Back in the Library…
"That's it Ami! I'm here to tell you…" Duo's speech of love that he had prepared before storming into the library was cut off quickly by Ami running up to him and pressing her lips against his. Duo didn't know what was happening, but he quite liked it and responded to her kiss with gusto.
After a few moments she pulled away blushing bright red.
"Duo, I don't know what came over me," Ami said breathlessly staring at him and Duo gave that goofy grin that Ami secretly found adorable.
"Was it my animal magnetism?" Duo asked slyly before he could help himself and as soon as he said it he slapped himself mentally on the forehead.
Way to ruin a perfectly nice reunion Duo, he said sarcastically to himself waiting for her cold voice to tell him he was being a moron, but instead of yelling at him Ami started to giggle. Not knowing what to do Duo chuckled a little watching her and before his eyes Ami's giggle faded away to be replaced by tears and suddenly she was in his arms crying her heart out. Ami couldn't believe after the way she treated him he was still here, he was still trying win her back. She loved him with all her heart. As soon as he had walked out of the library she had known she loved him deeply and desperately, and she had nearly lost him; again. But sweet, dependable Duo, she should have known he would come back for her. Suddenly she wasn't afraid anymore, she wasn't afraid to tell him everything she felt. There was no way she was going to risk loosing him again.
"Hey hey babe… I mean Ami, why the tears?" Duo asked gently and Ami sniffed back her tears a little so she could speak.
"You came back, I don't deserve you Duo, how can you love me, after the way I've been treating you?" Ami blubbered tears streaming down her face and she smiled inwardly at the fact she couldn't remember a time in her whole life where she had shown so much emotion in front of anyone. Duo reached over and took her chin in his hands gently lifting her face so that she was looking into his eyes.
"Hey don't talk like that, I love you because every part of my body and soul tells me that I must be with you, through thick and thin Ami, I'm with you," Duo swore to her and Ami hugged him tightly as though he were an apparition that would fly away if she didn't hold onto him,
"Oh Duo, I've been such a fool, I nearly lost you again," Ami whispered and Duo stroked her hair gently.
"Its aright, I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere," Duo said soothingly and Ami rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
"Promise?" she asked in a small voice and Duo kissed her forehead tenderly.
"I promise."
In the Garden…
Still enjoying they picnic Minako and Makoto sat opposite each other on the picnic blanket talking about trivial court things. Minako was telling Makoto about a new dress she was having made when Minako's mouth dropped open as she stared at something behind Makoto's head.
"Minako what's so interesting over there that you would sit with your mouth wide open like a frog catching flies?" Makoto laughed turning to see what had Minako so enthralled and her smile faded when she realised the 'what' was actually Wufei.
"Makoto, I must speak with you," Wufei said urgently, his face sincere but Makoto hardened her heart against him, despite wanting to badly to throw herself into his arms.
"I have nothing to say to you," Makoto said stiffly turning back to face Minako who frowned at her disapprovingly, not liking the way Makoto was acting. Minako could see Wufei was trying to apologize, why did Makoto have to be so stubborn?
"Well at least let me tell you what I came here to tell you," Wufei asked humbly and Makoto winked at Minako to let her know she knew what she was doing before turning haughtily to Wufei.
"Go ahead," she said coldly and Wufei stumbled a little looking to Minako in a panic.
"Here?" he asked a little meekly and Makoto nodded.
"Minako is one of my dearest friends, if you have something to say to me then you can say it in front of her too," Makoto said challenging him with her emerald green eyes and Wufei took this as part of his punishment and began his speech standing before the two girls who sat watching him.
"You've asked me more than once why I ignored you when Heero had destroyed me, I ignored you because of my pride. My pride has always been my downfall. When I realised that I would never walk or hold a sword again, I thought of you and nothing else. How could I let you love me as I was? A mere shell of a man, unable to walk, unable to move, unable to reach out and touch your face, unable to give you the children we had talked about and longed for, unable to stand by your side at our wedding. I couldn't force you to live a life like that by my side, I wanted you to have a better life than that, I wanted you to have a better life than me, a broken half of a man," by this time Wufei had buried his face in his hands, so ashamed of himself and his behaviour. He could only imagine what Makoto was thinking, but knowing his Dragon, he was about to get an earful.
"Wufei you fool, I didn't care if you couldn't walk or hold me, I didn't even care that we would never be able to have children, all I cared about was being with you. I would have stood by you for better or worse, if only you had talked to me you would have known that for certain. You're right, your pride has always been your downfall, but you gave me less credit than I was worth, you should have known me better than you did. Half a man or a whole man, I loved you regardless," Makoto told him passionately, her eyes brimming with tears. Never had Wufei been so humble, never had she seem him break down the way he was.
"I promise I will never underestimate your love for me again, if you would give me one more chance," Wufei fell to his knees begging for her forgiveness.
"What would change Wufei? I can't just take you back without knowing that something will change or else we will make the same mistakes," Makoto told him, though inside she was busting the throw her arms around him. She needed him to admit to his mistakes and to realise that he needs to fix them.
"Haven't I already shown you? I've laid down my pride at your feet and confessed my shame to you and to Minako, doesn't this prove already how far I have come?" Wufei asked her softly and Makoto broke out into a huge smile as she reached out and squeezed his hand with all her might.
"Yes it does, and I promise to not be so weak as to give up on you, whenever you shut me out I am going to persist and persist until you let me in, that is my solemn promise to you," Makoto said sweetly and Wufei grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her passionately.
"I would want nothing more," he whispered before wrapping his arms around her and holding her close, feeling all was right with the world again.
