FUTURE HAUNTS
~By K.T.~
Epilogue
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. Don't own, don't sue.
Words surrounded by* are in italics.
Two days later....
*"And as you can see, no one was hurt by any of the freak accidents in
the
old factory.."*
Quatre clicked the power button and turned off the t.v. Here he
sat
in Sally's hospital but...noooo, no one was hurt in the...what had the
news
lady said... "freak accident"!
"Hmph." Quatre pouted. He suddenly straightened up when the
door
knob turned and revealed a smiling Catherine. She ran in when she saw
him
awake, followed by a bouncing Hilde, smiling Relena, poised Dorthy, and
grinning Noin.
"Hi, Quatre!" Hilde said.
"Hey, Hilde." Quatre said kindly. Relena moved to his bedside,
leaned
over, and kissed his cheek.
"Don't worry about work, Quatre. You deserve a vacation."
Dorthy sniffed audibly and then a quick, sly smile spread onto
her face.
"Yes, Quatre. Why don't you come by for a visit when you are
released." She arched an eyebrow. "We could fence a bit...work on
your...uh, technique."
Quatre laughed out loud and Catherine glared at Dorthy. Dorthy
allowed a
small smile to grace her lips before leaving the sick room.
Relena hid a smile behind her hand and then noticed the way
Quatre
was looking at Catherine. She caught the other girls' eyes and they
quietly
left the room.
Catherine looked at Quatre and then blinked when she saw that he had
been
watching her.
She suddenly felt very shy.
"Um...I'm...I'm glad you're doing so well..."
Quatre smiled and reached up to brush some of her shoulder length
hair
away from her eyes. Then put his hand on her shoulder and drew her
down to
sit on the side of the bed.
"I'm *ecstatic* that you're alive." he said softly, his voice
husky with emotion. "I thought I'd lost you and we had only just gotten
started..."
Catherine smiled and leaned forward, her warm breath fanning
his cheek.
"Well then, we'd better make up for lost time."
Quatre smiled back before her lips met his in a loving
kiss.
-------------------------------
Hilde, Noin, and Relena ran to catch up with Dorthy but they all ran
into
each other when they spotted Dorthy talking with the one of the new
Preventers.
"I don't think I would like dating a soldier." Dorthy said
a bit
haughtily.
N'Brekk folded his arms across his chest and studied the young
woman for
a moment before commenting.
"I don't think a soldier would enjoy dating *you*."
Dorthy looked at him sharply, a brow raised in indignation. She
moved
to turn away when he grabbed her arm under the elbow and pulled her
close.
"I *know* he would."
Dorthy's gaze softened for a moment and then she smiled.
"Well, maybe you could tell me where to *find*
this...soldier?"
N'Brekk smiled as well, his dark eyes lighting with joy.
"A little after six at the Sea Diner between 6th and 7th."
The three eave's dropping young women all looked at one another.
Then
they moved on, in searched of Sally.
-----------------------------------
Sally herself was still looking after Sabriel's injuries. She
wondered
time and again how the girl could have stayed alive so long with a
punctured
lung. She wrote something down on the chart and then unwrapped the
full
head bandage around the girl's head. It had been shaved in order to
treat
all of the small puncture wounds. Sally shook her head again,
marveling at
the young girl's stamina.
"You know something, kid. You'd have made one fine Gundam pilot
during the
Eve Wars..."
"Don't let Wufei catch you saying that."
Sally turned and smiled at Duo, Trowa, and Heero. She gave a small,
happy
laugh.
"It's about time he was let in on the truth."
Duo threw back his head and laughed as he slung a friendly
arm
around the blond woman's shoulders.
Heero felt a grin tug at his lips and Trowa moved to look
down on
the, still unconscious, Sabriel.
"How is she?" He asked, his eyes never leaving the patient.
Heero sobered and looked down on the young girl as well.
"Much better." Sally answered, standing at Sabriel's feet and looking
from
Trowa to Heero.
Heero reached out tentative fingers and barely brushed the reddish
stubble on Sabriel's head. Then he pulled back and let out a quiet
sigh.
"Hey." Sally broke in on the sober moment. "Did you know the girls
came
today?"
Duo and Heero exchanged glances. Then Duo grinned.
"Well, Heero, my boy. 'I've got to see about a girl'." He
hurried
out of the room and Heero moved to follow but stopped when he
remembered
Sabriel.
"I'll watch her." Sally said, smiling softly.
"As will I." Trowa said from behind the Preventer. He glanced at
Heero, and smiled a full fledged, friendly smile that warmed Heero all
the
way through.
"Thanks." He told them sincerely.
