Missing by a Mile - chapter 34

Post by **blackrose** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 11:56 pm

Missing by a MileBy the Black RosePrevious chapters can be found here: <a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/s/207214/1/">Missing by a Mile</a>AN: I wanted to have this done yesterday, but alas. The world (and mostly my husband) conspires against me. But. I do have it done on January 16, like I promised (unless you're on the Eastern seaboard, but?I'm not). That's the first bit of good news. The second bit is that I've completed the fic. Well, completed as in rough drafted. So, we officially have 2 more chapters after this one and an epilogue left. It is my goal to get all three of these remaining chapters edited and posted before the end of March, 2006.Thank you to everyone who has made it this far and especially to those who will stay with me until the end. Much love and best wishes for a happy New Year! Rose
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Chapter 34
Heero was not amused.First, Relena had disappeared the morning of their wedding day. Next, his idiot friend and his missing bride's anal retentive brother had broken down his door and turned off his biomet monitoring system.Then, the woman that was supposed to be his sister-in-law by now decided she needed to whip him into shape.The final insult, however, was the idiot friend reading some amount of insipid questions to him in the vain hope of proving that Heero was, in fact, in love with his runaway bride."When you think of her, do you A ? feel your heart race, B ? feel her ah?I mean, get aroused, C ? wish she was here right now, D ? you don't think of her at all."Heero glared at the slick magazine cover the former Deathscythe pilot held in front of him. All the Preventer could see of his supposed 'friend' (and really, he needed to look up the definition of that word again) was the top of his head and the fingers that gripped the edges of the magazine. Duo sat on one end of the table, and Heero had been forcibly detained at the opposite end. His two captives lingered nearby ? in case he made any more 'sudden moves'. "None of the above."Duo lowered the magazine. His normally nauseatingly-cheerful expression was gone, and he scowled back. "Give me a break. The answer's C and you know it.""Good." Heero crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Then you answer the questions and leave me out of it." He closed his eyes."No. On your last date, did you A ? make her scree?uh, that is, let's skip that question."Heero snorted."Ok. Next. In the amount of times you've?Eh um?amount of time you've known her, have you A ? found her?OH MY LORD? That is?have you found her teapot? I think we need to skip this whole quiz.""I thought you said it was a compatibility quiz." Zechs spoke for the first time since making the ultimatum: 'Sit here or I'll call Une and have you locked in the brig. With no monitors, and no contact with Relena, again. Do you understand me?"Heero opened his eyes in time to see Relena's brother move to the other end of the table to stand next to the braid-wearing idiot. "That sounded perfect."Duo flipped a few pages then paused. His face turned from an otherwise healthy shade to a pale, pale yellow. "It-it is a compatibility test. Just?not one he needs to take. In fact, no one should take it. Ever.""Let me see it." Zechs held out a hand."No." Duo shut the magazine and hugged it to his chest. "It needs to be burned." He glanced at Heero. "Where's your fireplace?""Don't have one.""Ahhh?"Zechs took a step closer and grabbed for the periodical.Duo scootched his chair back a quick two feet. "How about a shredder? You have a shredder, right?"Relena's brother lunged forward, snagged the magazine, and ripped it from Duo's hands. After a short, rather pitiful half-wrestling, half-slapping 'match' that had Noin throwing up her hands and slumping into the chair next to Heero, Zechs snapped open the magazine. "Test your sexual compatibility?" His blond eyebrows formed questions marks above his eyes.Duo cringed.Zechs flipped one page, then the next. He stopped and stared at the book. "Noin, have I ever?"She sighed and shot her husband a black look. "If you have to ask, the answer's 'No'."Heero buried his face in his hands.At this rate, Relena was never coming back.