible distress was her own mental burden.
Her father was safe. He was alive.
She tried to hold on to the single thought, hoping to find some relief. She tried not to worry about her precious people, convincing herself that there was nothing which would happen to them. She tried not to doubt that her father had survived, pushing out all the questions and qualms and skeptical thoughts of the fidelity of the news.
She had tried her best not to think about pessimistic thoughts. She really tried.
But her defense was melting down as the day was slowly turning to the night. She felt weak, not being able to do anything. People around her always thought that she was excellent, perfect in everything. They said that she was independent, that she could do anything by herself. She had believed it before, but now she realized that it was a mistaken picture.
Here, alone in this foreign dimension, she was not more than an ordinary girl. A lost kid who didn't know the way to go home. She began to break down, her strength was draining and she couldn't find any source of courage. She fought with her own misery and tears until the dawn came. And when her weakness won at last… she silently cried herself to sleep, falling to a short unpeaceful rest.
-.-.-
Heero calmed himself, thinking about the mission from his usual objective point of view.
He had been through many missions, dangerous ones, severe ones, merciless ones… Many of them were missions which he was never fond of, but he didn't fail any missions. He was devoted to his missions, accomplishing each task which was given to him was a must. He wasn't privileged to refuse. Or to complain.
And basically, this mission was an easy one. The hardest part, finding the princess herself, had been done. Now he just needed to keep an eye on the situation. As simple as that.
He closed his eyes, frowning slightly.
He had a feeling that this one mission wouldn't end without difficulty. Yet he evicted the feeling forcefully, chased all the unrelated thoughts away, then returned to his original thought : planning the best way to carry out his mission.
-.-.-
When Relena woke up, it was almost mid-day.
Her mind was foggy, and she vaguely remembered her dream which she had in her short sleep before. She felt like she saw her mother and Pagan, desperately looking for her whereabouts, and indistinct images of her other beloved ones… all worrying about her. She thought she saw her father too… but in her dream white light covered his body and eliminated all the colours and sharp forms of her view.
Tears flowed down her cheeks almost immediately, and she didn't bother to wipe it off this time. Instead, she stood up from her bed, staring to the balcony, finding that no one was there. An empty feeling stabbed her heart, but she ignored it as she tore her gaze from the direction. She looked around her luxurious room, finding a small table in the corner of the room. On the table there was a glass jar of water, a copper basin, and a towel.
She walked towards the direction, pouring some water into the empty basin. She washed her face with the cold water, its icy sensation was nice on her skin. She dried up her face with the towel, then soaked the edge of the cloth into the water. She walked back to her bed, bringing the wet towel with her. Pressing the towel on her tired eyes, she threw herself on the huge bed. She stayed quiet until the towel lost its coldness, warmed up by her body heat. In the end she threw the towel away and opened her eyes again.
The same ceiling pattern greeted her sight, making the cruel realization dawned in her… that the previous day was not a dream. She needed to accept the truth, she couldn't lock herself in this room forever.
So she sat up, taking some time to calm her dizzy head, before she stood up. She walked towards the doors, unlocked it, and pushed it open.
And slowly, she took a step forward.
-.-.-
At that night, he chiseled into the castle again.
But this once, he didn't have to beat any guards. He had memorized the schedule of the front guards, included their shift changes. It was actually easy to pass through the security if he had enough time to observe and wait for the right moment to go in. It was different with his first attempt of infiltration into the castle. At that time he was in a hurry, and so the commotion which was caused by his action couldn't be avoided.
Realizing that his mind went again to the event, and Heero gritted his teeth in exasperation. He reminded himself roughly that he wasn't here to look for the princess anymore. Focusing his mind back to the stone hall, he began to search for the barrack of the guards.
In the dark night, no one was aware about his presence, nor the intention which he brought with him.
-.-.-
Relena was awake before dawn.
Oh she managed to sleep, light sleep where she would awake every time a nightmare came. She stayed idle for the most of the night, closing her eyes and trying to get some rest.
