Two Steps

[Desert Bloom]

***Two Steps***

***Been wanting to write this one for a while. It?s from Relena?s POV. Please enjoy!!!!! And please review!!!!! ***




I can still remember the last time I saw him. It had been two years after the war, at least, the morning blossoming into a wonderful spring day. I woke especially early that day because of the bird outside my window, happily tweeting away at its simple song. I had left the window open last night because, being as carelessly romantic as I can be, I had hoped to catch some cool spring breeze.

It progressed as normally as can be expected, as I worked through the long pile of paperwork, conducted an interview, and got in a cup of coffee. At noontime, as usual, I was exhausted, but would not let the immense amount of work be the end of me yet.

One of the servants, a very sweet young lady named Anne, suddenly flung the door to my office open, interrupting my small and hurried lunch. ?Miss!? She said, obviously out of breath, ?Come see! There?s a man!?

I raised an eyebrow. A man?

Following her, I was lead down the hall and a flight of stairs. ?The cook found him this morning,? She explained, walking quickly. ?He had just collapsed on the doorstep. He?s very hurt, has a gunshot wound to the arm and leg.?

I was becoming more curious as every minute passed. My curiousness, however, gave way to genuine surprise and shock as she curtsied and opened the door to one of the smaller bedrooms.

There lay Heero, three other servants hurrying about him.

For some reason I cannot fathom, a damp cloth had been applied to his forehead. He had been shot; he didn?t have a headache.

?Get out,? I said, taking two steps forward. The servants looked questioningly at me, and I nodded, repeating, ?Get out.?




I was at his side for a week at least as he battled his state of unconsciousness. I wouldn?t move, wouldn?t budge, unless it was for some explanation of how he had received these wounds. None of these seemed to be anywhere near the truth.

It must have been in the news. Prime Foreign Minister Relena Darlian blows off all press conferences, all interviews, even the big speech she had been planning for months.

I didn?t care. Heero had been hurt, hurt badly, and the first thing he had done was come here. The hours I spent kneeling at his bed, stroking his hand and wishing desperately for his recovery, gave way to a lot of pondering and deep thinking. Perhaps, I dared to hope; perhaps he would finally be able to confide in me, once he awoke.

I felt guilty for feeling slightly happy that he had been hurt, but understood that in the long run these sharp cuts may be his savior.

I am absolutely positive that it had been a week and a day since he had been found at the castle, that I finally took it upon myself to have some dinner outside of his room. I sat for a moment longer, and, pushing back his brown bangs, gave him a last kiss on his forehead. Recover, I wished silently, recover and let that heart of yours shine like it?s supposed to. Then I stood up and left, allowing myself a last glance.

That image lays imprinted in my mind. Half of his body seemed to be consumed by the shadows of the night, and, in truth, the only really visible part of him was his face, relaxed and peaceful in his long-awaited rest.

When I came back, he was gone. The lone window in the room was open, a free breeze disrupting some aged papers on the bedside table.

Heero Yuy would never change.



You know, years pass too quickly. I had hardly blinked before first two years had passed, and then three. My second blink took up the space of the next three years. In contrast to the time of the war, where I had felt that a minute was everlasting in its torture, now I felt unfairly cheated out of life and space and time and all such like it.

In all, I had let the gap grow between our odd ?group? for at least seven years. Peace?. it was possible. But I was tired of chasing it, tired of always being two steps away. I needed some shoulder to lean on, besides my flowery speeches, which could influence a world, and yet ultimately seemed to fail in inspiring me.

So, I called them back. The pilots had undoubtedly separated from each other as well, and, I expected, would be looking forward to catching up with each other. Not only that, but I was looking forward to conversing with some of their close friends.




?Hold still, Relena!? Hilde laughed at me, as she attempted to clasp the back of my dress together.

I sighed, and nodded, giggling a bit myself. ?Sorry! It?s just that I have to get some of these papers done, or my head falls off tomorrow.?

I felt her hands at my back and a small, but sharp, prick of pain as the two hooks met and my dress was complete. Turning around from my desk, holding a folder in one hand and a pencil in the other, I saw that she had stepped back and was surveying her handiwork.

?Oh, I am good. Beautiful white. Yes, I did a good job of picking that out.?

I did a little turn for her; both of us enjoying the way the dress flowed along with my body. ?All I need now,? I said, looking downward at my chest, ?is to get these things a little bit bigger.? Cupping my breasts, I moved them upward so that they were pointing out in a style very much like some singers and dancers had it.

She shook her head, grinning. ?Well?that?ll catch some eyes, Relena.?

I nodded, allowing them to droop back to their correct place. ?Maybe some stuffy senator will look my way.? I paused, and hesitated, before wording my next question: ?Hilde, I feel stupid asking this, but is Duo???

She held up a hand, silencing me. ?My fianc?e is in the correct attire. No one will question his being here.?

I felt a strong feeling of relief. ?Thanks, Hilde. I reserved the ballroom for just us guys, but sometimes other politicians feel the need to crash such parties and hold themselves in my favor.?

