A/N: Final chapter! Thanks everyone who read, you guys are champs. I've loved all your reviews, and I appreciate you following this story despite how long it's taken to finally get through it.
A special thanks to cocobyrd87, salimaran08, moon86, Cavallo1985, NightsMist, Phenital, Mindy2010, Reignashii, and anyone else I missed. You guys reviewed faithfully and it really helped keep me motivated. Without you this story would have been possible... but may have taken 4 years XD.
In other news, I've finished my AU project, so I'll begin posting that shortly.
Thanks again and enjoy,
-picimadar
P.S. I have ideas for a sequel, so if you're interested in seeing that sometime soon, let me know!
When You Run Among Shadows
Chapter 23: The End
"Relena. Relena? Come on girl. Wake up." Relena was slightly aware of a hand patting her face and the aching feeling in her heart, physically and emotionally, as she sat up, groaning. She opened her eyes and coughed, her mouth seemingly full of dust as she looked around, slowly remembering what had happened. Trying to stand too quickly, she wobbled and grasped for something to keep her balance. Trowa stood next to her, grabbing her arm and keeping her steady. "Stop, Lena. Hold still, you're bleeding. You've likely got a concussion, you hit your head pretty hard. Be careful."
"Oh, god," she choked out, taking a drink of an offered bottle of water. The once enormous office tower was now reduced to rubble, gray dust coating everything in eyesight. "Heero," she gasped, dropping the bottle and running toward the wreckage. "Oh, god. No, no, no,no, no," she continued to cry out, throwing herself into the mess, ignoring the cuts on her legs and hands as she tried desperately to dig through the broken concrete and glass.
"Relena, he's not in there. Come on, love," Trowa said, trying to haul her away. Relena fought back savagely, pushing the man away, resorting to blows when he refused to relent.
"You just let him! You just let him run in there alone! I don't care what he did to you!" she shouted, punctuating her sentences with hits to his chest and stomach. "You son of a bitch! He did all this for us, and you let him!" Relena sobbed again, the sound strained through her sore throat, tears raining down her cheeks as she finally stopped, falling against Trowa and letting the sobs wrack her body.
"Come on now, Lena. I'm serious. He's not there anymore. Come away. Come on, let's go. There's things to get sorted. 'Atta girl." Relena slowly became aware of the volume of people passing through the area, relief workers, Preventer agents and the like helping with the injured, seeing families back to the homes that hadn't been destroyed in the blast. Men, women and children all filed back from the spaceport, forced to walk as the destruction had spread into the street, the Preventer forces battling with insurgents and rebels all over the colony."These are the families who chose to fight with us. They had something they wanted to say to you," he said, shrugging, before they turned and faced the crowd.
"Thank you, Foreign Minister," one man said, shaking her hand, and dozens followed, turning into hundreds, turning into thousands as the thanks, love and proclamations of pride echoed around through the colony. Relena started crying, holding her face with her hands before turning to the people and waving to them, shocked. Media members circled the crowd meticulously, capturing every moment.
"I can't believe this," she said, turning to Trowa, who had put an arm around her to steady her. "No one's ever… done anything like this for me before."
"Well, Cherie, it's long overdue then, ain't it? Enjoy your moment. Everyone loves you, and they always will after this. You kicked some real ass, and you didn't even have to use force to do it." Duo walked up slowly, hugging the young woman tightly before releasing her as another Preventer agent approached, an exasperated look on her face.
"Miss Relena, I'm so sorry, but the President's on the line for you," she said, holding a phone out to the young blond carefully. Relena took it, dumbfounded, before pressing the handset to her ear.
"Yes, Mr. President? Of course. Thank you. Well, we did what we had to. Yes, of course. Thank you…. Are you- yes, well… yes, I suppose so. Goodnight, Mr. President." Closing the cellular device, Relena tossed it out into the wreckage of the old building, fuming as Duo laughed.
"What was that about?" he asked, and she shook her head, untied her hair from its high ponytail and shook it out hard, trying to get the ash and cement dust off her scalp.
"Apparently I'm to give a media address 'as soon as I am capable of doing my job'. I swear, I hate that man. I'll run for President next year just so I can be the one to fire him." Straightening the bulletproof jacket she had on, Relena winced as she touched her head wound, pulling her hair into a ponytail. Before she could even prepare herself she was surrounded by cameras and microphones, reporters prodding her for information, survival rates, casualties, and all she could think of was the one man who, almost surely, was now buried beneath tonnes of desecrated concrete and glass. Steeling herself once more, Relena looked into the cameras and began her second address of the past 48 hours.
