Current mood: VERY grumpy.
Authoress' notes: Sorry for the cliffhanger. And please, whatever you do, I beg you not to hunt me down to the ends of the earth. PLEASE!
Warnings: Heh. Why should I warn you?
There's No Such Word as Won't
Chapter 4
Duo backed Hilde up against the wall, grinning. "So, do you believe me now?" he asked her, his lips trailing along the smooth skin of her neck.
She shivered slightly and giggled, wrapping her hand around his neck. She played with the small hairs on the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. "Does that answer your question?" she asked lightly as she pulled away.
"Believe me, it does." Duo laughed and lightly caressed her ear. Then the videophone rang, shaking them out of their position. Hilde glanced at the machine and accepted the call.
"It's Relena," she informed Duo, seconds before Relena's face appeared on the screen. She studied her friend's face. Something was different. Although Relena always looked tired from work and stress, the bags under her eyes seemed deeper, her mouth was tight and weary, and her shoulders sagged. Her eyes remained bright, although full of sorrow and guilt.
"Is something wrong, princess?" Duo frowned at the screen. He was worried she might have found out about the bet. Then they would be in big trouble. And he meant BIG.
"I feel guilty," Relena whispered. Her voice was hoarse. She raised her eyes, darting looks here and there, looking at anywhere but Duo and Hilde. "He was trying to protect me."
"What?" Hilde's shoulders tightened, and Duo put a hand on her shoulder gently. Something was wrong. "What is it, Relena?" Hilde urged.
Finally, Relena raised her head. "Heero's been shot."
*
Wufei found himself hardly able to breathe as Sally drew away. She smirked gently at his expression. "So," she said conversationally. "I guess we're competing against each other, huh, Chang? Duo's getting me on his side."
He growled. She was talking like they hadn't kissed. As if he wanted her to talk about that, he reminded himself. He growled again. He didn't like the sound of competing against Sally. Even though he literally thought all women were weak, Sally was not a woman he was willing to go against in a battle of the wits. Even for three hundred bucks.
"I assure you, onna," he said with a tight-lipped smile, "that Maxwell and you are largely outnumbered. He hasn't even been able to take one step."
"But then, why did I hear Zechs cursing Duo?" Sally said with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, the person he usually curses is Heero, isn't he?"
Shit. She knew about that? "Fine," he growled. "Maxwell has only made one step into the game." Then he smirked. "Besides, now he's watching Relena more closely than ever."
His dark eyes switched to her own blue ones, burning with fire. She stared back, undaunted by his steely gaze. They were involved in their own world when Wufei's phone call rang. Without taking his eyes from Sally's, he accepted the call and rasped out, "Hello?"
"Maxwell here," the voice at the other end of the line said curtly.
Maxwell? Has the world gone berserk? he wondered. Duo always greeted people with the words, "Hiyahowdoyoudoimfinethankyouimduomaxwell..." What the hell happened to everything? Sally leaned in to listen, and he found it rather hard to concentrate with such close proximity. Sally seemed to be thinking among the same lines as well, for she glanced down at him with an embarrassed grin and withdrew a few inches. Now he could breathe.
"What happened to you?" Wufei growled into the phone, loosening his tie as he spoke.
There was a dry chuckle on the other end of the line. "I haven't gone crazy, Wufei, don't worry."
"As if I care, Maxwell."
"Heero's been shot."
Wufei toppled off from his chair. Sally's eyes grew wide, and her left knee gave way. She slammed to the floor, but she sat up again as if nothing had happened. Reaching for Wufei's abandoned cellphone on the floor with a trembling hand, she brought it to her mouth and spoke. "Duo?"
Duo chuckled again, this one even more dry than the first, as if he was trying to laugh with a mouthful of sandpaper. "And I thought Wufei was alone in his office. Sally, Heero's been shot pretty bad. Relena just called us. She's at Heero's hospital. One of the doctors think a bullet grazed some vital organs. I don't know. Hilde and I are on our way, and so is Quatre, who was at the conference. Trowa is coming."
"Is it serious, Duo?" Sally pleaded, a note of panic in her voice.