She grinned, and announced that she would list whom she had already run into. ?Trowa, Wufei, Sally, Quatre, Noin?.?Counting off her fingers, she raised her eyes heavenward, an expression of concentration and thought etched in her face. ?All of them dressed up and proper like. Your brother and Catherine aren?t here, they had other plans?and Hee-,? She stopped mid-sentence, the realization of what she?d done dawning slowly.

I opened a compact on the desk and began to hurriedly make some minor corrections to my face, speaking more to the mirror than Hilde. ?I know he?s not here?. I didn?t really expect him to come.?

She shook her head. ?No Relena, Heero is coming. He told Duo so. He?s just going to be a little late, that?s all.?

I snapped the compact shut, glancing up at her in what I?m sure was a look of absolute surprise. ?What??

Hilde had already changed the subject. ?What do you think of the violet dress?? She asked, twirling around for me. ?Duo told me it complimented my eyes.?

I opened my mouth, definitely about to return to the topic of Heero, but something stopped me, and I promptly clamped my mouth shut. ?Lovely,? I said, trying to focus on her dress.




The four pilots stood by the punch table, standing in a circle and talking in what seemed a very friendly manner. As Hilde and I approached, Duo let out a yell of recognition and, setting down his punch cup, was by Hilde?s side in a moment?s notice.

?I did not know that angels were attending this party,? He said, kneeling and taking her hand. Hilde began to giggle, but Duo raised his free hand to silence her, and continued, ?I am pleased that one is gracing my presence!? and promptly, at the end of his sentence, kissed her hand lovingly.

Cute. They really cared for each other.

?Hello, Miss Relena,? Quatre greeted, sipping his paper cup.

Wufei and Trowa also nodded, and Wufei said, after a moment, ?We?re all glad to see your prosper. You seem to be at the top of your political game.?

I nodded, genuinely pleased. Coming from Wufei, who was, although not a woman-hater, definitely somewhat challenging to any female leader, well, it was certainly a lot.

Duo rose from his place at Hilde?s knees. ?Top of the political game, yes, we were just discussing that!?

?I find it,? I said, slowly, ?A very tiring thing now, politics. It seems we?re always two steps away from peace.?

?Two steps,? Returned Wufei, very quietly, ?Is very optimistic.? He hesitated, and then said, ?I?ve never been sure if I believed in peace. Rather honor. But where peace is concerned?. when I think of it, it strikes me as two miles away.?

Quatre chuckled, and, noting the sudden coldness that seemed to have descended upon the meeting, launched into a long discussion about various developments in the political arena. He wondered if it was quite possible that I may have some opinions on this, and at my remark that yes, I did, he wondered what those educated beliefs may be.




Sally and Noin entered the ballroom shortly later, Noin reciting an excuse for my brother?s absence. I assured her that his not being here was fine, and that I had really been interested in seeing where the five pilots were now. My brother, I said, was a person who I saw frequently, and I was content with the way our relationship worked out.

My lies seemed to relieve her considerably.

All in all, I enjoyed myself, but was very happy when night came upon us. At three in the morning I finished off a conversation with Sally (who seemed to be treating Wufei very icily), and headed to my room after having one of the servants guide the others to their own.

As I walked down the hall, I removed my hair from its tight bun and allowed it to fall freely down my back. Placing the hair tie on my wrist, I was just about to turn the corner to the correct direction of my room when I stopped, my eyes falling upon a closed door to my left.

Memories sprinted through my mind. I saw Heero, bloodied, staining the bed a rich red. I saw his closed eyes as I kissed him one last time, on the forehead. I saw the window open, a breeze ripping silently through it.

He had never come, had he?

Slowly, I walked to the door and opened it, remembering Anne?s slender hand on it so many years ago. How many had it been? Five? Something like that. I opened the door, peering in, as if expecting to see him still lying there, his chest heaving up and down with the exhaustion of merely breathing.

I couldn?t see much of the room, only the window, which was open, a soft current of wind flowing through the room very much like it had done before. I must have never closed that window, I realized, or the servants must have forgotten.

I took a step in, and allowed my eyes view of the entire room. Immediately, as I did, I was blanketed by night?s darkness. The only light was that of the moon?s dull glow.

Even so, as I sighted the bed, I could still make out the figure sitting on it, staring sullenly at the pillow.

?What?re you doing here?? I asked, completely surprised.

Hazel eyes turned to watch me. ?Remembering,? He said.

[blackrose]

*gasp* What a horrible place to leave it! But I really like it. It's going great, and Relena's POV is done very well. ^__^

**off to read the next chapter**

Love,
Rose

[Tsukiyo]

This is good. and i am so very glad that there are other chapters already posted 'cause this is a pretty crazy little cliffhanger you've got going.
~tsukiyo

[Rose of Betrayal]

Wow. That was great. You really wrote the excellently, y'know? I am going to second chapter. NOW!


<img src="http://images.quizilla.com/R/Ruri-chan/ ... _Ahope.JPG" border="0" alt="You represent... hope."><br>You represent... hope.

[Morrighan]

Ooh..!!! I am definitely reading the next parts now!!! Great job!!

[Andrea]

OMG!!!! Off I go!! Read more, read more... need to read more.... GREAT portrayal of Relena, by the way.