Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Precious Moments ❯ Death's Hidden Pain ( Chapter 6 )

Precious Moments

Chapter 6 - Death's Hidden Pain

By Angel Love

Author's Notes: Hello minna! Okay, there aren't any scenes between Heero and Relena in this chapter. This entire chapter focuses on Duo and Relena. And I tried to pull Duo away from that 'joking all the time' attitude that everyone has always given him.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Gundam Wing. I also don't own 'Crash and Burn' by Savage Garden. I am just borrowing both for this fic.

Relena was now dressed in a pair of tight fitting black jeans, a loose white shirt, and a pair of black deer-skinned cowboy boots. She had pulled her long golden hair up in a ponytail, for some reason she couldn't look at her brush without getting a goofy smile on her face and think of the tenderness that Heero had shown her that morning. She practically bounced her way across the back lawns as she headed for the stables. It was hard to believe that she was sick since she seemed to have so much energy at the moment.

She saw Duo heading inside the stables and ran quickly to catch up to him.

The braided man turned when he heard the sounds of running feet. He grinned when he saw Relena heading straight towards him, her hair swaying with her movements. "Hey Lena," he greeted with his usual enthusiasm, catching her in his arms as she skidded to a stop.

She grinned up at him as he put her back on her feet, slightly out of breath. "So do you want to see the horses?"

"Of course," he said with a wink and a nod.

She led the way inside the large stable area that housed about 30 horses, mostly thoroughbreds, quarter horses and Tennessee walking horses. However two caught his eye. Neither of them were like the others, one in fact wasn't even a pure bred, she was half Arabian and half quarter horse. He gave her a quizzical look.

She smiled up at him. "I see you've seen my babies." She opened up one of the gates that led to the chestnut horse's pen. "This is Mariah. I came across her right after my foster father died. She was being abused by her handlers and I stepped in to intervene." She scrunched up her nose. "I think if I wasn't who I am I would have gotten beaten up. But being a princess the men backed off and one of them decided that since I cared so much about her situation that I should take responsibility of her. Personally, I think he was trying to insult me, but she is actually quite a lovely horse, much better than some of the pure breeds here."

The horse in question nickered at her and nuzzled her face, almost as if she were giving her mistress a hello kiss. Relena's responding giggle made Duo smile.

He shook his head, surprised at how cruel people could be. He could see the bond that Relena had made with the horse. The savior and her rescued. It reminded Duo a little of Relena and Heero.

She gave him a smile as he handed her the red halter hanging on the outside of the stall. She secured it on the mare and pulled her out of the stall, tying her up on the poles that awaited outside. "I'll be back in a minute, Mer," she whispered softly, giving the horse a sugar cube.

She walked back over to him and motioned to the other horse, this one brown and much stockier than the first. "That is Gamble. She is a mustang and straight of the range where North America used to be. She was a gift from my brother when he left for Mars." She grinned. "I think he was trying to make it up to me that he couldn't stay on Earth. Each present I get from him has something to do with her, a saddle, bridle, stuff like that."

Duo eyed the horse, taking in every detail. "She's beautiful, Lena."

Relena nodded her agreement, before she turned to him with a bright smile. "Want to ride her?"

He gave her a big grin and nodded. "Sure."

She seemed like an untamed beast with the way she tossed her head when Relena moved into the stall with her. But after a few soft-spoken words the horse came right to her, nuzzling her hand. Again Duo was amazed at Relena's ability to tame the animals. She seemed to draw animals to her just as she did people. Except for some reason she seemed to like the most troubled ones the most. Which could explain why she loved Heero.

The blonde slipped on the purple halter and handed her to Duo, who tied her up next to Mariah at the poles.

The groomers were there within seconds and already starting to get the horses ready for the ride out, with Relena only telling them to make sure they put saddlebags on the saddles.

Duo followed Relena as she walked to the room next to the stalls. He looked around in awe. There was a bed and a refrigerator, everything anyone could need in one small little room. It reminded him a bit of his days in the war, but this place was a lot more cheery.

"This is the head groomer's room," she explained. "I offered him a room up at the mansion, but he refuses. He says he wants to stay close to the horses." She opened the fridge and pulled out several pieces of fruit and two bottles of water. Without looking at him, she answered his unspoken question. "We may want to stop to talk and we'll want something to snack on when we do."

