Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Song of the Phoenix ❯ Forgive Me For Burdening You ( Chapter 6 )

A/N: Sorry for the delay, but I just wasn't motivated into typing this chapter right away. I didn't want to type it up if I couldn't put...emotion into it. I hope, for the wait, that this turns out to be a good chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters.

"Forgive Me For Burdening You"

Heero's penetrating Prussian gaze never strayed from Trowa's as the two participated in what appeared to be a staring contest, each trying to get the other to break first. Trowa sat at a table while Heero stood leaning against the wall, looking ever stoic as was usual for him. Their tense glares were broken as the door slid open to reveal a slim woman. Her honey-blonde hair was pulled up in a half-ponytail, flowing smoothly down her back. Her warm blue gaze beheld the two men, and Heero noticed with some amusement that she seemed to be treating them both equally, although Trowa was clearly the murder suspect.

"Good day, Officer Yuy," she said pleasantly. "My name is Relena Darlian, the new intern. I was told to tell you that Officer Maxwell would be gone all day, interrogating the residents of Winner Apartments."

"Thanks," the Japanese man murmured, accompanying a curt nod. Relena offered him a smile before turning back from whence she came. Heero couldn't keep his eyes from following her figure as she walked down the hall. He abruptly turned, however, when he heard Trowa give a faint cough. The officer refused to act the slight embarrassment he felt at staring at the pretty intern.

"What is your relationship with the victim?" Heero asked quickly, hoping to catch the other man off guard. Trowa opened his mouth as if to reply, but was abruptly cut off.

"You don't have to answer that, Mr. Bloom," came a swift reply, and Heero turned to see a petite blonde woman stroll into the room, taking a seat next to the murder suspect. "I am Mr. Bloom's lawyer, Midii Une," she added, noticing Heero's expressionless gaze.

Trowa turned his emerald green eyes to the pretty woman beside him, unable to help the fact that his spirits were lifted slightly. His sister and the landlord, Quatre Winner, had tried to support him, but their thoughts were quite futile. Perhaps this lawyer could help him...and his spirits were inevitably lifted. Finally, someone on his side.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Duo leaned against the wall of Winner Apartments, clad in a slim pair of black jeans and a worn jean jacket. His hair was tied back in his signature braid, small wisps of chestnut hung loose from the hair band, giving him a deliciously roguish look. He was grateful he was allowed out of uniform. He found the stiff outfits very uncomfortable, much to his displeasure. Who cares if women love a man in uniform? Some things just aren't worth it.

The young officer turned his head as he caught Quatre walking towards him in his periphial vision. The slim raven-haired woman, Hilde, followed the blonde landlord.

"Ms. Schbeiker," his conscious reminded absently.

"Miss Hilde is the only resident here at the moment," Quatre said apologetically, his large blue eyes sorrowful.

Hilde didn't look at all happy about being interrogated, no matter how sexy the officer was. She was unable to conceal her displeasure, and tried to get the officer to leave her alone.

"Actually, I'm a little busy..." she began, her sharp gaze penetrating Duo's. "I was just about to go get some lunch."

If anything, her reluctance encouraged him. He pushed off from his resting place against the wall, shoving his hands into his pockets unconsciously while his violet eyes searched her blue ones. Hilde realized, with some indignation, that he was, if anything amused by her hesitation.

"Then you won't mind if I join you?" he inquired, opening the door and motioning for her to go on ahead of him. With a small sigh of defeat, she strode out into the welcoming sunshine, but not after offering Quatre a small nod. Duo gave the landlord a half-smile, before following the blue-eyed woman out the door.

"Where were you planning on eating?" he asked Hilde, taking long, easy strides beside her. Wherever she chose to eat would be fine for him...he wasn't particularly picky.

"I was planning on getting some pizza..." she replied, turning her head slightly to watch her slightly unwelcome companion.

"Pizza!" Duo whooped appreciatively, grabbing Hilde in a sloppy, one-armed hug. "You, Miss Hilde, are a woman after my own heart!"

Despite Hilde's earlier reluctance, she couldn't help but smile. She even laughed with the grinning braided man, despite her wishes to forget about the whole homicide.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lucrezia Noin reclined on a cushy sofa leisurely, resting her ebony head against an armrest. Her sweatpants did a good job of keeping her body heat within the cloth, and the warmth contrasted with the cool air that was hitting her bare shoulders, which were unprotected from the tank top she wore. The young woman found her thoughts wandering randomly, first lingering on the homocide case, before taking an abrupt turn to memories she had fought hard to keep concealed. But with the appearance of her former classmate, Zechs Merquise, she was finding it increasingly hard to forget about what happened in the past. Out of all the squads he could have gone to, why was he in hers?

