Reflection of the Spirit, Part 5 by Tomorrow

AN: I have something to say at the end of this part, and it concerns the future of this story, so you may want to take a look at it. Thanks for all of the reviews and all of you who have read this fic. I really appreciate your honesty and your comments. God bless you all. I dedicate this to Xing and Ptah Aegyptus. They are helping me get my "A Far Away Union", "Changes Through Time", and "Do You Still Love Me?" (on FFN) into separate stories again. I appreciate everything you have done for me. God bless you. Sorry this took so long... personal problems.

Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing or the song "Christ Child's Lullaby." I change the lyrics of the song a bit to fit the situation, but I got the idea from that song. It's sung by Kathy Mattea, it's a really great song, you should listen to it sometime. If you want the real lyrics, you can ask me for them and I'll e-mail them to you, because they really are very touching.

He ran down the hall as fast as his legs would allow, and when he arrived at her entryway, he didn't even bother to rap out of common courtesy.

"Relena," he gasped as he burst through the oaken carved door, and when his eyes traveled to the stead upon the floor on which she lay, he barked out her name in ferocious reference. "Relena!" he called again as he fell to the floor near her ashen frame, cradling her in motherly devotion, whispering into her deafened ear a winsome canticle of the most tender passages he could remember.

"My love, my treasured one are you. My sweet and lovely one are you. You are my love, my darling you... unworthy I of you. Hush, be still, my precious dear. Hush, be still, my wings don't fear. Hush, be still, my precious dear. Be still, my wings don't fear," as he sang in his mesmerizing, baritone vocals, the kiss of life with touching crimson rose began to flush within the milky stain of her cheeks. "Your mild and gentle eyes proclaim, the loving heart with which you came. A tender helpless tiny dame, with boundless gifts of grace. Hush, be still my precious dear. Hush, be still, my wings don't fear. Hush, be still my precious dear. Be still, my wings don't fear," he cantered to her very being, trying to awaken her from a world of lifeless dreams.

Once his breath staggered and his embrace loosened, the young woman within his arms slowly opened her eyes to reveal a turbulent sky pertaining of cumulus which bellowed with snow and sleet of mystical confusion and wonder. She weakly brought her hand to his cheek and rested it upon the smooth skin of mocha shade and murmured to him, "someday, it will be so," then her eyes rolled back within her forehead, and she succumbed to the beckoning repose of blessed consonance. Pressing her firmly against his chest, feeling her heart fall in-sync with his own melody of vitality, he rested her upon the sheets and wrapped her within the comforter of gander down-gliding his fingertips along the satin of her cheeks being sure that it rose and fell as she slept. He left the room, letting free a sigh of relief as he shut the door behind him, his thoughts forever racing why she would have collapsed to the floor in the middle of the night when she was supposedly in bed. However, what he did not notice was a wee tear of diamond fall from her lashes as he exited from her sight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Hey, Good mornin' Heero! How'd ya sleep?" Duo asked cheerfully as Heero trudged down the staircase, obviously more important things passing through his mind. "Heero, ya deaf or somethin', I asked how you were doin'!" he prodded again. At this, Heero lashed out at him, fire on the brink of his words.

"Duo, will you just shut up? Do you really, REALLY want to know? Lousy, that's how I'm doing, lousy!"

"Gee Heero, Duo just asked you a question. I understand that you may not particularly be a morning person, but that doesn't give you a right to..."

"Shut up Quatre," Heero interrupted. "I don't need your neutral, philosophical crap right now! You guys are all just sitting around here like there's nothing more to do... you're all so blind to what's going on around you, right under your very eyes!"

"You mean Relena, I suppose," Trowa inferred from Heero's unusual tenseness.

"What about her Trowa?"

"She's been unstable lately... disturbingly unstable. I've never seen her so taut before. Perhaps it's time that we take her to a psychologist or..."

"No! She's not crazy, I don't think she's just seeing things!" Heero intervened, outraged that anyone, especially Trowa, would dare say such a thing about his Relena... his?

"Heero, I don't think Trowa meant that she was insane. I believe that he was implying that she has some sort of unresolved issues, and she needs help so she may deal with them," Quatre said meekly, not wanting to receive another tongue-lashing from Heero.

"Did any of you hear a word I just said? She's not just hallucinating! What she sees is real!"

"Come on Heero, be serious. You were there at the party that night. Even you couldn't see what she claimed was coming to 'get her.' You may favor that woman, but that doesn't mean she's flawless... what woman is?" Wufei finally decided to add.

