Hope you enjoy!LS
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Dark World
Chapter 19
by:Lady Saffir
Rating: R
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any character associated with the Gundam Wing universe. And I wish I didn't own Hugh, either.
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"RELENA!"
Heero watched in disbelief as Relena slid to the floor, Hugh having released her to laugh and savor the moment. The sound of a window breaking had Hugh spinning, too late to protect himself. Trowa spun through the air, blade flashing as it met the flesh of Hugh's neck, slicing cleanly.
Heero paid no attention to the lifeless body as it fell to the floor, his focus solely on Relena. Falling to his knees at her side, he reached out to touch her cheek. Her eyes were open wide, mouth working to form words as her body labored to try and heal itself futily. Pulling on all the energy he could, Heero pushed it into her body, easing the amount of work and hopefully providing time to find a way to heal the fatal blow.
/Heero/
"Don't. You aren't allowed to die on me, Relena, I won't let you. I'll heal you, I swear," Heero promised, taking her hand as he assessed her wound. He looked up to find Trowa standing guard, weapons out and alert for anything that might happen.
"Where are the others?" Heero asked.
"They'll be here momentarily. You pulled too hard on Duo, he's unconscious. Heero - "
"No! I refuse to give up," Heero snarled.
Wufei was at her side as well, taking vitals and trying to think of something, anything that could save the young woman before him. But...the positioning of the stake was too good, too accurate to do anything but delay the inevitable. He looked across Relena to Heero, the sorrow on his face more telling than any words could ever be.
"NO! I refuse to allow this!" Heero snarled, pushing even more power into Relena to keep her breathing and awake. The toll was becoming obvious though, as he swayed and had to put a hand out to catch himself from toppling over. "No," he whispered, taking Relena's hand and bringing it to his face, rubbing her fingers over his cheek.
Sally burst into the room, an unconscious Duo in her arms, with Cathy and Hilde hot on her heels. The sight she took in told her everything she needed to know, and she gently lowered Duo to the floor beside Relena.
"Heero, you're killing Duo and yourself. You need to stop now," Sally said gently, reaching over to place a comforting hand on her king's arm.
"No! I swore I would save her, keep her from harm. I'm. not. going. to. fail." Heero whispered, slumping sideways as the power drain went even faster.
"...st...stop."
The barely audible whisper had Heero's head whipping up and staring at Relena. Her eyes were duller now, her skin taking on a graying tint.
/Don't sacrifice...yourself...to save...me/ Relena sighed, switching to their mental connection as words became too hard to produce. /Live/
"Not without you," Heero stated, reaching out to touch her cooling cheek.
Cathy spoke, tears coursing down her face with abandon. "Can she be turned?"
Silence.
"Can she be turned?" Cathy repeated. "If you can turn her, could she heal the wound?"
"The idea has merit," Trowa agreed, looking to Wufei and Sally for their thoughts.
"Possible," Sally concluded. "If we start the turn and pull out the stake at just the right time, we might be able to save her."
"Might," Wufei echoed grimly, "but I don't think things can get any worse if we try and fail."
"No."
Five faces turned to stare at Heero in shock.
"Why not? What have you got to lose, Heero?" Sally demanded.
Heero looked down, staring at Relena. "She wants children," he whispered.
"Fool! If she's dead she still can't have children! Turn her and deal with the consequences later. You're running out of time," Wufei added ruthlessly.
Recognizing the small glimmer of hope that flared in his heart, Heero summoned the strength to sit up and pull Relena into his lap.
"Relena."
/Relena/
/RELENA/
Heero's only answer was for Relena's arms to fall limply to her sides, her head falling back over his arm.
"You're out of time, Yuy. Do it!" Wufei snarled, one hand on the stake, the other braced on Relena's back for when the time came to try their crazy plan.
Heero sank his teeth in to Relena's neck, the blood flowing sluggishly. Panic began to set in as he realized how far gone she already was. He felt the last few stutters of her heart and pulled away, ripping at his own wrist and opening Relena's mouth to receive the blood. Seconds lasted like hours before her throat convulsed, the life giving blood flowing in to her system. No words were needed in the ritual - only a complete blood exchange between the two.
The problem quickly became evident. The entire point of draining a person to the point of death was to replenish the blood the vampire doing the turning was about to lose. Adding in the multiple wounds Heero had received and the amount of power he had blasted through keeping Relena alive, it all came down to...
"Shit. He's not going to have enough to turn her," Sally swore, before pulling back her own sleeve.
"No." Dark blue eyes glared at Sally, refusing to accept her assessment of the situation.