She was glad when the sun rose at last, the night was dead and the new day had come. She didn't like darkness, and even though the red sun in this world was strange, she felt better when its ray shone through the tall glass windows and into her room.
Two maids knocked her doors, one of them brought new dress and fresh towel for her, the other carried a silver tray of her breakfast. Both of them curtsied respectfully, asking for her permission to go inside her room. But until they went out of her room, she couldn't force herself to give any response beside a faint smile. The whole castle was polite to her, treating her with great esteem. She should be grateful for it… her situation could be worse if the one who kidnapped her was a group of terrorists.
Here, they treated her as a princess. Yet, she wasn't happy with the way they behaved around her. Courteous, but distant, as if they were afraid of her. She felt that she just didn't belong here.
She ate her breakfast in silence. She was starting to hate her loneliness, but she refused to show the frailty in her.
-.-.-
He fixed the iron helmet on his head as he listened to the general's instruction. The helmet was a little too big for him, it covered almost half of his upper visage. And it also helped his disguise.
He was in the middle of the soldiers' morning gathering, and the whole soldiers of the castle were around him. But none of them gave him a suspicious glance. Wearing a similar armor like the other soldiers, he looked like an ordinary soldier, no different from them.
It seemed that even the general himself didn't remember all his subordinates. He didn't have any difficulty to act as a member of the group, and they would never guess him as an intruder.
Heero smirked. Yes, this was definitely the best way to carry out his mission.
-.-.-
When you didn't have anyone to be asked about something, what was better than search it in a book?
No matter whom she tried to talk with, the person would go rigid in front of her. She didn't like to waste her time to calm them every time she asked a question, before they stammered out an apology and gave her the answer she needed. And it was annoying, especially when she wanted a direct answer. Books were far more reliable.
Okay, so where she could find those books?
Relena wandered through the stone halls of the castle, hoping to find a library. She had found out that she was allowed to stroll around the castle, and it was a good thing. But since she wasn't familiar with the locations of the rooms, she was easy to get lost.
Oh, she really needed a map of this castle. She made a mental note to find one when she managed to find the library. That if the castle had one.
Hoping that this would be her last time to ask a direction to the guards, she turned around to call one of the men. They stuttered when she asked whether the castle had a library or not and when she asked where it located in.
They pointed a direction at last, hesitating before offering to walk her to the library. She gave a subtle refuse and thanked the guards for their help, then she turned around and began her quick steps. She sensed the men breathed in relief when she left them.
She sighed during her walk. Was she that frightening for the people in this castle?
-.-.-
The man beside him yawned soundlessly.
Heero considered that indiscipline guard abjectly. In his mind he condemned the poor security of this castle. If he was assigned as an assassin and not a spy, it would be easy for him to break the defense line of this fortress.
What were the Romafeller leaders thinking, placing the princess in such an unsafe environment?
He told himself that he didn't care, not even a little bit. Straightening his posture, he wore his usual expressionless mask, and continued his guard.
-.-.-
Relena didn't mean to scare the frightened maid. She was only asking for a direction, for God sake!
She gave the maid a reassuring smile, and fortunately the maid calmed a bit as she repeated her previous question.
"The library is located near the end of this hall, Your Highness," she answered timidly.
"Thank you," Relena said softly, as she handled over the feather duster which the maid had dropped a while ago.
The maid's face reddened as she mumbled something which sounded like an apology. Relena flashed the maid another smile and nodded, even though she actually couldn't hear the maid's words clearly. She was just about to continue her walk when she heard the maid called her again.
"Yes?"
"I can show you the way, Your Highness," the maid bit her lip and lowered her head before added, "I-if you don't mind my company."
Relena watched the maid's hands trembled slightly, and wondered whether she was better to refuse the offer. But it would help her a lot, since the castle's halls were more complicated than what she expected it to be.
"I would appreciate it," she answered carefully.
Relena thought her words would offend the maid, and she was ready to change her answer when the maid lifted her head. To her surprise the maid looked excited, and she smiled almost instantly.
"M-my pleasure, Your Highness!"
-.-.-
When he heard footsteps, he averted his gaze to the direction. The footsteps were light, surely not soldiers' steps. He wondered who was coming.
