Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Gundam Wing; Season Two ❯ Episode Two; Angels in Disguise ( Chapter 2 )

Episode 2- Angels in Disguise

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I don't own it, ok? *sniff*

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Heero heard her scream just as he reached the third floor. There was a window near where he stood and he opened it, looking down. What he saw nearly stopped his heart. Five men stood around Relena's limp and unmoving body. A trickle of blood was flowing down the side of her head. He growled as he hurled his body out of the window. He landed on his feet near one of the smaller goons. The man turned around only to meet Heero's foot. Two other guys pulled out blades. One of them lunged at him and he dodged, easily. He grabbed the mans arm and threw him at the other guy, knocking them both into the wall. One guy had already taken off. The leader, as Heero assumed him to be, lifted Relena off of the ground and placed a knife to her throat.

"You know her?" he asked.

Heero merely scowled.

"You do... well, if you take one step closer I'll kill her." he said.

Relena moaned, coming back to her senses. When she felt the cold metal pressed to her skin her eyes widened. She looked at Heero, hoping to hell that he doesn't give away the fact that she was awake. She slowly reached for the handgun concealed in the waistband of her jeans. When she had a firm grip on the handle of the gun, she pulled it out, fast as lightning, and shot the man in the shoulder. He fell to the ground. Relena stood over him, holding the gun to his head.

"Pitiful..." she spat. Heero came up behind her and placed a hand on barrel of the gun. "Wha- fine! Go, you filthy sewer rat. You best be glad that this gentleman was here to save your skin, but he won't be able to save you if I ever see you around again."

"Relena, please come back with us." Heero said.

She turned and faced him, raising the gun to aim at his chest. "Why? What good have I ever done for you? Why do you want to help me?"

"What happened to you, Relena? Four months ago you were perfectly happy, why have you changed?" Heero felt utter confusion sweep over him.

"Heero, my house was completely destroyed!!! And it was all my fault! It was because I was NAIVE, and thought that I was safe enough to let all of my body guards have the day off!" she took a deep breath and maintained her cool composure. "And besides, you act nice now, but as soon as you get me to go back with you, you're just going to leave again. You'll leave me with the diplomats and aristocrats and the fate of the world resting on my shoulders like you always do."

"This is because of me. I made you like this. I'm sorry Relena, I really am. Please, you have to come back with us... this war is bigger than even the Gundams, now." Heero pleaded.

"I can't..." Relena's hold on the gun faltered, "I can't take it anymore!!!" she yelled, raising the gun again and pulling the trigger, twice. Both bullets whizzed past Heero's head, leaving his ear ringing. Relena dropped the gun, bursting into tears and sinking to the ground. "I can't take it anymore..." she sobbed into her hands.

Heero walked over to her, kneeling beside her. He put his arms around her, pulling her toward him so that she was pressed safely against his chest. His eyes softened by only a miniscule amount, but Relena felt the warmth and reassurance in his embrace. She clutched his shirt, crying even harder.

"I'm sorry, I've been so selfish! But I don't want to have all that responsibility! I'm still just a kid! I'm only seventeen, I want a life of my own.... I-I don't want to go back to that."

"I know. You don't have to. I'll make sure that they lighten your load, okay? Will you come back with us so we can end this stupid war?" Heero asked.

Relena nodded, wiping her eyes as she stood up. "I swear Heero, you're like an angel."

'Me, an angel? That's a laugh!' he thought. He wrapped his arm around her waist, noticing that she was still kind of wobbly from the blow she took to her head.

They began walking back towards the park, with Relena pressed safely to Heero's side. The others were waiting for them at the park entrance. As soon as they saw Relena, Duo and Quatre looked over at Trowa and Wufei, who stuffed money into their open and waiting hands. After putting the money into their pockets, they rushed toward Relena. She smiled and laughed like she always did, even at Duo's stupid puns. But Heero sensed that she was still burdened by something. He pulled out his communicator and gave Noin his affirmative. Not three minutes later, a large Preventer van pulled up in front of them. Heero helped her into the back and followed her in, along with Duo and Quatre. Trowa and Wufei sat in actual seats.

"So... where have you been?" Duo asked, trying to sound casual.

"I smuggled myself onto a plane, registered myself as an immigrant by the name of Carmen Menlow, got a social security number, passport, the works, and was planning to start a new life. However, I felt too guilty to go on with the whole masquerade much longer." Relena said.