"Heero, if the rest of us contribute, none of us should give enough to override your blood. You know you don't have enough to turn her and keep yourself and Duo alive - we have to do this." Sally's calm voice reached out to Heero, pushing him to accept this newest turn of events.
/My, my, Heero, you certainly are having a busy night/ Dorothy breathed through Heero's mind, bringing a snarl to his lips.
/Unless you plan on being helpful, leave me alone, Dorothy/
/Oh, I plan on helping. You need to do what Sally says, Heero, or you'll lose her. Or are you so egotistical that if you can't turn Relena, no one else can?/
Heero swore, throwing several insults at Dorothy as he focused once again on Relena. He could feel his own heart beginning to stutter, and knew the time was drawing near for them to test their theory.
"Sally," the permission in his tone had her moving to his side, ready to offer her own blood to Relena. "Wufei, on three...."
"One."
Relena's eyes fluttered, her fight to hold on to consciousness a losing battle, her spirit unwilling to give up. That was what had attracted him to her in the first place, her indomitable spirit, her will to live life to the fullest.
"Two."
He suddenly understood to sentiment behind Shakespeare's King Richard the Third. He would give anything, do anything, to rewind the past twenty-four hours and correct his mistakes.
The very air itself seemed to pause before Heero spoke the last word, and he looked down, determined to imprint Relena's face on his mind should this attempt fail.
"Three."
Simultaneously Wufei pulled the stake from Relena's body as Sally replaced Heero's wrist with her own, the blood flowing freely. Relena's body bowed upward, the pain of the stake being removed forcing her eyes open for a brief second. Her gaze settled unerringly on Heero, and he willed her to live, even as he felt her slip away, the connection of a vampire and Companion being severed.
A minute passed, then Sally was ordering Wufei to take her place, the dark tan of his skin a contrast to the paleness of Relena's features. By this point she was beginning to actively suck and swallow the blood greedily, one hand coming up to steady Wufei's wrist.
By the time it Trowa's turn her lashes were fluttering again, struggling to open. It was only seconds, then Relena's hand fell from Trowa's wrist, her head falling back against Heero's arm.
/Heero/
"Relena? Relena!" Frantic, Heero pulled Relena upright, attempting to wake her. He had no way of knowing whether or not the change had been successful. It would only be with the following sunset that would tell, and to Heero, that time stretched to eternity. He cursed the time the Change required, cursed Hugh once again for putting him in this position.
"Heero." Sally's calm voice broke the silence, calling Heero's attention to other pressing matters. Heero looked over to where Duo lay on the floor, curled on to his side, his features contorted in pain. He was beginning to moan, eyelashes fluttering as he struggled to reach consciousness.
A sigh of regret escaped Heero, and he gently breathed power into his Companion, hoping to ease his pain. The effort cost him though, as his body had yet to recover from the events of the night. He closed his eyes against the pain, sheer determination keeping him upright.
Cathy exchanged a look with Trowa, receiving a short nod in response.
"Take what you need, Heero," Cathy ordered, bending down and offering her wrist.
Such was Heero's need that he simply nodded and bent his head over her arm. He only took enough to ease the pain and to assist Duo. He only wanted to get home, and begin the long vigil till sundown. He nodded his thanks to Cathy, looking down once more at Relena's serene features. Gathering his feet under him, he stood, cradling Relena's body against his chest.
"Let's go home."
The order, and the weariness behind it, turned the already somber mood even darker.
The drive home was a blur, Heero holding Relena tightly to him as he fought to keep his mind from replaying the horrifying events of the night. The car was silent, any talking being done by his friends mind to mind. The abrupt stop of the car had Heero opening his eyes, realizing they had made it home.
He managed to get himself and Relena upstairs and into his bedroom through sheer strength of will alone, placing her gently on the bed before collapsing onto it himself. He felt Trowa place Duo on the bed next to him, the unconscious man making a small sound of pain at being jostled.
Regret filled Heero, dragging him up to sit on the edge of the bed. He had pulled too hard on Duo, and he needed to make amends. Calling for one of the staff willing to act as a blood donor, Heero fed, pushing most of his strength back in to Duo. Finishing, he crawled back up the bed to where Relena lay, curling himself about her.
The rest of the night passed in a long blur as his mind replayed over and over again the evening's events.
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The sun was fast approaching the horizon the following evening when Dorothy slammed in to the house, her long cloak protecting her from the weakening rays of the sun. Trowa met her in the entrance way, assuring himself it was his king's maker.
"We must hurry, Trowa. I fear that she doesn't have enough to survive the Turn," Dorothy stated, moving quickly to the stairs. Trowa paced behind silently, noting that Heero still had not moved from his position.
