Chapter Six

"SHE'S AWAKE!!"

Miliardo Peacecraft and Lucrezia Noin were in the hospital cafeteria, speaking quietly with one another over cups of strong black coffee, when an excited shout suddenly echoed down the ajoining corridor. A moment later, Duo came bounding in, long braid flying, nearly falling over a chair in his haste to reach them.

"She's awake!" he yelled again, drawing attention from everyone in the vicinity. Of course, this didn't bother Duo in the least. "Zeches, Noin; Releena's awake!"

Zeches stood up so suddenly he knocked over his chair.

"Are you sure?" he asked hoarsely, pinning the gasping Duo with a suspicious look. "If this is some kind of twisted joke, Maxwell..."

"I swear..." wheezed the young American pilot, still trying to catch his breath. Too impatient to wait for the elevators, he had run down the flight of stairs all the way to the first level. "Zeches...you should know...I wouldn't joke...about something like this..."

Without another word, Miliardo strode out of the room, Noin at his heels, their long legs carrying them away at a rapid pace. Duo groaned and gamely staggered after them.

Quatre and Trowa were already waiting outside the room in the hall when the other three came jogging up. Duo collasped into the wall beside Trowa, who regarded him with an amused glance and continued to lean calmly against the doorframe. Quatre fidgeted impatiently from foot to foot and cast nervous looks at the door.

"Doctors' in there now," Trowa informed the Lightning Count, warning him not to barge in just yet. But at that moment, a white clad doctor and a pair of nurses emerged from the room, looking slightly puzzled but very relieved.

"Mr. Peacecraft," the doctor smiled. "I am happy to say that, while slightly confused and very groggy, your sister is completely awake and aware of her surroundings. I'm not an optimist, but I think that in a couple of days, she should be ready to return home."

Duo, apparently recovered from his breathless dash to and from the cafeteria, let out a whoop that could be heard on the first floor.

For the first time in weeks, Zeches gave a small, genuine smile. "Can we see her now?"

"Of course." The doctor stepped aside, allowing the five people to crowd through the small doorway into the room.

Releena was indeed awake, and more alert to her surroundings now, as her blue-green eyes instantly fell on the mob coming through the door and lit up at the sight. Zeches was by her side instantly, taking her small hand in his, and she smiled at him weakly.

"Miliardo," she greeted, her voice still soft and frail. "How are you? The doctor told me I've been out for quite a spell."

Zeches took a deep breath, relieved beyond words. "You almost died, Releena," he grated out, relief giving way to an almost desperate anger at the scare she gave him. "Damn it, I told you to take more guards with you to that meeting."

"Zeches," Noin chided gently.

Miliardo relented, squeezing his sister's hand and giving her a tired smile. "It's good to see you again," he said sincerely. "You had us all scared to death for awhile."

Releena's eyes grew a bit sad. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Hey, Leena-san!" Duo broke in, his wide grin covering most of his face. "Don't worry about it! Everything turned out great! You're all right, and thanks to Heero, the bastards that did this to ya are buried under ten feet of--OW!" He broke off, rubbing his aching head and glaring at Trowa, who wasn't even looking at him anymore.

Releena's expression grew wistful. "Heero--where is he, Duo? Is...is he here?"

"Um..." Duo thought it would be best to shut up now, especially at the glare he was recieving from the Lightning Count.

It was Noin and Quatre that came to the rescue. "Miss Releena, you should try to get some sleep," the Italian woman said gently, smiling down at the girl. "The doctor says you'll be able to go home in a few days if you're any stronger."

"But---"

"Heero isn't here right now," Quatre added in a soothing voice. "But, he's still in town, and I'm sure he'll come visit, now that the threat is gone."

Releena seemed satisfied with this, and in a few minutes, slipped away into a natural, healing sleep.

Zeches smiled faintly at his sister's peaceful face, then suddenly whirled on Duo. "Maxwell--!"

"Mr. Peacecraft," broke in a new voice, as the doctor quietly beckoned them all into the hallway. Duo let out a heartfelt sigh of relief and tramped outside with the others.

"Your sister is well on her way to a complete recovery," the doctor told the still fuming Zeches. Duo had wisely taken his place behind Noin and Quatre. "It would be best that, after she leaves this hospital, she does not involve herself with any rigorous or stressful activities for a couple weeks, just so her body and mind can fully recover. This includes her work, Mr. Peacecraft. I am not familiar with what the foreign minister does everyday, but I am sure it is quite stressful at times, something she does not need right now. She needs to rest."

Noin smirked at the thought of Releena sitting around the mansion all day. "She certainly isn't going to like that. And I'm not even sure we can keep her down for such an extended period of time."

Miliardo grimaced, knowing exactly what Noin meant. Releena could be extrodinarily stubborn and persistant at times; when she put her mind to something, there would be no stopping her.

At this, Quatre spoke up. "Well, I could let you use my estate for a few weeks," he said thoughtfully. "It's far enough from here that Releena-sama can't get involved with her work, and I've been meaning to go back to check on it and the Magnanacs anyway." His cheerful face brightened even more. "In fact, EVERYBODY is invited," he announced, shooting a furtive, hopeful glance at Trowa. "I'm sure we ALL need a vacation after what's happened."

