Eternity In His Hand 13/?

[Goldberry]

Eternity In His Hand
Chapter Thirteen



<i>Hello, Master Heero. I?ve been waiting for you.</i>

Heero ruthlessly crushed the reflex that wanted him to glance over his shoulder and meet the aqua eyes of a girl that was no longer there. Her voice had been haunting him all day and try as he might to forget, she just wouldn?t let him. Everywhere he looked something reminded him of her, a place, a laugh, a ray of sunlight the color of her hair. And of course the people. The students were so used to seeing them together that his classmates couldn?t stop themselves from asking him why he was without his better half. They were only teasing and smiled as they spoke but every sentenced weighed on him until there was only once choice left.

He needed to be weightless.

Diving into the pool was paramount to washing away all this thoughts. There was nothing but the water and the very basic motion of breathing, bubbles tickling his face as they rushed by. He had done four laps when the memory hit him like a ton of bricks.

<i>We never got to dance. </i>

Cursing, he surfaced and swam to the edge, raking a hand through his wet hair as he purged himself of all emotions. Even the pool was no longer his and he couldn?t afford to remember. He lost sight of everything thinking of her and it would only destroy him. She wasn?t real. She was just an illusion that everyone wanted, a star in the night sky that everyone wished on. And a star cannot belong to one person.

Least of all to him.

<i>Relena, make a wish.</i>

?You?ve got to stop this, Yuy. It?s done, it?s over, she?s gone,? he told himself flatly and turned swiftly in the water when someone answered.

?Is she??

Heero glared as Duo came to stand by the edge, hands in his pockets as he stared out across the expanse of lighted water. The Student Council member seemed somehow older now, his violet eyes more knowing in that mischievous way only Maxwell could achieve. It didn?t save him from Heero?s bad mood however.

?Leave me alone, Maxwell. I don?t need your pity.? He pushed away from the side and began treading water. Duo only glanced at him, ignoring the warning tone in Heero?s voice.

?I told her,? he said suddenly, ?like you suggested.?

Heero concentrated on coordinating the cycle of his hands and feet. ?Good for you.?

?It wasn?t as hard as I thought, but then she took it better than most. She doesn?t understand it all but?? Duo cleared his throat. ?She believes that you can do it.?

Heero raised emotionless dark eyes. ?Do what??

Duo frowned. ?Win, of course. Isn?t that what you told me to believe in?? He paused, his face tightening as something was made clear by Heero?s lack of response. ?You are planning to challenge Trowa, aren?t you??

?No, I?m not.?

?WHAT?? Duo?s arms wind milled as his outburst threatened to dump him in the pool. Heero snorted in disgust and climbed up the ladder, water cascading from his body as he grabbed a clean towel from the stack near the wall and began to dry himself off. Upon regaining his balance, Maxwell swung to face him, shock registering in his wide-eyed expression. ?I don?t understand! You?re going to let him win? You?re going to let him have her?!?

Heero?s fingers tightened around the soft fabric of the towel. ?There?s nothing for you to understand, Duo. I?m not a duelist anymore. I want nothing to do with the Rose Bride.? He pivoted on his heel and started for the locker room. Duo called out after him.

?I thought you were fighting for Relena, not the Bride.?

Heero stiffened but kept walking.

?You thought wrong.?

* * * *

A quiet knock.

Relena rose from Catherine?s bedside and slipped silently down the hall to the door. Reaching out she turned the knob and stepped back, allowing light to trickle in. Hilde raised her head and smiled calmly.

?Hello, Relena. I?ve come to see Cathy.?

* * * *

Quatre lowered saber and pushed up his mask, rubbing the sweat out of his eyes as he looked across at his fencing partner. ?You?re not using your full strength. Quit holding back, Heero.?

Heero Yuy lowered his saber as well and stepped back, not bothering to defend himself. Quatre frowned and pulled his glass-plated mask back down. Though Heero didn?t seem to be focused on their spar, it still took quite a good defense to stop him from winning a victory. Despite that, Quatre knew that Heero had lost whatever it was that made him strong. He had a good idea of what it was, too.

?You can?t stay like this forever, Heero,? he said softly, raising his saber in a salute. ?One day you?ll have to face her, and then what will you do??