Dorothy strode to the bed, looking down at its occupants, a hint of fear flashing across her face before being buried underneath her usual smirk.
"Well, now, Heero, you've made a mess of things again. I see it's up to me once more to save you and your beloved," Dorothy drawled, pulling back one sleeve to bare a pale wrist.
Heero sat up, the glare on his features the most activity he had shown in hours. "What are you talking about, Dorothy? I don't want you here right now," he ground out, looking towards the covered windows, knowing that the sun would be setting soon.
"Oh, but I think you do," Dorothy replied, tearing at her own wrist with her teeth while opening Relena's mouth.
Heero made a sound of surprise, moving to intercept Dorothy's wrist, her glare stopping him mid-motion.
"I fear that she doesn't have enough, Heero."
Fear lanced through Heero, causing him to bow his head and allow Dorothy to continue. He watched from the corner of his eye as she stroked Relena's pale throat, coaxing the blood to flow down her throat. A minute passed, then Dorothy was closing the wound on her wrist and pulling her sleeve back down. She turned to regard the silent man in the bed, a thoughtful look on her face.
Dorothy turned to leave, stopping with one hand on the doorknob. "I'll be downstairs, Heero."
Heero turned to see Trowa scooping Duo up, the braided man still in a near comatose state.
"What are you doing?"
Trowa cast one look over his shoulder, the one eye visible piercing Heero with a look of pity.
"Regardless of the outcome, I imagine you'd rather be alone," he stated, passing through the doorway and shutting it behind him.
With no more distractions, Heero was forced to acknowledge the sunset approaching, and the fear that had blossomed in his heart. He looked down to study the features of the woman lying so still. His eyes closed when he felt the last minute begin to drain away, lying down to gather Relena back in to his arms.
Ten seconds.
He desperately feared his reaction should the worst happen, shaking his head as if to fling the thought away. She would awake, and he would have a whole new world to introduce her to.
Nine seconds.
The doubt stayed persistent though, a noxious little voice whispering in his ear.
Eight seconds.
What right did he have to expect a miracle? He had tricked her and lied to her on numerous occasions.
Seven seconds.
There would be repercussions of last night's events, and he would be cleaning up that little mess for some time, once more forced to play the cold hearted ruler.
Six seconds.
He could and would deal with any situations arose - but he silently admitted to himself that with her at his side, he could perhaps handle things a little bit better.
Five seconds.
He would have to help her sever her ties with her old life, at the same time. And that would not be an easy task.
Four seconds.
Was he finally paying for all of his sins committed over his long lifetime?
Three seconds.
No. Regardless of what happened, he would look back on this period and be glad he had known love.
Two seconds.
He would do better, he swore.
One second.
After all, she believed in him.
The sun set on Heero holding his breath, eyes closed and head buried against Relena's shoulder.
Seconds passed.
Minutes passed.
Heero tightened his hold on the still form in his arms and felt his heart shatter.
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Three days later
Duo strode down the hallway towards Heero's room, already knowing what he would find. For three days now, Heero returned to his room an hour before sunset, and usually wasn't seen till later in the night. Well, he was needed downstairs tonight, and by god, Duo was going to drag him down, even if it meant using a guilt trip - not that those really worked on Heero, but it was always worth a shot.
He didn't bother knocking, instead striding directly in to the room and standing at the foot of the bed, hands on his hips as he surveyed the scene before him. Heero had pulled Relena in to his arms, one hand fisted in her hair and the other spread low on her back, their legs tangled together.
Duo sighed.
"Heero, man, we need you downstairs. Think you can join us before midnight?" The sarcasm dripped through Duo's voice, making Heero scowl.
"Go away, Duo. I'll be downstairs when you see me, and not a minute before."
"Heero - "
"Go. Away. Duo."
The braided man sighed in defeat, shaking his head as he walked back out of the room. Heero stared after him thoughtfully then looked down at the figure in his arms. It could wait, whatever it was. He had eternity.
"You should be nicer to Duo."
Relena sighed, stretching in Heero's arms as she awoke.
"Hn." Heero answered noncommittally, turning his attention to the woman in his arms. "It can wait, I'm sure. Besides, you're supposed to be my better half - I'll leave the being nice to you."
"Mmmm. As long as you're nice to me. Now come on - let's see what Duo wants, then you can teach me to fly."
Heero allowed himself to be pulled from the room, eager to see what the rest of eternity held for him.
for a moment you almost killed me! you are evil...but I like it 
Vampire Heero has got to be the single sexiest thing that I have ever heard of. 
You had me scared there for a minute. 