Someone turned to the hall.
Heero focused his gaze to the figure. Black and white uniform. A maid.
Losing his interest, he turned his eyes back to the stone wall in front of him. He barely listened when the maid started to speak up.
"Turn here, Princess. The door to the library is in this hall."
He froze in his spot. What?
-.-.-
Relena sent another smile to the maid. She looked forward and found huge wooden doors in the middle of the hall. Most probably the library's door. Two guards were standing in front of the doors, one in each side. One of the guards, however, caught her interest.
He was tall, with a helmet on his head, covering both of his eyes. The man's standing posture was perfect, different with another guard who was leaning on the wall, yawned lazily. She continued her walk without dropping her gaze.
-.-.-
His grip to the spear in his hand tightened as the two girls came near. It was really her, wearing a white and pink dress, staring at him intently.
Will she recognize me?
-.-.-
"This is the library, Your Highness."
She blinked at the sentence, recovering from her trance. She turned around to face the maid and thanked her.
"You may go to continue your work," she said with another soft smile, "Thank you, you have given me a great deal of help."
The girl blushed at the praise, curtsied a bit before took her leave. After she had gone, Relena returned her gaze to the guards.
-.-.-
"Y-your Highness!" The other guard, who was dozing before, regained all his consciousness when he saw the maid curtsied to the princess.
"Is this the library?"
"Y-yes!"
"I would like to enter. I want to search for some books."
"Of course, Your Highness!" The guard opened the heavy door for her, and the girl entered the library without giving him another glance.
Heero took a deep breath after the door had been closed again. It was good that she didn't recognize him, he told himself. But he couldn't help but felt a little bit annoyed. She forgot him so easily.
-.-.-
Okay, so she didn't expect this.
It turned out that this world had a strange kind of alphabet, very different with the any kinds of alphabet which were used in her world. She was familiar with English, French, Chinese and even a little Japanese and Korean. But none of them matched with the symbols which she found in these books.
Relena had never learned Arabic, but she had seen some writings in the Semitic language. And the cursive style with some letters joined in the scripts was somehow similar with the language. How she supposed to read the text? From right to left or left to right?
She stared to the open books in front of her, fixating her eyes to the symbols. She gave up after some minutes. She didn't have any ideas of its meaning.
Remorse came to her, and she began to regret why she didn't learn more about foreign languages. As a vice foreign minister, her father mastered many languages, and he might know something about this writing.
Father…
She felt her eyes blurred with tears again. And she shook her head to erase the sad feeling in her heart.
She stood up from her seat and began to search for more books. If she couldn't read the writings, at least she could get something from the pictures. And her first priority was still the map of the castle.
-.-.-
The girl hadn't come out since the last he saw her.
It was almost evening, and he wondered what she was doing inside the library. He had been curious for hours, but he didn't take the risk to open the door and find out himself. The guard beside him had fallen asleep some minutes ago, maybe he would take a peek inside…
He was startled when a loud sound was heard from the library.
What has happened inside?
A muffled groan came from the other side of the doors. The urgency in him increased, and he decided to wake the other guard up.
"Wh-what?" the man replied, awaken from his sleep.
"I heard something from the library. Let's have it checked."
He didn't wait for a response, and he opened the doors widely. He took a step in, looking around to search for something out of ordinary. His eyes locked to odd piles of books in the corner of the room.
He saw a hand. And the hand waved to him.
"I'm here," said the feminine voice.
"Princess!"
The other guard finally followed him, and walked towards the corner hurriedly. He followed the guard in quick steps, not saying any words at all.
"Your Highness, what has happened?" the man bent towards her, "Are you all right?"
Heero averted his gaze around the room, checking the windows, finding it still locked securely. He searched for another possible entry, and found none. He had guarded the door himself, and he was sure that there was no one who entered the library after her. Nothing was supposed to happen.
"I am fine," she replied, standing up slowly, "Can you please fix the position of this shelf?"
He and the other guard gripped the fallen shelf and put it back to its original position. She took a step backward, bringing the wooden stair with her, then propped it to a wall.