<hr size=1 width=100% noshade>The ESUN minister set her plate back down on the table and pushed it away. The hotel's food, despite their claim to 'four star cuisine', left something to be desired. Namely, nutrition. The fried and doused in fat-laden cream sauce fare was sure to get her on every cardiologist's "most wanted" list.A knock sounded at the door a second before Trowa stepped in the room. He shot her a look that said he wasn't there for a friendly chat."We just received a call from the guards stationed at the front of the lobby. They're sending someone up.""Someone?" She folded her hands in her lap and tried not to reveal her instant, nervous reaction. Relena looked up at Trowa. His face was pinched into a frown."Someone with official credentials. That's all I know."The ESUN minister stood up and crossed the room. She didn't make it far before another knock sounded on her hotel door. She moved to open it, but Trowa held up a hand and motioned for her to step back. Her bodyguard peeled back the metal panel, glanced through the crack in the doorway, then finally pulled the door halfway open. A tall man, with thin, black hair ? especially on top ? and a long nose stood just outside the suite. He wore a grey suit, it looked like polyester.The man extended a hand holding a leather wallet. "I'm with the L4 Defense Bureau." He handed Relena his badge. She took it and passed it to Trowa. Her bodyguard checked it over. His green eyes flickered when he met her gaze; he handed it back."Come in," she said and moved the door to allow their guest inside."My name is Tim Spiner," he said and stepped to his right as soon as he entered the room. A click alerted her to the fact that Trowa had shut the door.Her guest bowed. "It's an honor, your highness.""Please. Call me Relena." She raised her right hand palm side up to 'present' her bodyguard to the Defense Bureau agent. "And this is my security specialist, Trowa Barton.""I-I'm sorry, your highness, I can't?allow myself to refer to you so informally."She smiled. "Then call me whatever makes you feel most comfortable." She led the way further into her suite and sat down on the sofa. She gestured towards a chair indicating Mr. Spiner should sit. Trowa hovered a short distance behind her; his hands rested on the top of the couch cushions a few inches to the right of her head."Your highness." The man tucked his hands behind his back and began to pace in the small space between the sitting area and the 'entryway' of her suite. "I'm sure you're aware of the rumors regarding your visit's true intentions.""No, I'm afraid not." She glanced up at Trowa. He moved his head to 'shake' it what couldn't have been more than a fraction of an inch. She returned her focus to Mr. Spiner. "I wasn't aware of any speculation regarding my visit.""We've had conspiracy theories ranging from a social declaration of your intent to make your home here to a political conspiracy that you're here to lull the government and the people into a false sense of security so that ESUN can take control.""That's ridiculous." She folded her hands together and placed them in her lap.The L4 Defense agent stopped pacing. "We know. We also know that you are considering a run for political office, here." He sent her a sharp look. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Trowa's hands tighten their hold on the couch."Well, I?""Or, at least, members of the Council have proposed it to you.""W-well. Yes. That is true.""Of course, many people would be thrilled to have you representing our colony in the Confederacy." Mr. Spiner finally sat down. He placed one elbow on each of his knees and leaned forward. "Really really thrilled.""Thank y?""But there are also those that?""Wouldn't support it at all. I understand." She gave him a smile. 'One who wouldn't is standing in this room, behind me.'"It's more than that, I'm afraid." The Defense agent clasped his hands together. "There's a separatist group that wants L4 to break away from the influence of the Confederacy and ESUN. They've been increasing in size and have incited a few violent outbreaks in the last?several months.""Oh.""We had an informant on the inside.""Had?" Trowa cut into the conversation. Relena glanced up at him; his jaw was set and his mouth pinched. The ESUN minister took a deep breath and tried to quell the feeling of panic that simmered in her stomach.Mr. Spiner looked up and stared in the direction of her bodyguard. "He's disappeared." The L4 Defense Agent stood up and began pacing again. "He missed his check-in more than twenty-four hours ago. We were waiting to hear a very important update on a potentially volatile situation. His last check-in, four days ago, alerted us to the situation and we intended to move as soon as we received his transmission yesterday morning." He wiped a hand over his head as he stopped pacing and stood behind the chair. "But, as I said, that transmission never came. We have to presume our operative is dead."Relena gasped. "That's awful. I'm very sorry?""What does this have to do with Relena?" Trowa's voice sounded quiet and steady. 
