(D2 Entry) Butterflies of the Night, ch 14/14

[Fallen Angel]

Author: Fallen Angel
Rating: This one is only PG
Categories: Alternate Universe, Romance, Series
Disclaimer: Don’t own, much to my regret
Author’s Note: Here we are finally: the last chapter. I hope you’ve all enjoyed the ride. Sorry for the ending to the last chapter, I realise you were ready to cause me bodily harm for that. *bows deeply* My apologies. I’m sure you’re all dying to read on, but just before you do, this chapter is dedicated to the following:
Black Rose - What can I say? Your support is always appreciated and I'm sure everyone feels the same way.
Morrighan - your regular reviews were always uplifting (and sometimes threatening. Lol)
Beck - the waiting is finally over. Sorry I've kept you in suspense the whole way.
Melville’s Best Friend - Surely I’m not that mean. *points to halo* See? I’m an angel. Lol. Well, sometimes.
Wing
Mistress Shinigami
Dragonlady9
Zipdos
Angel of Death
Numena
Shadowcat
Sissi
Aku_ryo
And many others….Thank you so much for your reviews….Please enjoy the finale to Butterflies of the Night…

Chapter 14: Seasons

When Duo arrived at the Ichikoko, the scene before him was certainly not what he'd expected. A solemn and - if his instincts were worth their salt - a recently crying Relena opened the door to Heero's room.
When Duo had returned to Sally Po's residence last night he'd overheard that the young geisha would deliver the news of her survival to Heero herself. Overjoyed to see her alive, Duo was even more pleased that maybe she was someone to break Heero out of his perpetual shell of stoicism. So he'd been half-expecting, half-hoping she would be in the room.
What he hadn't expected, however, was to find her in such a dispirited state and Heero lying unconscious on the futon.
"What happened?" Duo asked, quickly going to check the pulse of his friend,. He let out a relieved sigh when he detected a strong, but slowed heartbeat.
Relena's voice was distant as she replied, "Sleeping drugs in the tea."
Duo cursed. "How did this happen? Do you know who did it?"
"Yes," said Relena.
"Good, I'll get their description, then I'll have to send a message to Wufei and..."
"Duo, it was me."
Duo froze mid-sentence and gaped at her. "What? You're kidding, right?"
She shook her head. "I only wish I was. I poisoned the tea, Duo. Heero will be fine - he'll wake up tonight with a mild headache, but he'll be fine."
"He damn well won't!" cried Duo, striding over to stand in front of Relena. Only his deeply seeded sense of propriety prevented him from shaking her. "Why? I thought you loved him! This doesn't make any sense."
"I do love him, Duo, and that's why I had to do it," She took a deep breath, trying to halt the threat of more tears. "He was going to give up everything he'd worked so hard for.He was going to give up the peace treaty to stay here with me. I couldn't let that happen. You know only he can bring an end to this war it was never his destiny to leave peace behind for me."
Duo stood there, trying to get his head around the whole situation. "So rather than let him stay here with you…Rather than be happy with him…You drugged him?"
"I knew you were coming," she replied. "While he's asleep, you can take him to Tokyo. By the time he wakes up, it will be too late. After what I've done, I doubt he'll want to come back here, anyway." A stray tear fell down her cheek. "You have to understand, Duo, so that you can help him make sense of it later. I had to break the ties between us for the sake of peace. I love him so much, I would rather he live on in peace, than live with me and the threat of war."
Duo was dumbfounded, struck by the intense love and courage of the young geisha. She may have still been a young woman, but in her eyes he saw wisdom far beyond her years.
"You really do love him, don't you?"
Relena smiled sadly. "More than I ever imagined I could love anyone. I love him so much, I'm willing to lose his love so that he will live on in peace."
With understanding and sympathy on his face, Duo nodded. "You have more courage than I do, Miss Relena. I don't know if I could ever give up Hilde. Her love keeps me alive."
"Then you understand how I feel, Duo," said Relena. She bowed her head and let out a weary sigh. “ I feel as if I'm already dead."
"Relena," Duo began.
"I'm going to leave now. I know you'll find a way to get him to Tokyo. You're very loyal, Duo. Heero will need that over the next few days."
Still as graceful as ever, Relena stepped past him towards the door.
"Wait!" Duo called.
She stopped but did not turn, even when Duo spoke.
"Relena...what do I tell him? What do I say to make him understand? It won't sound right coming from me; I'm not sure I know what he needs to hear."
Relena's shoulders shuddered as if she were sighing, or maybe crying: Duo couldn't tell. "Tell him...tell him I love him. It's all he needs to know."
***
6 months later:
The cool breeze of autumn blew from the peak of the mountaintops, down into the valley, across the fields and orchards and finally, through the windows of Noin and Relena's home.
Midway between her calligraphy stroke, Relena paused and felt the breeze caress her face. It ruffled her paper and her now loosely-worn hair, but she didn't mind. The breeze brought change, her brother had once told her, and there was never anything wrong with change for though it may bring bad times, it was constantly happening. New beginnings were always waiting just over the horizon.
