G. I. Relena
 

It was happening all over again. The screams echoed though out the air, and I just stood there. Helpless Unable to move from my own fear and stupidity. Tears raking my dusty cheeks, then something, no someone keeping me there instead of just my fear. Strong arms grasping me and wrenching me off the ground, forcing me to watch as my friends were one by one killed And I struggled finally, I wriggled and tried for my gun. But it was pointless, the figure grasping me was too strong. Then after a few of us were captured and beaten, seeing the man who had done it. The man who had let me watch as my own sister was raped and then shot Mary should have never come, I was foolish to let her go, but it didn't matter now because they'd killed her. No I'd killed her with my own helplessness. But I saw Him, the one who had made it this way. General by rank, those icy blue eyes were enough to kill you

Relena woke once again to the sounds of night. Sweat washing in with the grime that covered her body. She shook violently, the memory had been so real. This with the dull pain of hunger made her sob and unknowingly let tears slide down her face. Always the pain, and always the hunger Neither it seemed would ever dull let alone go away. She sat up and grimaced as she picked the bugs that had nestled in her clothes for warmth off one by one. She rested her head on her hands and brushed away the remaining tears. Only a few more hours until day break, but she needed what sleep she could get to keep her strong.

Then she froze as she heard the hollow clanking of footsteps on cement ground. She considered faking sleep but it was pointless. She couldn't explain it but she knew he could tell when she was awake, no matter how hard or well she tried to make it seem real. This was odd because he hardly ever spoke to her, and when he did it was something that only required one word. I don't want to have to face him, please God don't let him come here she begged. Her request was denied as the young general positioned himself in the chair right across from her cell.

He would sit there all night and just stare, but even that was to much for Relena. She wanted to never see him again, she wanted him to die. She wanted him to do anything as long as it was as far away from her as possible. He was a reminder of every piece of pain she felt. A ragged hatred built up in her heart, how could she have ever doubted it. Doubted the fact that this man was responsible for all of this. She instead would blame herself, but every time he was near it was all too evident, that, was it not for him, Mary might still be alive.

Anger in the rawest form surrounded her shaky shoulders. She stood up and looked the general in the eyes, her own crystalline orbs taking on a bleak emptiness filled only with determination that mimicked his own. Relena had never hurt a person, not even in need before the war. Being drafted changed a person, seeing war ravage every last piece of what you knew and held dear made you think different about survival, and for that matter life, but even now Relena wasn't sure she could harm some one. She had all the training, she knew all the moves and tactics, but still she lacked the will to use them. Relena would always be what others thought of as weak. The term did not describe her at all, because it takes the most strength possible to not harm when you can, not the other way around.

But as she stood there weakened and helpless to save herself she began to speak to the general, something she'd never dared to do before.

"It's your fault my sister died," her voice sounded out as a mere whisper but the more she spoke the more strength it gained, "You're the worst kind of person. How can you go into the battle field every day knowing that you've killed so many innocent people. Helped destroy every amount of peace the world has worked to gain. Do you have a reason? Or do you do it because your told, because your so weak minded that you will follow orders unquestioned," she was shaking by this time with fear but her voice held to the last word and she sat down staring at her own feet. She knew what was to come next, the inevitable is usually always known, but something interrupted her expectations. A loud bang ear splitting in sound, and earth shattering in size. It left a large gap in what used to be the wall of the cell next to hers.

The impact threw her sitting form across the floor so that her stomach rested on the hay covered pavement. Screams were echoing in the air, and few were discernable.

"Run, run, the allies are here! They will kill us all," the shout came through all the noise.

"Don't save the prisoners you fool! They will help the allies! They ARE the allies!" this shout followed the other. Relena was pulled off her feet in an instant, strong arms gripping her to his body. To weak to struggle Relena made only a groan of protest as she saw the world spin before her. Then she saw the blood where her head had rested and felt it trickle down her cheeks. Her eyes became to heavy to hold up, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't keep touch with her surroundings.

