To Catch a Shooting Star

Ch.6 – Throbbing Confusion

"You're the smartest person I know…"

Relena couldn't believe her ears. He's just saying that to try and calm me down. There's no way he really thinks that…is there? Relena couldn't make sense of what

she had just heard. It's not like she was dumb or anything; on the contrary, she was exceptionally bright. She always had high grades in school and excellent

test scores. She was always looked-up to by the other girls at the Saint Gabriel Institute, and even by some of the boys. She was born into high society so she

always had private tutors. Hell, she was the director of her own academy inside the kingdom she also ran. And if that wasn't enough, she was queen of the

entire world at one point. But even with all that, how could she be the smartest person the almighty Heero Yuy knows? What about Doctor J and the other

scientists who made the Gundams? What about her brother and the other Gundam pilots? What about Heero himself?

Thinking too much caused her head to spin. Damn him for always being right. I need rest and time to recover. Relena adjusted herself in the bed, closed her eyes,

and fell deeply asleep. Her dreams were filled with memories of her past: her childhood, school life, meeting Heero, the death of her adopted father…everything

leading up to where she was now. Nothing vivid, just flashes of times gone by, almost like someone cut out chunks of a movie but still made it flow

uninterrupted. She awoke to the sounds of light breathing and crickets off in the distance. It was night now; the moonlight was pouring in through the window,

hitting directly where she was lying. Relena sat up in the bed. As she moved, a damp cloth fell onto her lap.

"How long was I asleep for?" she asked, aware that Heero was sitting in the chair next to the bed with his eyes closed. She had known him long enough to

know that even though his eyes were closed, he was awake and fully alert.

"A while. You slept through the rest of the day and half of the night. I haven't been able to do much because I've had to monitor your situation. You have a bit

of a fever and a massive bruise on your head. The cut won't be a problem because it wasn't deep, but I'm still worried that you may have hurt yourself more

than it appears. How do you feel?" Heero inquired.

"Well, my head is throbbing, someone is after my life, and I'm stuck here with someone who is more comfortable killing than he is having a normal conversation

with another human being. You would think that after three years some things would change, but here we are," Relena said in a very sullen way. Heero had

flinched at the remark, but quickly hid the fact. She hadn't noticed.

"You didn't answer my ques-" Heero started, but was immediately cut off.

"How do you think I feel?! I'm unhappy and in pain!" Relena yelled. Oh my goodness, what's wrong with me? I've never acted like this before. Why am I being so

hard on him? I mean, he does deserve some of it, but I'm not like this…Why? Why does he have this effect on me? Why did it have to be him of all people?

"The pain is obvious," Heero remarked, a hint of ice in his voice. He always tried to maintain a calm composure, even in the most hectic of situations. Right now,

however, he felt far from calm. What is her problem? She asked for me to be here. Whatever, if things go poorly, maybe she will get over me and move on. It's for the

best anyways. I'm no good for her, she deserves more. But…forget it. Let's just get through this.

"I'm so sorry Heero, I don't know what came over me. I'm just feeling frustrated about this rather sudden situation. Can I be alone, just for tonight? I promise I

won't object to any of your rules from here on out. I need time to think without distractions," Relena implored, uncertain if Heero would grant her request after

her outburst.

Heero got up and left without saying a word.