I Believe in You

Katana Force

Song by: Joy Williams on the Left behind Soundtrack

AC 195

Relena sat down in the dining hall, her mind wandering to the events of last night and just this morning. She didn’t know what she had been thinking when she had hopped into the limo with Dorothy. What had caused her to think that her going to the battle between the Romafeller Foundation and Trieze faction would do anyone any good? It had been a foolhardy decision, especially with her life almost being ended. If it hadn’t been for Heero blowing that falling carrier away from the bridge, she would be dead right now. And if it hadn’t been for Heero’s counsel, the Sanq Kingdom would be utterly defenseless. She had been so opposed to armaments, ridding her high horse that she had totally missed the reality of the situation, and it had been Heero’s words to bring her out of her foggy haze.

AC195

Heero sat on the crate, intent to wait for his time to face off with Zechs. The sounds of the war raging outside of Libra met his ears, causing him to wonder how his comrades were doing. Something shifted, and he opened his eyes to see Relena sitting down beside him, a small grin lighting her features.

He closed his eyes again, afraid that her beauty would affect him more than it already had. He tried to focus his thoughts on the upcoming battle, but they kept traveling back to the beauty beside him.

"Heero, will you kill my brother?"

Her question was the last thing he expected, but he covered his momentary lapse with ease. "If I have to." A thought struck him, nearly taking his breath away with the pain it brought. "Will you hate me?"

She looked down at her hands. A river of emotions passed across her features. "No, I won’t."

"Why?" The question was out before he could stop it, but if truth be told, he really did want to know.

"Because my brother chose the path he is on. I will be sad if he dies, but there is nothing I can do about it. Your killing him is part of your duty, and I can’t hold that against you. I may be slightly bitter for a time, but it will only be a passing thing. An emotion that will quickly die."

Heero leaned back and closed his eyes once again, pondering her words.

AC195

Relena watched his controlled features and studied his eyes. It was hard not to when he was so close.

"Believe in me."

Something blue slid down in front of her, and she was vaguely aware that he had lowered her face shield. Her focus, however, was on what she saw in his eyes. It was a pleading look, buried just under the one of a man who knew he was about to die. He was pleading with her to give him a reason to live. The hand resting on her shoulder pushed her back.

"Heero!" She reached out, catching herself on the metal railing. "I believe in you. Oh, yes, I do."

"Goodbye, Relena." His voice sounded so distant, almost pained.

She couldn’t help but call out his name again. "Heero!"

With tears streaming down her cheeks, she pulled herself over the railing and headed towards the command room of Peacemillion.

But something nagged at her heart, causing the saddened member to sing of its growing despair.

AC197

Heero stood behind the curtain, listening to the speaker below. He had been out of the hospital for eight days now, but there were still moments when he wished he was back in that room.

~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~

He was lying on the hospital’s sterile sheets, gazing out the window with cold eyes. His left leg was in a full cast, and his chest was wrapped tightly due to several broken ribs. If it hadn’t been for the incessant pain in his chest every time he breathed, he would have been out of the hospital long ago.

Yet, it wasn’t just the temporary handicap that kept him there. It was-

"Hello, Heero."

He turned his head to see Relena walking in, holding a vase full if daises that brought back memories from long ago. "Daises..." ‘The little girl.’ He thought.

She smiled and set them on the nearby table. "I thought they might brighten your room some." She stopped and looked around the empty space, not sure what to say. "So, the doctors say that you will be out of here in a few weeks. Are you excited?"

"Hn."

"What are you going to do when you get out?" She only received silence in response. "Well, Une told me to tell you that there is a position at the Preventers if you want it." He still remained silent, just watching her. It was unnerving. "Well, why don’t I tell you about my day." She went on to describe a rather comical event that concerned a delegate, a tie, a dog, and a glass of wine.

Heero just listened, watching her animated features. It was beyond him as to why she came to see him so often, but he welcomed it all the more. Her mere presence was enough to sew his wounded soul back together. Her smiles brightened his day and drove away his dark thoughts. Absentmindedly, she reached out and took his hand, smiling as she did so.

