Okay, obviously I made more than a few typos concerning the inclusion of Lila and Amaya?.you see, this didn?t originally start out as fanfiction, but rather as an original story I was writing for a friend. She was bummed one day with the world of real life boyfriends (yes girls, those assholes), basically looked at me one day, and then declared, ?You write well. Write me a romance story.? I enjoyed writing it so much that I decided I wanted others to see it ? but how? If I included it on the Internet as an original story, I suffer the risk of being ripped off or stolen from. Then I realized that this universe and the Gundam Wing?s universe are incredibly similar. So I made a few changes, and tah-dah! That, for instance, is why Heero is so OOC, and why Trowa is also a little bit OOC too at some points. In fact, the only people that are really in character are Duo and Quatre?anyhow, I?ve ranted way too long. Please enjoy and review if you like.
And thankies to Mi-chan, my new beta-reader!
***Part Three of The Woman?s Piano: Deprived of This Time ***
They parted their separate ways then, as the situation dictated they should. Relena?s wish to ?just go home? was followed through with the help of Hilde and Sally, who had already talked to Relena earlier about where she lived and had figured out that they were neighbors. Wufei, Quatre, and Dorothy headed in their own directions ? soon it was only Heero, Duo and Trowa.
Trowa hadn?t said a word as he had intruded upon the impromptu little ?picnic? the others had been having, laying Duo down in front of Heero and then standing off to the side as the others scurried to wake her up and take care of her. However, now that Relena had indeed been taken care of, attention could be given to Trowa as needed, and they could begin to try and put together the pieces of this severely demented puzzle. Duo, always the loudest and most confident, was the first to turn on him, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him a few inches off the ground.
?If we find out you?re the one Trowa, you?ll be lucky to have your dick given back to you in a paper bag.?
A bemused expression twitched at the corners of Trowa's face. ?I?ll pass. Besides, she wasn?t touched like that ? and I had nothing to do with it.? He calmly placed his hands on Duo?s chest and gave a little shove, which knocked him back a few feet and stopped any more threatening advances.
Duo sighed, forced to admit his subtle defeat, running his hands through his brown hair and pondering the ground dejectedly. ?Relena?s a nice girl, and she just transferred here. What is she gonna think about us now, huh? That we?re all savages??
Heero finally spoke up from his kneeled posture on the ground, eyes coming up to sweep Trowa?s facial expression, as if that would explain it all.
It didn?t, of course.
?If you know who it was Trowa, please tell us. Somehow I don?t believe that you just found her, though it?s possible.?
But to Heero's surprise, when Trowa turned back to look at him, there was an undeniable glint of... sadness to his normally stoic face. Trowa knew more than he was letting on, and that infuriated Heero.
This wasn?t any stupid game ? this was a person and this person was Relena and Heero could still feel a remnant of the absolute panic he?d felt when he?d seen Relena like that, laying on the ground so limp like a doll. Heero never felt panic; he had always been immune to it, an odd little quirk of his persona.
Except then.
Then he?d been truly scared.
?Ever since you started going out with that Sylvia girl you?ve totally changed.? Duo commented, very determinedly looking at no one.
?I broke up with Sylvia.? was Trowa?s immediate response.
Silence. Long, uninterrupted silence.
Duo was the first one to speak up again, which seemed only natural. ?Cheston?s going to cream us in football, huh? Or are you going to be there this year??
Laughter from Trowa broke through the damper of seriousness that had lay waste to the park?s otherwise enchanting atmosphere. It echoed against the ancient trees that still had the ghosts of little Duo and Trowa chasing each other in circles about their base, and it reminded them that the sky was still blue, the birds were still singing, the crickets still humming. Life was going on and it was time for them to do the same.
?Wouldn?t miss it for the world, pal. I know you guys are totally useless without me.?
Trowa gave Duo a noogie, which Duo tried to bat away with half-hearted irritation. He wasn?t very successful, though ? Trowa was taller and caught him again easily. Heero guessed it was some sort of payback for when Duo had grabbed Trowa by the collar ? Heero had never really understood their relationship. They could be best friends one moment and then ragging each other like worst enemies the next. All Heero could really surmise was that it was because they were so comfortable with each other; Duo, Trowa and Wufei had grown up in this town together, Heero and Quatre just moving recently ? and that no matter what the latest up or down was, they always remained friends in the end.
Like Duo had said though, things had changed the very minute Trowa had begun to out with Sylvia. Trowa had drifted away; brotherly hugs in the hallway had become little waves of recognition, and then mumbled, uncomfortable ?Hellos?.
?Yeah sure, though pride goest before the fall.?
?Goest??
?Isn?t that Shakespeare??
?Now I know why you failed English.?
?Trowa, Duo.?