"That's a little complicated?." She saw Mr. Spiner's hands tighten their grip on the top of the hotel chair."You wouldn't be here if it didn't involve her.""True. But, the specifics are highly classified.""Bullshit." Her friend and bodyguard moved with speed around the sofa and took a threatening step towards Mr. Spiner. The L4 Defense agent stepped back."Trowa?"He stopped."All I can tell you is?We have reason." He held out his hands palm-side up in what seemed like a gesture of helplessness. "Good, solid, reason to believe that you're in danger, your highness.""What kind of danger?" Trowa took another step towards the L4 Defense agent. He shrunk back. "I can't say."Relena stood up from her seat. "Trowa, I think?"Her bodyguard grabbed the man by his collar. "Danger enough that someone killed one of your agents to keep him quiet.""Yes." Mr. Spiner nodded.Relena sunk back down into her seat."That kind of danger."<hr size=1 width=100% noshade>Relena couldn't tell if Trowa chased Mr. Spiner out or if he went chasing him down. The look on her friend's face was enough to kill entire armies, and the man didn't hold up well, nor stay very long after his announcement.The L4 Defense agent managed to wish her a good day and before beating a hasty retreat from her hotel room. Trowa left right behind him. But he left the door cracked open. Relena stepped over to close it, but paused when she caught some of their conversation."What did you leave out?" Trowa's voice sounded menacing."I told you what I could?" Mr. Spiner seemed to be almost pleading with her bodyguard ? but, for what, she didn't know. Certainly the man didn't think Trowa would actually hurt him?."You know more than that.""I'm not even supposed to be here. But, I couldn't stand by? It may not be anything. The bureau isn't convinced, but she? If anything happened to her, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself." He paused and when he spoke again, his voice was lower, calmer. "My grandfather grew up in the Sanq Kingdom.""You can go."Relena smiled."Huh?""Go. Thank you?.for informing us."Relena retreated further into the hotel room. Trowa stepped inside and closed the door gently behind him. She stood at the end of the sofa. His eyebrows drew to a sharp point above his eyes. Lines dug into his forehead and around his temples. His green eyes looked flat, almost dead. She recognized that look?-"You know me as Trowa Barton, but that's not my name. Soldiers?I don't suppose they need an identity. We don't exist when the wars are over."-"I'll report in to the Colonel." He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall of the entryway. "But, you know what she'll say."Relena sat down on the sofa again. "She'll order me home on the next flight. I know.""We should get you out. If the situation is that unstable.""It's been unstable." She removed her shoes and felt her feet rejoice at their liberation. The ESUN minister picked up a pillow from the couch and deposited it on her lap. "That's part of the reason for this visit, aside from the rather disappointing disarmament talks.""ESUN has every right to keep enough arms for defense."She drew her legs up and turned to face the end of the sofa ? stretching her limbs out in front of her. "And so does every individual colony. And individual nation. As well as the Colonial Confederacy. Everyone wants to hold on to their security blanket, and so in the end, nothing is thrown out.""You're underestimating the value of communication between these political entities. Keeping those lines open, even when the governments can't agree - at least you're keeping their arguments confined to auditoriums instead of letting it spill onto the battlefield. That, in itself, is an accomplishment.""I suppose you're right. It just?doesn't feel like much of an accomplishment. Still, no one is willing to trust?.""It takes time, Relena."She hugged the pillow to her chest. "Yes. It does.""What's wrong?""I didn't even consider?" She frowned down at her socks. "It didn't occur to me that ESUN's official recognition of the autonomous government of L4 and endorsement of the representative elections to the Colonial Confederacy would cause division amongst the people of the colony." She glanced up at Trowa. "I don't think ESUN did, either."Her bodyguard moved away from the wall and stepped towards her. "With every decision that is made," he said as he crossed the small distance from the entryway to the sitting area. "There will always be those that would argue for something and those that will argue against it." He stopped at the end of the sofa and stared down at her. The light in the room had dimmed with the disappearance of the sun. Shadows hung on his features and her friend had never looked so severe?."Like my decision to stay here and run for office?"