"I have to go. I hope you feel better soon." She started to pull away, but something in him caused his hand to tighten its grip on hers. She looked back at him with questioning eyes but remained silent.

"Thank you."

He was rewarded with a smile. "You are quite welcome."

Slowly he drifted back to the present, listening to the new speaker below, and he realized that she was someone that meant a whole lot more to him than he first thought.

AC 203

Relena looked around, taking in the smoldering bodies and crumbled brick. What had once been the peace capital of the world was now reduced to nothing but piles of ruble. The skies overhead turned gray, threatening with rain. Relena laughed at the irony. Had it only been this morning that the sun was shining, blessing them with its warm presence? Had it been just this morning that everyone was preparing for the fifth annual celebration of peace?

Of in the distance she heard gunfire. Ten feet away, there lay a dead guard. She walked over, stripped the guard of his gun, and headed towards the sound of the gunfire. If she had anything to say about it, there was going to be hell to pay.

Nearing the source of the shoot out, she lowered her battered body closer to the ground and eased her way up a large pile of rubble. It was a tricky climb, with the rain now coming in a steady drizzle. She slipped a few times, cursing the high heels she was wearing; but she finally made it. Peering down, she caught sight of Trowa and Heero, pinned down behind a large piece of slab. She counted seven gunman, and was grateful to Noin for having her learn how to shoot. Aiming the gun, she hit the first target with deadly accuracy. She aimed for the second one, and missed, but it had been enough to buy Heero and Trowa enough time to take out the rest. Some fire was scattered in her direction, and she ducked to avoid any stray shots. Pieces of concrete rained down on her, but just as quickly as it hard started, it was over.

Checking to see that they were in the clear, she raised herself up and started to make her way down the large pile. Heero looked up and froze. Relena took a chance to look at him, and lost her balance in the process. She slid the rest of the way down, tearing into the soft flesh of her legs, and landed in Heero’s arms.

Neither spoke a word as he just stood there, holding her. It was Trowa, clearing his throat, that brought them back down to earth in a painful rush. In silent consent, the three made their way towards the building that was now being used as an emergency station.

Hours later, Relena sat in a uncomfortable plastic chair, wrapped in a rough, wool blanket, drinking the worst coffee she had ever tasted. Occasionally, a chill would run its course through her, but she paid them no heed. She was watching the pacing man before her. Agitation showed in each step he took, letting her know that she was about to get a tongue lashing. She decided to beat him to the punch.

"I did what I did because I was sick of it all. I was sick of the idea that I had that could never be established. I was mad because no matter how long I spent, or how much work I did, it was all in vain. I tried to protect those dearest to me, and what did I give them? Just look out that window and you will see! And just like I tried to protect my friends by preaching pacifism, I went and shot that man so I could save you. So don’t go handing me that crap about I could have been hurt, because all you will be telling me is that what I do for you means nothing; and I, quite frankly, don’t want to hear it."

Heero had stopped to listen to her tirade, processing the words she had spoken. He was left with only one option. "Thank you."

Relena looked up, surprised and a bit confused by his response. "What do you mean?"

He got down on his knees before her. "Thank you for all that you have done. Thank you for helping me and Trowa. Thank you for all the hours of work and sweat that you sacrificed. Thank you for all the love that you have bestowed upon the people. Thank you for your patience in dealing with each rising conflict. Thank you for giving us an idea which to head all of our efforts towards. Thank you for giving us something to believe in." He paused, visibly nervous. "And thank you for everything that you have ever sacrificed to put up with me and my stubbornness."

Relena looked down at her hands, which were wrapped within his own larger ones. "Heero, I’m so scared and tired. Sometimes," She paused and took in a shuddering breath. "sometimes I just want to give up."

"Everyone feels that way once in a while, but deep down, you know you would never want to have your life another way-" Something shook the building, and the distant sound of a building crashing came to their ears. Shouts and sirens were heard directly outside, and the buildings PA system called for an evacuation.

Something in Relena crashed as well as Heero pulled her out of the chair. Her gaze traveled over the people, panicked, wounded, and scared; and with an emotion she couldn’t describe, a resolve rose within her. She pulled out of Heero’s grasp and made her way in the direction of the collapsed building. Minutes later she was decked out in suitable clothes, and she worked right alongside the rescue workers, pulling bodies out of the wreckage.

