CHAPTER XVII-Fulfillment of the Promise

A/N: Sorry, Padme, I just had to mention your comment because it made me laugh so hard!

Heero woke up on the plane trip back, his head on Relena’s knee. He groaned and tried to sit up. It wasn’t that he exactly minded being in Relena’s lap, it was just that the time was inconvenient.

"I feel like shit."

That’s the toxins in your bloodstream. You need to flush the drugs out of your system." She looked at him so seriously, her eyes so accepting, "What are you going to do, Heero?"

"I know I can get through this," he growled, "I still have you to protect, don’t I?"

She shook her head angrily, "Don’t give it up for me, Heero, give it up for yourself. That’s where you screwed up before. You have determination and a strong will, now you just have to apply it to yourself. That’s the only way you’ll stay clean." She reached up and pressed a hand to his cheek, "You have to realize that you are very worth living for."

They didn’t speak for the rest of the trip.

The podium was a dark blue, with the ESUN logo hanging silver in the background.

When Relena Darlian walked up to the lectern, there was a small lull in conversation. She was wearing a gray suit, her hair loose and free. Her arm was in a sling and her body was thin from the tiredness that had eaten away at her body. But her eyes were hard and stern.

Relena Darlian had not died or been tamed. Relena Darlian had moved on. The public was breathless with joy: Their goddess was going to reassure them of her safety.

"How dare you?" She spat spitefully, shocking everyone, right down to the innocent citizens sitting in their homes watching the live broadcast. Her eyes burned with fiery determination, "How dare you all fight like petty children, killing our peace over one person?!" She took a deep breath, her harsh tone was that of an angry mother, surprising her children into obedience, "I have a lot to say, so you all must wait until I’m through before I answer questions.

"To begin, I’d like to clear up a few errors made by the media. First, the photos spread recently were all feigned. I have provided evidence to the contrary that has been distributed to the major media companies. Secondly, if I were to have an affair with a Gundam pilot, what would it matter? As you all must recall, the Gundam pilots fought completely for peace, even risked insanity by using the controversial ZERO system and forced themselves through rigorous, inhumane training that not one of you, not even I could endure. Yet, the moment it proves convenient, you turn your backs to them, because you do not want to remember what battles are like!

She shuffled the papers on the podium quietly, "By the way, Sylvia Noventa’s body was found washed up on a beach near her estate last week. It is believed that the organization named Kheft, was responsible for her death." She looked down, holding back tears, "No one involved in the conspiracy survived the explosion of their base in Southern India, so prosecution charges will be withheld. This explosion resulted in the deaths of two very good friends of mine, who will both be remembered at a memorial service tomorrow in this building. Colonel Une and Mariemeia Kushrenada sacrificed themselves in an plane accident with the aforementioned base. May their deaths be a warning to us that every person makes sacrifices for peace.

"But what hurts me most, my people, is how you all fought over one person like she was peace itself." She said, the accusation returning to her tone, "It is much easier to associate an ideal with a figurehead to avoid thinking for yourself. I am no one. I am a simple human being who wants the same thing that you do. If you cannot realize what you want without me to tell you, then we do not deserve peace." She looked up at them, eyes tear-dashed with desperate passion, "Peace is something we have to grasp with our hands, not look to someone to do for ourselves. Until then, we will not be following a dream for peace, but a dream of not thinking for ourselves.

"You cannot imagine what I feel right now, looking at all of you and realizing that you have no clue what I’m saying. To most of you, your lives are easier. To most of you, I am a symbol of everything you fought for, and without me, your peace would disappear as well." Her gaze traveled across the room, "Well that’s wrong because I say it’s wrong! Remember in Luxemborg, during the incident with Dekim Barton? Hordes of you took to the streets, preaching what you believed was right, not what I believed in! Do not be sheep, and do not be wolves!" she took a deep breath, "Be who you want to be and believe what you want to believe, but decide what to believe for yourself! Don’t follow peace because I want it! Don’t follow war because it’s profitable! Follow what you know in your hearts to be right, and therein lies happiness.

