Eternity In His Hand 7/?

[Goldberry]

Berry:ZZZZZZ...zzzzzz....
Wicked: Ahem, *nudges Berry*
Berry: Mumpfff...zzzzzz....
Melville: *eyebrow twitches* Alright, that's it. BERRY!!! WAKE UP!! NOW!
Berry: *blinks* Huh, what?
Engrishspy: Hey, get up, it's time for another chapter!
Berry: Uhm...yeah...okay...*goes back to sleep*
Tornin: *facevaults* Geez, you'd think she'd be over the whole daylight savings time thing already.
Melville: Guess that means it's up to me! *grins evilly* Hey, yo, new chapter folks! Enjoy! *waves*
Wicked: *pats Mel* Uh, good job...I guess. Trowa would have been better. *sighs dreamily*
Berry: ZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz *drools in her sleep*


Eternity In His Hand
Chapter Seven





Dorothy smiled around the rim of her glass, cool cider trickling down her throat as her eyes followed the Champion across the room. He had entered from the gardens, pulled back into the ballroom by Hilde who was talking animatedly into his ear, her face bright. The younger girl all but dragged Heero into the middle of the dancers, tugging him into position as they began to whirl across the floor.

Perfect.

Icy blue eyes searched the rest of the room and found Duo Maxwell engaged in conversation with a girl in the corner of the room. The Cat narrowed her eyes, something was familiar about that student. Softly curling red hair, silver-gray eyes, a weak and fragile aura. The girl held her goblet as if she were afraid of dropping it and her pale eyes seemed to drift around the room as if looking for someone. Dorothy frowned. She did not like mysteries and she was sure she hadn?t ever seen that girl before. Who was she that Maxwell talked to her instead of dancing with his new toy?

Well, perhaps it didn?t matter. All obstacles to her plan were currently in the room, leaving her target wide open. Now was the only chance she might get and it had to be tonight. With the excitement and pull of the ball, no one would remember anything in the morning.

Perfect.

Taking another glass of cider from behind a potted plant where she had hidden it, Dorothy slipped through the dancers towards the gardens, taking care that no one noticed her passing. She was even careful to scan the room before stepping outside, checking to see what eyes watched her. Let no one say The Cat was not careful. Smirking to herself, she entered the rose garden, unsurprised to find Relena walking among them, touching a tight blossom here and there. Reining in her disgust, Dorothy pasted a pleasant smile on her face and went closer.

?It?s a beautiful garden, Relena,? she said, watching as the Rose Bride turned to face her, slightly surprised. ?It must take a lot of work to care for it.?

Relena blinked, completely unbalanced. ?Yes? yes it does.? Then she jerked, realizing what she had said. ?Not that I don?t enjoy caring for the roses,? she amended quickly, ?but they do require lots of attention.?

Dorothy shrugged, smiling in what she hoped was a confidential way. ?Oh, Relena, you don?t have to act the part of the Rose Bride around me. I know very well that you hate being trapped in this game.? She passed the second cider glass to Relena who took it automatically, her eyes wide.

?That?s not true, Dorothy,? she whispered, her fingers curling around the stem of the glass. ?It?s my duty to care for the roses. I am the Rose Bride.?

Dorothy glanced at the perfect flowers, unmoved. ?So you are saying that you don?t mind being just a tool for Eternity? That you don?t mind being used by everyone you meet?? She smiled slyly. ?I wouldn?t think that any girl could stand being a puppet.?

Relena?s answer was almost voiceless. ?I am the Rose Bride.?

Dorothy nodded. She had to be careful. She could not upset the Bride too much or risk ruining everything she had worked for. ?Well, I suppose no one can know what it?s like to be in your position. You know what?s best.? She took a deliberate sip of her cider and watched as Relena unconsciously mimicked her action, draining almost half of her goblet. Dorothy felt victory within her grasp. Half a glass would be enough.

She took a step forward, smug in her new found power, when something slammed into the pressure point on the back of her neck and she fell heavily to the garden sidewalk, her legs impeded by her black gown, her cider glass shattering against the stones in front of her. A shadow passed by and she raised her head, dazed but fighting for consciousness. Her vision was blurry but she saw enough to make her angry.

?What?are you doing?? she said hoarsely, struggling up on her elbows. ?You can?t??

The shadow moved and she heard a gasp from Relena and the sound of the other girl?s skirts swishing as she struggled. A low voice answered from above her, arrogant and as sure of victory as Dorothy had been only a moment ago.