"I'm sorry," this came from the general. She looked at him with tears in her eyes, she had just seen her sister die, and he was SORRY. Sorry wasn't good enough for her, because sorry didn't save any one. But the words kept swirling in her mind, even as she was dragged screaming and kicking to an enemy truck. Even as she was chained to the trucks walls and forced to hang her head down by the cocky soldiers. Faces of everyone she knew were in her mind, people she loved with every drop of her heart, last was that of the general saying sorry. Some day perhaps sorry would mean something again, someday she might even remember how to forgive

She felt the chill of the wind tearing at her, and an immense cold chilled her to the bone. She shivered, thinking to her self 'There's no wind in my cell, I'm going insane.' But the cold remained, not decreasing in the least bit, and the wind still tore at her clothing. A sharp intake of breath was taken into her chest as she felt something even colder and wetter was placed on her forehead giving her a deep pain. Then she remembered what had happened and eyes that had fluttered loosely now shot open.

He loomed over her determination etching his already hard features. Chestnut hair blowing wildly from his face showing his cobalt blue eyes frozen to all the world All except for her. He smoothed her hair from her face, with gentleness he didn't think he possessed. She had shown him he contained a lot of things he thought war had lost him. War. Loss. He knew these things, knew them, experienced them frequently. But she had aroused emotions he could not define, things he knew nothing of except their names. Love. Hope. Peace.

She squirmed weakly and half heartedly, his firm hand placed itself on her chest holding her still. She gave him a quizzical glance not sure what to think any more. She let loose the muscles she had unknowingly tightened, and looked around. She was in the back seat of a car, her head rested on his lap, making her stomach turn uneasily. She knew all to well that what was left of her life lay in his hands. For the first time she looked at him, etching him into her mind. Muscles tensed into a strong yet slight frame, that of a fifteen year old boy. Boy. He did not seem to meet that definition, ice was shown in his eyes which held little else. His chestnut hair was wild and untamed in a spiky spontaneous style that was a strict contradiction to his composed self. His hand, she noticed, had not moved from her chest, instead it rested waiting, she assumed, for her to try and test it's strength another time. But she was smart enough to know that it was pointless and so she might as well save her strength.

The road bumped harshly tossing her, but his hand kept her from going any where. She sighed her eyes still holding onto her questions, shimmering with all the brightness her soul beheld. She looked out the window watching trees and light posts pass, not recognizing anything that would hint to where they were at. The car turned and she heard gravel crunch beneath the tires. She let her startled mood show through her eyes as the car came to a gentle stop. He lifted her up holding her in a cradle like position, and carrying her out of the car.

"See you around Heero," the braided driver said before he gave a toothy grin and took off. Relena struggled in his arms just right so that he dropped her. Unstable legs adjusted themselves in a hurry as she landed knees bent and one hand on the gravel. She stood up and began to run, her head throbbing in protest to the wild and frantic movement

she didn't heed her body however instead she ran. So fast that the world around her blurred and whipped past her. Unstable feet betrayed her and she slipped going down flat on her face. Her head gave a screaming dose of pain as the fresh wound contacted with the sharp grass. Her toe gave a small protest of pain as well, telling her she had stubbed it.

Before she could get up she was lifted up. This time she flailed wildly kicking feet and jamming elbows into Heero. He skillfully grabbed her wrists stopping the elbows from jamming his chest, he dragged her the rest of the way to the building with out much effort. Relena, however, perspired in her weakened state her efforts weakening, until she stopped altogether. Tears ran down her face and she silently cried for the freedom she almost had. Being a prisoner for 6 months was too long, and it was beginning to get to her. He was gentle, however, as he carried her, once again in the cradled position she had broken free from. She watched half heartedly as she was carried up a flight of stairs and into a small almost empty room and deposited into a chair.

She sat up straight holding her head trying to stop the pain. She didn't look up for quite some time, but when she heard a rustling in front of her, her eyes lifted. She saw two white pills and a glass of water in front of her. She accepted the offering and took the pills and water not thinking twice about it. She couldn't explain it, not even to herself but she trusted him. She watched as he walked to the other side of the room and sat in a chair much like her own. He drew a gun from some where deep with in his green tank top. He removed his black jacket with his military markings and sat it on the chair. His muscles rippled in the flickering light, and he held himself in a strong up right stance, that commanded respect even as he was sitting. He held the gun at eye level pointing it at her. She didn't move a muscle, she sat composed staring right into the guns barrel daring it in her mind to sound off and end something she felt should've ended the day she was captured. Her life.

Instead it lowered in a smooth movement and the safety was clicked, on or off she did not know. He stood up and walked towards her, she put her head down and closed her eyes not even wanting to know what he would do next. He put a firm but gentle hand on her chin and raised it so that it set level with his. He stared into her warm and innocent eyes that shimmered like he knew his never could. In them contained a world of hope, and a will strong enough to use it. He flicked his fingers so that the barrel of the gun faced him and held out to her the handle. She didn't take it, instead she met him with a questioning gaze, his voice disrupted the uneasy silence.