"Citizens of the Earth Sphere United Nation, I am speaking now to deliver what is, on the whole, good news: we have, after a compact battle, secured safety of the residents of X-18997 and destroyed whatever remains of the construction of Representative Lavie's plans and mechanisms for releasing sterilizing chemicals onto the Earth. A formal release of information regarding all military action on the colony will be given by Commander Une following a more thorough investigation." Relena turned to walk away, hoping that the brief clarification would be enough, but she was quickly bombarded with questions.
"Foreign Minister Darlian, have Lavie and his followers been brought in?"
"At this point it is safe to assume Lawrence Lavie has died in the collapse of his tower," Relena said, gesturing to the ruins nearby. "Once we find the remains we can be certain. Many workers on this colony have survived and been detained for further questioning and to be charged as enemies of the state."
"Will any be tried under the old War Crimes Act? The new act has yet to pass; the old one could allow for harsher sentencing."
Relena glared at the young man. "What's in the past needs to remain there. These men and women are no more guilty of War Crimes than myself or any Preventer worker: they did what they had to in a desperate time. What they have done now, here, is inexcusable, and for that they will be charged."
"Minister, please. What do you think caused this sudden rebellion? Why attack the Earth when they already had independence?"
The young woman paused at this, closing her eyes slowly. "In my time here, I asked myself and several of those allied with Lavie the same question. In the end, it came down to freedom of choice. These people wished to live in peace; they fought for it, many had family, husbands, wives, friends who gave their lives to give us the peace we wished for. Unfortunately, continuing in this peace, in my opinion and in the majority opinion of members of the ESUN, requires demilitarization and complete surrender of weapons save for in security situations. Lavie and his associates disagreed with this assertion of power, which is exactly what it was." The reporters froze, listening to her carefully, trying to decipher what she was saying, and Relena saw the faces of several of her own allies among them. I'm so sorry, my little shadows...
"The ESUN used the power of this opinion to force the majority of colonies and regions of Earth to demilitarize, making many feel defenseless and discriminated against. In principle, Lavie's original ideals were correct. It was unfair and unjust for us to take away the choice of these people and others to live their lives as they choose. Should they want to defend themselves, they should be allowed to. Should they chose where they want to live, they should be free to go. Freedom and peace can coexist. As an official of the ESUN I can't speak for the goverment as a whole, but personally... I believe we should have trusted you all more." Looking out over the crowd, Relena thought of her mistakes, of the freedoms she had taken from her own friends, those she considered family, herding them close to her, clinging to them to cure her loneliness, and she thought of Heero. We should have trusted you more.
"In the future, I believe we can avoid incidents like this purely with more open discussion and public accountability. These are things I certainly hope to address upon my return to Earth. Thank you," she said, giving Trowa a pointed look, "and no further questions, please." The crowd of people advanced on her, but Trowa signaled other agents and they quickly dispersed them, pointing them to other people of interest. Walking back toward the Preventer's 'sick wing', she spotted Neil leaving a tent, smiling slightly as he recognized her.
"Well said." Patting her on the bag as he hugged her, he coughed at the dust he dislodged from her jacket. "You really hit the nail on the head. I know Lavie had the wrong way of doing it, but at least the point's been gotten across."
Relena stared at him, her mind working overtime. "It's what you've been trying to tell me the whole time, hasn't it? It's the reason you wouldn't join L'Ombre, wouldn't be with me... because you wanted to be free? You didn't want your choices taken away." Neil nodded.
"I think Heero's the same way, really. He wants to have the choice to do whatever he likes with his life... but you know in the end, he'll choose defending the peace and his freedoms over you. Can you live with that?" Relena didn't move, staring out into the distance over his shoulder. He must not realize... he must not have seen the blast. Shaking herself out, Relena patted her own cheeks to keep her tears at bay before walking away from the man, but it was no use; the huge droplets slipped between her lashes, sliding down her cheeks as she turned toward the nearest tent to hide in and compose herself.
She picked a poor place to hide, her friends gathered at one end of the seemingly abandoned medical tent, obscuring her view of whomever was injured, lying in the bed. "You've got to be kidding," someone said. "So he knew it was you and he let you stay? Talk about fatal error." Relena realized it was Wufei speaking and remained by the door, facing away as she wiped the moisture from her eyes.