-------------------------------
Noin, Hilde, and Relena trooped onward through the halls. One of the
office doors suddenly opened and threatened to hit Relena when Noin
reached
out and slammed it back.
"OOOOOWWWW!!!" A male voice yelled from behind it. Noin's
hand
flew to her mouth and she opened the door back up to reveal a doubled
over
Milliardo holding his bleeding nose with his hands.
"Oh, baaaby! I'm sooo sorry!" Noin said as she ran to his side.
"You hid my nothe." Milliardo whined.
Hilde stifled a laugh and Relena was torn between wanting to
comfort
her brother or laugh at him. In the end she did both, smiling while
going
to his side and patting his back. Noin put an arm around his stooped
shoulders and began leading him down the hall.
"Come on, honey. We'll go find a bathroom." Noin soothed her
fiance.
Milliardo mumbled something that neither girls caught and then
Noin
gave Relena a look, telling her to go ahead with Hilde.
Relena nodded and she and Hilde ploughed on.
------------------------------------------
Sally looked at the blood test scans and frowned at the read
out.
"That's strange." She said aloud.
"Hm?" Trowa looked at her.
"Oh, nothing." Sally said absent mindedly. "Say, Trowa, would you
mind
waiting here for a sec while I run up to the lab and check something
out."
"No problem." Trowa answered.
Sally flashed him a smile and rushed out.
-------------------------------
Rina looked nervously at the Chinese Preventer and then shifted her
feet.
Wufei glanced up from the contract he was reading and saw her
standing
uneasily. He leaned back in Sally's desk chair, his eyes scrutinizing
the
younger girl thoughtfully.
"Well, I think that the Shadow Warriors would be a perfect
protection
enforcement for Earth." He stood to his feet and held out a hand. "As
long
as we can stay within the contract's limits, I hope we have an
eternity-long
partnership for peace."
Rina thrust her hand forward with a big smile, and shook Chang
Wufei's hand.
"That is my hope...my *prayer*, as well."
"Yes." The Chinese man smiled back. "It should be all our
prayers."
The phone at the desk suddenly rang and Wufei picked it up.
"Chang Wufei." He said.
"Wufei, I need you." Sally's voice came over the line.
Wufei froze for a moment and his mouth went dry. His
palms
suddenly were moist and his heart began to pound furiously.
"I...I need you, too."
Rina blinked at the Chinese man who's voice had suddenly gone all
soft
and loving. She looked at him questioningly but he was staring at the
desk,
silent.
"Um...okay." Sally said. "But I need you here, at the lab...right
away."
"Oh." Wufei straightened, his voice returning to normal. "I'll
be
right there."
He laid the phone in its cradle and then walked around the desk,
around
Rina, and left the room. Rina stared at the open door for a moment and
then
stepped out as well, closing the door behind her.
-----------------------------
Duo wandered down the corridor towards the mess hall. He had his
hands
stuffed into his pockets, and his lips were puckered up as he whistled
a
merry little tune.
Relena and Hilde rounded the corner and spotted him.
"Duo!" Hilde cried out as she ran to her friend. He smiled.
"Hey Hilde! Lena!"
Relena hung back a little as Duo gave Hilde a big bear hug. Then he
released her and reached for Relena.
"Relena, I'm sorry, but if I don't do this, I'll regret it for
the
rest of my life and..." He gave her a devilish grin. "After today, I
think
you are going to be officially spoken for."
Relena opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but Duo bent
her
over back wards and kissed her, right on the mouth.
Heero, of course, chose that moment to step out of the elevator
and
see this sight. He stopped, frozen in place.
Hilde giggled at Relena and Duo as the braided pilot kissed her and
then
she spotted Heero on the other side of the hall. Her smile faded when
she
saw Heero's furrowed brows.
"Uh, Duo. I think you were already too late." She said,
pulling
on the brunette's shirt.
Duo swung Relena up and released her. They both panted slightly
and
stared at one another, eyes wide. Then Relena felt them. His eyes.
She
always felt it when his eyes were watching her.
She turned and looked at Heero for a moment before he turned on
his
heel and strode away.
"Heero, WAIT!" Relena ran after him.
"OW!!" Duo ducked down, rubbing his head. He gave a sidelong
glance at
Hilde.
"What'dyoudothatfor?!"
"Idiot!" Hilde mumbled, before placing her hands on her hips and
glaring at him. "Now look at what you've done!"
Duo shrugged.
"It's good for Heero to realize Relena's desirable to other men.
Maybe it will wake him up to how valuable she is to him."
"Some lesson." Hilde snorted.
Duo straightened and shrugged again.
"Well I don't know about you, but I'm hungry! What'dyasay we
get
some chow!"