Relena sighed and tried to smile. She understood this now, more than ever. The last six months had brought turmoil and joy, pain and bittersweet happiness.
Once Heero had left for Tokyo, she had returned home in a daze. The moment she walked through the door, Sally and Noin had wanted to know what had happened, their faces anxious, as if they realised something was wrong. Relena couldn't find the words. Even months later, when she finally had the strength to speak her heart, the telling still brought her pain. Since then, everyone had been kind enough never to mention Heero, or anything to do with the General.
But it couldn't have been too hard for them, thought Relena, considering how busy their own lives had been. Soon after Heero went to Tokyo, Duo returned and married Hilde in a small, but joyous ceremony. By that time, Duo's joyful demeanour had worn down whatever was left of Sally and Noin's annoyance at his secret affair with Hilde and they both found themselves wholeheartedly approving of the marriage - especially when, after the couple had settled into a small house on the outskirts of Kyoto, Hilde announced they would be expecting their first child in the spring. Relena and Noin had already agreed to visit to help her out. Hilde had jokingly written back in a letter that Duo was looking more stressed than she was at the thought of impending parenthood.
Relena looked out upon the valley towards Kyoto and wished she could see Hilde more often than she did. But since returning home, there was so much work to be done that she and Noin were working constantly just to maintain the property. Still, they were grateful. Once Sally announced that she was leaving for China with Wufei, she also announced that the sale of the okiya and all its kimono and treasures would be sold and the profits divided up evenly between them. At first, Noin and Relena had protested that Sally would need her money for the future and technically, they were still in debt to her. But once she'd confided in them that Wufei was of the Imperial family and marriage was certainly not an impossible prospect, Relena and Noin had gratefully taken the money and used it as a deposit on a loan to buy their house back. With peace settling in throughout the country, the bank was willing to lend them the money...After all, it was only a matter of time before Japan was back on its feet. There would be a lot of rebuilding to do. - Sally wrote often and said she and Wufei were kept continuously busy helping to rebuild towns in China - but at least they were home.
Noin's voice intruded on Relena's thoughts.
"Relena!" she called.
"In here."
Noin appeared at the door, smiling and radiant.
"Relena, I just spoke to Mrs. Tanaka and she said that she heard a platoon of soldiers from Tokyo had arrived in Nara last week and that some of them were heading towards Hiroshima. Maybe Milliardo will be with them." Her eyes sparkled as she relayed the news.
"Oh, Noin, that's fantastic," said Relena, rejoicing at the thought of seeing her brother. She tried to block out the memories of another soldier who still held a place in her heart. Oh, who was she kidding? He held her heart. Even in all the months that had passed since she'd last seen him she couldn't forget him, couldn't banish him from her memory. Even more torturous, she could still feel the warmth of his touch on her skin, the feel of him inside of her… She shook her head. This wouldn't do at all. Heero was gone from her life; she needed to move on.
"By the way," Noin added, holding up a letter in very good quality washi. "Tanaka-san brought this from the city. It's from Dorothy and Quatre."
"Really?" asked Relena; she tore open the envelope. "I haven't heard from Dorothy for a while. But I know she'll have been very busy finding and training a replacement to take over the Ichikoko when she leaves." She pulled a gold-embossed card from the envelope. "Hey, it's an invite to their wedding. A few weeks before New Years. That's fantastic! We were planning to visit Hilde and Duo for the holidays anyway."
"It's about time," said Noin. "They've been engaged for so long, I think the gossips around town were beginning to believe it wasn't going to happen."
Relena waved a hand to dismiss the thought. "Dorothy's been busy, that's all. Besides, we all knew it would happen. It certainly will be a story for the maiko to tell," said Relena wistfully. "One of the richest men in Kyoto breaks off his arranged engagement to marry the geisha he loves. I'm happy for Dorothy: she hasn't had enough kindness in her life."
Noin smiled sadly. "It will happen for you too, Relena."
Relena didn't meet Noin's eyes. "Maybe. One day." She couldn't bring herself to tell Noin the truth. She had had that kind of love, that kind of happiness. And then she'd had to give it up for the peace that they were now enjoying.
"Relena..." began Noin, knowing what her sister was thinking, but she was cut off by the sound of a knock at the front door.
"I wonder who that is," said Noin. "Maybe Mrs. Tanaka forgot to give me something. Tanaka-san, is that you?" she asked, sliding open the door.
