A Far Away Union, Part 1 by Tomorrow

AN: Got this out sooner than I thought. This fic is going to turn out really cool, I hope, so please stick with it. I really like this idea, and I hope you will too. As usual, this fic is Heero/Relena. Please read and e-mail. Thank you.

Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing... that's not a surprise.

Twice the summer rains and winter's fury had come and gone from the point in time of Maremaia's attempted conquest, and to much of the universe's regret, each of the Gundam pilots had gone to separate regions of the Earth and colonies to live out the rest of their lives in peace with the ones they loved.

The young man once known as the God of Death had decided to return to his former home in the L2 colony cluster and begin a new life with his beloved companion, Hilde. At first, their relationship was nothing more than a dedicated friendship with an occasional peck on the cheek to show their affection. But sooner than later, this tiny hint of sentiment transfigured into a passion that neither one of them could muster. So to remedy this, they were married in the year after colony 197 and started their own business in a scrap yard, funding a small chapel that served as a children's shelter to express Duo's remorse for all of the men and women he had killed-- more than likely one of the reasons why the population of orphans had risen drastically within the last year or so. They never had a child of their own, but they never felt rueful, for the children to whom they provided a home had as much joy to offer, if not more than one which they could have borne.

No longer living in the colonies, Quatre had made the decision to take up permanent residence on Earth, and lived alone in his desert estate for many a month. It wasn't until a few weeks into the year after colony 198 that Dorothy showed up at his door, asking for his forgiveness. For such a long time had she been inflicting various forms of penance upon herself, and could no longer bear to go through life without his personal forgiveness granted to her. Being as sweet and selfless as he was, Quatre had pardoned Dorothy without so much as her apology, and insisted on her taking position as tenant at his mansion. He had been unbearably lonely, and Dorothy would end up providing the kind of company he needed. But, one thing must be made clear, up to this date, they had never pursued anything to the extent of a romantic relationship, but had become more so as confidants to each other, being the shoulder to cry on or the ear to listen when in necessity. Their relationship had grown so close, that those who knew them well started calling the pair "Brother and Sister Winner" for they acted as siblings should to each other. Though Quatre had 29 older sisters, none had the same place in his heart as Dorothy achieved.

Furthermore, Trowa Barton, the clown who never graces a smile, continued to perform wherever the circus would take him. He had become famous after about a year or so, and his reputation as a performer had spread throughout outer space, for the circus only held shows in the colonies. His sister, Catherine, continued to teach him-a little more each day-about the beauty which life has to offer, and was slowly but steadily piecing back together his impassive heart, hoping one day that he may feel something within those heart-strings again.

The stubborn minded Chinese pilot who in his strong sense of justice had killed the former king of the World Nation, was now trying to restart the blood-line of his dragon-clan with Sally Poe, and had founded a school that taught the many forms of martial arts-students attending from all over the Earth and the colonies. Many days passed in which Sally yearned for a greater taste of adventure in her lifestyle, but only stayed restrained to the Middle Kingdom of China because of Wufei's insistence that leaving his indigenous land once more would be a sure sign of injustice. And Sally knew that he couldn't have that.

Relena, on the other hand, had decided to return to using her maiden name, Peacecraft, and once more faced the memories that awaited her at the grand palace of the Sanq Kingdom. Rebuilding her fallen country was the only dream she had left... well, perhaps not the ONLY dream. Still, after all of the time that had passed between her last meeting with that mysterious pilot, she still felt a yearning to be near him, a yearning to comfort him, a yearning to_love_him. Many times did her brother try to dissuade her from such a desire, and she too had tried to sway herself, but no matter how many caveats she was scolded with, the burning within her could never die. But not long after Maremaia, another terrorist threat had been regarded towards Relena, and therefore a soldier who was to be her permanent protector was issued for her. The response to such a position was high, but whenever Milliardo came to interview the candidates, they backed away from the post and seemed suddenly uninterested... that is until one youthful man with entrancing, captivating eyes and unruly chocolate hued hair came to call for the employment. At first, Milliardo wouldn't even dream of hiring his former nemesis Heero Yuy as his precious sister's guardian, but the more he thought about it, the more he came to realize that Heero did have all of the right qualification-the best qualifications-and could sense the closeness between Heero and Relena. Besides, he did owe Heero for keeping her safe aboard the Libra, and there was no one else left to answer for the job. So, by process of elimination, Heero was given full charge of Relena's well being. Although, Relena had initially protested against this, both out of the fury of her brother hiring her a personal bodyguard behind her back, as well as out of the emotional trauma that the young, former pilot's presence would bestow upon her. Well, with two against one, she really didn't have much of a choice, and therefore succumbed to their wishes.