"Sorry to surprise you," she said as she cleaned her dress off the dust, "I just took a wrong step when I climbed to take a book. It seemed that I caused the shelf to fall unintentionally."
He caught himself very close to breathe in relief at the explanation.
"I am sorry to surprise you," she repeated, and the other guard replied almost automatically.
"N-not at all, Princess!"
She started to collect the books around her, "It is just so dark here after the evening come."
The guard, who followed her to collect the books, snapped his head up hearing the comment.
"I can get some lighting if you please, Your Highness."
"I would like to," she replied, and the man left the room hurriedly through the still opened doors.
He cursed himself as he realized that he tensed up after the man left. However, there were just the two of them, alone in this library.
Ignoring his increasing heart beat, he continued to collect the books on the floor in silence, determined to keep the distance as far as possible. But he couldn't stop himself from holding his breath when the girl called him.
"Thank you for staying with me," she said slowly, "I never had the chance to say it to you before."
He had thought that she didn't recognize him. But apparently he had been mistaken.
-.-.-
The guy dropped the books in his hands as he jumped backwards. She immediately stood up and took his hand to prevent him from running.
"Don't go!" she said quickly, locking her gaze with him.
Her hand which was holding his hand was cold. And he did stop moving when she locked her gaze with his.
Mesmerizing eyes. He was easy to get lost.
"Sorry," she mumbled as she released her grip of his hand, yet she still didn't drop her stare, and so he found he was imprisoned by her eyes.
"There is something I need to be sure of," she continued her sentence, fidgeting uneasily, "It may be sounded rude, but I don't mean to doubt you… or the friend of yours… really, I just…"
He listened to her words quietly as he looked to her face, finding a shadow which was caused by lack of sleep. She was clearly worrying about something, and in the dim evening light he thought he saw those blue eyes tinged with red. Was she crying again?
"I just want to ask," she took a breath and swallowed before she continued, "Is my father really alive?"
-.-.-
The boy looked confused, of course.
She bit her lower lip, thinking about a better sentence.
"I mean, I want to know whether the source of the news was trustable or not…" she trailed off, then added quickly, "I'm sorry, I don't intend to offense you. I just can't stop worrying and…"
"You can be sure that the news is true," his words cut off her rambling.
She was startled with his words. Her neatly planned words which were forming in her head shrunk, and she began to feel stupid for asking such question.
-.-.-
Her face was hooded after he said his sentence.
Heero frowned self-consciously. He apparently always chose the wrong choice of words with her.
"He didn't lie to you," he tried again, arising a confused stare from her, "The guy whom you talked with two days ago. What he has said to you is true."
Or I will beat him down myself, he made a mental note to check the statement with Duo later.
He looked directly into her eyes and said slowly, "Your father is alive."
"Thank you," her stare on him softened hearing his words. "I think I just want to hear someone tell me that."
-.-.-
She actually intended to say more words, but the guard from before had returned with a pair of lanterns before she managed to perform her intention. She decided that it was better to keep their previous conversation secret.
So she turned to the man and thanked him, placing the lanterns on the wide table in the center of the library.
"You can leave these books to us," Relena was surprised when the boy said those words, "We will take care of it."
"Y-yes, Your Highness!" the older man spoke up when she didn't give response, "We will put the books in order."
She blinked at them. "I don't want to give you trouble."
"No." They replied in unison. "Not at all, Your Highness."
She smiled.
"Well then, I think I will return to my room," she walked to the table and picked some books, "Will it be all right if I bring some books with me?"
"Of course, Your Highness."
She sent them another smile, "Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it."
-.-.-
The man stuttered in replying. "I-I am honoured, Princess."
And they watched her leave through the doors. After she had gone, the man turned to his direction with a stern face.
Heero gave him a slightly surprised look, wondering what he had possibly done wrong. Did the man suspect something from him?
"Young man," he began, "You better learn some manner. It is impolite not to address the princess properly when you talk with her."
He only nodded as response. And the man continued to lecture him about etiquette and formal forms of address when they tidied up the library that night.