"I'm afraid not," a deep, but familiar voice said.
Noin's eyes traveled up from where she had expected to see Mrs. Tanaka's much shorter form to the visitor's face, and gasped in disbelief.
"By the Gods, Milliardo?"
He was taller than she remembered and leaner. But there was no mistaking those eyes, even if the expression had changed slightly, worn by the experience of battle. Noin had seen those eyes for years, searching her features as he made love to her, bright like stars when he smiled at her in the mornings. No, there was no mistaking them. The man before her was her husband.
"Oh, Milliardo." She threw herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face. "It's been so long...I was beginning to fear I'd never get you back."
He held her tightly, breathing in the scent of her, feeling the familiar sensation of her soft body against his. "Noin, Noin, Noin," he whispered into her hair, like a prayer, a mantra. And it was. This was what had kept him fighting to stay alive all these years, what had kept him wanting to live on when all was lost. "I missed you so much."
"I know," Noin replied, and kissed him with all the built-up hunger of years' worth of waiting. "There's so much I have to tell you, so much I want to say, but it can wait for tonight."
That same mischievous gleam came to Milliardo's eyes and Noin was glad to see that the years apart had by no means dulled her husband's desire for her. If anything, it seemed to have made it stronger.
"Relena will want to see you, too," said Noin; she stepped aside and pulled her husband into the house. As if on cue, Relena appeared in the room, her face a mask of disbelief.
"Oniisan?" she asked. "Is that really you?
Millliardo smiled and opened his arms. "Little sister," he said, barely finishing the words before she ran to him, letting herself be wrapped up in his embrace. "I missed you too, Relena. Now step back and let me look at you."
She did so and his mouth fell open in shock. "By the gods."
"What is it?"
"It's just...when I left, you were still a little girl and now...now you're a woman." A look of sadness filled his eyes. "I wanted so badly to be there to watch you grow up, to grow into an adult."
"Oh, Milliardo," Relena said, wrapping her arms around her brother's torso. "I'm still your little sister. And we have time to catch up on everything that's happened." A tiny pang of worry hit Relena when she thought about how Milliardo would react to the news that she had become a geisha to support her family while he was gone. She shot a look to Noin, but Noin just nodded. She understood and she tried to reassure Relena that Milliardo would understand too.
"Now, Relena," her sister-in-law said, stepping forward. "Milliardo must be exhausted. Come to the dining room and we'll have some tea and talk, okay?"
Relena turned to her brother, taking his arm. "Of course. You must be so tired after a long journey. Did you come all the way from Hiroshima on your own?"
"No, actually. Funny you should ask," said Milliardo, a strange look on his face. "I had a special escort. He rode with me from Hiroshima all the way to the road at the bottom of our property."
"Really?" asked Noin. "Who was it?"
"General Yuy himself. He arrived in Tokyo just as I was leaving and asked to join our group travelling south. He seemed especially interested in where I lived. I asked him why he would bother coming all this way just for me, but he would only tell me it was for personal reasons. I suppose he must know someone in the area."
Noin was silent and glanced quickly at Relena. The young woman had gone pale, her face drained of colour. Milliardo hadn't noticed, but then again, he wouldn't have the slightest idea of all that had happened between his younger sister and the General.
"Relena," said Noin and the one word seemed to snap her out of her trance.
"I have to go," she simply said. "I have to."
And with that, she pulled away from Milliardo and ran for the front door.
"Relena, wait!" called Milliardo. "Where are you going?"
But she was already out of the house and running down the path. Noin came and took her husband's hand. "Leave her, Milliardo. Let's have some tea and I'll tell you all about it." He looked at her quizzically, but she just shook her head. "Trust me, it's a long story."
***
Relena ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She didn't care that she was ruining her nice geta or that her kimono would be soiled by mud; she took a shortcut off the path and through the woods. In fact, she didn't care about anything except Heero. For six long months, she had believed that he was a dream of the past, never to return to her. She had sadly begun to believe that she would only ever know that kind of love once in her life - and there was no way to have it back.
Now, to discover that Heero had returned to Tokyo and come all the way out to Hiroshima....She couldn't banish the thought that maybe he was hoping to see her. Maybe he was brought here by the thought of her, just as the thought of him was spurring her along now, giving air to her stinging lungs, strength to her weary muscles.
Then, just when she thought she could run no more, she saw him, almost in the exact same spot she first met him, riding along the road near her house. And like last time, she knew there was only one was to stop him.