They both turned to face Heero as he spoke. ?Yeah?? Duo asked, finally managing to duck Trowa?s hold.
?I?m going to go home, see you tomorrow. And Trowa, I don?t know what?s going on with you, but I?d like to understand more about what happened to Relena later. I?m too tired to try to force it out of you now.? He grinned as he voiced the last sentence, as if it was understood that Heero wouldn?t really force anything out of Trowa like that. That understanding was, however, a lie; one of the biggest as lies go as well.
Trowa stepped forward. ?Actually, I should probably talk to you about it. Now.? He sent a glance at Duo.
?Uh-uh. No way. Why should I have to leave??
Heero also looked at Duo.
?Okay, okay. I?ll let you two kissing cousins alone then. Che.?
That last remark earned Duo a little whap in the back of the head from Trowa.
Hilde let out a long wavering sigh as she exited the Pegasus estate, crossing the distance of the courtyard with a lazy gaze directed at the heavens.
Sally noted her friend?s action and prodded verbally. ?Why so bummed? That place was pretty cool, being in such dire need of explanation?.? She grinned, pulling on Hilde's book bag to get her attention.
Hilde scowled, pulling the sack of books out of Sally's dangerous grasp. ?That man?s name? Treize...?
A frown met Sally?s expression as it dawned on her. ?Damn, you?re right.?
?So you know what I?m talking about?? They reached the gate; it opened for them soundlessly and they were given leave to exit. Accepting this opportunity, the normalcy of city streets greeted them, accentuated by the crisp autumn sky that wrapped around the horizon of tall, heaven aspiring skyscrapers, aptly named in every way.
?Unfortunately, yeah. Should we tell Dorothy? I mean, this was the bastard Dorothy's grandfather was talking about, right??
?How many rich Kushrendas do you know??
?I?m still awaiting an answer on that to tell or not to tell thing.?
Hilde paused where she was walking, hands instinctively going into her jacket pockets to warm them up. ?We probably should. I mean, Dorothy?s grandfather ? or uncle, whatever ? said Treize had become obsessed with?unorthodox ideas. Maybe terrorists? He has the money.?
?Probably should tell him? Probably? You mean, you still have doubts-? Sally had to stop abruptly as Hilde did, which she wasn?t too happy about, since she wanted to get in out of the cold already.
?Except?.?
?Except???
?I?ve got a plan.?
Sally grinned, enjoying the friendly teasing. ?What? You mean I have to do something that requires thinking? That?s a low blow, a low blow.?
?Shhhh. Shut up. I?m thinking.?
?You heretic.?
?Yeah, yeah. C?mon, give me a second here. You know, I left my agenda there already.?
?You klutz.?
?It was on purpose.?
?What? ??Ohhhhh, I get it.? Pause. ?I think.?
Now it was time for Hilde to grin, and she did. ?Took you long enough. Now, let me think.?
?Hey, look!? One hand shot out from Sally?s side to point ahead, while the other grasped Hilde?s arm, asking for Hilde?s devoted attention.
Irritated, Hilde was forced from her stupor. She looked up, eyes rising to meet the direction that Sally pointed in. ?Not now, please!?
?It?s Heero, Hilde-chan.?
So it was. Hilde merely stopped and stared, various pieces of a complex puzzle finally coming to light.
The way Heero had talked more to Lila than anyone else earlier in the hallway. The look of absolute fear and apprehension on Heero?s face when he saw the injured Lila ? Heero was never scared or apprehensive ? the kiss he?d given, a mere scrape of lips against a bruised cheek, but still??and now this, him inexplicably seeking her out already.
He came up to them and asked where Lila was. Sally teased him about his ?girlfriend?, as did Hilde.
Things are never serious when you joke about it.
Then they, almost begrudgingly, pointed him in the right direction.
Sleep would not come for Relena, and when it did, the dosage came in fitful bouts of tossing and turning, punctuated by the occasional nightmare.
The nightmare itself was always the same, with a Relena of vastly less years would casually wander into the living room, questioning in her child-like voice, ?Mommy, will you teach me to how to do the eyes? I can never get them right??mommy??
And then, every single time in these reenactments, Relena would be see her mother draped over the piano, hair spread about the keys and shadowing her face. Every single time, the Relena that was a child would utter another question of ?Mommy?? except this time it would be in softer tones, a gentle whisper coming as instinctively as breath, and this time when Relena would touch her mother, her mother would not respond in kind, enveloping her little daughter in a hug like she always did upon greeting
No matter what Relena did, whether it was the Relena that was a child or the Relena that was quickly becoming a woman ? no matter what Relena did, no matter how much she cried and wished for it be so ? mother would never respond kindly again; she would never hug or greet her little daughter.