Knock Knock

Lucrezia couldn't help the groan that escaped her lips. Sucking up her fatigue, she pushed off the couch and stumbled to the door of her apartment. She pulled the door open swiftly, not bothering with the peek-hole that would have let her see her visitor before they saw her. Perhaps it would have been better if she had...so she could have masked her surprise.

"Zechs?" she greeted with confusion, her deep violet eyes taking in the sight before her. Zechs Merquise was standing in her doorway almost uneasily, with one hand shoved in the pocket of his khaki pants. She opened the door wider to allow him inside, and shut the door softly behind him.

"I wanted to talk to you, Lucrezia," he told her bluntly, trying to tell himself that he was doing the right thing, and yet he still felt like such an idiot. Scratch that, he felt like a jerk and idiot.

"Um...all right come sit down," she answered, walking in front of him to lead him to the living room. The man followed her slim form as she walked soundlessly on the plush carpet. She sat down on a couch, still warm from her body heat where she was laying earlier. Zechs sat on a couch across from her, sitting on the edge so he didn't sink into its cushions. There was no easy way for him to say what needed to be said...how do you tell the person your falling for that you're sorry? That you're sorry for all those times you hurt her...even if it was so long ago?

"I know I treated you badly in high school," Zechs admitted, and he watched as shock registered on her pretty features, her violet eyes widened visibly, and if he had been close enough he would have felt her heart beat stirring up.

"That was so long ago..." she murmured, gaze drifting to the floor. "I don't even remember most of it."

"Lying doesn't become you," he accused softly, and Noin's head snapped up angrily.

"Since when have you cared?!" she shouted angrily, sitting up rigidly from her perch on the sofa.

"Ever since high school, damnit!" Zechs replied, unable to keep his voice from rising. "I was a prick to you in high school, but ever since then I've wanted to start over! I know I don't deserve it, but, damnit Lucrezia, give me a chance!"

Her gaze visibly softened, and she averted her gaze away from his, which felt like it could penetrate into her very soul. Betrayal stung bitterly, and it left distrust in its wake. But as Noin gazed at her former friend, and lover, she couldn't help but forgive him for what he put her through. He looked so sincere... she tried desperately to ignore the stinging in the back of her eyes.

"You know I could never deny you anything, Zechs," was her soft answer, and after a moment of careful breaths, she was able to control the waver that threatened to consume her.

"And you won't regret your choice this time," he told her in all sincerity, standing up to leave, before, after a slight hesitation, planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Don't you see," Lucrezia whispered to the now-empty room, voice thick with emotion, "I never regretted my decision..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Our evidence is flimsy, and totally insignificant!" Wufei exclaimed heatedly, but rather than angering his partner, his statement inflamed her own doubt. The two were seated around a small table, one of the few pieces of furniture in Sally's modest apartment.

"It doesn't tie together, either," she admitted, running hand through her unbound hair. The pair of investigators was working overtime to try and make sense of the Sprague case.

"We've come to an agreement, though," the Chinese man relented, folding his lean arms across his chest, yet remained upright in the wooden chair he was seated in. He glanced at Sally before continuing, "Obviously, Bloom is innocent, and the arresting officers are continuing in their folly."

Sally's slender hands folded around a bottle of water. She picked at the label restlessly.

"True," she agreed, "but you should sympathize with the officers. It appears Bloom was framed, and they were eager to find someone, anyone, to try and pin the blame on." Her fingernail slipped under the paper label easily, and she pulled it off slowly, the ripping sound reverberating throughout the tiny apartment.

"And," she added, her eyes rising to meet Wufei's, and the young man was startled to see that her expression had hardened slightly, "Yuy wouldn't make such a careless mistake. He will realize his folly quite shortly."

"Quite," Wufei replied, his eyes unfocusing slightly as he was lost in thought, staring at the uneven surface of the table. There was something that had been on his mind for quite sometime...and such distractions were not healthy...they made him weak, and feeling vulnerable.

Absently, the Chinese investigator raised one bronze hand towards the bandage that still covered his forehead. He would have been injured much worse if Sally had not warned him about the falling recliner. During the commotion he had almost overlooked the fact that she had spoken...and this baffled the young man. What had silenced her? What had silenced his strong partner, the woman he considered his equal?

And, deep down, he was slightly uneasy. True, he had preferred working alone, enjoying the solitude and independence. Now that Sally was talking once more, there was no need for him to remain her partner. Would they send him away? Did he want to be sent away?

"What silenced you?" he stated bluntly, deciding he needed to know so his questioning would stop, so his mind wouldn't be plagued with questions of this unique woman before him, and so he wouldn't feel invaded any longer...so he wouldn't feel weak.

His question, quite typically, started the blonde woman, and her pretty blue eyes widened slightly, before she regained her cool composure. Her hands released the water bottle, now labeless, to wring in front of her. Wufei wondered if she noticed how tense she looked.