"Honestly, we don't know. Relena wasn't up to explaining. She looks worse for the wear."
"No wonder." She sighed. "Those two really need to be together. If one dies the other can't survive."
Wufei, recovered, grabbed the cellphone, muttered, "We're on our way." Then he shut off the phone, and stared at Sally with wide eyes. "We're going in my car," he said gruffly, grabbing her arm and hauling her out of the office. Minutes later, they were rushing to the hospital.
*
Dark, dark, darkness. He was swallowed into empty blackness, something that was frightening but peaceful at the same time. He gave a sigh of content as his feet touched solid ground. He could finally rest. The pain had been too much. His childhood... His stomach tightened. There was nothing left of his childhood. He had fought, fought for Relena, fought for peace...and now, he was dead.
What a way to end a life, he thought bitterly. He hadn't accomplished many things he wished to accomplish, but at the same time had accomplished a lot of things he didn't really want to. He hadn't told the woman he loved that he loved her. He hadn't even brushed his hair once. He began walking, towards nothing, with no direction. Though he was in darkness, he was apparently on smooth ground, for he didn't stumble even once. Nothing was there. He was nothing as well. Just the way it should be.
He fell to his knees and slumped over as an ache grew in his chest. His heart ached, his lungs burned, his stomach was throbbing as if fire was licking at it. He had been shot, presumably through the abdomen. But had he protected Relena? Did he save her?
The more his panic grew, the more his pain grew. But he didn't care. He needed Relena. He needed to know she was safe.
The seconds ticked away as he knelt on the ground. Then he did something he never did before: he prayed. He prayed that He would protect Relena, prayed for Him to keep her safe. If he, Heero Yuy, couldn't protect Relena Peacecraft, then God would be the one. 'I never bothered you with my troubles until know, but I pray for You to keep her safe.'
Then he rose. He had dawdled too long. Death was waiting. He took a step forward, weights dragging at his feet, until he had to stop altogether. He gritted his teeth against the pain shooting through his muscles, through his stomach, through his heart. What now?
"Heero." Relena's voice. His head jerked up, and his heart started pounding against his ribcage. Relena, a small, child-like Relena, with the same large blue eyes and long honey-blond hair. But the hair was down and wild, the usual business suit the adult Relena wore exchanged for a delicate slim white gown. A rumpled black jacket that was too large for her hung down, past her arms, past her waist. She held out a hand, a fine ceramic hand. He stared at it incredulously.
"Death..." she gestured toward her left, "...or life?" She gestured to her right.
"You mean I have to choose?" he asked cautiously.
She nodded silently, her blue eyes solemn, but watching him with a playfulness that was hard to understand. "Do you need to understand?" she asked, nodding her head again.
"Yes."
"Then I'll help you." She lowered her hand and watched him curiously. "You do know who I am, do you?"
"Relena?"
"A chibi." She giggled suddenly. "Her younger version. Come to help you understand, come to help you choose. Cool, huh?"
He started, taken aback by her childish words. "Why did you take the form of Relena?"
"I'm a soul," she said softly. "I am Relena's soul. Relena's soul, whenever trying to reach another, always comes in the form of a ten-year-old. I tried to reach you for several times."
"Is Relena a witch?"
"Of course not." She laughed. "She simply has a good enough heart to try and reach you. There is a connection between you and her. Or should I say, you and me."
"Does she know she's in contact?"
"No. But I can tell you what she's thinking right now."
"She's safe, then?"
"Your prayers have been answered." She giggled. "Yes, she is. Or else you wouldn't see me standing here. Oh, well, I finally succeeded in reaching you anyway. What do you want to know?"
"Where am I?"
She chuckled, even though he found nothing so amusing. "Oh, you're somewhere in between life and death. Choose. I'm here to help you. Do you want to go back and tell Relena you love her, or do you want to die?"
"I-I don't know." Then he paused. "If you're Relena's soul, how do you know I love her?"
"Because, deep down, Relena feels you love her, even though she's doubting it, since you haven't paid her much attention." The chibi Relena nodded wisely to herself. "Just trying to make sure if you did. I swear I won't tell her if you tell her yourself."