Jumping from the raised ridge along the road, she hit Heero mid-flight, knocking him from his horse and bringing them both to a rough, rolling landing on the ground. Startled, Heero's horse threatened to bolt, but Heero recovered much more quickly than his animal, grabbing his attacker by the wrists and pinning him to the ground.
But it wasn't a him. It was a her.
Heero couldn't believe his eyes. "Relena. What are you doing here?"
Panting for breath, she replied, "I should ask you the same question. I live here. Why are you here?"
He let her go and offered her a hand up, but she rejected it. "No," she said, "I'm not moving until I get an answer."
An awkward silence settled upon them and in that time, Heero couldn't help but stare at Relena - beautiful even when sitting in the dirt of the road. His eyes soaked up the sight of her like a man who had been thirsting for three days would soak up water. And that's what she was to him: water, air, life. He realised now that he had remembered her perfectly: every line of her face, every nuance of colour in her eyes. She may no longer be a geisha, but she was still stunning. If anything, the slight tinge of a tan and the new leanness to her body added to her beauty.
"Heero? Are you listening to me?" Relena asked and wondered if he was okay. In the past six months, she'd been listening to every report and rumour about what the General was doing. Much of it was news passed on from Duo, but even that was sketchy. Truthfully, she had no idea what it had been like in China, appearing before the leaders of his enemies, wondering about the woman who'd betrayed him. It must have been hard and now all she could do was interrogate him. But she wanted to know...needed to know.
"I..." he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Gods, Relena, you know why I'm here!"
"Then say it, Heero," she said, not caring that the desperation was showing in her voice. She was desperate. "Please, I've waited so long to see you. I need to hear the words."
"I'm here to see you, and you know it," he told her and she accepted his help up. The mere physical contact of holding his hand for a moment was sweet torture for her, but Relena knew that now was the time to talk. There was, on both sides, much to be said.
"Does that mean you've forgiven me?" she asked, fearful of his answer.
"I don't know, Relena, forgive you for what? For betraying me? For lying to me? For saying you were fine with my decision when you obviously weren't...?"
"I tried to convince you to go..."
He ignored her. "Or maybe you want forgiveness for poisoning me and having me sent to Tokyo against my will, knowing full well that I would never have left otherwise. Or maybe, just maybe, you want to apologise for destroying me."
"Heero..." There was so much she wanted to explain, but he was so bitter and she couldn't blame him.
"Lost for words, are we?" he asked, his voice colder than she'd ever heard it, his eyes like ice. "You know, this place brings back memories. It was here that I told you I'd kill you. How wrong I turned out to be,. I was the one who got stabbed in the back."
That was the last straw for Relena. She didn't want to be defensive or mad. God knew the only thing she really wanted to do at the moment was kiss him until her lips almost hurt, urge him to make love to her as she knew he could. But he had pushed her too far, and she could take no more.
"You think I died for you on that night at the temple, Heero?" she asked, bringing her face close to his. "The truth is, I've been dying for you for the past six months. I've had to watch as everyone has a brand new start on life, rejoicing in this peace, while I'm alone and my heart is breaking. Don't you dare talk to me about pain, Heero Yuy, when you have no idea what I've been going through since that last morning I saw you."
"Then tell me why you did it, Relena," Heero said, advancing on her in return. The force of his personality, the cold anger in his voice pushed her backwards more forcefully than if he'd touched her. She found herself stepping away from him, yet on he came, his words demanding. "Tell me why you betrayed me...I'm dying to know."
Tears gathered in Relena's eyes, not so much from his angry words but from the thought that his anger might be stronger than his love. "Heero...I only wanted to give you peace. If I had to give you up so that you would have it, then so be it. I hoped, in time, you would understand."
Heero moved closer, though he did not touch her. "I loved you, Relena. I would have laid the world at your feet it you'd only asked."
The tears were flowing now, and Relena was powerless to stop them. He'd said loved. Past tense. "Don't lie. You would have sacrificed the peace of the world to be with me. It's not the same thing. I loved you Heero and I still love you, but I couldn't lie on a bed with you, knowing it had been tainted with the blood of all those who would die without the treaty..." She struggled to speak as the sobs wracked her body. Yet still, he did not comfort her. He didn't even move and she kept her gaze to her feet, afraid of what she would see in his eyes if she dared to look.
"You weren't betrayed," she said in a whisper. "I was. I was betrayed by fate, by being given such a choice: the lives of thousands of men I didn't even know, or the love of the one man who meant the world to me."
