Disclaimer: I don't own gundam wing. Any other characters are mine. Enjoy.

Fight of a Lifetime
Part 10
Written By Rae

The next morning Heero woke up before Machiavellian came to continue the torture. He started to sit up but then he noticed Releena, who still had her head resting on his chest. He thought back to last night. Doctor J would jump for joy if he heard that Heero had showed that much emotion. The ghost of Dekim Barton on the other hand would probably die all over again. Heero winced thinking of what would happen if Duo found out. Duo would start running around Heero in circles screaming,

"He's Human! He's Human!"

Heero looked at Releena again, Wufei was right. She was too nice. Heero decided it would be better if Releena woke up before Machiavellian came. He hated to do it because she looked so peaceful; it was his one time he could marvel at her beauty with out letting her on to how he felt. Gently rolling Releena off him, he shook her gently.

"Releena, wake up."

Releena opened her eyes and looked at Heero. Thank Goodness that horrible look was gone from his eyes. She sat up and realized that Machiavellian had given them any food since the others escaped.

"Is he going to starve us as part of the punishment?" she wondered. "Oh well at least the little ones are safe."

Then Heero noticed that he and Releena were still in their costumes from the day before. He smiled inwardly. Machiavellian was right about one thing. Releena did look cute in the French maid outfit. Heero's thoughts were interrupted by Machiavellians loud voice,

"Up, up, up! It's 7 a.m. and we have more to do today!"

Releena glared, if that demon planned to make Heero do the same task as yesterdayÖ

However Heero was handed a soldiers uniform, the same kind Machiavellian's troops wore.

"Oh well," Heero thought. "As long as I don't have to kill innocent children."

Releena was given long, white dress. It was sleeveless. Heero tried his best not to stare. The dress brought out Releena's figure just right.

"Beautiful," Machiavellian commented and Heero silently disagreed.

"She's more than beautiful, there aren't words to describe her," He thought.

Machiavellian led Releena and Heero to a grand room richly decorated with gold and jewels. Releena had a feeling she'd seen a room like this before but couldn't quite remember when or where. In a corner of the room was a door though neither Releena nor Heero could see it because it was camouflaged to blend into the room.

Against a wall positioned so that if the door were revealed the person sitting in the door would be unable to see was a chair. The chair, like the room, was elegantly decorated. Releena was told to sit in the chair and she obeyed. Then Heero was taken over to where the door was. Machiavellian opened the door and led Heero inside to a secret room.

On one wall there was a highly advanced control system. Machiavellian told Heero his job was to operate the system. And instructed Heero on how to do it. When instruction was over Heero was fastened securely to the chair so that all he could do was operate the machine or sit there doing noting. That way if he tried to make a run for it or attack Machiavellian he wouldn't be able to. Machiavellian also informed Heero that no one but Machiavellian himself could turn the machine off.

On Machiavellian's orders Heero started running the contraption, unaware of it's purpose. Releena on the other hand, fastened securely to her chair was being forced to watch a very lifelike reenactment of her parents' death. That was, you see, the function of the machine. Holographic figures portrayed what Releena had never seen, how her real parents died.

Of course that wasn't enough for Machiavellian. Now that it had begun Heero had to feel torture too. Machiavellian knew that knowing he was causing Releena pain would be an excellent torture for Heero, so with a snap of his fingers Heero was forced to watch what was going on in the room where Releena was. Heero watched painfully as the color drained from Releena's face and the tears streamed down her cheeks.

He saw her flinch as her father was scalped yet left alive and then shot repeatedly so that he'd die slowly and painfully. He saw her sorrowful expression as her mother's was stabbed repeatedly, and then had her hair set on fire. Yet more painful than seeing Releena in so much agony was being told by Machiavellian that this was all the work of the very machine Heero was being forced to operate.

As Machiavellian knew, knowing that he was causing Releena this much grief was a torture worse than what he'd gone through the day before. Yet Releena was forced to watch not only this, but also the murder of aunts, uncles, grandparents, everyone in her family who didn't escape. And this hadn't been enough for the killers, any one in their way, any one living in the palace of any age, related or not related to the Peacecraft family was slaughtered. Heero cursed the binding preventing him from stopping the machine.

Every scream, every tear inflicted on the Peacecraft family was shown to Releena and Heero was the one being forced to do it. Finally, after 16 long hours Machiavellian shut the machine off. As they were taken back to their cell Machiavellian made sure to point out Heero had been controlling the machine that showed Releena her family's fate.

He cursed Machiavellian under his breath. Once the prisoners were securely locked in the cell Machiavellian left. Heero looked at Releena. Her face was pale and tear stained. Her eyes were filled with pain, sorrow, and anguish from what she'd seen. He wasn't sure how to begin to comfort her. Somehow Heero managed to go over to Releena. Heero pulled Releena against him. There were no words that could offer any comfort.

All he could do was hold her and give her a shoulder to cry on. After awhile Releena cried her self to sleep but it was a sleep haunted by images of what she'd seen. Eventually Heero had to wake her up the nightmares were so bad. Once or twice she tried to say something but she could never manage to say the words. Heero just held her tighter.

"I'm sorry Releena." Was the most he could say.

Momentarily Releena's tears subsided long enough for her to tell Heero what she'd been trying to say.

"This place, it's the palace. This is where it happened." And then she was struck by a fresh wave of tears.

At last Releena had no more tears left to cry but she still looked pale. Heero sensed that even the tears had stopped the pain hadn't and he held Releena close. He thought back to the skeleton Releena had seen when they were first brought down to the dungeon. That was probably all that was left of one of Releena's relatives.

"Heero, how can people be that cruel?" she asked her voice filled with pain and remorse.

"I don't know."

"Heero?"

"Yeah?"

"Good night."

"Good night, Releena."

This time Releena didn't have any nightmares but just in case Heero held her. Unable to fall asleep Heero played with Releena's hair, twirling the long strands through his fingers. He hated seeing her in this much pain; he always had hated seeing her upset. Even when he ripped up the invitation to her party and vowed to kill her he still wiped away her tears, not wanting to see her cry. When they were on Libra and she begged him not to go fight Millardo he had told her to forget about him.

It was ironic really how things ended up by the time they'd finished fighting Mariemaia's forces. Heero looked at Releena, how he loathed Machiavellian for taking away her smile. Releena was right. How could people be so cruel? Yet he was the one who'd worked the machine that revealed her family's death, the fall of the first Cinq Kingdom. Finally, as Heero lay there holding Releena, he fell asleep.

Author's Note: Well what do you think? Not much to say really. I'd really like some feedback though.
Email me with any comments, questions, or suggestions: raerenee@gundambliss.zzn.com
Visit my website: http://raerenee.tripod.com/gundamloveraeandrenee/
-Rae-