"Why am I suspended between life and death? I thought all people died."
"Because God gave you another chance," she siad mischievously. "He knows things you may never know, knows that you want to tell her. So he's given you a chance."
"How does Relena feel about me?"
"Even though I knew, I wouldn't tell you. As if I would!" she scoffed. "That's for our physical bodies to discuss, not for our souls. Nice form, by the way, Heero."
Heero looked down at himself, interested to see which form he had taken. Then he hid a grin. Though he usually never actually wore the clothes again, except for the green tank top, he was dressed once again in the black spandex and the said green top. "Where are our physical bodies now?" he wanted to know. "Do they know we're talking?"
"No, of course not. You might be aware at some point, but Relena's not. Actually, the two of us are separated from our bodies, but they can still survive without us." She folded her arms across her chest, the black jacket suddenly seeming way too large for her. "So, are you going to choose or not?"
"Can I ask one request before I go?"
"Go where?" Then her eyes widened in surprise as he pressed his lips to her cheek, kneeling down on one knee before her. She smiled up at him as he got up. "Where are you going?"
In answer, he turned to the right. She smiled again, waved a small goodbye, and disappeared, her voice lingering like perfume in the air. "See you in the real world, Heero..."
And then he woke up.
*
When Duo stepped into the hospital room, the first thing he saw was Heero quietly gazing down into Relena's peaceful face. The chocolate-brown haired boy glared at his best friend as he entered. He was sitting up in bed, Relena's head in his lap, her hair strewn over the sheets. Heero was stroking it.
"Talk about a fast recovery, man!" Duo exclaimed. "I mean, what, why..." For the first time in his life, Duo was speechless. He didn't notice when Hilde entered, gaped open-mouthed at Heero, and let out a small scream. Instead, Duo launched himself at his buddy, who was glaring relentlessly at all of them, and hugged him without mercy.
Immediately, a punch was landed in his gut, and he wheezed as Heero doubled up his fist for another shot. "Okay, big guy," he gasped, letting go. "Boy, what a way to greet a friend. Looks like you're okay..."
Heero winced as his stomach suddenly gave a quiver. "Okay, maybe not all that okay..."
A squeak of disbelief echoed from the side, and all eyes snapped to Relena, who, in turn, was staring at Heero as if she had seen a ghost. "You...you..." she seemed unable to go on. Instead of talking, she shrieked and hugged him fiercely. Duo smirked at Heero, who was looking shell-shocked. Hilde was trying not to laugh and cry at the same time, as she doubled over the bed.
"You..." Relena pulled away from Heero, her eyes watering. "We thought you were dead," she whispered painfully. "Several times, your heart failed, but then it started beating again. You wouldn't give up."
He smiled. He knew that.
*
After Hilde and Relena had left with Sally in Wufei's car, Heero had assembled Trowa, Duo, Wufei, and Quatre in his room, and glared at each of them in turn. "Okay, so what the hell is going on in here?" he demanded coldly. "I asked you not to divulge any information. You may have reasons. But I want to hear them...and I want to hear them NOW."
Duo gulped. "Well, y'see, man, we made a bet..."
"About Relena and my relationship?" he demanded, guessing the rest.
Duo nodded, and instantly, Heero launched out of bed, straight for his throat. "Stop it!" Quatre cried. "Heero, you won't be able to walk around with that stomach."
Heero glared at nothing in particular and returned to bed. "Tell me more," he ordered.
"Nothing left to tell," Trowa said quietly.
"You better not do anything more like this," Heero warned them. "Or else..."
"What?" Duo managed a snicker. "We better not do anything with you and Relena's relationship like making bets and trying to help out or else you'll beat us to death with your crutches? 'Cause I'm telling you, man, if you break them, you're going to need it with that stomach."
"Shut up!" Heero ordered him. "The thing is off. No bet, no helping."
"So, are you going to tell her yourself?" Wufei snorted.
Heero turned away. "No."
TBC
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Hah! Done at last! Yay! Now, for the next chapter... Winter break, three weeks, coming up!!! See ya!
-DJ