The eyes that little Relena had wanted to learn had gone dead.
And it was upon this thought, hollowly poetic, that Relena would wake. Sleep would then beckon back to her, and she would have the same dream again, and after about forty minutes of this vicious cycle Relena finally decided to hell with it. She got up from bed with a little wince, touching her cheek to feel where it would be black and blue.
The easel by the window stared ominously at her; its blankness proposing a challenge. Since Relena never backed down from such things, verily she was found once again with pencil in hand, brow furrowed as she hacked away at it. The concentration showed early in the art room was nothing compared to this ? tears wracked her face as she drew the fingers prettily playing the piano, as she drew the long black hair that had always been her mother?s trademark, frizzy and cascading to the mother?s waist.
?A beautiful picture, especially poignant. It shows so much emotion, my dear sister.?
Relena did not even look up to acknowledge Treize?s presence, but it wasn?t needed because he left no doubt that he was indeed there, as his one hand rested on her shoulder, needed for balance as he peered in closer for a look at the lovely portrait. She sketched the end of the piano, falling more and more into the rhythm, welcoming the escape.
In this world, the beautiful, dark featured woman still had so many more wonderful years in front of her. In this world she had not been deprived of this time, cut down by some fluke heart attack ? one only had to look at how she smiled and chuckled, playing some pretty little ditty, to know that she knew this and was flirting this happy fact to all her heart?s content.
?Yes, you are truly talented. But why do you always draw this sad woman, my dear Relena??
?This woman is happy.? Relena retorted. ?And you should be, too.?
?Oh??
?I got the bruise from some of that Heero boy?s admirers. He?s quite a playboy.?
?Why would that make me happy? Say, why is there a tear running down that woman?s cheek??
?It?s my picture. I felt it.?
He chuckled in her ear, as if it was a complete mockery that one could ever ?feel? things like that. Yet she knew he wasn?t mocking her ? Treize ?felt? a lot of things, which was why he was so eccentric.
?You know?? She felt him step back, letting loose his hold on her shoulder, his presence somewhat less. ?You used to draw so many pictures like this when you were a child. It?s all you would draw, actually, of a woman over a piano?so much like your mother?.?
Lila stopped drawing suddenly, not knowing quite what to think. Treize was decipherable, as usual. He could really be acting sad, or he could be mocking her, or ?or she didn?t know what.
?Treize?.?
A little ring sounded.
?I?m getting beeped. Oh, it?s the butler?someone at the door who wants to see you, Relena. Perhaps it?s those two girls again? The one left her agenda here.?
?Two girls?? That made Relena turn her head, seeing Treize?s face for the first time since that morning. It had no remnant of any pain that may have crossed his attentive expression.
Treize nodded, smiling enchantingly. ?Yes. Their names were...Hilde and Sally? That was it. You stay here, you?ve obviously gone through enough today.? His eyes flitted over where her cheek was bruised, and then he left to accommodate the new arrival, or arrivals, depending on the situation.
Relena continued on for a good while, working out some kinks/mistakes that presented themselves to her through her labor. Chances were that Hilde and Sally posed no threat to her secret, after all. Eventually, every strand of the woman?s hair was just as it should be, not too straight and yet, not too frizzy and wild either ? the woman?s eyes, not dead at all, mirrored the extreme sense of compassion and goodness that Relena desired it to have. By the time she decided to give it a rest she wasn?t quite done, perhaps not even half there, but she felt truly inspired and knew that if she gave it another few hours or so she could do it, and do it well.
But not now.
Curiosity had forsaken the old fashioned murder of the cat, headed for greener pastures ? being Relena?s yearning mind, which suspiciously asked the questions of why did Treize not want her to come, if it was truly Hilde and/or Sally? And why would Treize not know? The butler always gave name identification, so Treize would have to know.
Unless??.
Heero.
The second the thought entered her mind, Relena slammed the pencil down on the easel and darted from her post, throwing upon the door as she did so and bursting into all out run down the balcony.
Her heart froze, as her suspicions were proven correct.
Then, as it came back to life, its pounding was no less than ferocious, beating like a maddening drum in her ears, allowing her no rest or time to focus on the solutions to this troubling new problem.
There was Heero, standing down below in the main hall, conversing politely with Treize. Snatches of conversation drifted up to her ears, just barely audible and decipherable. She shrunk against the wall, allowing the shadows to envelop, ears straining and mind racing.
??so then she?s here??
?Yes, but sleeping. I can get her for you, if it?s urgent.?
?I wouldn?t say it?s urgent, but it is important?. are you her brother??
?Yes.?
?Oh.?
?Has she talked about me then? I?m flattered. Why don?t you wait here while I go and see how she is? It?ll just be a moment.?
?Of course. Thank you.?