"Man, someone'd best be there when Lena gets up, or she's gonna lose her mind. Gave us all quite the scare, you know," Pattie said from her perch on a stool in the corner. Relena remained quiet, feeling as though she was intruding.
"So, Heero, what are you going to do now?" Quatre asked, leaning over the bed. "We could just tell her you died… it might be easier for her, that way." Relena sucked in a breath and straightened, her chest constricting, mind racing so fast she barely heard the man answer in that too-familiar voice.
"I love her. I can't leave again. I'm tired of running." Relena choked on a sob again as she let out her long held breath, the group of people parting as she lurched toward the cot, kneeling next to it and staring into the dark blue eyes of the man lying there. Heero smiled slightly, reaching out and touching her hair. "I'm glad you changed it back," he murmured, and Relena laughed lightly before her face grew more grim. "I broke my promise, Relena..."
"What do you mean, Heero?" She wiped away some of her tears.
"I told you I would never kill anyone again... but I killed Sam. I would have killed Lavie, too."
"They would have killed us all, Heero. No one blames you."
Heero shook his head, weak. "You don't understand. Lavie killed your mother. I don't know how, but he killed her. He said so."
Relena paled slightly, resting her head on the cool metal bar of the cot. "I think I knew that, Heero. My mother wasn't even sick. She's hardly ever been sick in my lifetime." She shook her head, crying again. "But she went quickly, and she wasn't young. We avenged her. She would be proud to have given her life to catch this man." Heero stared at her, shocked at her composure.
"..I was serious, Relena. If you'll have me, I won't leave again. I'll always be there to protect you, if that's what you want. If you don't, I'll leave, I promise." Heero, rambling unusually, was cut short by her lips pressing against his.
"Trust me, you," Relena said, pulling away from him. "In the shape you're in, I don't think Sally's going to let you go anywhere, anyways." The others laughed but took their cue, leaving the couple in privacy. "Do you really love me?" Relena asked, and Heero nodded.
"I'm so sorry, Relena. I didn't know… I thought it was just some… teenaged 'thing'. I thought you'd move on and meet some nice, rich, stable ass who would marry you and make you quit that insane job and take care of you. I thought you'd be safe. I'm so sorry." Heero stopped talking, swallowing back the rising lump in his throat just before Relena shushed him gently.
"You have nothing to apologize for. I understand now. You wanted to have your choices, your options... you were trying to protect those things for other people, even me. You saved us again. Thank you, Heero," she whispered, kissing him on both his cheeks, his forehead, his eyelids and finally on his lips. "But I still choose you. I chose you then, and I do now, and I always will. I love you." Sighing, she pushed his hair off his forehead, revealing a long cut along his temple. "Say it again," she whispered, pressing her forehead to his.
"I love you," he answered obediently, and he felt her lips smile as she kissed him again.
"I love you, too," she said, standing up. "I'll be back, I promise," and Heero watched her leave. Relena smiled back at him briefly through the door of the tent as she passed through, but her expression fell as she spotted Neil approaching. His jacket and dark hair were still covered in dirt and soot, but he was still smiling as he, too, wrapped her up in a hug.
"He alright?" he asked, resting his chin on her fair haired head, and she nodded, pressing her chin into his chest. "Well, of course he is." Pulling away, Relena looked at Neil sadly.
"What will you do now?"
Neil smiled stiffly."Stay here, I think. Help with the rebuild. It's been home for a while, you know? Don't wanna just take off. Besides, maybe it'll help you out to have someone you know on the colony. I can't imagine we'll go long without another mandated check-up." Relena shook her head, sighing.
"I don't know if that's going to happen, Neil," she whispered, looking back at the tent, where her friends had regathered. "I don't know if I can go back to that job again. One person isn't enough to change the minds of the ESUN."
"There's not just one of you," Neil said, nodding to a group of people, Middie standing before them, giving directions and helping with first aid. "There's gotta be a thousand. They'll stand by you no matter what."
Looking at the battered, used and bruised people, Relena sighed again. "A childhood clique gone awry. They're here because they feel they have no choice. They would rather fight than feel they've slighted me. They saw me at my worst, and treat me as though I am made of glass. The whole world does. They deserve better than having people in government who they are afraid to oppose simply because they don't want to make us unhappy."