Hilde rolled her eyes.
"Duo, all you ever think about is food! That's probably why I'm
always
BUYING GROCERIES!"
Duo raised his hands in an innocent gesture.
"Hey, don't look at me!"
----------------------------------------------------
"It's some kind of strange mutation." Sally said as soon as Wufei came
into
the room.
The Chinese man stopped short and stared at the woman he hadn't
really
seen in two days. They'd both been so busy...
"I need you to hold this." Sally handed him a red-liquid filled
test-tube.
Wufei held it between his fore-finger and thumb. Then he followed
Sally
around while she handed him things and had him take notes....
Wufei sighed. He watched Sally test the last one and then waited for
her
to put it down before finally acting on his impulse. She walked by the
stool he was sitting on and in one swift movement, Wufei reached out an
arm
and snagged the blond about the waist.
Sally was swept up and sitting on Wufei's lap before she could
blink.
She wriggled a bit and pushed against his chest, protesting at the work
she
needed to finish.
"Later." Wufei said as he caught her chin and eyes with his
hand
and dark-brown gaze. Then he leaned forward and kissed her eye lids.
Sally froze beneath his touch and she felt his thumb
absently
stroke the skin under her ear as he held her head in his hand.
"You know, I really...need..."
Wufei kissed her cheeks and then her chin. He opened his
almond
shaped eyes and stared into her blue ones.
"I know what I need." He said softly, his breath tickling
her lips.
"What?" Sally's voice came out slightly hoarse.
His eyes darkened and he leaned forward, touching his lips to
hers, communicating his need the best way he knew how to.
-------------------------------
"Heero, please!" Relena panted as she drew up along side the
stoic
young man.
Heero glanced at Relena out of the corner of his eye and then
slowed
down a little so she could walk more comfortably.
She didn't speak again, only followed him as he made his way back
to
Sabriel's sick room. They turned into her hall and then Heero stopped.
He
grabbed Relena's shoulders, whirled her around him and pinned her
gently,
but firmly, to the wall.
"Do you love me?" He blurted out.
Relena blinked, opened, and then closed her mouth.
Heero leaned closer, trying to remain impassive until she
answered
the question.
"Relena Peacecraft, do you love me?"
Relena looked at him. His perfectly chiseled jaw, his deep
blue
eyes, strong nose, firm mouth. She reached up and brushed some hair
off of
his forehead, her eyes tasting every inch of his skin. Then she ran a
finger down his cheek and dropped her hand back to her side.
"I love you, Heero Yuy."
Heero nodded slightly and released her. Then he walked to
Sabriel's
door and opened it, motioning for Relena to follow him.
Relena entered and saw a girl laying on a flat bed, her body
covered
by a sheet, her head shaved. She gasped. Heero pressed a hand into
the
small of her back and pushed her forward. He grabbed a near by chair
and sat
her in it while he sat on the side of the bed.
"Do you know who this is, Relena?"
Relena shook her head no. Heero's mouth twisted into a wry smile.
"It's Sabriel."
Relena gasped again and stared at the girl's face.
"What happened?" She asked Heero, her sea-green gaze moving back to
him.
Heero sighed.
"It started about eighteen months ago, but in truth it *began*
five
years ago." And Heero told her, haltingly, about how he had been on a
mission for the men who had trained him. He had been about thirteen
and had
a chance encounter with a civilian. More specifically, a little girl
and
her dog. He told her about how he had messed up. When he had tried to
blow
up some of the mobile dolls he had miscalculated their trajectory and
the
fire spread, blowing up civilian homes nearby. In one of the homes, he
found the little girl's puppy and floppy hat she had been wearing when
he
had seen her.
Then he told her everything that he, Quatre, Wufei and Sally , and
Lady Une
had found out about the New Dawn. How, when they all ran into Trowa,
it was
because *Trowa* was the Shadow. He had known all along.
"He had just been trying to keep us out of it." Heero stared
through
Relena, a half-smile on his face.
Relena stood to her feet and looked down at him. Then she
brought
up her hands, resting them on either side of his face and leaned down.
Heero lifted his face a little to meet her own and their
lips
touched in a tentative kiss. Then Heero stood to his feet, his arms
encircling Relena's waist, and he lifted her up against him as he
deepened
their kiss.
Someone cleared their throat from the doorway and Heero pulled
his
head back to look at Trowa. Trowa gave them an impassive face as he
moved
to sit in the chair Relena had just occupied. Heero's hold on Relena
loosened and she slid to the ground.
Relena blushed as she met Trowa's amused gaze, and she smiled at the
pilot,
remembering what Heero had said about him.
"Thank you, Trowa, for protecting everyone's dream of
peace."