-.-.-
She was glad that she could meet with the boy again.
Truthfully, it was strange to find him guarding the library. Just two days ago he was an intruder whom the soldiers of this castle searched for, wasn't he? But she decided to give the fact no concern, believing that he wasn't here to harm her.
She wondered whether the boy would go now that she had found him out. And she felt a little bit sad. At least she managed to say thank you to him this time, for soothing her burden about her father.
For some reasons which she couldn't understand herself, he had managed to convince her with his words. And she had believed him.
Relena crawled to her bed, burying herself below the sheets, and closed her eyes. She had a feeling that she would be able to sleep well tonight.
-.-.-
His job today was to guard the dining hall.
The dining hall was usually empty, so the general decided that there was no need for two people to guard the room. Heero didn't have any complaints against the arrangement, he was used to work alone.
There was no interesting event that morning, and he ate his meal which was brought to him by one of the maids in silence. However, when it was almost noon, the kitchen started to get busy. He could hear the chefs bustled in the kitchen, and some maids came into the dining hall, bringing plates and a table cloth. As if they were preparing a banquette, or a special lunch.
Heero couldn't help but felt an unpleasant feeling in his stomach. He had a bad omen about this.
-.-.-
She was glad that she managed to find the way to the dining room by herself.
Relena opened the door swiftly. And she was relieved to saw a long table in the middle of the room, with many chairs at its sides. So she didn't come to the wrong room.
But when she entered the room, she heard a sound of metal clanging from behind the doors, and so she turned to the direction.
-.-.-
For this once Heero didn't like to find out that his intuition was right.
It was her, standing in front of him, eyes widened in shock. He tried not to look away, but his gaze was unconsciously averted to the ceiling, avoiding those blue eyes.
She stared at him for a whole minute, and he forced himself not to flinch at her stare. Then the understanding came to her and slowly, a smile touched her lips.
"Hei," she called, and he lowered his gaze reluctantly, "Will you hold on for a moment?"
He didn't understand her words.
The girl just turned around and walked outside the room, without waiting for his response. He followed her with his eyes, totally confused with her. Ah, she turned around again to him.
"I will be back in some minutes," she called before continued her run, "Don't go anywhere."
-.-.-
Relena ran back to her room, not stopping until she reached her doors. She opened it in hurry and went in to take some books with her.
She slammed her doors to close as she continued to run back to the dining hall. Oh she hoped the boy was still in the room.
-.-.-
He blinked at the girl in front of him, watching her grasping for breath. She held him some books which he took in confusion, saying that she borrowed the books from the library the previous day.
"Do you want me to return these books to the library?"
"No!" she replied almost instantly, trying to calm her breath again.
She walked to the table in the middle of the room, gesturing him to follow her. He obeyed when she asked him to put the books on the table, watching her curiously as the girl started to open the books.
"See these pictures," she put the three books in parallel line, "Which one is the map of this castle?"
-.-.-
The boy just stared at her. "Can't you-"
"…just read the map by myself?" she finished the question for him, "Unfortunately, I can't."
He continued to stare at her for another minute before averted his gaze to the books. Relena waited in silence, letting him flip through the pages. After a moment, he turned around to her again.
"All of these pictures are the map of this castle. The books only explain different parts of the building : the underground, the base floor, and the upper floor," he pointed each picture one by one.
"Oh," she replied, coming closer to look at the pictures more clearly, "And I guess we are in the base floor, aren't we?"
He nodded, "The kitchen and the dining hall, where we are now, are located in the base floor. Your room, library, and some other rooms are in the upper floor. The basement is for the security base, warehouse, and wine cellar."
She listened to his explanation with all her attention, "What about the green dots around the castle?"
"It symbolizes the garden, and the canal outside the main building."
-.-.-
She asked him more questions about the map, and he was impressed with her interest to the details. When she finished with her questions, she closed the books and turned to him with a smile.
"Thanks, and sorry to bother you," she said. "It just turns out to me that the people here use a set of letters which is different with the one in my world."
He was intrigued with those words, "I don't think so."
"What do you mean?"
