CHAPTER II- A Graveyard
A/N: Sorry itís been a
while. I want to thank you all for your supportive comments so far, Iíve really
appreciated them. Please enjoy this little teaser before I get to the ëthis
story develops a plotí chapter. BOLD ITALICS symbolizes an event in the past.
"This is a time
of war, man, and thereís no place for morals." Doctor O said harshly,
"If the enemy plays dirty, then we must do the same! Which is more
important, Doctor J, the freedom of the colonies or the life of one
child?"
The answer, of
course, was obvious. But was it right? Logic and morality did battle, and
rational thinking won, conscious thought over primal instinct- which was not,
in this case, a good thing.
"Acknowledged,
Doctor O."
The vid screen went
blank.
"
Two of those graves were
empty.
The person to whom Heero
was talking to was leaning against another gravestone, staring at the carved
granite words as if they proclaimed her fate.
"Mariemeia reminded
me of myself," she murmured motioning with a slim, delicate hand to the
grave on the farthest left, "She was a figurehead with no real power, a
pawn to Dekim Barton and all of those who wanted power." She sighed
brokeningly towards the sunset, "I canít help but think of myself in the
same way."
Heero treasured these
moments, when Relena was so fed up with something that she would spout it out
like that, loquacious and apologetically, as if she was sorry that you were the
one to bear the edge of her disappointment. He loved that about her, but he did
not let it show.
"You had all of the
traits of a martyr. You were óand still are- willing to sacrifice your life in the
name of your people. People are drawn to that." He replied coldly.
She smiled over at him,
"People could say the same about you."
"But I donít do it
with a smile."
She laughed at this, a
strange sound in a place of death. She looked over to him, smiling ever so
slightly, "I havenít been to the grave of my foster parents in a long
time. Would you walk with me over there?"
He didnít need to answer
that, for she knew that he would follow.
Their headstones were less
prominent, with two names printed regally across the stone: ëDarlian Family.í
"My foster mother was
killed soon after my fatherís death. OZ got to her before I even knew what was
going on." She said softly, "I never really liked her much anyway.
She acted as if I wasnít her responsibility. It was only then that I understood
why." She turned to Heero, "What of your family? Have you visited
their graves?"
He seemed more distant
than normal, as if her tone had struck a chord with him, "I believe in
keeping the past buried."
She looked at him sadly,
longing to brush a hand over his cheek or touch his shoulder, but knowing that
that movement at this time would scare him away.
It was strange, she
reflected, how they could know each other so completely, even though they had
been apart for so long. But somehow, when she looked in his eyes, she saw a
spark of vivacious that she felt drawn to. She did not know that her eyes had
exactly the same glow, as if they were one soul in two bodies.
Relena sighed, venting
every ounce of frustration, pity, and bitterness with one exhale, "If we
bury the past, we will never learn from it, Heero. If everyone was to forget
the horrors of war, they would start it again, out of curiosity. Itís a vicious
cycle that we are fighting to break."
"Burying personal
past and wars are entirely separate things."
She shook her head
violently. Heero liked this about her. She valued his opinion, but when she
disagreed, she said so boldly and without fear of retaliation, "Every
event in your life changes and teaches you new things. War is an event, Heero.
Burying that would be like burying the atrocities that went with war."
He looked up sharply, in
the manner of a cat reacting to an unheard sound. She realized from his
stubborn expression that he wouldnít talk with her anymore tonight.
Idly, she turned back to
the sunset, watching the soft pastel oranges, yellows, and pinks darken into
red, purple, and black. When she turned back ot the space that Heero had
occupied, she was not surprised to see that he had gone.
"Ms. Ariel Yuy, is
there any light to the rumors that you may be running for presidency of the
ESUN?" The reporter asked eagerly, catching Ariel by surprise.
She smiled regally,
"Yes, there may indeed."
"Relena, have you
heard the news?"
The former princess,
former queen, former vice-foreign minister, and current college student stared
at the vidscreen with mild surprise. She was looking at Shea Kenton, a former
colleague from her days in the political arena. The old man had a worried
expression on his face that set Relena on her guard.
"No, what is
it?"
"Ariel Yuy is running
for president."
It felt as if the pit of
her stomach had given way.