As Treize came back up the stairs and then began to walk down the hallway, Lila reached out a hand quick as a flash, bringing him to her.
?So I can tell him you?re awake, then.? He flashed her that royal grin she was beginning to loathe with every fiber of her being.
?What are you going to do??
?Do? Whatever do you mean??
Relena was silent. It was an insult to her for him to play dumb now.
It took a moment, but eventually he was forced to acknowledge this fact. A sigh punctuated the gloom of the shadows, and then he admitted, with such normalcy as if he was commenting on the weather, ?I?ll dispose of him.?
?You?ll?what??
?He?s not of any importance to me, after all. It?s just the Wing Zero machine that matters. With him out of the picture we can just go in and take it.?
?The Wing-what??
?Zero, lovely Relena. Wing Zero.?
?You?re going to kill him??
Treize shrugged. ?That?s the easiest way to dispose of people, isn?t it? Thank you for bringing him to me.?
?But that?s?? Her voice broke; panic and guilt were collaborating as her frenzied mind stumbled for a way out of this mess, but she was lost, and it was all hopeless?hopeless! Heero, who had hugged her and kissed her cheek and smiled and always seemed so concerned about her and her well being? Heero was going to die, at her own brother?s hand, and then two people would be gone from this world?.two people gone through each other?s devices?.. ?That?s murder, Pegasus. You couldn?t possibly?.?
The psychiatrist had said, he had asked her if she harbored any guilt about mother?s death, if she felt that she was personally responsible because she hadn?t found out in time, she hadn?t been there at the right moment and called an ambulance?.
Without another word to Relena, Treize picked up a radio link and began to talk into it in low tones. ?Hello? Yes, this is Treize. Yes, it happened?. he came to us. Three snipers right here, right now, on the balcony. Be silent. We don?t want him to know what hit him.?
?I won?t let you.?
Treize looked up momentarily from his talk, actually chuckling. ?Oh? And you will stop me, how??
Relena glared.
And then, wordlessly, she started off at a run and ? noting that she had to get to him as quickly as possibly ? swung over the railing of the balcony, landing on the flooring below with a soft thud, but perfectly safe because of its perfect execution, on her feet like a cat does and all. Then, as she raised her eyes and saw Heero standing a couple yards away from her, pretty surprised at her dramatic entrance, she started off at a run, and just as he?d been able to get her name out, she tackled him and silenced him momentarily, the two rolling under the pressure of the sudden imbalance. It ended up so that she was lying on top of him, shielding his body from the bullets that would have sought to punctuate it.
?Shoot him now, Treize. I dare you. Shoot him now and you?ll kill me too.
You?ve changed a lot, but you won?t kill me, I know that.
I think I do, anyway.
God, I hope so.?
After a moment, however, she realized that he could still get to him without providing any injury to her, being if the sniper was precise enough. No, she would have to finalize things a little more.
Heero?s breath was coming in controlled short little bursts; his eyes staring up into her own like that should provide some explanation to a situation even she did not understand. His one hand twitched, and then came under control, grasping the cloth of her shirt gently. ?Relena what are you ???
?Shhhh. Shut up.? She gazed upon his face for another moment, considering this option that was forming fast in her mind. Then she decided she had no other choice, and she lent down, her mouth searching for his. They came together ? Heero?s eyes widened all the more, while Relena shut her own as if hiding from something ? then Lila?s eyes also widened as she felt his tongue slide around the cavern of mouth, and his closed, and he kissed back with full force.
?Okay, Treize can?t catch us now. He?d kill me for sure.
Please let that be a deciding factor for him, God, I don?t believe in you all the time, I?ll admit it?but please.
Please don?t kill Heero; he?s special.?
Warmth, Heero?s warmth?. it flowed around her as he pushed his chest up against her torso, their two forms fitting together perfectly, Heero?s hands accentuating that fact as they pressed in around her back, pressed her into him. They kissed again, and then a second time, but the third time Heero?s mouth bypassed her face and went for the neck, folding back the cloth of her shirt and pressing smoothly against her expanse of delicate, pearly white skin.
Suddenly very tired, Relena allowed herself to collapse against Heero, her eyes closed once more and inviting the wonderful black that came without further ado. Heero hugged her against him, noting the sudden change.
If Treize hadn?t shot by now, he wasn?t going to, Relena decided. So she stood wordlessly, clutching still at Heero?s hand. Neither her eyes nor any vocalism of any kind offered any sort of an explanation. Instead, she pulled him up and then merely walked him out of the estate.
Heero trailed behind, very confused. But she didn?t even turn to him until they?d gone through the large iron gates, which where already open for them. When she did, her eyes flitted all over his form and refused to focus on one spot.
?I,? She fought for control of breath, ?Just saved your life.?