He just took one of the books from her hand, and began to flip some pages. When he found the page which he searched for, he returned the book to her.
"Look at this page."
She focused her eyes to the text for a while, but lifted her eyes to him again in confusion.
"You know… I can't read the text."
"Look at the footer," he pointed with his index finger, and her eyes followed his movement.
-.-.-
She gasped when she saw the small text below the main article. It was only a few words, but it was written in normal, Latin alphabet.
"It is the Cumae form of our alphabet," his word made her lifted her head, "The form is uncommon, the usage of the form is limited to extra explanation and ancient words."
An 'oh' was all she managed to say.
"I don't know if the books which are written in this form still exist or not," he continued, "But I think the library may have some."
-.-.-
Her eyes lit up hearing his explanation.
"It won't hurt to try some searches."
He went silent at her words. She stared at him for some seconds, before spoke up in apologize tone.
"I'm sorry, you must be busy."
He hesitated before answered, "I have my job."
"Of course," she took the books with her again, "I can try to find the books by myself."
But before she could walk away, he stopped her.
"You forget your lunch."
She blinked at the sentence, then she looked to the meal on the table.
"Ah, yes."
She surprised him by turning to him again, "Have you eaten your lunch?"
He went rigid at the question. "No."
"Would you like to-"
"I will take my spot outside," he cut off her words.
And without waiting for her response, he walked to the doors.
-.-.-
It was a rude response, actually.
But instead of being offended with the response, she found herself want to smile at his short answer.
I always make him feel inconvenient, she thought as she ate her lunch in the huge hall alone.
She wondered whether she should apologize again for bothering him. And as she contemplated the thought in her mind, without realizing it, her lips turned into a smile again.
-.-.-
The next day was another startling day.
His guarding spot today was the back gate, practically the farthest spot from the castle. It was a desolate spot, as the main gate which was usually being used was the front gate, and almost no one came to the spot since the gate had been sealed to close. The iron lock itself had been smoldered with iron-mould, making the gate could hardly be opened now even that someone used the correct key.
The place was silent, and it was almost boring for the guards who had to guard the spot. His current partner, a young soldier in his early twenties, had gone from the morning – to meet with his date, he had said – and hadn't returned since. Heero didn't expect him to come back, as he had discovered the young soldier's indolence to guard the desolate spot from the start.
Even the assigned guard avoids this place. He looked at the girl in front of him in bewilderment. What in this world makes this girl come here?
He was both annoyed and surprised to see her here. The chance for someone to stumble across this place was so low that it was absurd to be assumed as an acceptable reason.
So he couldn't stop himself to question the only alternative left.
"Are you looking for me?"
"Yes," she answered in honesty. And he was rendered speechless by the single word.
-.-.-
The boy went silent at her answer, so she felt that she had to give more explanation.
"I have been looking for you since this morning, but I don't have any ideas where to look for," she began, "So I just stroll around the castle."
She waited for some seconds, but the boy still didn't give any response.
"Actually, it is because the map which you illustrated to me yesterday that I manage to find this place," she tried again.
His lack of answer was starting to give her nerve. She forced herself to wait patiently for his response, trying her best not to avoid his stare. As the minutes passed, her worry increased. But when she was just about to say sorry to bother him and leave, the boy spoke up.
"Why," he asked,"…do you look for me?"
Relena was glad that the thick silence had been broken. She smiled at him before gave her answer.
"I want to show you something."
-.-.-
She comes here just to show me some… books?
He listened quietly as she told him about her searching yesterday, how she inquired for the old books in the library, how her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm when she showed him the books which she managed to find.
It was only two books, actually, but she seemed satisfied to prove that the book in her form of alphabet did really exist. Both of the books were old, each cover was made from leather and the text in its yellowish pages was handwritten. Its title had faded because of age, and the only visible differences from the two books were its size, and the number of its pages.
"I have read the books," she said, "But I can't understand what is written in this one."
She handed one book, the smaller of the two books, to him and gestured him to take a seat beside her. He found it was queer for a princess to sit on the grass, moreover in a dress which she wore at that time, but he didn't do anything except silently took his place.