Zeches sighed in relief and nodded agreement. Noin had a definate "bless you, Quatre" look on her face, and Trowa smiled at his best friend, silently indicating that he would be there, too.

"ALL RIGHT! Party time!" Well, of course you know who this is. "Hey, Quatre-man, is this estate the one with the indoor pool?"

Miliardo groaned.

The taxi gradually pulled to a stop outside the Peacecraft mansion, and Zeches stepped out to open the door for Releena. He had decided against using Releena's very conspicuous pink limo for the ride home, because he didn't want the world to know when she was leaving the hospital. The doctor had given strict orders for her to rest, and he thought that a mob of reporters shoving their mics in her face would definately be considered stressful. No one but the doctors knew she had left the hospital, and by the time word got out, they would already be far away, enjoying a well deserved vacation at Quatre's isolated estate.

"Hurry up and pack," he told his sister as she climbed out of the car. "I've got a private jet waiting and we want to be on our way."

She gave him a smile and climbed the steps to the mansion, disappearing inside. Pagan and the other servents had been sent on vacation as well, and the house was quite deserted. Climbing the stairs to her room, she thought back to her few days in the hospital with mixed emotions of happiness, surprise and disappointment. She hadn't realized she had so many supporters, until Quatre showed up one afternoon with five whole carts of flowers, baskets, cards and get well wishes from a very worried nation. Zeches had stopped every parcel from being delivered to her, afraid of another attempt on her life, so none of the couple hundred packages ever reached her. Until Quatre, Trowa, and Duo took it upon themselves to go through each and every parcel, making sure they were all safe, before announcing that the foriegn minister could now recieve her gifts.

Releena had been touched. But she was even more surprised at Zeches and the four gundam pilots. Either one or more of them stopped in to check on her every day, asking how she felt; if she needed anything. Even the stotic Wufei had showed up once, in the firm grip of Sally Po, and the three of them had talked for an hour about the Preventers and other related subjects. Quatre and Trowa always stopped in as a pair, and Duo always brought a smile to her face when he came in with an armload of games, flowers, or other little gag gifts.

The only one who had not showed up at all, was the very person she was longing to see the most. The other pilots had been very elusive to the whereabouts of their comrad in arms, and when a nearly tearful Releena finally confronted Duo about it, the American boy had stammered that none of them knew exactly WHERE Heero was. After a few days of anxiously waiting, hoping against hope that he would walk through her door, Releena finally had to admit to herself that she would not see him again. The Perfect Soldier had completed his mission and had faded away into obscurity once more. That was how Heero's mind worked; that was just his way.

Releena swallowed, choking back bitter tears that rose in her throat. Heero was gone-- and after she had confessed her feelings toward him so openly--but....he never said he felt the same. She might love him with all her heart, but he had no obligations that could make him stay with her. The missions were his life, and the one with her had just been completed. There was absolutely no reason for him to hang around any longer.

Releena wiped away a single tear that had somehow fallen from her eye. She would not cry! She had finished crying in the hospital, when she woke up in the middle of the night lonely and afraid, calling his name. He never appeared, despite her hopes, and gradually the nightmares began to subside, though they never really went away.

'Farewell, Heero,' she thought outside the door to her room. 'I wish you well, wherever you are, and I hope you find true happiness someday.' She meant this with all her heart.

Feeling older than she had in years, Releena pushed open the door and flicked on the light. Dropping her purse carelessly onto a chair, she glanced up, blinking in the bright light, and had to stifle a shriek.

There he was, leaning casually against the far wall beside the window, his arms crossed over his tone chest, his intence colbalt eyes burning the space between them. Releena's heart nearly stopped beating as the intruder fixed that blazing gaze on her, freezing her in place with his eyes alone. Time seemed to stop completely, as the two young people stared at each other for an eternal heartbeat. In that second, Releena thought she saw a glint of fear? flash across the other's face. But it was gone in the next moment, and he was the same expressionless soldier she had always known.

"Been waiting for you," Heero growled into the silence.

Miliardo yawned and looked at his watch. Women sure took their time getting ready, he thought, deliberatly ignoring the fact that his sister had been gone only a few minutes. 'Maybe she can't decide which swimsuit would look the best on her in a desert setting.'

He smirked at the thought but felt guilty at the same time.

"Hell with it," he muttered at last. "I'm going to help her pack whether she likes it or not. Hopefully she has all the girlie things out of the way." He started determinedly for her bedroom, but stopped before he reached the steps, still uncertain. Barging in like that would be invading her privacy, even if he was her brother.

"Shimatta," he grumbled, leaning against the taxi again to wait. "Hurry up, Releena. Or I'll come in there after you, privacy or no."

"Heero," Releena whispered, blinking her eyes as if she was afraid he was an illusion, a hallucination produced by her addled brain and desperate longing. Heero pushed himself away from the wall and closed the distance between them, well aware of his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He knew he was afraid. Insistant little doubts had begun to creep into his mind as soon as he heard her footsteps on the stairs. What if he was wrong? She said she loved him, but what if that was only to spare his feelings; to make him feel less guilty about letting her down? What if she was angry with him for not coming to visit her in the hospital? What if she despised him for his failure, for all those times he threatened to kill her? What if she was afraid of him? What if , what if she.... hated....him?