He took the fruit out of her hands, leaving her only with the bottles of water and led the way back out to where the horses were tied and all ready for them. He slipped the fruit in the saddlebag on the horn on his saddle while she did the same with the bottles of water in her own saddlebag.

He was about to hop on when he noticed a strange look on her face, concern rushed through him when he saw how pale she was. "What's the matter, Lena?" He caught her as she swayed slightly. "Relena?"

She rested her head against his chest and took slow, deep breaths while he made soothing motions on her back with his hand. She closed her eyes against the swirling world around her and just concentrated on the sound of his breathing in order to get her equilibrium back.

After a few long moments she began to feel a lot steadier. She slowly opened her eyes and slowly moved away and gave him a shaky smile. "I'm alright, Duo. It was just a dizzy spell."

He looked at her closely, weighing the options on whether or not they should go on that horseback ride or not. He knew that Heero would kill him if he let anything bad happen to her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded at him, pleading with him to let her enjoy this. "I'm fine. I don't get them very often and I am usually fine afterwards."

Duo slowly nodded, unable to say no to the clear plea in her eyes. He helped her up on the horse, without a word. Then he turned and hopped on the back of his own. He knew that he would have to report this to Heero later. He patted his pocket to make sure he had his cell phone on him.

They rode for about an hour, talking about everything except her illness, neither of them quite sure how to broach the subject. Finally, they spotted a beautiful clearing with a small stream running through it. With a grin at each other they turned off the trail they were on and led the horses to the small stream.

~ When you feel all alone

And a loyal friend is hard to find ~

Duo slid off and held his hands up to Relena, who grasped his arms and let him help her down. She was starting to feel a bit weak, but she didn't want to say anything to the braided man for fear that it would upset him.

Duo noted how pale her face was and made a mental note to watch her more closely. They settled on the grass with the fruit and the bottles of water, the horses grazing a few feet away from them.

Relena munched on an apple, giggling at a fight between two squirrels over a nut. "You would think one of them would just take another since there are about five of them sitting there."

~ You're caught in a one way street

With the monsters in your head ~

"Animals can be just as stubborn as people," Duo mused quietly, taking a drink of water. He grinned as one of the squirrels finally won the nut and took off and the other chattered its unhappiness loudly.

Relena laughed. "So I've noticed. But I seem to surround myself with some of the most stubborn of those people," she laughed at his outraged face.

"Are you trying to say I'm stubborn?" he gave her a mock innocent face.

"No, never," she giggled as he tackled her and began tickling her ruthlessly. After several moments she finally cried mercy and he rolled away and lay on the grass on his back with his head cushioned by his arms.

She giggled some more before she slowly sobered. She tucked her legs under her and looked down at him. "What did you want to do before the war, Duo?"

The grin fell off his face and a haunted look replaced it. "Survive." At her confused look he continued. "I was an orphan living on the streets in L2."

"Oh, Duo, I'm sorry," she whispered.

~ When hopes and dreams are far away and

You feel like you can't face the day ~

He gave her a small smile and sat up. "I was taken in by the Maxwell church when I was a little boy. Father Maxwell taught me about God and the sister taught me about love." He fingered his braid. "She was the first one to put my hair in the braid."

She smiled and tugged on it playfully. "I wondered just where you got this."

He gave her a grin and swatted at her hand with his braid before continuing. "They tried to have several families adopt me, but I'm afraid I was a bit of a demon child and the families always brought me back. I already knew where I wanted to stay, because I had already decided that they were my family."

"What happened to them?" she asked softly, seeing the pain in his violet eyes.

"Some rebel soldiers took over the church and the Federation destroyed it in order to squash the army," he said quietly, his head hung low.

"And you? Where were you?" She squeezed his hand.

"I was on at the Federation base stealing a mobile suit in hopes that I could get the rebel army to leave the church. When I got back the church was already gone. The father was dead and the sister was dying."

"The Maxwell Church Massacre," she whispered remembering her history. He nodded his head. "I thought that no one survived that."

He just looked at her and shrugged. "I did. That is when I became Shinigami. I figured that the God of Life had forsaken me so I only believed in the God of Death."

~ Let me be the one you call

If you jump I'll break your fall

Lift you up and fly away with you into the night ~

She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a much-needed hug, before moving back in her sitting position. "I can understand that," she whispered. "I have seen my fair share of death," she murmured. "I've lost both of my families, Peacecraft and Dorlian. My foster mother died not long after my father of a broken heart. She just couldn't live without him. My only family left is my brother and he lives on another planet."