To be quite honest, it was almost impossible to know if Heero was with her or not, for only Relena could sense his presence, while others could only depend on their mere sight and hearing to notice him. The little princess seemed much gayer since he came to be with her, and so the people didn't really mind or pay attention to the extravagance in Heero's social character. They meekly wrote it off as part of the person he had to portray in his chore. But still, even with Heero there to help calm her already frazzled nerves from the great burden she had to bear being the monarch of the country which holds the leadership in pacifism, she found herself wanting more in life than just a title. She needed to be known as a person and by who she was, not because of her heritage or her appearance. Heero had seen and known this since the day he met her. She was nothing more than the soul of an infant babe trapped in the body of a young woman, and he made a promise to himself... no, to her, that someday he would set her free from her lock and key and she could finally know what true happiness could be. But, this task is not as easy as it sounds.

Many a night Heero would look upon her as she dreamed her fantasies of what her life could have... should have been. How his heart sank and chest ached as he beheld her wither and writhe in her sheets as the nightmares poured onto her imagination with full force. Oh, how she screamed out his name in vein, clutching for dear life the small token he had given her, the tender-faced bear, asking, pleading for it to show her the way out of this maze of torment that held her captive every eve, not letting her go until the dawn would break. When his gaze fell upon her, he studied her in erudite fashion, making sure that every aspect of her features would be engraved in his memory, leaving him with something that when sleep finally came over him, he may finally fill his empty dreams with a vision of heaven. Each night he could remember what she looked like the night before, making comparisons on how much more pain struck her gentle face and how many more tears her eyes had dare let slip, hoping that he could some how cease this roundelay of torture for her. But no, there was nothing which he could find to do to help her exasperation. Tenderly he stroked her tresses, his eyes having to adjust to the gleam they reflected as the moonlight made ribbons of rainbow fair and stars of blinding glisten in accenting its shine of cleanliness. How he could see her lips turn from a baby-skin pastel to a white of ghostly transparence, causing his mind to wonder if she would even wake up when the night had gone, and lust over her lashes that put to shame the soot that had collected near the fireplace. His breath, it always became heavy at this point in the wee hours, and he always found his countenance changing from a statue's stale glare into a soft glaze of warmth. My goodness how he had to fight off the urge to kiss away the tears that decorated her cheeks, sparkling and dazzling like tiny beads of rain during a simple summer shower. He could feel the sweat begin to form its own dewdrops about his forehead as his cheeks begin to burn as in his mind he fantasized about what curves and softness was being concealed under the ungodly thin satins that clothed her, and how much he wished he could lay with her, caressing her with every touch. Still, being the soldier he was he was able to ward off this sensual hunger and resume his watch as dispassionately as before.