"I can read the text, because it is written in the kind of alphabet which is familiar to me. But the words and sentences just don't make any sense."
She opened the first page of the book for him, in such careful way to keep the pages in intact. She let him examined the content for a while, and when he lifted his eyes to her again, she continued her words.
"What do you think?" she asked curiously, "Is this another form of your language? Or perhaps a totally different language?
He corrected her conjecture, "It is the same Cumae form, the only difference from the one I have shown you yesterday is its usage."
"I remember you have stated that the usage of the form is limited," she replied.
"Yes," he gave her an affirmative nod, "In most books – like in the book from before – it is only used to explain some foreign words. But there is the other usage of the form."
"And the other usage is…?"
"In this book, it is used to write ancient language."
"As I've thought!" she exclaimed.
He gave her a questioning look, but she just stared back at him, as if waiting him to ask the question. He hesitated a bit when he opened his mouth to speak, but as she encouraged him with a smile, he continued.
"What you have been thinking about?"
"I have thought that, since our worlds are two different worlds, our culture and literature have to be dissimilarly contrast," she answered, "It is more understandable for me now that you've said that you have another language."
He paid her a befuddled glance, and the action earned him another smile from her.
"I was actually surprised yesterday, when you said that we had similar language," she added, "Isn't it funny that we coincidentally speak in the same language?"
He was stunned by that sentence for a while. "Do you also have other languages in your world?"
"Yes, and there are more than you may have thought."
"How many?"
"I don't really know the exact number, but I am sure that there are more than six thousand languages in my world."
He blinked at the answer, her world had to be very huge then.
She propped her chin in the palm of her right hand, finding his astonished look interesting, "How about here?"
"Here we only have several hundred of different languages."
"You can speak in all of them?"
"I know the basics of most languages, but not all of it."
"That's amazing!" she commented, "I only know around five or six languages."
He stared at her, and she stared back at him. And while their eyes met in silence, neither of them could avert their eyes from each other.
"…if," she said slowly, "…we don't speak in the same language, we may never talk with each other like this."
He silently agreed with her. It would have been big trouble for him too, if he couldn't understand the language when he was in the other world.
"It is a coincidence," she said again.
"A coincidence," he repeated.
Her lips turned into a smile again, "I am glad for this coincidence."
And as she continued to stare at him with her smile, he felt a tug in his heart. A kind of familiar feeling, a strange sense of anticipation, like he knew that something was going to happen. Yet, he couldn't find the name of the feeling.
-.-.-
She didn't realize she was holding her breath until the boy turned his head, breaking his stare.
Relena didn't know whether she was relieved or disappointed with the gesture. His eyes were always intense, and he had that kind of stare which made one's heart raced and one's pulse quickened. She felt suffocated by his straight stare, but on the other hand… she kind of hoped it would continue. It was confusing.
"Um, about the ancient language from before," she tried to calm her nerves as she changed the topic of their conversation.
She was still struggling to steady her pulse when he turned to face her again.
"Would you tell me something about it?" she thought for some seconds before adding, "Its usage for example?"
He took his time to answer. "It is no longer be used anymore. The language has long been forgotten."
"But…?"
"But it is said that old charms and magical spells are derived from the language."
-.-.-
"Magic?"
Her eyes widened in surprise, and he knew that he accidentally had pushed her excitement. However, it was too late to draw back his sentence.
"Ah yes, I have read it in the other book," she took the other book which she brought with her, "But I think the story in it is only fiction."
She gave the book to him. He didn't take the book immediately, but as he realized that she wouldn't back off with his impassive response, he sighed inwardly and accepted the book.
Better to finish this matter as soon as possible, he thought.
He read the first pages of the book, finding the stories in it were written in simple Cumae form. The book was, apparently, the collection of myths from ancient kingdoms, from the era when Romafeller hadn't been formed.
"So, my question is… does magic actually exist?"
He frowned at her, "You use it yourself."
"Me?" she pointed at herself unsurely, "What magic? I don't know any spells, I don't have magic wand, broomstick, or something like that."
