Changes Through Time, Part 6 by Tomorrow

AN: Part 6 is here, as you could have guessed. As for everyone else, thanks for reading! Oh, present Heero will be referred to as Heero and future Heero will be referred to as Future Heero.

Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing. I'm not Japanese, so how could I own it?

Changes Through Time, Part 6

Just as Dorothy was finishing her sentence, footsteps could be heard clomping down the stairs in great rapidity. Everyone abruptly whipped their heads towards the entranceway, cocking their guns and getting ready to defend themselves. They slowly lowered their guards as the five familiar figures entered the room. Each had a morose expression on his face and looked weary from travel... except for one that is. Future Heero, the last to enter, came flying through the doorway with an enraged remnant on his face. He kept staring straight ahead of himself, brow furrowed, and mumbled gruffly, "...going to bed... leave me be..." then slammed the door to one of the bedrooms shut.

"What happened Duo?" asked Hilde worriedly.

"Well, we were trying to find 'Lena and all-you know, tramping through the streets and what have you-and had no luck. Wherever she is, she or someone else really covered up her tracks."

"Just get ON with it DUO!!!" screamed Quatre, much more on edge than usual. Everyone could tell he was stressed to his limit.

"Okay, okay. I'm getting' there. Sheesh! Anyway, like I said, we were totally clueless when we saw Heero walkin' down the road out of the blue. He was completely soaked and was walking at a disturbingly slow pace. We ran up to him to ask him where the hell he'd been and if he found any traces of Relena, but when we reached him, he lashed out at us. 'Stay away from me you worthless back-stabbers,' he said, and he slightly choked on the end of the phrase. We just walked back here in silence, and he was bringin' up the rear."

"Poor thing..." murmured Catherine, her hands held up to her face, covering her mouth.

Then, from out of nowhere, came an ear-piercing cry.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!! Get away from me!!! HOW DARE YOU!!! OH MY GOD!!!"

The next thing everyone heard was a callous slap and saw Future Heero fall out of the room and land face-first onto the dust.

"What the hell was that?" Future Heero mumbled, gritting his teeth and shaking the dirt from his hair.

"Oh my God! I totally forgot that Serena was in there! Hilde exclaimed, slapping herself on the forehead.

"What?"

"Heero, these are our guests. The young lady who you were so *kindly* introduced to was Serena. She was very weak and needed rest so... we allowed her to use your room," Sally said, trying to calm Future Heero down. The last part of the pronouncement was said in an impetuous slur though.

"You did that without even telling me? Listen, I just wanted some sleep, so I walk into my room, take off my shirt, and climb into bed. I fling my arm onto the bed, but instead of hearing a homelike sounding noise, it was hollow. I began to feel around, wondering what the heck my arm was on, and I found the element to be warm and completely smooth... like human flesh. When I looked over to se what it was, I saw flashed of light peach skin and a bulge under the covers. Because of the blow I had just given it, the body under the covers began to stir, and the sheets began to slide along the mattress. Two aquamarine eyes were then staring at me, and the next thing I know, she's screaming like I'm killing her or something and wraps herself up in the blankets. I'm then getting slapped and pushed out the door! Can't a man have some privacy in his OWN ROOM?"

>From out of nowhere, Future Heero feels another slap, having more force than the girl's in the bedroom, make an imprint on his face.

"How could you get into bed with that girl!!!" Dorothy said in a huff. "She must have been scared out of her mind, poor thing."

"I didn't even know she was there!"

As Dorothy was about to retaliate, hysterical sobs could be heard coming from Serena's room. Everyone quickly piled into the cramped little room to see what had happened. She was sitting on the bed, holding her knees up to her chest tightly and rocking herself back and forth. The sheets had trails of generous tears streaking them, and her hair was covering her eyes; sticking to her cheeks from the dampness of her weeping. The tiny droplets were cupping her face and falling from her chin onto the unwieldy mass of blankets below her. The wrinkled and tallow-colored sheets were covering her entire frame, and the little squeaks she was making into the blankets resembled the cries of a hurt fondling animal, which was being stalked by a predator. Future Heero's eyes immediately softened as he walked over to the bed and sat on it beside her. He then put his arms around her and pulled her into his warm embrace.

"Why are you crying little one?" he asked gently.

"I-I... d-don't f-f-feel well, a-and I'm sc-c-cared," she managed to gasp between sobs. "I don't w-w-want to be a-a-a-alone," she screeched, beginning to hyperventilate again.