She looked at them, "You still don’t understand, do you? That’s why I have to take this last step. I am as of today handing in my resignation. The Reconstruction Act is still on the table at the Senate House in Geneva, Switzerland, and I hope you consider it as a guideline as to what you want. I won’t be here to tell you what you want, but someone else will, someone else will try and lead you in the right direction. Don’t be lead, my people, but lead the leaders. Protest, write letters, run for office yourselves!

She sighed, "The choice, my friends, is yours." She dipped her head, "Are there any questions?"

"Ms. Darlian, what do you plan on doing now?"

She smiled, "Go to college and get myself a decent education."

"Are you not afraid of violent repercussions to your resignation?"

"Not if everyone listened to my speech."

"Are you involved with a Gundam pilot?"

"No."

"But you know them on a personal basis?"

"Of course, any freedom fighter should know her compatriots."

A security guard came up onto the platform and informed the press that the time for questions had been exhausted.

Relena sighed behind the stage yanking on the tight collar of her blouse as she walked towards her car.

An attendant followed her hurriedly, arms full of papers.

"Ms. Relena, why did you do that?" she asked, eyes filled with love and questioning.

Relena let out a weary breath, "Kami, I had to do it. One day, I think you’ll see."

The attendant looked confused, "People gave up their lives for you! People cared so much, they fought! It’s their way of saying how much they need you."

Relena shook her head gently, "Kami, they weren’t doing it to show that they needed me. They believed that they couldn’t have peace without someone leading them. They forgot that peace lies in what every person does with their lives, not in the words of some politician."

Kami looked hurt, "But if you loved them so much, why did you lie to them? Why didn’t you tell them that we could never know how many people were involved I Kheft, or how many remain in office?"

Relena looked up from the parking lot and out to the stars, "They needed reassurance, Kami, they need to believe their world is safe. For all we know, Kheft will die and fade away like a bad dream. Things like this happen, and the line gets blurred between right and wrong. When everyone searches for a profit, the world suffers."

"Relena, we’ll…we’ll all miss you…"

She smiled, "That’s what life is like, Kami."

And that was that.

The Act had indeed passed. The moment of horrified imbalance in the world had been corrected. Perhaps their chances of peace would be higher this time.

However, Earth’s hour of need had ended, and the crisis was, for the moment, resolved. What was left unresolved, unfortunately, was a certain agreement between two people.

Relena was standing on the field where they’d made their promise, her long golden hair teased by the carefree wind. It was autumn, and winter was fast approaching. She could feel it in the cold that nipped at her arms and by the numbness of her fingers.

And suddenly, Chaos appeared in the midst of the serenity, Death approached Life. Heero Yuy was at the edge of the clearing, eyes only on the slip of a girl before him. He had not forgotten, the gun at his side was merely the tool to fulfill his oath.

"Peace has, for the most part, been attained, Heero," she murmured calmly facing the opposite direction, "It’s funny. You represent the colonies, and I represent the Earth. We are two different extremes of our time, totally unalike in every way. But-" She turned to him, piercing his eyes with her own, "-we both longed for peace. I think we are only allotted a certain amount of time to this Earth, Heero. Perhaps we have lived it so vivaciously because we knew that our time would be short. I understand why you need to do this. I accept this. Please remember that I made the promise too. It’s time it was fulfilled."

Heero rose the gun, pressing a finger on the safety catch. He never was one for words, "I will take away your pain."

She closed her eyes, feeling the oddly fitting phase dance in her mouth, "I thank you."

The gun fell to the ground.

He embraced her.

"There will never be true peace, will there?" He said gruffly in her ear, tightening his hold on her unresponsive body, "There will always be someone, something, to stand in our way: my sister, the remains of the Kheft, et cetera. So therefore, the bargain really can’t be completed, can it?"

She smiled. She understood. She always had, "I suppose not."

It was like a dream to both of them, but far more vivid, far more personal. Heero knew, for once, exactly what to say, "Would you mind if I stayed like this forever?"

It was a mere whisper, but she had heard it. She rose her arms and wrapped them around him, making them even closer, "I wouldn’t mind at all."

And the gun lay forgotten on the fertile Earth.

A/N: Well, peeps? What do you want? Sequel? Epilogue? Me to shut up and stop writing this fic? I’m all ears.