?My dream will be a reality. I will fight for it forever, if I have to.? Teeth gleamed in a confidant smile. ?Go to sleep, Cat. You are no longer needed.?

A second blow to her spine sent Dorothy spinning into darkness.

* * * *

Relena struggled against the strong grip on her wrist, more frightened than she had ever been in all the time she could remember. Standing before the Arena gate she knew without a doubt that if she entered something horrible was going to happen. Her captor though, seemed to think otherwise as he grabbed the gate handle, a drop of water zinging from the pool to splash against his ring. The triple gates began to open.

?Wufei, you must stop,? she said, pulling against him. ?I cannot be taken to the Dueling Platform by anyone other than my Champion. Please, you must let me go!? Panicked, she tugged against his grip again, terrified of what awaited her beyond the fence.

The hand on her wrist only tightened. ?I don?t think so, Relena. We will never be separated again.? He laughed lowly. ?Tonight, the Castle will appear and I will be the one to gain Eternity.? His dark eyes bored into hers. ?And you will be the one to give it to me.?

Relena was stricken. The Castle was going to appear? It couldn?t be?it? A lance of pain shot through her forehead and she moaned, still desperately pulling against Wufei?s hold on her. ?No, Wufei, you mustn?t. It?s against the rules. It?s forbidden for me to go to the Platform without my Champion.? A sharp slap to her cheek put a damper on her hysteria.

?Shut up, Relena. It?s none of your concern. You?re just a means to an end.? He started through the gate, oblivious to anything but his own goals. Relena?s right foot crossed the invisible line between the Arena Forest and the Academy grounds.

The Rose Bride began to scream.

* * * *

?Oh my god,? Hilde whispered, stopping their dance abruptly. ?What happened to her?? Heero followed his friend?s gaze and felt a knot form in the center of his stomach as his eyes took in the bedraggled form of Dorothy Catalonia. She was being helped in from the gardens by Duo and every step she took seemed to require a supreme effort. There were shards of glass in her hair and when her gaze found him he saw her straighten and say something to Maxwell.

?Come on,? Heero said, starting for the two Council Members. Hilde followed, a worried look on her face.

?Heero,? Duo said as they approached, but didn?t continue, his eyes flicking to Hilde. Heero turned to her.

?Hilde, maybe you should take Miss Catalonia to the girls restroom and see what you can do for her,? he said, and relaxed slightly when Hilde nodded, stepping forward to offer the other girl a hand. The Cat shrugged it away irritably though she was in obvious pain.

?I can make it that far without collapsing like an infant,? she snapped. Hilde rolled her eyes but fell in beside the other girl as they made their way slowly to the bathrooms. When they were far enough away, Heero turned an ice hard gaze to Duo.

?Tell me.?

Duo shook his head, his jaw set. ?Even she?s not sure exactly what happened. She said she was talking to Relena in the garden when Wufei hit her twice, saying some nonsense about making his dream come true. As far as I can figure, he?s taken Relena to the Dueling Platform.?

Heero frowned, ?For what reason? He hasn?t challenged me to a duel.?

Duo?s eyes flashed, seriously angry. ?He?s cheating, Heero. By kidnapping Relena it?s obvious that he hopes to gain Eternity without beating you. Whatever this dream of his is, it?s obviously stronger than his ideals.?

?It won?t work. He?s not Engaged to the Rose Bride.?

Duo shook his head. ?Who knows? No one?s ever done anything like this before. You should hurry and go. I?ll do some damage control here. Wouldn?t do for too many people to figure out about the duels.?

Heero scoffed, ?Of course.? But he hurried out of the ballroom, loping through the gardens as the Arena Forest grew in his vision. The gates were already open when he got there and a chill passed through him as he entered, taking the stairs two at a time up the spiral. By the time he got to the top his muscles were burning but the sight that awaited him made him immediately forget his discomfort.

Glowing in the night sky, lit from within by some ghostly light, a castle hung upside down in the sky, tall spires and huge towers pointing towards earth, the whole thing revolving slowly in place. It was a scene that should have been impossible and Heero felt his mind go blank. What force could hold a castle in the sky? It was otherworldly and totally beyond his facilities to explain. The only word that even remotely described it was magic.

Tearing his eyes away from the spectral castle, Heero stepped on the Dueling Platform, two dark images resolving in front of him. Wufei stood in the center, his gaze fixed on the turning castle, a bared katana in his right hand. A few feet away from him, Relena lay sprawled on the floor, her long gold curls fanned around her as if she had fallen suddenly. Gone was the sea-green ball gown, instead she was dressed in the lavender gown of the Rose Bride, as if stepping into the Arena Forest had transformed her.