There was an indrawn breath from Heero. Whether of anger or understanding, Relena didn't know, but the next thing she felt was Heero's arms around her and his hand pulling her head in beneath his chin.
As sweet as it felt to be held by him again, it meant nothing without his forgiveness. "Please don't hold me if you don't mean it," she whispered into his chest.
He laughed, a half-sad, half-relieved laugh. "Then please don't ask me to let you go."
Relena raised her head. "Does this mean what I think it does?"
Heero looked in her eyes, eyes so young but had seen so much and found himself drowning so deep he couldn't think of the words. Actions would have to do, he decided and he kissed her, deeply and longingly. She responded immediately, as softly and as sweetly as he remembered, as he'd dreamed about. When the need for air was too strong, when the passion threatened to completely rob him of his senses, Heero pulled away.
"I didn't mean what I said," he told her. "I do still love you. And I want to marry you. The Emperor has said that I can have..."
"Yes," she said quickly.
He smiled. "You haven't even heard all that I have planned for us."
Relena shook her head. "It doesn't matter. All I want is you, the rest doesn't matter to me."
He took her hand. "Let's go, then. I want to speak to your brother and have things organised as soon as possible. I've been waiting six months for this."
"I've been waiting all my life," said Relena, half to herself.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Heero raised an eyebrow at her as they walked up the path back to the house. "You're not like other women, Relena."
She raised her head indignantly. "Of course not."
"I mean it. You willingly throw your life away for others, you poison your lover's tea because it's the right thing to do and you don't even care for riches and land."
Relena pulled her hand from his and slowed her steps. "I hope this has a good point to it."
"All I'm saying is, being married to you will certainly be an experience," said Heero, giving her a wry smile.
Smiling in return, Relena ran at him, tackling him to the ground and rolling so she sat on top of him. "And you'll love every minute of it," she said.
"Indeed I will," he replied, a low note to his words letting Relena know exactly what he was thinking about in their current position.
"Heero..." Relena said, looking around warily. They were hidden from view from the house by long grass, but if Noin or Milliardo came down looking for them...
"Don't worry." Heero knew what she was thinking. "If I were your brother, I wouldn't be leaving the house anytime soon."
She slapped him playfully on the arm. "Don't be crude."
"Then don't pretend you haven't thought about that night at least a few times in the past six months."
Relena could feel herself blushing. "Maybe."
"Good," he said, pulling her down to him and kissing her. "In any case, we're engaged now."
"Engaged," Relena mumbled against his lips. "I like the sound of that."
"Oh, I almost forgot," Heero said, breaking the kiss but keeping her in his arms. "I have an engagement gift for you."
"Already?"
Heero reached into his kimono top and pulled out a package, wrapped in red silk, not much longer than his hand.
"What is it?" asked Relena, taking it.
"Open it and find out."
Relena pulled the tie loose and let the package unwrap. Something long and light fell into her hand and it took her a moment to recognise what it was. When she did, her eyes widened in disbelief.
"My fan," she whispered. "The one I gave to you that night."
"I had put it in my kimono when we woke up. I didn't want it to get lost. Looking back, I'm glad I did; it was all I had to remember you by. Though I didn't need to. I told you I wouldn't forget, Relena. Not in six months, not in six years."
"Heero," Relena's eyes met his and she saw, for just a moment, through the wall he put around his heart. She saw the pain, the sorrow at being betrayed by the one person he'd let into his heart.
"I won't forget either, Heero," she said solemnly. "I wouldn't be able to forget you. And I promise never to betray you like that ever again. I'll make it up to you, I swear."
He smiled past the sadness in his eyes. "No hurry. We have the rest of our lives."
"More than that. We have forever."
He took her hands in his. "I do love you, Relena."
She brought his hands to her lips and kissed his fingers. "And I love you."
And as the warmth of the midday sun shone down on an otherwise unremarkable field in Hiroshima province, the two lovers proved it.


Owari

Translations:
Washi: A thin, rice paper, used for letters, etc.
Oniisan: Big brother

Author’s Note: Well, there we were…please let me know what you think…it may be the end but I’m always happy to hear your thoughts. More fics will be up soon so please keep an eye out. In case you’re wondering, the spinoffs to “Oceans and Skies” start soon as well as a new saga. Yours truly, Fallen Angel.

[lexcel]

This is what I think of your story...aw, kawaii! Very nicely written, I was very involved with the plot and romance. With Relena and Heero as romantic leads, how could you go wrong? Great job.
_______________
Homer Simpson: I'm sick of my own creation. Now I know how God feels.

Words to live by...heh, heh, heh.