Instead of giving an answering salute, Heero let his fencing saber drop to the floor, the tinny sound of steel echoing through the empty room. His face was so composed that Quatre knew it was taking everything thing Heero had to keep it smooth.

?I don?t want to fight anymore, Quatre,? he said after a moment, his voice strangely subdued. ?I can?t?? He paused, searching for the words. ?I?ve don?t have a purpose anymore.?

Breathing out quietly, Quatre set his saber against the wall and drew his mask completely off, letting it fall next to his weapon. ?Do you have to have a purpose??

?Yes.?

Quatre nodded and brushy sweaty locks of pale hair from his eyes. ?Then you?ll have to find it again.?

?I?don?t know how.?

Quatre watched Heero a moment, the stiff way in which he stood, the way his fingers curled slightly around a sword he was no longer holding, the darkness that lingered in his eyes. All were signs of change but it was still Heero beneath it all. He had just stepped off the path he had been following for all his life and couldn?t find the way back. Quatre had felt the same not so long ago. Perhaps?

?Why did you come to the Academy, Heero? The real reason.? The other boy lifted his hand and Quatre nodded. ?Your mother?s ring.?

Surprisingly, Heero offered more. ?She gave it to me before she died.?

?And the rose signet on it is the same as the Academy?s sigil,? Quatre supplied.

Again, Heero nodded.

?So you came to perhaps find out a little about your mother. You had no idea that here that ring is called a Rose Seal and it is the key to the Dueling Arena and to become a duelist.? Heero was watching him warily. ?You fought Wufei the first time because of the dishonor he had done Hilde, but why the second fight??

?I was challenged.?

?Is that all??

A muscle in Heero?s jaw moved. ?No.?

Quatre smiled slightly and leaned back against the wall. ?What was it??

?I?wanted to protect Relena.?

Quatre gave him a kind look. ?Isn?t that what this has been about all along, Heero? You?ve fought every duel for Relena, not for the Rose Bride, or Revolution, or even Eternity. In the front of your mind was the girl beneath it all, the girl who perhaps simply wants to be like every other girl. And even if she doesn?t, does it matter? Your own ideals support your protection of Relena Darlian. Even if she were to ask you to let her remain a slave forever, isn?t it true you would set her free anyway, simply because you know it to be right?? Heero looked away, something flickering across his face and Quatre straightened. ?Your mother would want you to fight for her, Heero. I think that?s why she gave you her ring. She knew it would lead you here.? He paused and then said more softly. ?And you?re the only one who can beat him, Heero. It has to be you.?

Quatre turned and picked up a sheathed sword from the nearby table, balancing it between his hands briefly before going to stand before Heero and place it in his friend?s grip.

?This blade has never known defeat, Heero.? He pressed Heero?s hands over the sheath. ?Do not fail it.?

For a moment, Heero simply looked at the sword, his eyes no longer dark and emotionless. Then he raised his head and looked clearly into Quatre?s eyes and the Vice President relaxed as Heero?s aura cleared and became brilliant.

?Thank you, Quatre,? he said quietly. ?I know what I have to do now. It?s time I finished this.?

* * * *

Heero gazed up at the revolving Castle silently, every muscle in his body relaxed, his mind clear. Everything was so simple, it was amazing he hadn?t seen it before. He almost felt like laughing. The hilt of Quatre?s sword felt good in his right hand, the weight of the steel a necessary part of himself. The breeze ruffled his dark hair and the hem of his shirt, wrapping around his body as he stood in the middle of Arena, content at last. Even when he felt Trowa and the Rose Bride step onto the Platfrom, his self-confidence never wavered.

He would really owe Quatre after this.

?Well, I must say I didn?t expect to face you again, Heero,? Trowa said conversationally. Heero glanced at him, unconcerned.

?I didn?t either, but I realized I don?t like leaving things undone.?

Trowa gave him a half smile. ?Then let?s get started shall we? No use in prolonging things.?

Without a trace of expression, Heero replied, ?As you wish.? He lifted his sword slightly, prepared himself, and then lifted his gaze to connect to Relena?s. Instead of the soul wrenching jerk he had expected, he felt nothing as she looked back at him. There was no light in her eyes, a vaguely distant expression occupying the aqua orbs. This was not Relena Darlian, the woman he had come to know. This was the Rose Bride in all her power. It seems Relena had become more deeply imprisoned during their time apart, but the notion simply firmed his resolve. This was for her.