"Yeah Heero, how do you know what she sees just isn't some figure of her imagination?" Duo chimed in, receiving a glare none too pleasant for the last part of the inquire.

"I just do. Like I said before, something isn't right... and I'm going to find out what that something is." Just as Heero finished his sentence, Relena walked down the staircase, her eyes to the ground.

"Hey Lena babe, how's it goin' this morning?" Duo asked her, a little startled by her presence.

"I'm fine Duo... thank you," she replied, her voice not even a whisper.

"Miss Relena, what's wrong?" Quatre asked as he saw how awkward her normally majestic posture staggered.

"Nothing dear Quatre... nothing," she whispered, a slight hesitation being picked up by all those present in the room.

With a stride of a broken, weary child she made her way to the breakfast table and thankfully sat down in the chair nearest to her. She reached across her left shoulder to get the carafe of sugar to blend in with her already poured cereal, and as she picked it up, her hand quaked and the glass dropped unto the floor within a clash. She instinctively grabbed her wrist, willing it to stop quivering, but it was no use, for the more she concentrated on the action, the worse the shaking became. As Heero saw her clench her wrist in frustration, he stumbled over his chair and fled to her side.

"Relena, what's wrong with you?" he questioned her sternly. She turned away, not bearing to look within his eyes of harsh initial, her hands only trembling even more as she stroked a hand through her bed-laden tresses. With feline resembling elegance, he pulled her hands into his own grip and shook her until she looked directly into his eyes, not letting her irises wander for a moment. As she gazed into his orbs that spoke within them a story of dejection and tribulation all their own that could be rivaled by no other childhood, she was compelled to faint into his arms and just let him hold her until she felt strong and worthy again. His usual unruly tendrils were now fully wild and untamed like the stallion that whisks along the eluding winds of the eternal mountains, and within his eyes she saw him as a helpless babe, crying so hard as to become hoarse from his shrieks, for no one was there to comfort this little boy when he was alone. His hand was cold and chapped from the scars and caustic alienation of life, not soft and pure like the hands of all other children who are protected by the guiding hand of another, and she could see the darkened circles under his eyes, portraying the heightening darkness that would soon envelop his inner-self. His hold unto her was firm and daring, cutting off the circulation to her hands, causing them to fall asleep and tingle with fatigue.

"Heero, please, I can't... nothing's wrong. Oh Heero!" she screeched, sobbing as she pulled herself out of his bind and held her hands to her face. He could only look at her in shock. She'd never acted like that towards him before, why was she so solicitous?

Relena dropped her hands to the table and buried her face in her arms, crying a river of frantic emotions which none could cease. Her golden locks of sunshine fair washed down her face, hiding all of her sentimental anguish from any that would look upon her, and her frail body was wracking in delirious fashion from the heart-wrenching moans that afflicted her condition.

"Relena honey?" Hilde called to her as she came in from the gardens and saw her tears. "What on earth have you guys done to her? It's all right Relena, come on, let's go and talk about..."

"No Hilde!" Relena cried out, the trail of now visible, sparkling feeling burning the mild skin that cupped her cheeks. "None of you, none of you can understand! You're all so cruel... just so cruel!" she screamed, shrinking to the ground and into a protective ball. "How can you abandon one so scared, one so helpless? Why do you all... why are you all..." she wept as she bolted to her feet and sprinted up the stairs into her room, her laments of bitter woe echoing throughout the mansion. Her horrid shrieks made them cringe, for she sounded hurt and lost, lost like a fondling deer as she searched for her mother, ravenous wolves in pursuit without even the slightest hint of knowledge from the baby. Heero clutched her chair for dear life, his whole body shaking as she cried out in agony for something he had no truth of, the others staring at him in worry because of this uncharacteristic behavior.

*What's wrong with me? I feel tired and weak, like my breath is being taken from my body and stolen from within. It hurts... oh God it hurts!* Heero's mind screamed as he fell to the floor, unconscious, his frame turning grim and pale by the minute...

AN: I know, I really sucked at writing this chapter. I didn't mean to, I just don't know what happened. Please tell me what you think anyway, and I know this chapter wasn't really exciting, but I have to give you the details that will set you up for later. Is this getting interesting? Do you want to know what's going on here? You'll find out soon. I'm, not sure if I should continue this, not because you guys aren't reviewing or anything like that, it's just that I think this story really sucks. I've been depressed... deeply depressed lately, and so I'm not sure if I should keep putting you guys through the misery of my writing anymore. Tell me how you feel. Thanks everyone, for everything. Bye.