To Heero's surprise, as out of place as it may seem, Relena had already found a place where she could go and forget all of the stress and vigor, which the days brought with them. Behind her manner, only about a ten-minute walk away, there lay a forest of seeming unending magnitude. The trees were so tall and towered so high that only the robins, wrens, and blue birds that called this canopy their home could dream of knowing what the peaks of these arbors looked like. The ground which was blanketed in twigs and leaves of all sizes and varieties, outlined with the golden dust of the sun, provided a perfect shelter for the rabbits with their fondlings, as well as to the rust colored foxes which preyed on them. The wildlife just seemed to welcome you into their habitat, inviting you to stay for a while and contribute your own unruly character to its diversity of species. To Relena, they just seemed to know when she was troubled, and would always come to her with open paw and wing, ready to coo or bark to her their worthwhile wisdom of life that they gained from their experience with life's unending cycle. As Heero would watch her dance and run among the brush, he couldn't help but feel a small sense of warmth at the sight of seeing her happy and at peace with herself. It was the same way every time, he would sit down in the open meadow to wait for her while she made her excursion into the thicket, the only place which she could escape all forms of human bonds. When first this ritual began, he insisted on going with her, fearing that, though these creatures seemed tame enough, that one of them may turn on her, and then he wouldn't be there to rescue her from its grasp. But, after much pleading and tears from Relena, which Heero never was able to stand, he allowed her to enter her quiet place alone, but warned her that if she did not return to him within a half hour then he would come in after her. Relena had reluctantly agreed to this pact, and that is how this whole routine began. Today though, today would be a day which neither of them could have been expecting.

It started out normally enough, she had proceeded into the bracken while he lagged behind, but it was when she was engrossed among the shrubbery that our tale begins. As she stepped into the brush, a cold, insufferable gloom came over her senses, and therefore hesitated before continuing on her trek. She gave her surroundings a good looking over as she walked on, and the farther away from the meadow she ventured, the more things she found that unnerved her. On her first few steps she had noticed a tree that had twisted itself around another about two feet away from itself... she didn't remember that tree spiraling into the other before. No animals... no animals came to give her salutations as she embarked into the mutual territory, and though the sun was shining brightly when with Heero, not one of its rays could protrude through the overgrown brush that had been sprouting delicately just the day last. The wind... the wind was so intense, and she felt as though it was wrapping around her and trapping her breath from escaping to her lungs, choking her. Then, as if not eerie enough, there, lying in front of her, was a small lake which she KNEW had not been there before. Its waters were like a crystal coating over its floor, but there were no fish or swans that swam playfully on its surface. Just as much, plants were scarce in its depths, and when she looked down into the estranged pond, no reflection was shown to her. At this she jumped back in horror and started to run back to Heero, just wanting to escape from this bad dream. But before she got far enough away that she couldn't see the waters, she heard the wind whisper gingerly into her ear.

"Go back child, go back. You are tired and need to rest... return to the water."

As if in a trance she turned and began to retrace her steps back to the banks of the lake, and knelt down near its edge.

"You're parched and thirst little girl. Take a handful of water and bring it to your lips to relieve your dryness."

Very slowly she dipped her palms into the pond and raised them with a small puddle of water being supported by her fingers. Like a rabid animal she drank the liquid, not seeming to get enough into her "dehydrated" body. After a few minutes of this, she shook her head and returned to her feet, wondering why she drank the fluid. Her mouth was not arid nor was she feeling overly hot, but she did not stay long to ponder over such casualties, for again she made a dash for the meadow. But her trek was halted when she felt her breath stick in her throat and stomach churn in malady. Dizziness overcame her and she saw the ground spinning and turning into its own carousel beneath her, and she fell to her knees, too feverish to stand any longer. In one quick thrust her body collapsed to the earth, she feeling sleepy but too excited and taut to rest. Everything was becoming blurry, and her eyes were starting to lose focus, for they began to glow with a wild white light. Gasping, gasping for air was all she could do to keep herself from fainting out of fatigue, and her crying didn't help her breaths come any easier. Finally, a pain, an indescribable agony shot through her heart and her mind, and she screamed with all of her life out of the torment before giving into the darkness with a good fight. "HEERO...

AN: I know it sounds a little like my first one with the voice, but believe me, this is NOTHING like my first series. I PARTICULARLY liked the idea for this fic, and I know just what I can do with it, so I suggest that you read on, because this could get very interesting. Thank you all, and please e-mail!!! C-ya soon, bye!