"Take it," he instructed. She held the gun in a shaky but experienced hand, " Now shoot me." Tears erupted in her eyes spilling out clear tear drops that shone like diamonds on her pale cheeks. She shook her head.

"I-I can't," she mumbled turning away from him. He rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Kill me for making you watch people you love died," he said firmly yet with a sorrowful note, meant not for his own life, but for hers. "I deserve much worse." He stated as she turned and faced him with disbelief.

"I told you I c-can't," Her voice shook and shattered as more tears threatened to come. She dropped the gun onto the hard floor and it landed with a resounding clunk.

"Why?" he asked; almost letting a pleading note get into his monotonous ice cold voice. He would not see her suffer another second, and as far as he knew it was his fault she suffered at all. Her thoughts raced as she tried to come up for an answer to his question.

"I just can't" she said giving his the only answer she knew of. "I don't know why."

"Leave then, you don't have to stay. I release you," He said and turned away. His own heart threatening to crack. How it was that he came to love the desperate young girl behind him he did not know. The only thing he was certain of was that he would not keep her here against her will. He wanted her to have happiness, even if it meant his own sadness.

"Do I have to leave? I have no where to go," she murmured. He stopped, and thought for a second.

"You must have some where to go. You were so anxious to leave before," he said still not facing her. She was silently crying behind him, she tried to stop but couldn't.

"I don't have any where to go. I only ran because I was frightened," she whispered loosing control of her voice as it cracked at the last word.

"Any where would be better then with me I would think. I'm more evil then you seem to know," He said it bitterly self hatred penetrating his well worn mask. "Trust me the last thing you want is to stay."

"I trust you, and that's why I can't leave," she said. In her mind the memory of hatred she had felt for him came close to the surface, but some how she didn't care. He was the only thing she had left in the world, and some how unbeknownst to herself a small part had fallen in love with him, and that part was slowly growing. She sat very still waiting fir his response.

"Don't. Don't trust me. I want things from you that you could never give to me. I will only bring you harm," he said this his voice once again hard. Her heart seemed to burst with inner pain and want.

"What things?" she asked warily. Images of her sister being raped and killed entering her mind and giving her a whole new fear to deal with.

"Love," he said simply, his eyes turning a murky blue as tears came forth. Tears for the loss he had been too busy to cry for. The loss that had driven a 13 year old boy to join the army in a time of careless war.

"Then you ask for something I have gone against myself to feel," she whispered. He turned to her and watched her take a sharp gulp of air at the sight of him crying. He looked to her like a fallen angel she had seen in her picture books as a child. Unreal, and untouchable. Yet some how unknowingly she had captured his heart. If two enemies could love so deeply in such a time then there was hope for the wretched place the world had become. There was hope, hope for the chance of peace. Hope for her, hope for him.

She stood up from the chair, her head giving no protest because the medicine had settled in. She walked proudly, as she once had so long ago that it seemed unreal, over to Heero. She gently swept his tears away, and leaned up giving his a slight kiss. The connection was enough to make her heart race.

"Once you commit your self, I know I will never let you stop. Don't start something you don't know how to handle," he said simply enough.

"I feel like I can handle the world as long as I'm with you," she said. With that the young general wrapped his arms around her slight and fragile frame and began to kiss her. The kiss was pure and heart felt. Shared between to eternal souls never to dull in intensity and meaning, never to loose itself to either one. It was a joint meeting between loss and hope ending in salvation. And at that critical moment in each of their lives, some where across oceans and sky, the Allied forces were celebrating their victory; they had achieved their goal. The resistance was crushed, the head base taken over, and soon very soon, peace would thrive once more. In fact, the second Heero's lips met Relena's the leading general, Trieze Kushrenada, was shot dead left to drown in his own blood. As he had made so many innocent people do while he still breathed. So now Heero knew Love, and soon, very soon he was to know Hope and Peace

AN: I liked it. In fact I LOVED it. I'm thinking of writing a sequel, but unless I get some feed back as to whether or not people want the sequel I don't think I'll write it. My e-mail address is traciesmail@earthlink.net and right now I'm going to get my e-mail so BYE!

*Owari*