In Medvias Res 5: So I Need You
Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2003 11:39 pm
So I Need You
If you could step into my head, tell
Me would you still know me
If you woke up in my bed, tell me
Then would you hold me
Or would you simply let it lie,
Leaving me to wonder why
I can?t get you out of this head
I call mine
And I will say
Oh no I can?t let you go,
My little girl
Because you?re holding up my
World, so I need you
Your imitation of my walk and the
Perfect way you talk
It?s just a couple of the million
Things that I love about you
So I need you
So I need you
So I need you
So I need you
And if I jumped off the Brooklyn
Bridge, tell me would you
Still follow me
And if I made you mad today, tell
Me would you love me
Tomorrow? Please
Or would you say that you don?t
Care, and then leave me
Standing here
Like the fool who is drowning in
Despair and screamin?
Oh no I can?t let you go,
My little girl
Because you?re holding up my
World, so I need you
Your imitation of my walk and the
Perfect way you talk
It?s just a couple of the million
Things that I love about you
So I need you
So I need you
So I need you
So I need you
I?m on my own
I?m on my own
I?m on my own
Oh no I can?t let you go, my
little girl
Because you?re holding up my
World, so I need you
Your imitation of my walk
and the perfect way you talk
It?s just a couple of the
Million things that I love
About you
So I need you
So I need you
So I need you
So I need you
@>--;---
The moon reached its zenith in the night sky and the sand below was transformed into a sea of sparkling jewels. The stars looked down upon the jeweled sea from their beds in the black velvet sky with contempt for the lowly grains that tried to out-shine them, mighty celestial beings. But the sand didn?t care, and continued to shine happily as the wind danced over its surface. This was an age-old power struggle that would continue until the end of time. Much like the one happening in the Major?s tent.
?You won?t be going any where tonight, Nurse Peacecraft.?
Silence. For a moment even the sound of tiny grains of sand hitting the sides of the canvas structure was too loud. With each little popping sound Relena felt her anger rise higher and higher. Then suddenly the sound of flesh against flesh filled desert night. Heero let the momentum of her slap carry his head back in his shock. He could barely bring himself to believe that not only had she hit him, but that the blow had actually stung.
?You are a good deal stronger then you first appear Nurse Peacecraft. But I would never have taken you for one of those women that resort to violence when angered. I was under the impression that you were a pacific.? He was mocking her, and Relena knew it. His smirk was enough to make her palm itch. Relena resisted the urge to slap him again; instead she focused on calming down. After all, violence never solved anything.
?Major, I have patients that I need to take care off. While I?ve enjoyed playing your little games, I really am going to leave now before I waist anymore precious sleep.? She brushed past him and headed for the exit. Relena was surprise when he let her pass, knowing that it could never be that simple?then she felt his hand catch her wrist. Heero spun her around and pushed her into the chair he had been sitting in before she arrived.
?I told you, you?re not going back to the hospital. I?m getting you out of this living hellhole.? He told her calmly. Heero found it fascinating, really, how she thought he would let her disobey him without a fuss.
?I?m not going to leave all my friends in their greatest hour of need! You can?t do this to me.? Her voice was desperate, pleading, and in truth it almost broke his heart.
?I don?t care about them. My main priority is getting you out of here alive.? He told her in a monotone. He couldn?t stand the look of betrayal that reflected in the stormy blue of her gaze. Heero had to turn his back on her or he would have given in. He was doing what was best for her, and someday she?d realize that, just as she would realize that leaving her that night so long ago had been an act of mercy on his part.
?Y-You?re just a uniform, Heero Yuy. You have no heart or soul!! You don?t care about anything or anyone but your stupid mission. You don?t care that people will die if I?m not here! How could I have ever loved you?? She spat out as if invoking a curse. Her words cut him more deeply than he would ever let her know. Heero deliberately turned and moved closer to her sitting form. So close that she could feel his warm, moist breath fanning her now scarlet face. One of his hands came up to stroke lightly down her cheek. The feel of the rough pad of his thumb against her lips sent a shiver up Relena?s spine. He noticed her reaction but paid it no heed. His eyes burned like blue fire into hers; melting away any coherent protest she might have tried to form.
?So I don?t have a heart, huh? Well one day you?ll thank me for missing such a useless organ Miss Peacecraft.? He whispered against the shell of her ear. Relena was trying to comprehend what he was saying to her, but the room was suddenly too warm to think. She felt as if part of her brain had shut down at the feel of his touch.
Then she felt his slightly chapped lips claim hers in a none-too-gentle kiss. She tried to ignore their persistent demands for response, but her traitorous body remembered this game and over-rode what little common sense she still had. As Heero deepened the kiss, his hand slid under her fallen hair to find the pressure point in the back of her neck. A quick tap had her slumping forward into his chest. He pulled away and did his best to steady the unconscious nurse in the chair.
?I hope you can forgive me for this one day, Relena.?
@>--;----
?We?ll be leaving soon.?
Heero sat across from Duo for the second time that day. He closed his eyes and savored to feeling of the nicotine he had just inhaled. He tried, without much success, to relax the taunt muscles in the back of his neck. Duo looked at him with a shocked expression; his mouth hanging low at his partner?s words. Heero wondered absently if maybe the Gods would smile down on him and have Duo?s jaw freeze that way. Then he?d never have to worry about being second guessed by the idiot again.
?So you?re taking her against her will? The plain was only for you to talk to her not knock her unconscious and kidnap her.? The Gods definitely were not hearing his prayers tonight.
??..?
?Damn Heero, do you even know where you?re taking Relena? When you?ll get back? How you?re going to keep her from killing you with her bare hands when she wakes up and finds out you?ve kidnapped her??
? It won?t be the first time I?ve kidnapped her,? He replied and blew out a ring of smoke. He ignored Duo?s raised eyebrow. ?I?m taking her to Une. She can be trusted to keep Relena safe. I?ll be back in under a week.?
?What about the others, you know the order to move out will be given any day.? Duo inquired. He understood how short staffed the hospitals were here at the front. The loss of just one pair of hands would be a crushing blow. But even knowing what her absents might cause, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that his surrogate sister would be safe now.
?I don?t care about the others, that?s for bleeding hearts like you and Nurse Peacecraft here to worry about.? With an impatient movement Heero snuffed out the red glowing embers of his cigarette in the sand at their feet.
?Heero?? Duo felt angered by his friend?s cold attitude.
?Dou, I?m not in the mood. Your going to have to figure this one out on your own. I?ll be back in seven days. If your still here I?ll help you get the rest of them out. I?m sure by then the orders to evaluate will have come from Paxton.? Heero stood and walked back toward his tent were his unconscious cargo waited.
?Has anyone ever told you that you don?t have a heart, buddy?? Duo sat back and watched the older man head away.
??.? Heero entered the tent without responding to Duo?s jab.
?Well, God speed. And take care of my sister.? Duo picked himself up off the ground and headed back toward camp.
?Now, how do I explain to Dr. Po that one of her best nurses has gone MIA without getting a scalpel embedded in my forehead? Maybe I could tell that other nurse?what was her name?Heidi?Hilda?Hilde that?s what it was Hilde. Maybe I could ask her to help me tell Po.? Then the memory of the book connecting rather painfully with his head the last time he had seen her, resurrected in his mind.
?On second thought, I?ll just talk to Quatre first.?
@>--;---
It was near sunrise. Quatre looked done at the soldier that he and Dr. Po had just finished working on. The poor Tommy had taken a massive hit from a grenade being thrown into the trench. They?d had to take his right arm and leg. Dr. Po merely washed the blood off her hands and left the rest of the clean up to the nurse and himself. She had done too many of this kind of operations to feel anything but numbness towards the patient.
Quatre wondered if the young man would even live throw the night; his fever was rising, and in this heat infection was a matter of course. At this moment he was ready to give up his whole carrier in the medical profession if it meant he?d never see another person die.
?I don?t know how much of this I can passively take. I?m tired to caring, but I can?t just turn off my emotions like Sally seems to do.?
He turned tired eyes toward the next patient on his list that needed visiting. His vision blurred and he stumbled into a passing nurse.
?Oh, I-I?m sorry ma?am.? He didn?t recognize his own exhaustion-roughened voice.
?Quatre? What are you still doing here? Your shift ended hours ago!? He tried to focus of the voice but he was finding that hard to do.
?I was needed, I had to help Po with one of the soldiers with battle fatigue (1) , then she needed an assistant for a double amputation?? His voice drifted off as Cathy pulled him toward the exit.
?How many hours straight have you been awake?? She demanded and in his exhaustion he responded honestly to her no nonsense tone.
?Don?t know?lost count at around 36.? She frowned at him and would have berated him for his stupidity, but found she didn?t have the heart to. She sighed and desided to drop the subject.
?I was in the process of looking for you when you bumped into me. A young soldier with unusually long hair wanted to see you. I was going to look for you at your tent right after I checked to see if Relena was in here. I was worried when she didn?t come back from that officers tent.?
?She went to the officers? tents? Closer to the front?? Quatre was more alert now.
?Yes, one of them had come down with malaria and was too sick to move. She should have been back hours ago.? Cathy bit her bottom lip in anxiety over her fellow nurse. A myriad of possible causes for Relena?s absents flitted through her mind, and none of them were good.
?Don?t worry Cathy,? Quatre patter her shoulder,? I?ll go see what Duo has to say and then I?ll look for her. There?s probably a very simple explanation for her disappearance.
?Your right, I?m just worrying over nothing.? She sighed in relief and then rubbed her red-rimmed eyes.
?I?m going back to my tent now. I hope you get some sleep soon Captain Winner.? Quatre absently waved to her departing back.
@>--;--- ( 1.) (If my memory servers me right, battle fatigue was the term used for Post Dramatic Stress Disorder during WWI. Post Dramatic Stress Disorder can some times change the personality of one who develops it. Bringing out violent or obsessive tendencies. I don?t know much about it beyond personal experience with my father who developed PDS after a helicopter crash.)
@>--;---
A few minutes later Quatre arrived at his own tent to find Duo waiting for him. The sky above was just beginning to lighten, and what few stars remained were quickly disappearing with the darkness. Dou looked quite content sitting in the sand in front of the entrance, a harmonica gently placed against his lips. Obviously it wasn?t his, because the sounds coming out of the small instrument were anything but harmonious.
?You should stick to the piano, Duo. You play it much better than that thing.? He plopped down beside his old friend in the sand, being careful to watch for scorpions and other such creepy-crawlies.
?But I can?t carry a piano in my pocket Q-man.? The look he sent Quatre told him that Duo thought that had been a very stupid piece of advice. Quatre shrugged and reached for the harmonica. He held it up to catch the light and to get a better look at its silver casing. He noticed the initials H.K.B inscribed over the surface.
?H.K.B?those aren?t your initials?? Quatre commented. Duo quickly grabbed the harmonica away from him and slipped it safely back into his pocket.
?I won it off a young kid who really wanted a couple of smokes. ? He commented casually. Quatre just shook his head. Duo would always be Duo and that meant he wasn?t above cheating in a card game to get what he wanted.
Quatre?s thoughts turned to other things. He remembered the piano lessons that Lady Peacecraft had given the three of them as children. No matter how hard Relena and he practiced, Duo always did better. He could play the piano like one of the masters. Lady Peacecraft had always been saddened by the fact that her young prodigy hadn?t had any interest in doing anything with his talent.
?Hey, do you still play that violin of yours?? Duo asked. He too was remembering those long ago childhood days when the three of them had nothing better to do than sit and make music all day.
?I haven?t played in a long time Duo, but I?m sure I could pick it back up.? Quatre smiled.
?And Relena, I wonder if she still plays her clarinet?? His tone was wishful. Quatre turned thoughtfully to stair at the pink sunrise. He was still exhausted, but somehow talking to Duo took some of the over powering need to sleep away.
?We can ask her when we see her?oh I nearly forgot, Nurse Bloom said that Relena never returned from a house call near the front. Have you seen her about?? Quatre noticed the curious way Duo seemed to choke at his question. He raised his eyebrow and waited for the older man to clear his throat.
?Well you see, buddy, that?s why I came. I know where she is, but I don?t think your going to like what I have to tell you very much.? His voice had gone deep and serious; something Quatre rarely heard.
?Is she okay? Is she hurt? What?s going on, where?s Relena?? Quatre demanded. His heart was racing and a knot of fear was forming in his gut. If anything happened to Relena he?d---
?Relax, Q-man, it?s not that bad. She?s safe. You see, Heero??
?I knew it!! I knew he had something to do with it!?
?---took her away from here. She?s sick; Quatre, and you know it. She?s got all the symptoms of malaria and it?s going to get worse here in this hellhole any day. He?s contacted friends in Cairo who will meet him in Abadan. They?ll take her back to the Peasemillion where Mill and Lu can treat her.? Duo explained this as quickly as he could to the distraught young man before him. He had known since childhood that Quatre fancied himself in love with the young Peacecraft heiress and he knew what this news would do to his friend.
Quatre felt a tiny part of him relax. Now he wouldn?t have to worry about her when the real danger came knocking at their door soon.
?These people, will they keep her safe? Do you trust them?? He had to know for sure before he could totally relax.
?Yes, in fact the Baroness, Lady Une, has saved my life many times. She?ll be in good hands.? Duo tried to reassure Quatre as best he could.
?Then if your sure?but mark my word Duo, if the Major hurts her again I won?t be responsible for what I do. I can?t take her going through that again.?
?You?ll have to stand in line, because if he dreams of treating her like he did last time I want first dibs on kicking his ass.?
@>--;---
The early morning silence was disturbed by the loud sound of an approaching motor. A small desert lizard slowly raised its head from the rock it had been sunning on. Its yellow reptilian eyes followed the black motorcar as it zoomed down the barely recognizable path. Inside the car Heero Yuy glanced back at his precious cargo. The young woman was beginning to stir slightly in her sleep because of the jarring of the rough terrain.
What was he going to tell her when she woke up to learn he?d kidnapped her for the second time? Given the first time had been more of a hostage situation than an actual kidnapping. He remembered her reaction the first time he showed up at one of her family?s dinner parties.
~~~Flashback~~~
His face showed no emotion as he went through the traditional receiving line. He recognized Benjamin Peacecraft?s daughter immediately as the girl who had stumbled onto his mission days earlier. Her simple high-waisted violet dress brought out the murky blue of her eyes. He sneered to himself for even noticing such a thing. She held out her hand to be kissed without even looking at his face. She apparently didn?t enjoy this sort of thing because she was obviously not paying attention.
?It?s nice to see you again Lady.? He smirked at the surprise that flashed across her face.
?It?s you!!? she bristled immediately at the sight of him in front of her.
?It?s nice to know I?m remembered so fondly.? He was mocking her openly now. She narrowed her eyes and glared hard into his eyes.
?As if I?d give murdering sum like you the time of day---?
?Ah, Relena, I see you?ve met the young Major Yuy already.? Her father spoke from behind her. She turned to see his smiling face and she opened her mouth to tell him just where she had met this cur.
?Yes, Lord Peacecraft, I had the good fortune of meeting your lovely daughter at the Hanging Gardens last week. She was having trouble with a young cad and I stepped in to aid her.? Heero smiled charmingly at her father before sending a warning look at Relena. She stiffened slightly at the implied threat, but never the less confirmed his story.
?Y-yes Papa, the Major was very gallant.? Her father looked slightly worried and turned to the Major.
?I?d like to speak more in depth with you later on this matter if you don?t mind Yuy.? Benjamin sent Heero a warning glance of his own. Heero nodded his understanding to his superior. When Heero glanced back to where the intriguing young woman had been standing, he was surprised to see that she had slipped off when his attention was on her father.
~~~End Flashback~~~
Her father had been very angry when Heero admitted to the breech in security that Relena had caused. He was even angrier that he hadn?t been informed right away. But any angry that he might have shown previously paled in comparison with the rage he showed when Heero mentioned that some of his contacts had seen her face clearly. In the end it was desided that Heero would stay close to the girl until they were sure that she was in no danger. That should have been an easy assignment; keep the girl out of harms way while he waited for information on his partners new solo mission, but that summer hadn?t been anything he?d expected it to be.
Heero glanced again at the girl to see that she was awake and staring disorientated at the top of the vehicle.
?Ah, I see your awake Miss Peacecraft.?
And that?s when she threw her boot at him.
@>--;---
AN.
Hitomi: *Waves* HI! Notice with me if you will that this chapter is actually on time!!!!!
*a round of applause*
Hitomi: Thank you, Thank you
Now to get on with this note, I don?t own the song ?So I need you? by three doors down. I don?t own GW either, if I did by some slim chance own it I would have thrown in at least one sex scene between Heero and Relena?as it is, I?ve thought about buying stock in Bandai?. But I don?t think that you can buy stock with pocket lent you?ve found in the dryer?.
Also, I need to know, the songs that are at the beginning of the chapter, do they take away from the mood of the chapters? Ya? see, for the most part, I haven?t even listened to the song before; I just found the lyrics and thought they fit. Not knowing what the song sounds like, I don?t know if having it stuck in your heads is a good thing or a bad thing?.So now that I?ve rambled on?and on?and on?could someone tell me?
Oh and I want to thank all of those reviewers that stick with me through thick and thin?some of you have been with me from the beginning of Life at Cinq High. I thank you for your patience and the love you?ve shown me!!!!! I also want to thank personally all those that have e-mailed me!! You get a peanut butter cookie!!!!!!!!
I don?t know how much I like this chapter because I wrote it without the help of my trusty muse Rice Ball
. You see I loaned him out to a friend that had an English paper due. She didn?t read the instructions I sent with him and gave the little guy chocolate because she thought being hyped up would make him spit out ideas faster. The poor ball of rice almost died, being allergic to chocolate like he is. So for the next couple of chapters he?s going to be absent. The Doctor told me he?s to have complete bed rest.
Anyway, enough about him, I?ve got to go now because tonight is ?family? night, so I have to go?we?re watching a movie about a horse?Spirit or something like that?Got to go pop the corn!!!!
Smoochies!!!
Hitomi Lei A.K.A The purple Ghost.
If you could step into my head, tell
Me would you still know me
If you woke up in my bed, tell me
Then would you hold me
Or would you simply let it lie,
Leaving me to wonder why
I can?t get you out of this head
I call mine
And I will say
Oh no I can?t let you go,
My little girl
Because you?re holding up my
World, so I need you
Your imitation of my walk and the
Perfect way you talk
It?s just a couple of the million
Things that I love about you
So I need you
So I need you
So I need you
So I need you
And if I jumped off the Brooklyn
Bridge, tell me would you
Still follow me
And if I made you mad today, tell
Me would you love me
Tomorrow? Please
Or would you say that you don?t
Care, and then leave me
Standing here
Like the fool who is drowning in
Despair and screamin?
Oh no I can?t let you go,
My little girl
Because you?re holding up my
World, so I need you
Your imitation of my walk and the
Perfect way you talk
It?s just a couple of the million
Things that I love about you
So I need you
So I need you
So I need you
So I need you
I?m on my own
I?m on my own
I?m on my own
Oh no I can?t let you go, my
little girl
Because you?re holding up my
World, so I need you
Your imitation of my walk
and the perfect way you talk
It?s just a couple of the
Million things that I love
About you
So I need you
So I need you
So I need you
So I need you
@>--;---
The moon reached its zenith in the night sky and the sand below was transformed into a sea of sparkling jewels. The stars looked down upon the jeweled sea from their beds in the black velvet sky with contempt for the lowly grains that tried to out-shine them, mighty celestial beings. But the sand didn?t care, and continued to shine happily as the wind danced over its surface. This was an age-old power struggle that would continue until the end of time. Much like the one happening in the Major?s tent.
?You won?t be going any where tonight, Nurse Peacecraft.?
Silence. For a moment even the sound of tiny grains of sand hitting the sides of the canvas structure was too loud. With each little popping sound Relena felt her anger rise higher and higher. Then suddenly the sound of flesh against flesh filled desert night. Heero let the momentum of her slap carry his head back in his shock. He could barely bring himself to believe that not only had she hit him, but that the blow had actually stung.
?You are a good deal stronger then you first appear Nurse Peacecraft. But I would never have taken you for one of those women that resort to violence when angered. I was under the impression that you were a pacific.? He was mocking her, and Relena knew it. His smirk was enough to make her palm itch. Relena resisted the urge to slap him again; instead she focused on calming down. After all, violence never solved anything.
?Major, I have patients that I need to take care off. While I?ve enjoyed playing your little games, I really am going to leave now before I waist anymore precious sleep.? She brushed past him and headed for the exit. Relena was surprise when he let her pass, knowing that it could never be that simple?then she felt his hand catch her wrist. Heero spun her around and pushed her into the chair he had been sitting in before she arrived.
?I told you, you?re not going back to the hospital. I?m getting you out of this living hellhole.? He told her calmly. Heero found it fascinating, really, how she thought he would let her disobey him without a fuss.
?I?m not going to leave all my friends in their greatest hour of need! You can?t do this to me.? Her voice was desperate, pleading, and in truth it almost broke his heart.
?I don?t care about them. My main priority is getting you out of here alive.? He told her in a monotone. He couldn?t stand the look of betrayal that reflected in the stormy blue of her gaze. Heero had to turn his back on her or he would have given in. He was doing what was best for her, and someday she?d realize that, just as she would realize that leaving her that night so long ago had been an act of mercy on his part.
?Y-You?re just a uniform, Heero Yuy. You have no heart or soul!! You don?t care about anything or anyone but your stupid mission. You don?t care that people will die if I?m not here! How could I have ever loved you?? She spat out as if invoking a curse. Her words cut him more deeply than he would ever let her know. Heero deliberately turned and moved closer to her sitting form. So close that she could feel his warm, moist breath fanning her now scarlet face. One of his hands came up to stroke lightly down her cheek. The feel of the rough pad of his thumb against her lips sent a shiver up Relena?s spine. He noticed her reaction but paid it no heed. His eyes burned like blue fire into hers; melting away any coherent protest she might have tried to form.
?So I don?t have a heart, huh? Well one day you?ll thank me for missing such a useless organ Miss Peacecraft.? He whispered against the shell of her ear. Relena was trying to comprehend what he was saying to her, but the room was suddenly too warm to think. She felt as if part of her brain had shut down at the feel of his touch.
Then she felt his slightly chapped lips claim hers in a none-too-gentle kiss. She tried to ignore their persistent demands for response, but her traitorous body remembered this game and over-rode what little common sense she still had. As Heero deepened the kiss, his hand slid under her fallen hair to find the pressure point in the back of her neck. A quick tap had her slumping forward into his chest. He pulled away and did his best to steady the unconscious nurse in the chair.
?I hope you can forgive me for this one day, Relena.?
@>--;----
?We?ll be leaving soon.?
Heero sat across from Duo for the second time that day. He closed his eyes and savored to feeling of the nicotine he had just inhaled. He tried, without much success, to relax the taunt muscles in the back of his neck. Duo looked at him with a shocked expression; his mouth hanging low at his partner?s words. Heero wondered absently if maybe the Gods would smile down on him and have Duo?s jaw freeze that way. Then he?d never have to worry about being second guessed by the idiot again.
?So you?re taking her against her will? The plain was only for you to talk to her not knock her unconscious and kidnap her.? The Gods definitely were not hearing his prayers tonight.
??..?
?Damn Heero, do you even know where you?re taking Relena? When you?ll get back? How you?re going to keep her from killing you with her bare hands when she wakes up and finds out you?ve kidnapped her??
? It won?t be the first time I?ve kidnapped her,? He replied and blew out a ring of smoke. He ignored Duo?s raised eyebrow. ?I?m taking her to Une. She can be trusted to keep Relena safe. I?ll be back in under a week.?
?What about the others, you know the order to move out will be given any day.? Duo inquired. He understood how short staffed the hospitals were here at the front. The loss of just one pair of hands would be a crushing blow. But even knowing what her absents might cause, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that his surrogate sister would be safe now.
?I don?t care about the others, that?s for bleeding hearts like you and Nurse Peacecraft here to worry about.? With an impatient movement Heero snuffed out the red glowing embers of his cigarette in the sand at their feet.
?Heero?? Duo felt angered by his friend?s cold attitude.
?Dou, I?m not in the mood. Your going to have to figure this one out on your own. I?ll be back in seven days. If your still here I?ll help you get the rest of them out. I?m sure by then the orders to evaluate will have come from Paxton.? Heero stood and walked back toward his tent were his unconscious cargo waited.
?Has anyone ever told you that you don?t have a heart, buddy?? Duo sat back and watched the older man head away.
??.? Heero entered the tent without responding to Duo?s jab.
?Well, God speed. And take care of my sister.? Duo picked himself up off the ground and headed back toward camp.
?Now, how do I explain to Dr. Po that one of her best nurses has gone MIA without getting a scalpel embedded in my forehead? Maybe I could tell that other nurse?what was her name?Heidi?Hilda?Hilde that?s what it was Hilde. Maybe I could ask her to help me tell Po.? Then the memory of the book connecting rather painfully with his head the last time he had seen her, resurrected in his mind.
?On second thought, I?ll just talk to Quatre first.?
@>--;---
It was near sunrise. Quatre looked done at the soldier that he and Dr. Po had just finished working on. The poor Tommy had taken a massive hit from a grenade being thrown into the trench. They?d had to take his right arm and leg. Dr. Po merely washed the blood off her hands and left the rest of the clean up to the nurse and himself. She had done too many of this kind of operations to feel anything but numbness towards the patient.
Quatre wondered if the young man would even live throw the night; his fever was rising, and in this heat infection was a matter of course. At this moment he was ready to give up his whole carrier in the medical profession if it meant he?d never see another person die.
?I don?t know how much of this I can passively take. I?m tired to caring, but I can?t just turn off my emotions like Sally seems to do.?
He turned tired eyes toward the next patient on his list that needed visiting. His vision blurred and he stumbled into a passing nurse.
?Oh, I-I?m sorry ma?am.? He didn?t recognize his own exhaustion-roughened voice.
?Quatre? What are you still doing here? Your shift ended hours ago!? He tried to focus of the voice but he was finding that hard to do.
?I was needed, I had to help Po with one of the soldiers with battle fatigue (1) , then she needed an assistant for a double amputation?? His voice drifted off as Cathy pulled him toward the exit.
?How many hours straight have you been awake?? She demanded and in his exhaustion he responded honestly to her no nonsense tone.
?Don?t know?lost count at around 36.? She frowned at him and would have berated him for his stupidity, but found she didn?t have the heart to. She sighed and desided to drop the subject.
?I was in the process of looking for you when you bumped into me. A young soldier with unusually long hair wanted to see you. I was going to look for you at your tent right after I checked to see if Relena was in here. I was worried when she didn?t come back from that officers tent.?
?She went to the officers? tents? Closer to the front?? Quatre was more alert now.
?Yes, one of them had come down with malaria and was too sick to move. She should have been back hours ago.? Cathy bit her bottom lip in anxiety over her fellow nurse. A myriad of possible causes for Relena?s absents flitted through her mind, and none of them were good.
?Don?t worry Cathy,? Quatre patter her shoulder,? I?ll go see what Duo has to say and then I?ll look for her. There?s probably a very simple explanation for her disappearance.
?Your right, I?m just worrying over nothing.? She sighed in relief and then rubbed her red-rimmed eyes.
?I?m going back to my tent now. I hope you get some sleep soon Captain Winner.? Quatre absently waved to her departing back.
@>--;--- ( 1.) (If my memory servers me right, battle fatigue was the term used for Post Dramatic Stress Disorder during WWI. Post Dramatic Stress Disorder can some times change the personality of one who develops it. Bringing out violent or obsessive tendencies. I don?t know much about it beyond personal experience with my father who developed PDS after a helicopter crash.)
@>--;---
A few minutes later Quatre arrived at his own tent to find Duo waiting for him. The sky above was just beginning to lighten, and what few stars remained were quickly disappearing with the darkness. Dou looked quite content sitting in the sand in front of the entrance, a harmonica gently placed against his lips. Obviously it wasn?t his, because the sounds coming out of the small instrument were anything but harmonious.
?You should stick to the piano, Duo. You play it much better than that thing.? He plopped down beside his old friend in the sand, being careful to watch for scorpions and other such creepy-crawlies.
?But I can?t carry a piano in my pocket Q-man.? The look he sent Quatre told him that Duo thought that had been a very stupid piece of advice. Quatre shrugged and reached for the harmonica. He held it up to catch the light and to get a better look at its silver casing. He noticed the initials H.K.B inscribed over the surface.
?H.K.B?those aren?t your initials?? Quatre commented. Duo quickly grabbed the harmonica away from him and slipped it safely back into his pocket.
?I won it off a young kid who really wanted a couple of smokes. ? He commented casually. Quatre just shook his head. Duo would always be Duo and that meant he wasn?t above cheating in a card game to get what he wanted.
Quatre?s thoughts turned to other things. He remembered the piano lessons that Lady Peacecraft had given the three of them as children. No matter how hard Relena and he practiced, Duo always did better. He could play the piano like one of the masters. Lady Peacecraft had always been saddened by the fact that her young prodigy hadn?t had any interest in doing anything with his talent.
?Hey, do you still play that violin of yours?? Duo asked. He too was remembering those long ago childhood days when the three of them had nothing better to do than sit and make music all day.
?I haven?t played in a long time Duo, but I?m sure I could pick it back up.? Quatre smiled.
?And Relena, I wonder if she still plays her clarinet?? His tone was wishful. Quatre turned thoughtfully to stair at the pink sunrise. He was still exhausted, but somehow talking to Duo took some of the over powering need to sleep away.
?We can ask her when we see her?oh I nearly forgot, Nurse Bloom said that Relena never returned from a house call near the front. Have you seen her about?? Quatre noticed the curious way Duo seemed to choke at his question. He raised his eyebrow and waited for the older man to clear his throat.
?Well you see, buddy, that?s why I came. I know where she is, but I don?t think your going to like what I have to tell you very much.? His voice had gone deep and serious; something Quatre rarely heard.
?Is she okay? Is she hurt? What?s going on, where?s Relena?? Quatre demanded. His heart was racing and a knot of fear was forming in his gut. If anything happened to Relena he?d---
?Relax, Q-man, it?s not that bad. She?s safe. You see, Heero??
?I knew it!! I knew he had something to do with it!?
?---took her away from here. She?s sick; Quatre, and you know it. She?s got all the symptoms of malaria and it?s going to get worse here in this hellhole any day. He?s contacted friends in Cairo who will meet him in Abadan. They?ll take her back to the Peasemillion where Mill and Lu can treat her.? Duo explained this as quickly as he could to the distraught young man before him. He had known since childhood that Quatre fancied himself in love with the young Peacecraft heiress and he knew what this news would do to his friend.
Quatre felt a tiny part of him relax. Now he wouldn?t have to worry about her when the real danger came knocking at their door soon.
?These people, will they keep her safe? Do you trust them?? He had to know for sure before he could totally relax.
?Yes, in fact the Baroness, Lady Une, has saved my life many times. She?ll be in good hands.? Duo tried to reassure Quatre as best he could.
?Then if your sure?but mark my word Duo, if the Major hurts her again I won?t be responsible for what I do. I can?t take her going through that again.?
?You?ll have to stand in line, because if he dreams of treating her like he did last time I want first dibs on kicking his ass.?
@>--;---
The early morning silence was disturbed by the loud sound of an approaching motor. A small desert lizard slowly raised its head from the rock it had been sunning on. Its yellow reptilian eyes followed the black motorcar as it zoomed down the barely recognizable path. Inside the car Heero Yuy glanced back at his precious cargo. The young woman was beginning to stir slightly in her sleep because of the jarring of the rough terrain.
What was he going to tell her when she woke up to learn he?d kidnapped her for the second time? Given the first time had been more of a hostage situation than an actual kidnapping. He remembered her reaction the first time he showed up at one of her family?s dinner parties.
~~~Flashback~~~
His face showed no emotion as he went through the traditional receiving line. He recognized Benjamin Peacecraft?s daughter immediately as the girl who had stumbled onto his mission days earlier. Her simple high-waisted violet dress brought out the murky blue of her eyes. He sneered to himself for even noticing such a thing. She held out her hand to be kissed without even looking at his face. She apparently didn?t enjoy this sort of thing because she was obviously not paying attention.
?It?s nice to see you again Lady.? He smirked at the surprise that flashed across her face.
?It?s you!!? she bristled immediately at the sight of him in front of her.
?It?s nice to know I?m remembered so fondly.? He was mocking her openly now. She narrowed her eyes and glared hard into his eyes.
?As if I?d give murdering sum like you the time of day---?
?Ah, Relena, I see you?ve met the young Major Yuy already.? Her father spoke from behind her. She turned to see his smiling face and she opened her mouth to tell him just where she had met this cur.
?Yes, Lord Peacecraft, I had the good fortune of meeting your lovely daughter at the Hanging Gardens last week. She was having trouble with a young cad and I stepped in to aid her.? Heero smiled charmingly at her father before sending a warning look at Relena. She stiffened slightly at the implied threat, but never the less confirmed his story.
?Y-yes Papa, the Major was very gallant.? Her father looked slightly worried and turned to the Major.
?I?d like to speak more in depth with you later on this matter if you don?t mind Yuy.? Benjamin sent Heero a warning glance of his own. Heero nodded his understanding to his superior. When Heero glanced back to where the intriguing young woman had been standing, he was surprised to see that she had slipped off when his attention was on her father.
~~~End Flashback~~~
Her father had been very angry when Heero admitted to the breech in security that Relena had caused. He was even angrier that he hadn?t been informed right away. But any angry that he might have shown previously paled in comparison with the rage he showed when Heero mentioned that some of his contacts had seen her face clearly. In the end it was desided that Heero would stay close to the girl until they were sure that she was in no danger. That should have been an easy assignment; keep the girl out of harms way while he waited for information on his partners new solo mission, but that summer hadn?t been anything he?d expected it to be.
Heero glanced again at the girl to see that she was awake and staring disorientated at the top of the vehicle.
?Ah, I see your awake Miss Peacecraft.?
And that?s when she threw her boot at him.
@>--;---
AN.
Hitomi: *Waves* HI! Notice with me if you will that this chapter is actually on time!!!!!
*a round of applause*
Hitomi: Thank you, Thank you
Now to get on with this note, I don?t own the song ?So I need you? by three doors down. I don?t own GW either, if I did by some slim chance own it I would have thrown in at least one sex scene between Heero and Relena?as it is, I?ve thought about buying stock in Bandai?. But I don?t think that you can buy stock with pocket lent you?ve found in the dryer?.
Also, I need to know, the songs that are at the beginning of the chapter, do they take away from the mood of the chapters? Ya? see, for the most part, I haven?t even listened to the song before; I just found the lyrics and thought they fit. Not knowing what the song sounds like, I don?t know if having it stuck in your heads is a good thing or a bad thing?.So now that I?ve rambled on?and on?and on?could someone tell me?
Oh and I want to thank all of those reviewers that stick with me through thick and thin?some of you have been with me from the beginning of Life at Cinq High. I thank you for your patience and the love you?ve shown me!!!!! I also want to thank personally all those that have e-mailed me!! You get a peanut butter cookie!!!!!!!!
I don?t know how much I like this chapter because I wrote it without the help of my trusty muse Rice Ball
. You see I loaned him out to a friend that had an English paper due. She didn?t read the instructions I sent with him and gave the little guy chocolate because she thought being hyped up would make him spit out ideas faster. The poor ball of rice almost died, being allergic to chocolate like he is. So for the next couple of chapters he?s going to be absent. The Doctor told me he?s to have complete bed rest.Anyway, enough about him, I?ve got to go now because tonight is ?family? night, so I have to go?we?re watching a movie about a horse?Spirit or something like that?Got to go pop the corn!!!!
Smoochies!!!
Hitomi Lei A.K.A The purple Ghost.
WON'T THERE?!
)