She wasn?t moving.

?What have you done to her?? he asked coldly. Wufei simply stood there, his dark eyes reflecting the bright castle above them. There was a look of awe on his face. ?Answer me, Wufei. What have you done??

?Finally,? the Student Council member said, ?it is mine.?

Heero?s hands tightened into fists. ?What are you talking about??

Wufei laughed suddenly. ?All my life I?ve dreamt of a better world. A world of justice, a world without weakness. The Rose Seal promised me that my dream could come true and so I dueled for the key that would bring about my wishes.?

?You mean the Rose Bride,? Heero interrupted but Wufei continued.

?Don?t you see? The Castle has appeared, the Castle where Eternity dwells. If I get that power, I can Revolutionize the world into whatever I want. I can change destiny, change fate.?

?You would play at being a god??

Heero?s voice was low and dangerous but Wufei seemed not to understand his peril, so absorbed was he in the Castle and his iridescent dreams.

?You?ve seen the power of the Rose Bride, Heero. She?s the key to everything. Win her and you can enter the Castle. Win her and you only have to win the duel called Revolution in order to hold Eternity in your hand. After that, everything you want becomes real. Nothing you desire is unreachable.? Wufei finally brought his gaze down from the heavens and looked to the unconscious Relena. ?With her power, I can do anything.? He reached out a hand to touch the fallen girl when suddenly Heero was between them, coldly furious.

?You don?t realize what you?re doing, do you?? he hissed as Wufei took a step back, frowning. ?You speak of justice and yet you trample on those who are weaker than you. You use the Rose Bride for your own purposes and ignore her own suffering. You think to Revolutionize the world for the better but you will only become a tyrant, Wufei. A dictator of a world without free will, without choice, where no one knows true happiness because there is no sadness.? Heero knelt beside Relena, pulling her into his arms. ?Everyone has a dream, Wufei, even the Rose Bride. Don?t step on other people to get what you want. In the end, your dream will only leave you sad and alone.? Relena moved against his chest, a soft groan accompanying the opening of her aqua eyes. He looked down at her as she came back to herself, her gaze clearing of residual pain.

?Relena, are you alright??

?Heero,? she managed, her voice raw as if she had been screaming or shouting for a long time. ?Heero, I tried to tell him.? She drew in a ragged breath. ?I can?t be here. I?m being undone, Heero.? She coughed, her body shaking in his arms. He turned angry cobalt eyes to Wufei.

?What have you done to her, Wufei? You must have known she can?t be brought here by anyone besides the Champion!?

Wufei sneered but had no chance to retort for the whole Dueling Platform began to shake, the vibrations becoming stronger and stronger. Heero tightened his hold on Relena and looked upwards only to find the Castle beginning to break apart, the glowing spires cracking and breaking away, heading straight for the Platform. Wufei raised his arms to the falling monoliths, his sword pointed towards the sky.

?Finally! Eternity will be mine! Bring me the power of Revolution!?

Heero hunched himself over Relena and closed his eyes against the blinding white light that burned away the night as the rubble fell to the Platform. A roar filled his ears and he thought he heard Relena weeping but whether it was from pain or joy, he wasn?t sure. He only knew that when he opened his eyes an instant later, the moon hung overhead and the castle was gone.

Straightening a little, he looked down at Relena, finding her looking up at him. There were no signs of tears on her cheeks, only a dull pain in her eyes, but he was sure he had heard her crying. Turning his head, he found Wufei on his knees in the center of the Platform, looking up at the empty sky as if he had lost everything.

?I don?t understand,? he said, as Heero brushed a curl out of Relena?s face. ?Why?Where is the Castle? I was suppose to get Eternity!? Wufei lurched to his feet, his hand tightening around the hilt of his katana. ?I was promised!?

?Relena.? Heero ignored Wufei, focusing on the Rose Bride.

?I don?t understand,? Wufei repeated.

?I? I?m alright, I just??

?It was because of you.? Wufei turned to Heero who had his back to him.

?Please, can you take me away from here? I feel??

A katana flashed as it was raised. ?It was you. Because of you, the Castle disappeared.?

?I?ll take you away, Relena. It will be alright. Just hold on to me.?

?Heero?? Relena?s eyes widened and she suddenly cried out, ?Heero, watch out!?