"Now, now," he said. "None of that. They love you, and the Earth will always want you. Besides, if you don't do the job, who will? I know it's rough, but when it comes down to it, people love you, Relena. People everywhere, people you barely know, will do anything for you, and who can blame them? If I had been willing to give up my life for anyone, to let someone make my choices for me, it would have been you. They may not all like it, but they know there's no better hands to be in but yours." Neil smiled, a bit sadder now, and Relena realized he was about to say good-bye. "Now, go on. I'll be around. Apparently you know how to find me, no matter what."
He walked away into the crowd, speaking briefly with the Commander, and Relena felt an urgent need to distract herself from the anxiety and sadness she felt as she realized she may never see some of these, her dearest comrades, again. Approaching the tent, she met up with Duo, noting for the first time that the man was missing his usual companion. "What happened to Hilde, anyways? Why didn't she come with you?" Relena asked, worry striking the anger from her features briefly.
"Well, we wanted to tell you, but you were a tad indisposed," Duo said, smiling. "We're pregnant! I'm gonna be a dad!" Smiling, he let Relena hug him as happiness radiated off her. The rest had reassembled in the tent, packing up as they prepared to make the trip back to Earth. After a brusque 'thank you' between Relena and Commander Une, the motley family boarded a large spacecraft, taking their seats and lifting off quickly. They passed the time amongst them talking easily, Relena explaining her time on the colony, leaving out the more saddening bits; the Catalonia sisters sharing tales of their childhoods alongside the 'Princess', Middie and Trowa being quizzed on their relationship, Mingmei and Wufei showing pictures of their beautiful daughter to the others.
"Hey, Lena, what did el Presidente want?" Middie asked, leaning over the seat to see Relena's face. Groaning, Relena covered her eyes with her arm.
"To let me know that I'm free to take a brief 'vacation', as I completed my field assignment so much more efficiently than expected." Trowa barked out a laugh, and Quatre leaned forward, shocked.
"Relena, you can't be serious. When you get home, you are doing nothing but sleeping, eating and watching all the terrible new movies you missed while you were away, and that's that."
"I never thought I'd get to go home," she whispered, looking over at Heero. Silence settled over the group of people as they solemnly considered what she had said. "But that's not what's important." Standing, Relena cleared her throat, bringing the large passenger bay to silence. "As head members of L'Ombre, it will be your last duty to inform those who look to you for information that simply... we are no longer to exist." Gasps were released throughout the cabin, several members outwardly vocal.
"Relena, don't be insane!"
"You can't be serious... after all this?"
"'All this' is exactly why I'm saying it. These people here today only fought because they wanted the option to fight. They wanted to make their own choices, to plan their own lives without interference. I can't mandate that their opinion is correct in front of billions of people and still perform the same injustice with you. You deserve your freedom. You all met me when I was just some child, and I made you feel sorry for me. Enough is enough. You're free."
"And what if we don't want to be?" an older man asked, standing and crossing his arms.
"Yeah! Lena, we love you!" Jesse looked slightly panicked, wrinkles forming on his brow as he took in the situation. Finally, it was Wufei who said what they all were thinking.
"Relena, you were a child. Even now, you're one woman. You think that at eight years old you suddenly walked into our lives and made us miserable? You do a great job talking people into things, but not that great. We chose to be there for you then, to serve you and your ideals. They may have changed a great deal since then, and I can't say I've always agreed, but this new change of heart seals your deal. You want us to have choices? Fine. Since you offered, I choose to stay." Sitting down, Wufei put on a pair of reading glasses and flicked open his newspaper nonchalantly, a faint smile on the corners of his mouth.
"You heard the man. You got trapped in your own words, Relena. We're not going anywhere." Pattie, too, sat back down, and the others followed until, finally, they had unanimously agreed. Silence pervaded the shuttle, the allies meditating on the gravity of their choice, the outsiders watching, realizing the affect that so many people united could have.
"Well, it's story time, kids," Middie said, finally breaking the silence, as she began telling Trowa about her time at school with Relena. Many secrets were shared, and it only made their friendships grow stronger, bringing them together. Relena smiled as Heero reached over and held her hand quietly, and she felt a peace that had been absent from her soul for many years. Watching her friends from Preventer, the war, civilians and her oldest companions from L'Ombre coming together so seamlessly, Relena sighed, closing her eyes and letting the calmness pervade her.
"I love you," Heero whispered into her ear, kissing her on the cheek, and Relena smiled.
"I love you, too," she said, knowing she had finally found what her heart had been searching for.
THE END.