"Shh, Shh, Shh, Shh," he kept hushing her as he swayed her back and forth and touched his lips lightly to her forehead. "It's all right now. I promise that I won't leave you here by yourself."

She finally began to calm down as he continued, "You're exhausted and need to sleep and regain your lost strength."

He then began to ease her back onto the billowing pillow where she fell into a restless, dreamless slumber. A few more minutes everyone watched her as she twisted and turned in anguish. The expression that crossed her face was one of torment and confusion, and it hurt present Heero to see her this way... even though he had done nothing before to console her. He had wanted to take her into his arms, but he felt outclassed by his counterpart, being so king and fragile with her, that he thought her in better hands that way. He was the last to leave the room and very considerately turned down the burning glow of the kerosene lamp. He looked at her not as he departed from her presence, for he knew if he had taken one last glitter at her, he may never have been able to tear himself away.

*That's funny,* Future Heero thought, *I've never felt compelled to do anything like that before except with Relena.*

Just as everyone left the room, a jet black raven glided through the passage to their underground lair and straight to where Relena/Serena lay. He landed silently on the bed and approached her with a stealing course that could only be topped by the stalking technique of a lioness on the prowl. His strident eyes studied her profusely, seeming as though they were looking for a distinctive trait. The evil beast used his saber-like bill to pluck the tresses away from her mild face and open her clenched fists. He would leave no place untouched. As he was about to leave, his claw stuck onto the sheet, which was covering her and uncovered her upper body. She only had on her undergarments and they were made from a very flimsy material. Having one last hunch, he used his talons to strip the silk away from her breasts and began to glare at them in expectation. Deciding there was nothing more to look for, he was just about to fly away for the second time when his eye caught something. He quickly hoped onto her stomach and examined the area closer. His eyes lit up in surprise as he quickly scrambled out of the room.

As he was trying to make his mistake, Heero was walking along the corridor and was almost taken out by the menacing thing. He managed to duck just before being clobbered and slammed himself up against the wall.

*What's wrong with that bag of feathers? Why was he so startled? Wait, wasn't he coming from Relena's bedroom?*

"Relena..." Heero gasped as he ran towards her room in concern.
Back in the dark palace, the evil sourceress was at her vanity brushing out her long, flaming red hair. She sat in a marble chair that had various demons carved into its frame, and the mirror she was gazing into was encircled by withered roses adorned with barbed thorns that had dried blood encrusted on their tips. The looking glass was stained to make everything it beheld seem as though it was cursed with lurid shadows upon the individual's most courtly features. The woman's skin was whiter than a corpse that had been rotting away for many a year, and her lips carried the same characteristics. Her eyes could not be seen, for the dark tones the mirror cast upon her concealed them well. Her hand was moving in long, concentrated strokes as it tore through the knots in her course mane. She seemed perfectly placid and was ethereally humming a song to herself as she continued with the task at hand. Just as she was going to rip out one of the tangles appended to her strands' ends, she dropped her brush in mid-stride.

"My poor little baby, what do you have to tell me about that little sweet cakes," inquired the mistress in a sly voice.

The hideous raven quickly flew onto her shoulder and quietly cawed lore into her ear. As soon as he finished, the woman stood up from her chair and walked out of her personal chamber. She made the long excursion to the back of the throne room where she stared unto the gibbous waning moon that was hovering above through the cracks in the dome.

"Well, well, well, I never thought you had it in you to go up against me dear little sister. Oh Lira, did you really think you had a chance... I think not. You're only wasting your energy trying to help her, they can't possibly win. Soon, everything will be in place and I will finally get the reverence and recognition I've been denied all these years that were rightfully mine. All because of that sweet little Lady," she said, clenching her teeth. "You realize, dear Lira, that you've only helped me in my conquest. You're bringing her here will be the downfall of you all! You're precious little princess and her dependable beau will soon be nothing more than a legend told by those who have nothing better to do than worship monotonous plebeians. Soon, my dear subjects, soon..." she established, great anticipation in her voice. Her diabolical laugh could be heard from all reaches of the galaxy, sending chills to those who heard it...

AN: Oooohhh, a bit of a cliffhanger. Sorry, but my friends at school have been urging me to get this posted... thanks guys, it wouldn't be the same without you. I know it's pretty short, but I have homework to get ahead on and I can't do anything more tonight. Please tell me what you think by sending me lots of e-mails. I really like reading them and I do take into consideration your insights. Thanks!