But most of all this was for himself.

?Rose of the noble castle.?

A sphere of light blossomed between Relena?s palms.

?Power of Peace that sleeps within me.?

The wind rose.

?Heed your master and come forth!?

In a slow, graceful arc Relena fell backwards, her spine curving over Trowa?s arm as he caught her, the light coalescing just under her breasts. The hilt came forth and Trowa gripped it firmly and pulled it free, the blade glittering in the sunlight.

?Give me the power to bring the world Revolution,? Trowa murmured and it was done. Relena stepped to the side, completely in possession of herself once again and the duel commenced.

This time Heero did not rush forward, nor in fact did he move from where he stood. Instead he readied his sword and simply waited for the Champion to come to him. Realizing this, Trowa smirked and complied and they clashed together, their swords expressing everything they did not. Sweat immediately beaded on Heero?s brow but it did on Trowa?s as well until five minutes had passed and neither one had managed to land a blow.

Heero pulled back, gauging his opponent and Trowa stepped to the side, flipping the Sword into his left hand to give his sword arm a rest. ?I won?t lose, Heero,? he said, keeping Heero out of striking distance. ?Too much is resting on my staying the Champion.?

Heero decided to indulge him. ?Like what??

The Sword went back into his right hand. ?Like the fact that my sister will die if I do not achieve Eternity.?

Heero wasn?t swayed. ?Everyone dies, it is inevitable. Would you have her live forever only to watch you die??

Trowa?s mouth tightened and instead of answering he attacked with a blow Heero felt clear up to his shoulder. Instead of striking again while Heero was a bit off balance, Trowa backed off again, coming level with the Rose Bride. Heero watched him warily.

?You seem to have a lot of answers today, Heero, but I?m afraid you still know very little about the Rose Bride. It is that particular lack of knowledge that will be your downfall.? Trowa pointed the tip of the Sword at the Bride?s knees and commanded her in a smooth voice, his eyes never straying from Heero?s, wanting to witness his reaction. ?Bride of the Roses, leave your body and protect the Sword!?

Heero couldn?t keep his body from stiffening, nor bottle the anger that spilled forth in a glare that should have burnt Barton on the spot. In an effort to keep himself under control, he turned slightly to see Relena kneel in front of the Sword, take the tip in her hands and lay a kiss on the cold steel. Her eyes closed and the Sword turned a sparkling red, just shy of the shade of a rose. Trowa lifted the Sword, leaving a trail of red afterimages as it moved through the air. Relena rose slowly, her face haggard as if she had been drained of all energy but Trowa ignored her, stepping forward to reengage Heero.

The first attack almost split Heero?s weapon in two, the red Sword slicing halfway through the steel of Quatre?s sword. As it was, the blades were now locked together, seconds ticking by as Heero desperately tried to keep the empowered Sword from eating through any more of his own.

Do not fail.

?It?s over, Heero,? Trowa said, his voice strained as he struggled to cleave away the upper half of Heero?s weapon. ?With the Rose Bride I am unbeatable.?

Heero dropped to one knee as the burning Sword threatened to overpower him and he had to use both hands to simply keep a grip on the hilt in his fingers. Above him, Trowa smirked and Heero felt the last restraint on himself snap as over the Champion?s shoulder he saw Relena take a step towards them, a hand lifted and reaching for?

For him.

The knowledge was as instantaneous as it was impossible. The Rose Bride was bound to her Champion, she shouldn?t be able to think of anyone else.

And yet?

Her eyes met his and he knew. Most of the Rose Bride now resided in the Sword. The girl standing not twenty feet away was Relena Darlian.

And she was calling him.

Trowa made a disbelieving sound as the Sword made a distinctive snap! and reverted to its original bright silver. Relena lurched on her feet as the Rose Bride reasserted her control and Heero brought up his cracked sword in a flickering arc that drove the Sword of Peacecraft right out of Trowa?s hands.

Hunter green rose petals trickled almost quietly to the floor as the bells in the tower boomed and echoed over the Academy grounds, signaling the end of a duel.

Standing on the Council balcony, Quatre Winner smiled to himself.

?Well done, Heero.?

* * * *

Rubbing his still bandaged arm, Heero pushed open the door to his building, his entire body aching but his eyes glinted with energy as he hurried up the stairs to his room. Loosening the tie of his uniform he opened his door, pushed it open with his hip and stepped inside to be greeted with the best moment of his life.