Heero pushed those thoughts away as he came to face the girl. They were only a foot apart now, and she was gazing at him with those wide, innocent green eyes. The same eyes that had captured his own, that terrible night when she almost....he pushed those thoughts away also. His mouth was suddenly dry. He really shouldn't have come; she would be better off to forget him.

But, he had made a promise. And besides that, he had to know....

"Did you mean it?" he asked hoarsely. His anguished blue eyes bore into hers, searching desperately for an answer, for the truth that he hoped lay within. "What you said....the night of....of the accident. When you told me...." He stopped, unable to continue. What right did he have to demand this of her, anyway? But, if he needed a truthful answer. Even though he was sealing his own fate, he needed to be sure. Looking directly into her puzzled face, he could only whisper again: "Did you mean it?"

Releena smiled. "Yes," she whispered back without hesitation. "I meant it. I still do. I love you, Heero."

Heero let out a sobbing, ragged breath and pulled her close, embracing her like he was terrified she would disappear again. Holding her tightly, he closed his eyes and quietly cherished the firm, solid beat of her heart, thinking how very close he had come to losing her, and how he would never, ever let her go again.

"Heero," Releena whispered, sounding a little awed. Her arms were clinging to him just as tightly; her head was resting against his chest and her eyes were closed. Heero looked down and saw tears streaming from under the closed eyelids.

"You're shaking," she observed quietly. Heero merely held her tigher, and they stayed that way for a few silent minutes, clinging to one another, hardly daring to believe that this was real, that the other was really there. Heero lost track of time. He could have stayed in that blissful moment all night, and only loosened his grip when Releena pulled back a little. He looked down into her face but did not release her from the circle of his arms.

Releena's eyes were happy but questioning. She softly stroked his cheek, smiling at the way he closed his eyes against it. "Are you really here?" she whispered in an awed tone of voice. "I always thought I was nothing more than an incovinience; an annoyance that you only protected because you had to."

"Releena." Heero's eyes were pained again and Releena wished she'd kept her mouth shut. Swiftly, she put her finger to his lips, stopping whatever self degretrory reply he was going to make.

"Shh, Heero, don't say anything. It doesn't matter now."

For once, Heero obeyed. He didn't want to argue with her; didn't want her to know his true feelings about this new relationship he found himself in. Try as he might, he couldn't help but feel, with a strong sence of dread, that one of them would eventually be left heartbroken and alone. Mourning the loss of the other. It was inevitable. He was a soldier, still involved in a very real war against the people who threatened the fragile peace. He could be killed at anytime; his recent experience with the Red Fang colonal had proved that. There was no place for a relationship on a battlefield; this Heero had been taught from his first days in training. Emotions would only bog him down; cloud his judgement and compromise his usefullness. He knew the smart thing to do would be to leave again.

But, he was selfish. He was tired of hiding from himself. He wanted one small memory of happiness before his young life was snuffed out forever.

But, when he was gone, what would happen to Releena?

Heero winced. He hadn't thought of that, being too wrapped up in his own longing and misery; his own hopes that Releena still cared for him. This was wrong; he shouldn't be invading on her life like this. His weakness had finally gotten the better of him, and now they would both suffer for it.

Gently, he tried pulling away, only to find Releena was not letting him go. "Don't leave, Heero," she pleaded, tightening her hold around his waist. "I can't let you go, not now. Please, please, don't leave me again."

Heero swallowed "It's for the best, Releena," he replied, trying to keep his voice an indifferent monotone and failing as his voice trembled shamelessly. God, what was she doing to him? "I don't want to hurt you...."

"Then don't leave me," was the broken whisper, and with a defeated sigh, Heero relented, wrapping her in his arms again. They were both going to regret this, someday, but for now, this was enough. This was all he needed.

"I love you, Heero."

Heero closed his eyes. 'Aishiteru, Releena,' he thought, but couldn't say it outloud, not yet. Instead, he cupped her chin and lifted her face to his. Their lips were just a breath away from each other and Heero offered a tiny smile, bending close....

"Releena! Are you finished yet?" boomed a man's loud voice just outside her door.

Instantly, Heero's body warmth was gone, and Releena blinked unhappily as he quickly took a few steps away. At that moment, though, Zeches opened the door, and Releena had to squash a very real urge to throw something at her big brother. His sense of timing was, as usual, right on the mark.

Miliardo took in the scene in an instant: Releena glaring at him with undisguised annoyance: normal. Releena still not packed and ready to go: normal. Heero Yuy watching him intently just a few feet away from his little sister....

Heero Yuy?!

Abruptly, Miliardo's eyes narrowed, his face becoming cold and furious. 'How DARE he,' was his only thought as he stepped into the room and strode toward the young pilot. Heero watched his every move like a hawk, his muscles tence and ready for action, but he held his ground as Zeches loomed over him, his icy blue eyes glinting with loathing and contempt.

"Get out."