Pain blossomed in a line down his back, searing its way from his shoulder to just under his ribs. Bright blood splattered to the Platform floor and Heero collapsed, caught in the last second by Relena?s slim arms, his head resting in the curve of her neck. Wufei?s katana clattered to the ground next to his feet.

?Why?? he muttered, ?Why do I always???

?Wufei Chang.? Trowa Barton stepped onto the Platform, green eyes as hard as stone. ?You?re done here.?

* * * *

Outside of the hospital room, the President of the Student Council leaned against the wall, speaking quietly into his cell phone so as not to disturb the two people inside.

?Yes, Mr. Principal, he?s going to be alright. The wound was long but shallow. The nurse is stitching him together now.? A pause. ?No, Chang has been expelled. His actions tonight made it clear he is no longer worthy of the Rose Seal.? Another pause. ?The Bride and her Champion will recover. All will be right within a few days. The Power of Peacecraft is still secure.? Trowa glanced at the closed hospital room door. ?Don?t worry, Mr. Principal, the one to gain Eternity will soon be chosen. It?s just a matter of time.?

Click.





TBC

[The Engrish Spy]

OMgosh that was so good. More More or I will smite thee with my sword of ... well really it is a katanna that I use in the make believe land of Vamp but any ways I will try and hunt you down with it.. J/K still I love this story and it has to get better soon.

[ice princess]

Holy MACKEREL!!!!! That was so incredibly fabulous!!!!!!!! WOW!!! I am insanely addicted to this story. This chapter was great...WOW!!!

Completely random side note: Why is it that so many beautiful men have the last name Bloom?

~ice princess

[Numena]

Wow!
That was amazing, I can't wait for more!
Update soon!

[Melville's Best Friend]

Could you GET any better? I don't see how you CONTINUE to outdo yourself....Frankly, you're irking my tater with how good you are. *hurumph* Geez, Berry. YOu're so.....good at what you do. I envy you!!!!!!
What a great chapter!!!!!!! *glomps Beery-chan* You are aware that I was patient, right? So.....where's my reward? *glares* You told me that if I remained patient, I would be rewarded.....


Berry: Um....
MBF: Really....I swear. That's the last time I trust you and your cute little bee....
Berry: Isn't he though? *snuggles her bee*
MBF: *pouts* I want my reward!
Berry: The chapter is your reward.
MBF: *cries* *Berry has to get her umbrella*
Wicked: *casually walks in* Berry.....What did you do to my sister?
Berry: Nothing. She's overreacting.
Wicked: I'll buy that. You wanna go watch a movie?
Berry: Yeah!!!!!!
*they leave a weeping MBF alone*



Berry...You are so great! Please finish soon! I want my Hee-chan to be happy! ^_^ He deserves the best...my Hee-chan!!!!! ^_^


Love ya!!!......finish NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!


Your friend,
Melville's Best Friend

[RyanEX2000]

You do realise you're going to have Wicked out for your head now .
If you need a bodyguard you know where to fingd me.

Anyway...this just keeps getting better and better though you did put Wufei OOC.What Anime is this based on.Maybe I'll look into it.

[WhiteWindRRose]

yes! finally justice-boy got expelled!
everyone's so greedy and concieted...
except 4 a select few

nice chapter! but we still got dorothy to take care of...
she'd bound to start conspiring soon...

thingz r still hazy! can't wait 4 next chap.

[wicked]

I am so very happy Spring Break is over for you Berry! That means more ficcage! And what a doozy this chapter was! I'm very happy Chang got expelled (Trowa...cell phone....*drool*) since he was, well, icky for lack of a better term. It almost makes me want to off him in my fic. Though it would have been nice to see Heero do something...violent to the man/boy. But that's just my evil mind. *shrugs*

I totally agree with Heero. The Rose Bride has dreams too! How dare people treat her like such a rag doll. Kick ass Heero! Relena deserves better!

And I do hope the Cat gets her comeuppance. Makes me dislike her so much that I kinda like her. *dodges rotten fruit* I said 'kinda!' Sheesh! Would you rather me drool over Trowa?

Trowa: ......
Wicked: *drool*
Trowa: ......
Wicked: *wipes mouth then drools*
Trowa: Am I in danger?
BI: YES!
Wicked: *cackles*
Trowa: -_-;;;

I can't wait until next chapter Berry!

*hugs*
~Wicked

[aku_ryo]

wow gold-chan aku lurve this story - as i think ive mentioned a few times before - well i hope to read more soon i cant wait to see hwo it ends - so long as theres no car changing pepps its cool

aku akuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu