Eternity In His Hand 12/?

[Goldberry]

Proud of me? I didn't leave you hanging THAT long now did I? *grins* This one is more sweet and sad than angsty but ready your tissues just in case. ^_~ You know I love you, right?


Eternity In His Hand
Chapter Twelve


The world was gray. Stormy, washed out and colorless. Lightning flickered through the clouds once in a while, illuminating the rain-streaked window pane with its flashes and sending harsh shadows around the small room and into its occupants. One cared not for shadows, one disliked them, and the last seemed to be made of them. It was at this one that Quatre cast his gaze, a muscle in his jaw moving as he took in the unconscious form of Heero Yuy.

They had found him on the Platform, he and Dorothy. The former Champion lying in a pool of blood and the remains of a white rose that had finally been defeated. They had brought him back to Quatre?s dorm room since the Student Council?s Vice President had a room to himself, and Dorothy had cleaned and bandaged the wound on Heero?s arm as best she could. Now he lay sleeping, even in dreams his face serious and sad. Quatre ran a hand through his hair and breathed in raggedly. He could feel the man?s emotions as though they were his own and they were slowly eating away at him. Pain, guilt, rage, and helplessness all merging into a dark aura that suffocated Heero?s spirit.

Quatre didn?t know what to do.

How long before Heero woke up? Would he be ready to face everything that had happened? Heero was strong but Quatre found himself wishing the other man would stay asleep for a while. It would be easier on him and everyone else, at least until they could figure out what had happened.

?Why,? Dorothy said quietly from her position near the door. She hadn?t sat down since they had arrived. ?I want to know why.?

Quatre rubbed his eyes. ?I do too, Dorothy. But the only ones who know are Trowa, Relena, and Heero himself. Trowa won?t tell us, Relena won?t because she can?t without Trowa?s permission, and Heero?? He trailed off and cleared his throat. ?I will never ask Heero.?

There was silence for a moment, the only sounds of rain against the glass and thunder in the distance. Then Dorothy shifted on her feet and crossed her arms over her chest, pale eyes fixed on Heero?s still form.

?There is another choice,? she said finally, ?Though I?m not sure it will be any help.?

He glanced at her, frowning. ?Who??

She looked over at him. ?Maxwell,? she said evenly. He arched an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, pondering the name for a moment. It was a chance, and risky too. Neither he nor Dorothy were exactly sure of Duo?s position within the Council since the day the braided duelist had stalked out of a meeting on the balcony. It had seemed then that Duo had known something that Trowa wanted to keep hidden. Duo had not revealed it to anyone as far as Quatre knew, which meant either Duo was exceptionally good at keeping secrets, or was bluffing in an attempt to forward his own plans, whatever they may be. Of course, all of that had happened before Duo had lost his own duel with Heero. Things could be vastly different now.

?I don?t know,? he said finally. ?It seems that if Duo was going to reveal anything he would have done so when he first found out whatever it is. After so much time I can?t believe he would tell us anything useful.?

Dorothy tucked a lock of hair behind her ear unconsciously. ?Depends on your definition of ?useful?. It might be that Duo was threatened into keeping quiet, blackmailed even.?

?It?s possible he has his reasons for silence,? Quatre conceded, folding his hands together, ?but who would blackmail him? Trowa?? He shook his head. ?Trowa is many things but he isn?t evil and threats aren?t his style.?

The Cat narrowed her eyes, her thoughts racing behind that heavy-lidded gaze. ?Yes, Trowa doesn?t have it in him for that kind of thing.? Her tone made it clear that she had no qualms about it, however. ?Still, Maxwell made it pretty clear that he didn?t like something that Trowa was doing. Perhaps Trowa wasn?t the only one involved. If that?s the case, it should be a simple matter of finding out just who exactly Trowa has been cooperating with.? She flicked her hair over her shoulder gracefully. ?After all, if Maxwell can learn something secret on accident, I can surely figure it out on purpose.?

?It might be dangerous,? he said quietly, ?Especially in light of the fact that Duo, the most open of all of us, has keep his mouth closed about this. Whatever or whoever is making him keep silent must be very strong indeed.?

Dorothy scoffed. ?I?m sure it is dangerous, but when has that ever stopped me? Besides, I don?t like not knowing everything.? She turned on her heel and started towards the door. ?Keep an eye on Yuy. I would hate for him to get in my way by being a fool.?

Quatre lifted a hand as she opened the door. ?Dorothy.?

She stilled but didn?t turn to face him. ?Yes??

?Be careful, will you??

This time she did glance at him over her shoulder, a wry smile on her face. ?You mean, be sly.?

He smiled slightly in return. ?That too.?

The door closed softly behind her.

Quatre shifted his gaze back to his slumbering classmate, his expression returning to seriousness. So much had happened since Heero Yuy had come to the Academy. For the first time, a student from the outside had come bearing a Rose Seal and had taken possession of the Rose Bride without truly knowing what he had gotten himself into. Quatre wondered if he would regret it when he woke. Quatre might, if he were Heero. He didn?t like to hurt people and to simply wish it away, forget about it? Well, people dealt with sorrow differently. He could only hope that when Heero did finally open his eyes they would be filled with determination, not defeat.

?Why, Heero? What happened?? Quatre whispered softly, ?Why did you lose??

* * * *

Catherine Barton sipped her tea slowly, forcing her hands to remain still so as not to drop the porcelain cup. It was an effort, but when she finally returned the saucer to the girl who waited on her, not a drop stained her long pale nightgown. Relena Darlian smiled gently at her and began to put the tea things away, every movement efficient and graceful. Catherine studied her a moment, a little curious about the legendary Rose Bride. For one, she looked nothing like Catherine had pictured her. She was short and sun-haired with tranquil eyes that seemed unfazed by anything that happened around her. A pretty doll, Trowa had called her, and Relena had only nodded, not upset in the least. Catherine couldn?t understand it but she didn?t question it either. What was, was, and there was nothing she could do about it anyway.

Her brother had arrived with the Bride shortly after sunset, giving the other girl a room next to Catherine?s and ordering her to look after his sister until he returned. He still had not come back and as far as Catherine knew, Relena had not slept all night. She had tried to bring it up once, telling the Bride that she should get some rest. Relena had simply smiled and shook her head, saying that Master Trowa had given her orders and she was required to fulfill them. Catherine had only been able to nod in the face of such devotion. It was unnatural, she knew, but then it was the one thing that could save her as well.

And it was good to have another girl to talk to. Though her brother loved her beyond anything else and tried to spend as much time with her as possible, she was still lonely for female companionship. She had a lot of things she wanted to ask the other girl about but wasn?t sure how to word her questions. Relena?s loyalty was only to her brother but Catherine wanted to know everything she could about the Bride and her powers. If it could save her brother, she would do anything, even use the Bride. If she could, anyway.

?Relena,? she began hesitantly, ?it?s true that you are Engaged to Trowa now, right??

The Rose Bride continued to put dishes away, unperturbed. ?Yes, Master Trowa is my Champion.?

Catherine looked down at her folded hands. ?And, he won you by defeating your previous Champion??

?Yes.?

She focused on the other girl, forcing her tired mind to read every action. ?Who was he?? And only because she was looking for it did she see a slight tremor in the Bride?s fingers as she sat the saucers in the cupboard.

?His name was Heero Yuy,? she said finally, the Bride completely in control once again. Catherine leaned back in her chair, wondering.

Just how much of the girl in front of her was the Rose Bride, and how much was Relena Darlian?

The answer might hold the key to all her wishes.

* * * *

<i>I am the Rose Bride, and from this day forward, I am your flower.</i>

The memories wouldn?t leave him alone.

He had been pretending to be asleep for awhile now, delaying the moment when he would have to open his eyes and actually see the sympathy in Quatre?s. The only reason he even knew he was in Vice President?s room was that the other boy had been speaking softly into the phone when Heero had first come around. About a half hour ago, he had guessed Quatre to have fallen asleep in whatever chair he had been keeping vigil in since all sounds had quieted except the gentle patter of rain on the roof. Still, he had waited, feigning sleep himself in order to judge his situation. He wasn?t up to talking to anyone and though he knew Quatre would be kind about the whole thing, Heero wasn?t in the mood for charity.

Deciding the moment had come, Heero opened his eyes slightly, letting the darkness of the room drift into him. As he came fully aware, he caught sight of a clock on Quatre?s desk. It was 4:31 in the morning. He had been out of it for about six hours.

Keeping his breathing quiet, he lifted a hand and felt the thick bandage on his right arm. Someone had taken good care of him, the gauze didn?t need to be changed yet. Halting his thoughts there, he sat up swiftly, minimizing sound as he slipped out of the bed, finding himself still dressed in his pants and the button down white shirt that went under the coat of his uniform. The actual coat was lying neatly folded over the edge of a chair and Heero looped it over his good arm, taking another look around the room to make sure he had gotten everything.

Quatre was indeed asleep in a chair by the window, his head pillowed on his arm which was leaning against the sill. He was fully dressed but seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Heero saw no reason to wake him and so there was no one to see him pad silently out of the room and into the storm.

By the time he made it into his own building he was soaking wet but didn?t notice. Water dripped off his clothes and hair as he walked slowly up the stairs to his room, the ends of his coat almost dragging on the floor as he pushed his door open. It was only when he realized all her things were gone that he felt anything at all.

It was almost as if she had never been there. The sheets from her bed were gone, the curtains she had hung last week were missing, her desk was clean and bare and the smell of her perfume no longer lingered. The room was as it had been when Heero had spent his first few days of the semester there by himself.

All except the vase.

The perfect bouquet of white roses was still there, a mockery of the way things had been the day before, a sharp reminder of the price of failure.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the door, unable to go in and unable to leave. The truth had finally settled in.

She was gone.

* * * *

Duo and Hilde hurried into the building, fingers intertwined as they crossed the lobby of Heero?s dorm and headed towards the stairs. It was incredibly early and normally she would have been in bed at this time, but with everything she had learned in the last few hours she had been unable to rest. This made her vaguely coherent when Quatre called to tell them Heero was missing. The Council?s Vice President had woken to find him gone and though he wasn?t too worried, he had phoned to let her know he had left without his shoes, evidence of the state of Heero?s mind. Even now as she thought of it, her stomach tightened and she felt the prickling of tears behind her eyes. What must he be going through? What was must he be feeling?

Duo?s hand squeezed hers gently as they reached Heero?s door and she glanced at him, eyes shining.

?Be strong,? he said, and knocked.

There was no answer but Hilde hadn?t really expected one. Swallowing against a lump that had formed in her throat, she turned the knob and let herself in, Duo right behind her. For a brief moment, her gaze was assailed by darkness but then her vision resolved and she gasped slightly, eyes widening at the sight of Heero standing despondently in the middle of the room, apparently staring at a vase of roses on the table. In an instant she had flipped on the over head light, ignoring Heero?s flinch as she did so. Duo moved away as she grabbed a towel from the laundry bin and hurried to her friend?s side, wrapping the warm fabric around his shoulders.

?You?re drenched.? The words came out a bit too scratchy for her liking and so she forced herself to reprimand him, hoping to draw him out of his lethargy. ?You never did have enough sense to come in out of the rain.? She stood on tiptoe and ruffled the towel through his hair, spraying herself with water droplets as she did so. They marred her cheeks like tears.

?Hilde,? he said lowly and she stopped, her hands on either side of his head. Dark, dark eyes lifted to her own and her heart ached at what she saw in them. Glancing over Heero?s shoulder, she sent Duo a silent message and he nodded, stepping back out into the hall and closing the door behind him. When he was gone, Hilde reached up and brushed wet locks of hair out of Heero?s face, trying to smile for him.

?It will be alright, Heero. You?ll see. And until it is, I?m still here.? She cupped her hand against his cheek, praying she wouldn?t start weeping. ?We?ve been through everything together, haven?t we? We can get through this, too.?

He didn?t ask her how she knew what had happened. In fact, he didn?t do anything except lean into her, an almost dead weight. She caught him, wrapping her arms around him and forcing him to kneel with her on the floor where she hugged him to her, rubbing his back comfortingly as she had done when they were both children.

?Shhhhh,? she whispered, ?It will be alright. It?s okay. Everything will work out.?

?She?s gone,? he said into her shoulder and shivered. ?She?s gone.?

Pulling the towel around him tighter, she rocked him back and forth slowly, holding him as if she could protect him from the sadness she had seen so clearly in his eyes a moment ago. ?I know, Heero, I know. But it?s not the end. Nothing is decided yet.?

His words were very soft. ?I?m tired of fighting.?

She closed her eyes and a tear finally escaped along with the realization that there was nothing she could say.

?Don?t worry, Heero. It?ll be okay. We?ll make it right again.?

<i>I won?t let it end this way, Heero. I won?t let you give up.

Ever.</i>

* * * *

There was something wrong with her.

A sort of strange fluttering feeling had settled into her chest, aching with every breath she took. She had been analyzing it for the last few minutes as she sat by the window watching the stars disappear as dawn neared but had come to now conclusions as to what it was. It was simply there, inside her, and she had the strangest sensation that she wasn?t where she was supposed to be but no other location presented itself. A part of her, a deeply chained part of her, was screaming in the back of her mind for her to get up, run out the door and back to him, but her body refused to move. The Sword was still there, embedded in her soul, destroying her and saving her all at once. It was both her doom and her salvation and so she stayed by the window, one palm pressed against the glass.

Her mind and body were governed by rules not of her making, but her heart still managed to beat on its own and fill her with hope. It was her heart that longed for somewhere else, someone else, and his name echoed in the recesses of her deepest self, that part of her that was still Relena Darlian.

Behind her, the door opened smoothly, and she felt the powers of the Rose Bride fill her with knowledge. She turned her head and smiled sweetly, her eyes empty, her heart sobbing.

?Good morning, Master.?



TBC?

[Melville's Best Friend]

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^

Had I known you'd be this fast, G-Berry, I never woulda' been mad. ^_^

Oh me oh my oh me oh my.......What's gonna happen to my baby? I'm so scared for him!!!!!! Lesseeeee.......

Quatre is THE MAN. Takin' care of him like that...Sweet little boy.

I wanna know how in the name of all that is Bob does Duo know something and not say it. That joker would say SOMETHING to SOMEONE.

The Cat will find her information. *snicker* So, she'd better hurry and tell me already. I'm tired of waiting!!!!!


I EAGERLY await the next chapter. I reallllllly can't wait. So.....it'll be up when? Tomorrow?

Good.

See it then! ^_^

[Tomorrow]

Goldberry, your determination to finish this has inspired me to get off my rear and write the fic I am hoping to enter into the contest (it's a series, and I hope I'll be able to finish it in time). Even if I don't finish it in time, I'll post it in this forum.

Anyway, back to your WONDERFUL fic: poor Hee-chan... he misses her so much. And Relena... even encased in the shell of the Rose Bride she desires to be with Heero. It's so romantic, and so angsty. Goldberry, just spare me the heart-ache and give me a happy ending, because my fic is going to have a happy ending (please don't die of a heart attack on me... I know, such a declaration by me is surprising). It's only fair, and the only humane thing to do to those of us reading this absolutely beautiful story. Is that enough "brown-nosing" for you? Keep going, and it's just such a great fic (everyone is so in character).

[zipdos]

Okay, so the're coming back together when!!!! huh when!!!! Amazingly well done once again.

Ciao!!

[Morrighan]

Nee-chan...!! You need to write more!!! I feel all angsty now because of this chapter!! The scenes just tore my heart into pieces!

*glares at Trowa* Bastard. Ruining their relationship like that.

More!!! *pleading puppy dog eyes*

[ice princess]

Good God-y-god, this was so good...WOW!! What in the HECK is gonna happen?!?! I almost cried out loud for Heero and Relena both. Everyone in this story has such a tragic facet to their character....good lord, where are my tissues, and when is the next chapter?!?!!?

~ice princess

[shadowcat]

berry-chan your new chapter is amazing!! its sooooo sad though. she wants to be wth him and he wants to be with her but trowa is messing this all up. grrr...Trowa give her back to Heero.....
quatre is such a sweety in this fic, actually he's always a sweety....
man, this fic is sooooo cool, i feel soooo sorry for heero and Rel!!

don't keep us waiting too long
-Shadow

[The Engrish Spy]

Melo this is so good and getting better by the chapter.

More soon I hope...

Or (picks up a little Melodrama plushie and holds a water gun to the head) I'll soak ya with this gun.

TEE HEE!

[Goldberry]

Melo this is so good and getting better by the chapter.

More soon I hope...

Or (picks up a little Melodrama plushie and holds a water gun to the head) I'll soak ya with this gun.

Ummm, I hate to break it to you Engrish, but I'm not Melodrama. *sweatdrops* Erm...I think I'll go cry...

Berry

[Morrighan]

Melo this is so good and getting better by the chapter.

More soon I hope...

Or (picks up a little Melodrama plushie and holds a water gun to the head) I'll soak ya with this gun.

Ummm, I hate to break it to you Engrish, but I'm not Melodrama. *sweatdrops* Erm...I think I'll go cry...

Aww...! Poor nee-chan, getting mixed up with someone else!! *comforts crying Goldberry*