<hr size=1 width=100% noshade>Duo flipped another page and another in the large, slick-looking magazine; the braid-wearing idiot would yank the glossy paper aside and then slam it down ? as if each one was conspiring to make a break for the door unless Duo tried to impale it on a stray splinter sticking up from Heero's kitchen table. The pages beat against the surface with a sound that went something like: shimmy-slap, shimmy-slap. Zechs glared at Heero from his position standing to the left of Duo's chair. As if Heero was somehow responsible for this ridiculous affair."Ok. Finally." Duo somehow managed to sound triumphant.Heero stood up from his seat and scowled at the former Deathscythe pilot. "I'm not listening to any more of these questions.""You're gonna listen and answer if I have to get Zechs and Noin to sit on you."As if on cue, Relena's brother moved towards Heero's end of the table.The Preventer growled, remembered the burn mark on his back, and sunk down into the chair again.Duo grinned. He glanced at the magazine and read: "If you were to compare your girl to something poetic, would she be A ? a dream, B ? a summer's day at the beach, C ? clouds in an otherwise clear sky, or D ? a wet blanket. There is no E, so you gotta pick one A through D.""Hn." He closed his eyes and wished he could return to his BioMet duties.-She tossed and turned in her bed for an hour before she finally gave up. Relena sat up in the center of the hotel mattress and stared in the direction of the window. "I can't sleep."Me either, Relena."Heero?"-"We're waiting."Heero scowled. He felt his gaze pulled over to one of the monitors. She stood, in a rare position facing the screen. Her eyes were light blue and he couldn't help but remember staring down in those eyes with her arms around him, her body beneath him?-"Heero?" Her voice sounded as silken as her skin felt.He sealed his mouth to hers."I love you?"-"Heero." Noin's voice was a bit gentler; she placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed in what he supposed was a friendly gesture."A." Something painful and empty grabbed hold of his insides. She wasn't a dream. It had been real. But how many days had he been holed up in this apartment trying to convince himself that he hadn't dreamed every moment he had ever spent?"Good," the former Deathscythe pilot said. Heero dragged his gaze up from the kitchen table directly in front of him to focus on his 'friend'."See?" He wore that wide, stupid, patronizing grin on his face. "Was it really that?"Heero removed the safety on his pistol and aimed at Duo's head."Put the gun down." Zechs's voice boomed in the small area.The Preventer glanced up at Relena's brother. His enemy's features had changed from pale to red with white streaks. His hands balled into fists and the other man seemed to tremble.Heero stood up. "No.""Heero." Noin spoke up from his right."Read me another question. I dare you."Duo shook his head. "You're really pathetic. You know that, pal?""Zechs?do something." Noin's voice rose.Heero slid passed Relena's brother and headed back to his living room."You're the one that has the best chance of getting through to him."The Preventer snorted and sat down at his make-shift command center while the conversation continued in the kitchen."I don't?I don?t know how.""Yes you do. Just?speak to him from your heart.""At this point, I say we chalk him up as a lost cause and haul him in to face his punishment. They're calling you a deserter, pal.""They can bite me." Heero placed his gun on the table and reached for the volume control. He'd missed most of Sleeping Relena's wakeup routine. She was dressed and heading for the door to her suite - about to go back into Minister-On-the-Move Relena mode."Noin." Heero could still hear Zechs's and Noin's voices above the audio feed."Try. Please?"<hr size=1 width=100% noshade>Fifteen minutes later and Heero had decided he had been wrong all this time. There was a God. Not of death or even of love and life, but of Hell. And said omniscient being was presently determined to have Heero in his dominion.Permanently.Currently, Hell looked a lot like his apartment balcony, where he had been dragged 'kicking and screaming' (more like cursing and fighting) to have a discussion with Zechs Merquise.The only reason Heero was still on his balcony was because the God of Hell's two helper demons had locked the door that led back inside, and Heero's jump over the railing to the ground was hindered by a person sunbathing on their 'enclosed patio' directly below.Relena's brother leaned forward against the rail. "I'm sure neither of us likes to admit it. But. We're a lot alike, you and I."Heero crossed his arms and glared at the back of his enemy. "Hn.""We both lost our families early on in our lives. We both grew up to become soldiers. We've killed?Been shot down. We've hurt the people closest to us ? in an attempt to save them from the destruction that lives inside us."Heero choked and glanced away.