Trowa nodded, a pleasant softness about his eyes and lips.
"It was my pleasure, Relena."
Heero put an arm around the sand-blond's shoulders and lead her
from the
room. Once in the hall, Relena laid her head against Heero's shoulder.
"Remind me to make sure Trowa has a good job before he
disappears
again."
"Mhm." Heero agreed. They saw Noin and Milliardo coming towards
them.
They stopped and the two couples looked at one another for a moment.
Then
Milliardo cleared his throat.
"Heero, I'd like to say thanks for taking care of my sister all
those
times..."
Heero thrust his hand out.
"My pleasure." He imitated Trowa.
Relena looked up at him and then at Milliardo. She broke away from
Heero's half-embrace and moved to embrace Noin. Then she looked up at
her
brother.
"How come all my protectors are so tall." She tried to joke as
she
choked on a little sob of sentiment.
Milliardo opened her arms as she moved to embrace him and he
held
her for a moment, marveling that such a fragile creature could be
something
he was meant to look after.
Relena pulled back and held onto his sleeves to hold his
attention.
"I..." She sniffed slightly. "I wanted to congratulate you on
your
engagement."
Milliardo smiled.
"Thank you, Relena."
Relena smiled back and then released him. She stood there as
Noin
and he moved away, down the hall, and out of sight.
Heero came up behind her, unsure of what to do, and settled on just
standing next to her. Relena suddenly turned to him and threw her arms
around his neck. Heero brought up his arms and held her. Then he
noticed
her shoulders shaking slightly.
"Relena?" His voice was filled with warmth and concern.
Relena closed her eyes and smiled to herself. Then she pulled
back
and looked up at him, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. For
a
moment, Relena pondered the irony of it all. She knew a stranger who
had
tried to kill her more times then she could count, better then her own
brother, whom she'd seen as few amount of times that she could count
each
encounter on one hand. But that would change now. Everything was
changing...again...
"Relena..." Heero said her name but Relena shook her head. She laid a
quieting finger on his mouth and then her eyes widened with he caught
the
tip of it with his lips. Her cheeks tinged a little pink and they both
laughed at the strangeness of it all.
Then Heero knocked foreheads with her and breathed her in,
his
eyes traversing her face before he said, "I love you."
Relena closed her eyes in bliss, feeling tears well up and
threaten
to spill once again. She opened them to look at him and saw a sheen
over
his eyes as well.
"I love you, Relena Peacecraft.
Then he kissed the tears from her cheeks.
----------------------------------------------
Trowa stared through Sabriel's form as he thought hard about the last
ten
months. So much had happened...so fast. He pondered it until his head
began
to ache and then he blinked, focusing on a pair of golden eyes that
were
watching him.
"You're awake." He stated.
She merely blinked slowly, her eyes scrutinizing him so
thoroughly,
Trowa wondered what it was she looked for. He smiled inwardly, but
remained
composed on the outside. The two warriors watched each other and then
Trowa
broke the silence.
"Can I get you something?"
Sabriel gave the room a quick glance and then re-focused on Trowa
when
the world began to spin.
"Can I have some water?" She asked.
Trowa stood and moved to a small table, pouring some water from a
pitcher into a cup. He walked back to her and then stilled for a
moment,
wondering how she would manage. Finally, Trowa bent down, slipped an
arm
behind her back, and lifted her up into a semi-sitting position,
bringing
the cup to her lips. Her large eyes, now dark by the shadows, looked
at him
while she drank, and then he laid her back down, taking the cup back to
the
table.
"Thanks." she whispered as he sat back down. Her lids were
already
drooping again, and Trowa merely watched as she fell back asleep. Then
he
smiled. Things were definitely going to be different.
*******The End******
Author's Note: Um...thanx to all of you who read this and...I'm sorry
if you didn't like it...but I liked both reading and writing so... NYAAA!!!!
to you...No, really, I'm sorry if I offended anyone, this was my first
*thought* on writing a fic, though I wrote many short ones during the
time it took me to finish this one. I'm happy I finished and...what can I
say, I'm a sap for a happy ending. If you *did* like this one, there is
going to be a, hopefully shorter, sequel to explain a few things about Sabriel
and Ryden's past as well as what happened to Trowa and his scar; it's
called Past Ghosts. Also, I'm doing a long, three part wrap up of the Gundam
saga (which will take place over an eight year period...in the story, not
real-life...) called Death and Hope.
On a darker note, if anyone dares to steal the story line or any
character that *I* created without the proper credit given I will hunt you down
with a pick-ax in one hand and a castrating device in the other (wicked
smile).
Thanx,
K.T.
Mary Paradis