Relena Darlian smiled at him and her eyes were anything but vacant. Tears glinted in her lashes as she stood in the middle of the room, suitcase at her feet, long sun-spun hair glinting in the fading light streaming through the windows. When she spoke her voice was like honey and gold.

?I?ve been waiting for you,? she said softly. ?I am the Rose Bride and from this day forward, I am yours.? Her smile blinded him and he felt his heart ache.

?I?m home, Heero.?

TBC?




Alright my little chickens, the next chapter is going to be a LEMON and it will NOT be integral to the storyline so don't feel pressure to read it thinking you're going to be missing something. Of course, you ARE going to be missing Heero and Relena doing the horizontal mambo but, hey, no one here will judge you.

Rose: The heck we won't! The world needs more 1xR lemons! READ OR DIE!

*ahem* Aside from Rose then, the rest of us will reserve judgement. I will include a similar warning with the actual chapter. I'm trying to get this series done for D2 (I have a placeholder for it), so I'm spinning these chapters out as fast as humanly possible without sacrificing the writing. I hope I did alright.

Thanks for reading!

[RyanEX2000]

One word.....CHEATER.That's on a level even Wufei didn't sink.What is it about the Rose Bribe that they desire so much....

In case you haven't figured out yet I've never seen the series this is fused with so in some aspects I'm a bit lost....

[Shevey]

I'm in love with your fic. It's very captivating!!! I actually started to read on ff.net (I think that's where) and I completely forgot about reading the rest! Then, being the smart one I am, I forgot the name and author when I went back to find it....ah, the life of Shev. I'm so glad I found it here though. Great job. A lemon eh? Can't wait.

lovies, shev

[WhiteWindRRose]

that was brilliant once again!!
but u still "got a lot o' 'splainin' to do" G-berry
ah, i can be patient!

WWR: *whispers to back of room* Don't take them out yet guys!
Voice: Dayum! and I had everything loaded up too... Aiite boss!

the thought of you ending it with another cliffhanger drove me insane!!
but thank goodness u didn't! :razz: :glomps:
that would've surely killed me off.
if you'd have stopped in the middle of the duel... omg. i can't even think about it...
but thank goodness you didn't!!!
good luck wit D(2)

i await the lemony goodness!
nothing like good old lemonade

[shadowcat]

i always thought that i would fall in love with a cartoon and stay like that forever but now it seems that i have found a new love. YOUR FIC!!
it is soooooo brilliant and i adre it sooooo much!!
Berry, why are you cruel??
is torturing us your hobby??
watching us go insane by the cliffhanger is it funny???

Yay!!! LEMON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



-Shadow

[aku_ryo]

wow do i have to tell you gold chan how much i love this fic????

probably not but I will

I LOVE THIS FIC SOOOOOOO MUCH!!!

akuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

[freelight01]

That was brilliant Goldberry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fantastic, amazing and i can't wait for the next chapter!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm just loving Eternity in his hand fic!!!!! I been thinking if you were going to do the Black Rose part from the series as well, but if you would I couldn't think of all the names.
I got Noin, Sally, Alex, Muller, Robert (you know, the guy at the beginning of the GW series who challenges Heero over the torn invitation.) Ann Une, Midii Une, Sylvia, Trieze but i couldn't think of who will be Mikage, the one who started it all, prehaps Trieze but i don't think he would be clever enough?? Always, i suppose i just have to wait to find out. So get those next chapter out soon!!!!!!!!!!

[Melville's Best Friend]

^__^ Goldberry, dear...

I don't know if you're AWARE *calms temper, and smiles sweetly* that in our country we have LAWS *ahem* against CRUEL and UNUSUAL punishment...

*glares*

But we do.

And what you did....where you left it....that was both.

You're asking for it. You really are. I've cloned my Dr/ J's and we're on our way to your crib.

*smiles*

See you in a few!!!!!!

[lilac310]

..hehehe...i can't wait for the nxt chapter!!!!....C'mon..post it!!!!!

[Morrighan]

YES!!!! *dances around* Heero kicked that cheating bastard's ass!!! Whoo-hoo!!

Lemon? Next chapter?? Ooh... Me wanna read....

^_~

Love ya, nee-chan!