"Well this is getting really uncomfortable for me so I'm just going to get going," Minako said awkwardly but the kissing pair barely noticed her creeping away.
Minako kicked at some grass. Great, now Makoto had a happy ending too, and here was Minako walking around in the gardens by herself, lamenting her non-existent love life. For a Goddess of Love, her own love life was really pathetic. Even her soul mate couldn't stand to be with her. Thinking of Trowa started working Minako up into a mood. She just didn't understand why he hated her so much. Their love story hadn't been anything terribly horrific, just that they had died and been separated, but Minako couldn't have helped that, couldn't he understand that? What had she done to make him not want to be with her?
"You know what Trowa, if you were here I'd tell you what an idiot your being, and that you confuse the heck out of me!" Minako said out loud, wishing Trowa was there to hear her.
"Then you'd say, why do I confuse you Minako?" Minako asked herself imitating Trowa's voice, feeling better that she was getting all her feelings out in the open.
"Then I'd say, because we never hurt each other in the Silver Millennium, I don't know what I did wrong to make you hate me in this life, I don't know why you are hurting me when all I want is to make you happy," Minako's anger came to an end as confusion came over her. She just couldn't understand what she did wrong to make him not love her now. Tears were streaming down her face now as she thought of Trowa and the harshness of his words before they went through the portal. He had made it so abundantly clear that he hadn't come here for her but for Ami. It shook Minako to the core to think that he cared nothing for her, not when their past in the Silver Millennium had been so near to perfect. Minako's legs collapsed underneath her and she would have fallen to the ground if two strong arms hadn't caught her and swung her up in his arms like a baby. Minako didn't have to look up to know who held her. She knew the way he felt, she knew the way he smelt, she knew his heartbeat, its was Trowa. It was always Trowa who saved her just before she hit rock bottom.
"Then I'd say, that the life that I had lived without you made it hard for me to trust anyone, and when you came bounding into my life with that innocent smile of yours I felt all my trust issues fading away, and that scared me Minako, because I could always keep myself at a distance if I didn't trust anyone, I never had to care about anyone. The truth is that I trust you with my heart and soul, I trusted you from the moment I set eyes on you, but I was too scared to let you know that. I came through that portal because I knew that I would see you everyday, and now that I'm here, I don't know how to tell you that I love you, more than ever, more than words. I was just too scared of loving you in case you broke my trust and my heart," Trowa said to her gruffly not used to making huge speeches and Minako looked up at him through teary eyes horrified that Trowa could think that of her.
So this was why he was being so cold and distant. He thought that if he trusted her she would break his heart, like people in his current world had done. Didn't he know her at all? Was he so blind that he couldn't even trust his past selves feelings for Minako?
"Shame on you Trowa, you should know me better than that," Minako chided him for his lack of faith in her and Trowa cuddled her closer to him, mentally kicking himself for being so stupid. The time he had wasted and the pain he had put both himself and her through, all because he was scared. But he was here now, making up for lost time and this time he was in it wholly and totally, all or nothing.
"I know, I realised that love is sacrifice, and I am sacrificing my fear of trust so that I can know the love we once shared, I trust in you and that you will love me always just as I will love you always," Trowa pledged and Minako encircled his neck with her arms.
"Oh Trowa, I will love you always, I will, I will," Minako repeated honestly leaning in for a kiss and Trowa obliged her eagerly neither willing for the moment to end.
In Heero's Bedroom…
"I hate you," Heero said softly, his voice laced with fury.
Rei couldn't say anything, she could barely breathe, after hearing what Heero just said to her. He hated her? But how could that be? Just moments before he had kissed her with so much fire and passion…Rei's thoughts were interrupted by Heero speaking again, this time his voice was gentle.
"I hate you because I love you so much, I can't let you go; everywhere I go I see you face, when I close my eyes your face is in my head, when I sleep your with me in my dreams, when I'm awake all I do is long to be near you, look at what you've done to me, I can't function without you, I hate you for making me love you so damn much, I hate you!" Heero's voice became louder towards the end and he slammed his fist against the door next to Rei's head but she didn't flinch.
Rei knew in his way he was telling her how much he loved her. Heero had never been able to express himself as well as others could. Rei knew only too well his frustration at being dependant on another person, Rei felt the same way for she was dependant on him.
"I hate you too, for putting me through all this, but still somehow making me love you with every part of my being, I can't live without you, I don't want to live without you, and I hate that, I hate feeling so helpless and not in control. You're not the only one who is new to trusting and loving someone, this is new to me too. I hate you for making me feel this way!" Rei spat back at him with vigour slamming her smalls fists against his chest repeatedly until Heero wrapped his arms around her, he pulled her so close to him it felt as though they melded into one person. And he held her until her struggling had ceased.
"I need you Rei, no matter how hard I try to force myself to resist it, I am drawn to you, I love you, I don't want to fight it anymore, I can't fight it anymore," Heero whispered in her ear and Rei dared to look up at him and his starling blue eyes were filled with warmth.
"Then don't fight it, there is no need to fight it, I love you too," Rei murmured as she leant towards him so their lips were touching and Heero stroked the side of her face affectionately before kissing her, this time gently and carefully, caressing her lips. When he pulled away his eyes held a dangerous gleam.
"If you pull anything like you did today again and kiss or even look at another man the way you look at me, I will kill him and then you, do you understand?" Heero threatened her darkly and Rei merely laughed at his ridiculousness. He knew as well as she did, that there would be no one else for her but him. "Yes my love, I understand," Rei replied obediently and Heero kissed her again, this time possessively and Rei was powerless to resist.