In the distance, she heard a faint cry and headed over there. It was a tricky climb, with the rain coming down ever harder. The source of the cry was buried under mounds of rubble, and it took all of her effort to remove the rocks. She caught sight of something brown, and the squeals grew louder, but there was a particularly stubborn rock in her way.

Her hands were bleeding, tears coursing down her cheeks as she struggled to remove to stone and get to the person underneath. Silently, a prayer rose to heaven for help, and was quickly answered. A pair of strong hands joined hers and pulled the stone out of the way. Beneath lay a puppy, whimpering and shivering in the cold. Relena lifted the small animal into her arms and thanked the person for their help.

"Your welcome."

Her head shot up only to be met with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Silently, she handed the dog over to Heero for him to take, noticing the tears in his eyes. And in the midst of the chaos and the destruction, she spoke words that changed his life.

"Someone once asked me why I chased after you, and I didn’t know what to say. But I do now. It’s partially because I love you, which you already knew, but the other part was due to the fact that I see the human in you. I see what no one else can. I see the real you, and you are so beautiful that I want the rest of the world to see it too."

Heero couldn’t speak, and even if he could, he didn’t know what to say. Something in him felt so right, so at peace, that he didn’t want to end. His soul hungered, thirsted, longed for that peace. Reaching out, he cradled her face in his hand. Like true poles, their lips drew together, proclaiming what their souls already knew.

AC204

The sun rose, greeting the world with its presence, warming the air. Relena wrapped her hands around her coffee mug and gazed towards the horizon. The air was so clean and fresh, smelling of pine and the ocean. It was times like this that her life felt fully at rest with the world.

Something wet nuzzled her bare leg, and she looked down to see two year-old Montanya sitting beside her, begging for attention. Relena reached over and scratched the dog’s fuzzy, brown ears. An evil thought hit her. "Tanya, go wake Daddy."

Obediently, the dog turned and headed inside. A few minutes later, "Relena!"

Relena smiled and sipped her coffee, waiting for the punishment she was sure to get. It wasn’t long in coming. Dressed in shorts and a white tank, Heero walked onto the porch, a frown covering his features.

Relena tried not to smile. "Did you call me, dear?"

The screen door opened, this time by Montanya, hitting Heero in the back. Montanya walked around Heero and obediently sat beside Relena, giving Heero a curious look. Relena couldn’t help it anymore. She set her coffee down, laughing uncontrollably.

"Do you think that was funny?"

"Y-ye-ye-yes."

A warning look entered his eyes. "Relena-"

Catching his tone, she immediately stopped, but the smile still wouldn’t die. "Yes?"

Heero lunged for her, but she jumped out of the chair and ran down the stairs, with he in hot pursuit. She had made it barely twenty feet when she was tackled into the sand. Heero’s fingers found many of her ticklish spots, causing her to squirm under his weight. Montanya hopped and jumped all around them, barking at the excitement.

"O-ok-okay! Okay! I give up!"

Heero smiled, stopping the torture. "Promise to never do it again?"

"Promise."

His expression showed that he was not convinced. "Hm, we’ll see about that."

"You don’t believe me?" She asked, feigning a wounded expression.

Something in his eyes changed, and he lowered his head within an inch of hers. "Not in this case."

"Oh, so that means" She paused, taking in his annoyed look that the kiss was postponed. "if I told you that the moon was blue, you would believe me?"

"Doesn’t count."

"So, if I said your pants were on fire, you would believe me?"

His impatience grew. "I think I would already know."

"If I said that the dog had messed in the bed, you would believe me?"

"Where are you going with this?"

She smirked. "Nowhere. I’m just trying to annoy you, or don’t you believe me?"

He rolled his head to the side, turning to face the dog. "How do we put up with her?"

In response, the dog cocked her head to the side, wagging her tail.

A smooth hand reached up, turning his head back down. "Excuse me, but we weren’t done here."

Kissing the tip of her nose, Heero smiled. "I believe you’re right."

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and the song does not belong to me.