"…broomstick?"
-.-.-
He was certainly at loss. Okay, on the second thought, it was ridiculous to think that one could fly with a broomstick. Yet, a pair of wings was more or less in the same category of absurdity.
"In my world magic is unreal," she explained, "It is only told in stories, magicians in black robes, with tall triangle hats, magic wands and broomsticks. The broomsticks are their flying vehicles."
"Flying vehicles?" he thought about it for a moment, "…broomsticks?"
She tried her best not to laugh at his expression. "Just in the stories."
He seemed to accept that.
"So there is no magic in your world?"
"Well," she thought over his question, "There are people who are born with ESP."
"What is that?"
"Extra-Sensory Perception, special abilities," she tried the simplest explanation, "Like moving things or having sensitive sense... I think it is different with magic."
"Most probably those people use magic," he argued her statement, "Consciously or unconsciously."
"I don't know," she replied, "Maybe you are right."
He caught her eyes, "…how about you?"
-.-.-
She blinked at his question.
"As I've said, I don't know any spells."
"But you have some…," he paused, "…special abilities?"
"…yes," she answered, "But I think you've known that."
He just replied with a single 'hn', but she didn't let it slip that easily. She locked her eyes to his, and he was forced to stare back.
"…what?"
"Do you have magic yourself?"
It was better that he didn't answer that question, but since she had been very honest with his question, it just seemed unfair. He would answer her question, he decided. However, he would stick with limited answer.
"Yes." And he refused to say any more words.
"Okay, so does everyone here know magic?" she changed her question.
He was surprised that she didn't pursue him farther. But from the first time they met, she never asked anything about his identity. He found it strange that she seemed so understanding about him.
The familiar feeling rose up again. What is this feeling?
-.-.-
They continued their conversation until the evening come, questioning and answering, with a few awkward silences in between. And the books, which were the initial reason for them to start their discussion, were forgotten in the end, as they were more and more talking based on their own experiences or knowledge.
From their talk, Relena got an overview about this world, and the boy got an overview about her world in return. She knew that the name of this world is Terris, and he knew that the name of her world is Earth. They had come to a conclusion that while Earth was based on technology and machines in daily life, Terris was based on magical creatures and spells. She found out that there are many kinds of magic, and that the magic itself is more likely a gift, so while people should learn to use their magic talent, not everybody had the talent in them.
In brief, she was quite fascinated with this new foreign world. But while the distinction between their two worlds was clear enough, she found that some parts of them were strangely similar. Not just the language, the governmental system, even the forms of address and names were more or less the same.
She wondered whether it was just another coincidence.
-.-.-
He never talked this much before.
And it was odd that he didn't feel uncommon with the fact.
He glanced at the girl beside him, who didn't seem to acknowledge his stare, wondering why he didn't see his action as a mistake. He was the one who offered to conduct her back to the castle when his shift had been over. What was the reason? It was merely because he didn't want to let her roam through the castle by herself. He didn't want to cause more trouble if she got lost in her way back, he was sure that the entire castle had been aware about the absence of their princess during the day, and was searching for her.
Yes, that was it.
He cut off his thought as she turned to him with a questioning look on her face. He just continued his steps without giving her a response, fully aware that she was smiling behind his back.
-.-.-
*) Cumae form = a form of Greek alphabet, it gave rise to a variety of alphabets used to inscribe the Italic languages
End of Chapter Five
~o~
A/N : Yes, I am a sap, a hopeless romantic, whatever the call you are willing to use for me.
Actually, I have tried to publish this chapter earlier. I didn't know what happened at that time, but I just couldn't log in my account. And so the new semester comes, and I just don't have time to upload. Again, I am very sorry for my lateness. Do send me some comments!
P.S : Dear Akumetsu, please erase your worry. No matter what day it comes, your review always makes me happy.
The next chapter is mainly about the familiar feeling which Heero feels during this chapter. And what Relena feels about him in return.
"It was a chance encounter… which unknowingly led them here."
(Chapter Six : Promnesia)
Until the next chapter, dear readers!