"Wow... ok then." Duo said.

"What have you guys been doing?" Relena asked them.

"Looking for you, of course." Quatre said, smiling.

"All this time?" Relena looked at the floor. "I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble."

"No trouble..." Duo said, "But a whole lot of pain."

Relena looked up at and smiled. "I'm sorry. Friends?" She held up her pinky. Duo took it in his own and pulled her into a fierce hug.

Heero and Quatre exchanged puzzled glances. Relena giggled. "Oh yeah..." Duo said, mockingly. "You wouldn't know abut pinky promises, would you? It's an American thing... when two people lock pinkies it forms a promise that can never ever, ever be broken." Duo smirked.

Relena giggled. She looked at the two figures seated in the back seat of the van and winked at Duo. She snuck toward the seat on her hands and knees, being as quiet as possible. She jumped up and yelled, "HIYA!" causing both Wufei and Trowa to jump, and Trowa to hit his head on the ceiling. Duo burst into laughter. Wufei glared back her, but she saw the glint of amusement in his eyes, and Trowa actually chuckled. Sally and Noin were trying desperately to mask their giggles with coughs.

"You should have seen the looks on your faces!!!" Duo exclaimed, breaking into another peel of laughter.

Relena smiled, seemingly pleased with herself. "How is everbody?" she asked nobody in particular.

"Zechs is in a state of absolute hysteria, Dorothy is threatening to avenge your death, Hilde might actually do just that, Lady Une and Marimeia cried for hours... and if I'm not mistaken, so did Catherine. And we've been looking for you for four months." Noin answered. "You gave everyone quite a scare. How did you ever survive that explosion?"

Relena had tried so hard to forget about that day, and now all the memories came flooding back. Walking in the garden, the sudden screech of tires, men shouting, and then fire... fire and smoke and her house crashing to the ground, thirty yards from where her feet used to be. Being thrown backwards, hit with various debris, and finally the sirens. But what was most vivid was the screams. Tears suddenly flowed from her eyes, uncontrollably. Pagan, the maids, all of the members of her household, her mother... she wandered through the rubble over and over, even though the flames licked at her clothing, searching for her mother and when she found her...

"Stop the car, I think she's gonna be sick," Duo said. Noin pulled over. Relena rushed out of the van and emptied the contents of her stomach into a ditch, repeatedly spitting, trying to get the taste out of her mouth. Surprisingly it was Wufei who brought her his water bottle. She poured some into her mouth, not touching it with her lips, (to be polite), and spit it onto the ground. She walked back to the van, unbelievably embarrassed.

"I'm sorry..." she said.

"You apologize too much," Trowa said.

"Huh?" Relena looked up at the usually silent man.

"You apologize too much... especially for things that aren't even your fault." he repeated.

"Sorry..." she paused when he cast her a sideways glance, "Fine, I'm not sorry."

"No, but I am." Noin said, "I shouldn't have brought that up."

"It's okay, I'll be fine... I promise." she said.

Noin started the van up again and they sped off. The rest of the ride to the airport was spent in silence. They boarded the private Preventer's jet and sat down in the comfortable couch-like seats. Relena leaned her head on Heero's shoulder.

"Where am I going to stay?" she asked.

Everybody exchanged worried looks. They hadn't thought about that. Noin turned away, not wanting anybody to see the tears swimming in her eyes.

"You can stay with me and Duo," Heero replied, looking pointedly at his friend.

"Yeah! You can have my room and I'll sleep on the couch." Duo said, smiling.

"Are you sure? I won't get in the way?" Relena asked.

"Of course not..."Duo said.

"Alright then..... I'll stay with you guys... at least with you I'll be safe," she said before drifting into sleep.

"Hey, guys... that was sweet and all but," Noin lifted an eyebrow, "There's a slight gender issue. I don't think Zechs will approve of Relena staying with two men."

"He can take that up with us when we get back... but I want her to feel safe." Heero ignored the shocked expressions of his fellow pilots and leaned his head back against the window, shutting his eyes as he curled his arm tighter around Relena. 'I won't let her go... ever again,' he thought.

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Do you hate me yet? I know, I said Once a week, but once I got started I couldn't stop! It's 4 o'clockin the morning over and I have been attacked by my insomnia... again. And when I can't sleep, I write. So there! Peace!