"It gets to be overwhelming at times. The nightmares. The death ? pain we've caused."The Preventer's insides squirmed. He glanced at the door and wondered if he could break it down before Noin and Duo could reinforce it."But somehow? We survive.""What's your point?"Zechs turned around and stared Heero directly in the eye. The Preventer ducked his head and studied his shoes."We have something else in common, too. You know Preventer inherited a lot of the documentation from those scientist's labs."He glanced up at Zechs. The elder Peacecraft's mouth turned up at the corners into a small smile."She may not remember, but I'm sure you do."Something caught in the back of his throat. Heero swallowed hard against it. "Yeah."-She had light blue eyes set in a sad expression. He'd seen literally hundreds of girls at any number of the schools he'd attended. But for some reason, her expression?"Oh!"Their shoulders collided as he moved to pass by?-"She's been the one person, in both our lives, that we have always wanted to protect." Zechs continued his little 'speech' in that same, patient tone that Dr. J used to use ? especially when disciplining his 'weapon'."That's where our similarity ends.""Hn."Relena's brother turned back towards the balcony railing. "Memory is a funny thing. I don't remember my parents' faces. I've seen them in pictures. So, I know what they look like. But, I have no personal recollection of them. I do, however, remember vividly the day they brought Relena home from the hospital."Heero slumped back against the outside wall of his apartment. "Does this story end?""Hm." Zechs sounded like he was chuckling. "Emotions still make you feel uncomfortable, do they?""I didn't ask for this." The Preventer scowled at his shoes."I was four years old. And I hated her. I had been an only child, and all I can remember is being in my room, pouting, when my mother and father came home. I didn't want to look at her, but my father dragged me to the nursery. She was asleep, and so incredibly tiny. So innocent. So?perfect.""I wouldn't?""Heero. Just listen. I promise this is the last thing I'll say on the subject.""Hn.""I ran out of the room and wouldn't go near her for days. When my mother finally was up and around, she came and found me ? she lured me out of my room, and this time, the baby was awake. Her blue eyes?I'll never forget that moment."-"You didn't answer my question." He reached forward and pulled the menu down to the table. Her eyes were clamped shut; tiny wrinkles formed at the sides of her eyelids."Answer me, Relena?"When she opened her eyes again, they were soft, blue, watery. She stared at him in a way she never had before? Part of him wanted to look away, but the rest of him wanted to stay right there?in her eyes."Yes. I-I'll marry you. Heero?"-"My father sat me down and placed her in my lap. She looked at me and then closed her eyes, completely comfortable in my arms. And she slept?It was like she knew I was her brother without being told a thing."-Heero sat on top of his dresser - across the room, knees drawn up - and stared at the blanketed lump in his bed. The one with golden hair spilling out over his pillow and emitting a slight snore every time she breathed.'Fianc?e. Wife. Relena.'-Heero shifted his weight and stared at the floor."Instinct is a remarkable thing. At four years old, you don't think 'gee, I really love my little sister'. You can't express yourself that way. It's just this reaction, this instinctive knowledge. In that moment, I swore I'd do everything in the universe?everything in my power and even beyond to protect her. Nothing would ever harm her ? not as long as there was a single breath left in my body."Heero held his breath as a wave of pain broke through his chest.-"I promised that I would protect you.""Relena, I'll protect you, no matter who your enemy may be.""I do understand, now, that my?ability to protect you is insufficient compared to what you feel for me."-"I didn't make such a powerful oath at four. But, I did know that if I could stay there and watch her sleep?If I could protect her with my small hands?I would. For the rest of my life."Heero swallowed against the lump lodged in the back of his throat. Cold concrete bit into the palm of his hands; he glanced down at where he was kneeling on the ground, then back up. Zechs stood with his back towards him, but Heero knew?He slumped backwards against the wall again, the angle forced his head to gaze up at the single fixture in the balcony ceiling.-"The reason the dictionary reads that way is because no one can adequately find the words to define love.""Believe in me, Relena?""I love you."-He slid down the wall until his butt hit the concrete floor. He drew his knees up towards his chest. "I understand.""I thought you would."Pain bit sharpened teeth into his abdomen. He struggled to breathe. "I?I really screwed this up.""Yeah. You did. It's understandable, but still?""How. How do I?" Every breath felt like it was the only thing keeping his ribcage from collapsing inward. He bent forward and tightened his grip on his knees. "When she says?It's the same, isn't it?""It's a different feeling, in a way, no less strong. Women nurture more than protect, but the instinct, the desire, the viciousness of the wound you're carrying ? it's no less painful for her."He gasped to take in another breath. His abdominal muscles tightened to the point it brought tears to his eyes. "Then it's?it's no wonder?""No. Everyone understood but you."-"I still miss you." Relena's right hand came to rest on the hotel curtain. "Why?""What she needed was protection from you."