"It wasn't medical or anything," she admitted, her gaze hovering unwavering on the table in front of her. Wufei was surprised she gave in so easily...he had suspected he would have to pry it from her...not that he had wanted to. Truthfully, he didn't like prying into things, and was usually happy to let people have their secrets. She must have been harboring this for some time...to give in so quickly.

"So I assumed," he replied, studying her closely, although she still refused to meet his gaze.

"Well I grew up in China, and my family was strictly traditionalists," she laughed humorlessly, and if Wufei hadn't of known her better he would have said they sounded like sobs. "I guess it's sort of ironic, then, how my mother married an American man. She wasn't even full Chinese herself, she was only 3/4's Chinese."

Once again, Sally reached for the water bottle. She slid it back and forth across the table restlessly, unsure of what to tell him. She had wanted to keep it to herself...keep her weaknesses to herself. But her body felt ready to burst with emotion, and her partner's presence was oddly comforting.

She continued with a sad smile, stating, "I had an older brother, Lin. He was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. He took care of me after my father left us, throwing divorce papers at my mom as he walked out the door. It wasn't three weeks after my father left that Lin died in a hunting accident. I didn't believe the authority's story about the bullet ricocheting and hitting my brother; I knew he was a much better hunter than that." Sally finally looked up now, and Wufei saw that his suspicions were correct: her cheeks were dry, although her eyes did seem glassy, it seemed more emotional than tears. "I vowed that day to become a detective."

Sally set the water bottle down once again, folding her arms over her chest. Her hands rubbed her upper arms in an attempt to create warming friction...something, anything, to keep her occupied.

"Not long after Lin died, my mother got remarried to some traditionalist creep," the Chinese woman continued. "She said she was obligated to marry him: she had dishonored her family by marrying an American man in the first place. My psuedo stepfather said he was doing us a favor, but I didn't like him from the start. He used to treat me fairly, I suppose. I had many chores, but they were simple enough for me, and I did well in school." Here Sally took a deep breath.

"But," Wufei supplied for her, resting his elbows on the tiny table and leaning against them. She offered him a weak smile.

"But," she said, "after my half-sister was born, things changed. I began to be seen as the "scum" of the family. I had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was way too out-spoken in my stepfather's opinion. As my sister began to grow, the differences in us were painfully obvious. She was quiet, demure and obedient. Not to mention her appearance, which was my polar opposite. She had black hair and rich brown eyes. With all her goodness, my psuedo parents began to see what a horrible child I was...and I was punished.

"I was ridiculed verbally, and my self-confidence wavered dangerously. I began to believe the things they told me were true, despite my usual disregard to their insults," Sally smirked wryly, hanging her head in her hands. "I was pretty stupid to believe it, but I guess the physical punishments aided in my downfall."

Wufei scowled darkly, his raven eyebrows drawing together on his forehead. It was pathetic how someone would lower himself into hitting his own daughter-whether by blood or not. It was also kind of depressing how someone as strong and reliable as Sally had been broken by those you were to look up to.

"The beatings hurt," she admitted honestly, her hands clenching and unclenching involuntarily. "But what hurt worse was my inability to fight back. My stepfather was so much bigger than me, and struggle usually meant a stronger punishment. For awhile I actually believed I deserved the punishments."

"What made you change your mind?" Wufei inquired, studying her with his hard onyx eyes, interrupting her story for the first time.

"Well one day," Sally answered, taking a shaky breath and licking her lips, "I snuck out of the house to visit Lin's grave. When I knelt to pray, I just got this feeling that I was worth something, and that I could do something with my life. I also remembered the promise I made to Lin. So, when I got home I took the money Lin had hidden to save up for my college education...he knew my parents would pay for his, but not mine. I used the money to travel to America and get my education started once again. I vowed never to speak again, to compensate for the dishonor I put on my family." Sally concluded her story with a sigh, reveling in the huge weight, which had been lifted, off her chest. She hadn't realized how much her past had haunted her.

One question was still nagging at Wufei.

"How did you know sign language, then?" he inquired, a studious scowl marring his sharp features.

"Didn't I mention it?" Sally exclaimed, more to herself than the Asian man across from her. "Lin was born mute." Wufei's registered slight surprise, before he reverted back to his normal mask of indifference. Sally rubbed her tired blue eyes, amazed at how drained she felt.

"It's 11 o'clock, Wufei, can the case wait until tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"I suppose," he conceded with a nod, "we were, after all, getting no where with our current evidence."

As Wufei passed Sally on his way out the door, he put a comforting hand on her shoulder, before turning and walking out into the depth of the night.

A/N: Sooo....Sally's past is revealed!!! Please, please, please review with your comments!!!

Luvvies, KaT aka Mistress Shinigami