He lifted up her chin and made her look up at him, his violet eyes looking at her with an intensity that she had never seen. "That's not true. We are your family. We all love you."

~ If you need to fall apart

I can mend a broken heart ~

She gave him a soft smile. "I know you do, Duo. I love you too." Again she hugged him, this time she stayed leaning against him. "I'm sorry, Duo. I'm so sorry." A few tears fell down her cheeks.

He held her tighter to him, bringing her further into his embrace. "For what Lena?"

"For being just another person you have to loose," she whispered. "I wish I could change this but I can't. I feel so helpless."

~ If you need to crash then crash and burn

You're not alone ~

He rubbed her back, a single tear falling down his cheek and he placed his chin on the top of her head. "I know you do, Lena. And I wish I could help. But being the God of Death has not granted me any powers over it."

She giggled despite the tears that fell down her cheeks. "I want you to know that I have always cherished your charm and humor, Duo. You are such a great person. Even though you hide behind that goofy mask of yours just like Heero hides behind his soldier's mask."

~ Because there has always been heartache and pain ~

He gave a gasp of surprise. No one had ever mentioned anything about his mask. He always assumed that no one could see past his laughter and see the hurting little boy behind it. But he should have known that if Relena could see past Heero's then she could see past his. She just never said anything. And now she had just given him permission to drop the mask and just let the pain go.

He buried his face in her ponytail, which had come a little loose during the ride, and just held her against him, his tears falling in her silky strands. For the first time since he said goodbye to his Sister he grieved. He grieved for everything that happened in his past. He grieved for the pain that he knew one of his best friends was going through. And he grieved for the knowledge that she would soon leave him behind and join the world of the unliving.

~ And when it's over you'll breathe again ~

Soon his silent sobs stopped and his body stilled its trembling. He could hear her whispered words of comfort to him. He pulled away and looked down at her and gave her a small watery smile.

She gave him her own trembling smile. "Promise me two things, Duo," she whispered. At his nod, she went on to the first. "That you won't let Heero kill himself when this over."

His eyes took on a pained look. As much as this was hurting him, he knew that it was hurting his friend ten times worse. "Of course."

"He needs to remember that there are still things here to live for. I want him to live. I don't want him to be like my mother and just give up," she whispered urgently.

He nodded. "I promise that I will do the best I can. And I am sure the others will help as much as possible." She smiled gratefully at him. "And the other?" he asked.

She searched his violet eyes, cupping his handsome face in her hands. "Never forget me."

He shook his head, making his braid sway back and forth. "I could never forget you, Lena. I will hold you close to my heart as I do now."

She gave him a trembling smile. "Thank you."

~ You'll breathe again ~

Mariah broke the intense moment between them by nuzzling against Relena. The blonde giggled and scratched the horse's nose, giving her the last of the forgotten apple in her hands. "I think that is our cue that she wants to go home."

Duo laughed and scratched the top of his head. "I guess so." He slid Relena off his lap and got up. He brushed the grass and dirt from his pants and then offered a hand to Relena. She took it and started to rise, but another wave of dizziness hit her and she crumpled in on herself. Duo barely caught her before she hit the ground. "Relena!"

He noted that she had passed out. He checked all her vital signs, noting that her pulse and breathing were a bit fast. "Heero's gonna kill me," he groaned. With a deep breath he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the mansion. "Heero... Relena's passed out... Get a pen and I'll tell you how to get here."

To be continued...

*Heero, Angel and Duo pop up*

Angel: Well, another chapter...er, Heero why are you glaring at Duo like that?

Heero: He should never have allowed her to go out if she wasn't feeling well.

Duo: *looking nervous* Heero, buddy… could you tell her no?

Heero: *sighs* No.

Angel: *rolls eyes* Now that that is settled, can we take care of what we came out here to?

Duo: *grins at her* Sure babe. Angel wants to say thank you for those of you who keep urging her to get the next chapter out. It helps keep her motivated.

Heero: She also wants to thank Tanya and Rose. You two are a great help with putting her ideas down on paper.

Angel: *beams and clutches both of their arms* I knew there was a reason I loved you two.

Heero: *raises an eyebrow, but ignores her* She also wants to ask you to review.

Duo: Angel loves to hear what you think and any ideas that you may have.

Angel: Thanks boys. Well, we gotta go!

*pulls both boys off screen*