-Heero winced. "I know. Now. But?" The Preventer finally managed to get his breathing under control. But that empty ache in the center of his chest?.It remained sore and painful.Zechs turned his head to face towards the door. "But what? Can you still fix things?" He glanced at Heero out of the corner of one eye. "I think the only one who can answer that is Relena, don't you?"<hr size=1 width=100% noshade>Relena hustled through the long, wide granite hallway of the People's National Assembly building in the capitol of the L4 mining colony. Her bodyguards kept stride, matching her pace ? Trowa beside her, two Preventer agents ahead, and two behind."I appreciate your concern, Trowa, but I've already made up my mind," she said as she walked. Her heels clicked on the marble floors mixing in with the echo of the other agents' footsteps. They sounded like a small herd moving through the building. A camera flashed in her peripheral vision."You're making a mistake. You're letting him influence your decision." His voice still managed to sound flat, calm, even though they were bustling through the hallway as fast as her legs could carry her.She saw him scowl out of the corner of her eye."And remind me to thoroughly kick his ass when I see him."Relena tried to sigh but that would have required expelling more air than she was currently able to take in. The large, carved mahogany doors grew closer. Her advance guards reached the entrance and moved ? one to each side of the doorway. "Trowa, I've really weighed the different options."He grabbed her arm and pulled her to a halt. "No. You haven't."She reached with her left hand and gently peeled his fingers from her limb. "I have. And he is a factor." The ESUN minister shook her head. "But, only one of many.""You can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to me, Relena," Trowa said with a dark look on his face. He gripped her hand and stared down at her."If that's what you want to believe, then fine." She ripped her arm from his grasp and turned to face the double-doors leading into the assembly. "I've made my decision. And, I plan to announce it during my speech tomorrow."Trowa seized her shoulders and spun her towards him. "I thought!" He stopped and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I thought Une told you to call that one off and return to Earth."She glanced away. "I won't be answering to ESUN much longer." Her heart was pounding and she wasn't entirely sure it was because of the exercise. "Which means?""Preventer will no longer be in primary charge of your security." He released her."Yes." She stared at the floor in front of the assembly hall."Relena?""Trowa." She glanced up and met his eyes again. He stepped back like she had physically struck him."This?This is what's best."<hr size=1 width=100% noshade>Heero stood just inside his room. He stared at the bed that had been his torment over the last few weeks. 'How much did it hurt you, Relena, to let?'"You're really going?" Duo's voice came from the doorway.The Preventer nodded. "Yeah.""Good." The former Deathscythe pilot clapped his hands together. His boots clomped against the floor and then he clapped Heero's right shoulder. "Then let's start packin'!"The Preventer closed his eyes. "You're not going.""You're going to need me." His friend moved to stand in front of Heero. His dark eyebrows creased into a frown above a wide grin. "Whether you like it or not.""Oh?""Yeah." Duo crossed his arms and leaned forward ? effectively invading Heero's personal space. "How are you going to shut off the cameras AND infiltrate the building?" He leaned back and brought his right arm up and waved. "Sure, you could do it if you had enough time to scope out the building, hack into their systems, map out the ventilation system." He stopped his gesturing and shot the Preventer a pointed look. "But, seeing as her speech is tomorrow?"Heero frowned and moved towards his closet. "Hn.""AND Preventer will be after you as soon as they find out you're on the colony.""Hn." The Preventer opened his closet door and flipped on the light. 'I need a small pack and a larger bag. Transportation to the colony will be?""AND? I bet you didn't know this part."Heero turned his head to glare at Duo. "What?""You've only got one shot at this.""Huh?" He stepped out of the closet and stared at his friend.Duo shrugged. "It's not official, but apparently Trowa ratted her out to Zechs last night?" His grin disappeared.Heero leapt forward and grabbed Duo by the collar. "WHAT?""Chill, Romeo!" His friend shoved him back. "She's going to announce her candidacy for Congressional Representative during her speech tomorrow, which means?""After tomorrow, we won't be able to anticipate her movements." The Preventer felt like he'd been sucker-punched for the seventieth time that day. He sat down on the edge of his bed and buried his face in his hands."She'll be completely at the 'mercy' of the autonomous government of the L4 mining colony."'I don't have adequate time to prepare for the mission. Duo's right. By the time we secure transportation and arrive at the colony?'"Like I said. Let's get packin' and get this show on the road."Heero sighed. "Yeah.""That's ok. You don't have to beg. I'll back you up on this one. But, if you come back without the girl, you're on your own."Heero scowled and stood up. He started to move back towards his closet to pull the requisite gear."And you're welcome."He closed his eyes. "Thanks, Duo."A loud cough sounded in the room. Heero's eyes snapped open in time to see Duo holding one hand up to his throat. His friend's eyes bulged from their sockets and it looked like the former Deathscythe pilot wasn't getting enough air."I may have figured out how I feel about her, but the world hasn't ended." He shot his friend what he hoped was a scathing look."So, you're still not funny."

Morrighan · Post by **Morrighan** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 12:02 am

YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY for update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If he's stupid again, I'm so going to start planning his demise....

Caliborn · Post by **Caliborn** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 12:58 am

Oh gosh, this was priceless. GOOD JOB ROSE!! And I'm psyched for you that you've got the rest roughdrafted. That's such an accomplishment!

I really love how you had Zechs explain "love" to Heero and how the poor boy finally got it. I feel sorry for Trowa and worried for Relena-- hopefully Heero will arrive in time to save the day! It would be so sad if she died now, after everything... knowing that you like happy endings, though, I have hope. ^_^

The end had me cracking up. Heero thanked Duo? Egads! The sun has turned black!

Anyway. Thank you so much for an enjoying read. ^_^ I can't wait until the end, although I'll be sad to see it go. Great job!

lilac310 · Post by **lilac310** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 3:24 am

Finally!!!.....The compatibility tests done by Duo was hilarious, btw......I can totally see Duo doing that kind of thing....hehe....I can't wait for the next chapter.....Great job Rose, as always!

~Heerako~ · Post by **~Heerako~** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 9:32 am

yay!!!!!!!!!

I'm so happy. Please tell me this is it.

perfectpeach · Post by **perfectpeach** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 3:12 pm

heeehee! needless to say i was curious for the sex quiz to progress. woulda been fun

this is so perfect. nearing a climax!

AnShino · Post by **AnShino** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 4:52 pm

Ahahaha. Duo's compatilibilty tests. xxDD I feel sorry for Trowa.. Zechs! I really liked how he explained love to Heero. I'm so sad that it's nearing it's climax and yet... so excited! Good luck getting it done by March! I'd have more to say but getting only an hour's night of sleep because of studying for Precalc totally fried my brain @__@.

sitboy007 · Post by **sitboy007** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 11:02 pm

Whoopah!!! *Bounces around Merrily* OOOOOhhh i can't wait for the next chapter.
Please update soon (though i know writing takes a lot of time and can't be rushed, as we all try to do.)

Yay.

Wingnut · Post by **Wingnut** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 8:38 am

I had to force myself to keep somewhat quiet when I read the parts where Duo was giveing Heero that sex quiz, and espically after Zechs got his hands on it and started to ask Noin a question from it. I didn't think you could top the condom hunt, but it turns out I was wrong.
Indeed the part where Zechs explains love to Heero was the high point of the chapter that relates to the larger story.
And I'm sure that many a fan have also concluded that Heero thanking Duo for something is a sign that the world is comeing to an end.

amulak · Post by **amulak** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 10:36 pm

Woo-hoo!

Talk about an excellent chapter! I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter, mostly because I'm so glad that Heero finally figured out his feelings thanks to Zechs. Yay, go Zechs!!! I'm totally excited for the next chapter- I'm betting it's going to be really tense and full of energy!
Also- I loved the description of Duo dying after hearing the thank you. Lol!

Blissful Ignorance

A Heero and Relena Dedication site

Missing by a Mile - chapter 34

the Black Rose's fanfiction.

Missing by a Mile - chapter 34