A Far Away Union, Part 2 by Tomorrow

AN: Part 2 here. Okay, this part will leave you with a lot of questions, but hopefully it will make you want to read on. Please be patient, because all of these questions will be answered when the time is right. Thanks everyone who has read and e-mailed!

Disclaimers: I don't own Gundam Wing. I didn't get it in my stocking.

*Wh... wha...what happened? Why do I feel so... strange?* Relena thought to herself as she regained consciousness. Her limbs felt extremely heavy, and her forehead had pains shooting through it. As she tried to stand and steady herself, she found that she could get to her hands and knees, but when she tried to get back onto her feet, her upper body was too ponderous for the rest of her muscles to lift-with ease anyway. So, she had to crawl away from the lake in a desperate attempt to reach the meadow. What she thought out of place through, was the fact that even though she was supposedly scrambling in infant style, she seemed to be retreating from the pond faster than when she had tried to_run_away from it before. Still, she had no time to think about that right now, all she knew was that something was wrong with her, AMPLY wrong, and she needed to return to Heero right away that he may possibly help her. So, there she went on, making her long venture to the place where Heero lay in waiting for her in the field, each and every moment wondering what that water could have possibly done to her.

Meanwhile, Heero sat near the tall reeds, staring at his watch and thinking of how late she was. Now it was true that it had not yet been an entire 30 minutes, but she would ordinarily come and check in with him about ten minutes before her time was up; it had already been 28, and he had seen no sign nor heard any indication that she was in the proceeding of making her way back. Although, as he sat there in anticipation, he couldn't help but notice the picture of exuberance which the beauty and divinity of nature was providing for him. All around him were trees, flora, and animals of every shape, color, size, and texture, each having its own trait of elegance to display. There, not even two feet away from him coward a baby deer which must have been separated from her mother. It whined in distress, sounding to him like the cry of a blushing child, and paced back and forth, trying to remember precisely when and where her mother had left her. He could tell that the poor thing was malnourished-probably because she had been away from her parents so long she hadn't gotten a decent feed in days-for her once silken coat had been reduced to nothing more than a matted nest of fur, some of it shedding in certain places having to use such vitamins to keep the baby healthy. Looking away from the fawn, he caught the faint howl of a wolf, definitely a good distance away. He could tell that it was presumably the alpha male, for its song was hoarse and weak. The old fellow, therefore holding the most prestige in the pack, was most likely getting on in years and would probably be overridden soon by a younger, more worthy incumbent. Not too far from him were dogwood trees that had just begun to bud and blossom, the different tints of pink, periwinkle, and perfect white blending together to form a mural of pastel shades. The grass was so soft and smelled so sweet... if this place wasn't its own vision of heaven, then he didn't what would be.

He was just getting up to penetrate into the bushes, when something behind a small collection of trees caught his watchful eye. He could tell that it was animal, not human, and that it was blessed with a blinding white coat. It just seemed to hide behind the brush, a little timid for him to lays his eyes on her, and yet was almost_begging_for his welcoming hand. Very slowly he sauntered up to the creature, with each step shushing her that she would not run from him, but let him just gaze upon her fully and assuage his curiosity by touching her. At this point, he couldn't see the beast completely, and his heart was therefore beating wildly in anticipation, wondering what animal on Earth could have acquired such a miraculously pure coat. As he drew nearer, a sparkle was released from behind her "shelter," and he had to shield his eyes from being temporarily sightless from its luminous glow. Tediously, the creature began to emerge from the cluster and allowing him glance at her fully, letting what she was sink into him. With little hesitation, he began to caress the beast's tender face, and as out of character as this may seem, he leaned his head down-for she had bowed her head to him as he was approaching her-and gently kissed her snout, leaning his cheek onto her own and tightening his grip around her sleek, swan-like neck. Then, as if on instinct, he looked deeply into her eyes, trying to find what emotion this animal was expressing towards him, whether trust, fancy, or soon to come aggression, and once he did, he leapt back from her in disbelief. His breath became caught in his throat, and his hands, the hands with which he had petted her oh so delicately, began to quake in awe. The once ginger animal then started to back away from him, almost heartbreak seeming to glisten in her eyes at his reaction towards her. As he was about to speak, he was interrupted by the creature's high-pitched whinny, and in fright the horrified animal bounded to her hind legs and danced extravagantly about the meadow. In seconds she turned and bolted through the woods, trying to escape whatever had caused her senses to become so terror-stricken, and of course Heero chased after her, trying his best to keep up with her lightning-speed pace.

*Get out... I have to get away from here,* was all the beast could think to herself as she dodged and darted through the various trees and immature shrubbery. As she ran, it began to occur to her that she had always had a cool head before when she was overwhelmed or scared, but now, no matter how hard she tried to regain control of her wit, she always ended up resorting back to that basic feeling of fear. Running. Running was all she could think to do to escape her hysteria, and she soon found that she was heading right into the direction of that accursed lake.

Sounds, oh all of those dreadful sounds surrounded her and were magnified tenfold, the panic racing through her mind causing all she sees to become a blur, and without realizing it, the creature had just scampered through those mystical waters. But what she didn't seem to notice was her reflection that mocked her movements through the pond. It was not a beast that waded through the lake. No, it was a young girl wrapped in a long white cloak, her eyes showing all of the confusion and dismay that was going through her thoughts, and her eyes staring in deathly importance strait in front of her. Continue to run she did, but what she didn't know was that the young man who she had befriended just moments before was still hot on her trail.

He didn't understand... why would she run from him so hastily? There seemed no apparent reason for her fret, and he knew he had to reach her before something horrible happened. Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he finally stopped at the banks of the lake, figuring he could rest for a moment while he took a drink to refresh himself. She may have had the endurance to whisk through the trees at such a great speed for that long of a distance, but even though he was in MUCH better condition than your average man, he didn't. He slurped the water hungrily, just like Relena, not seeming to be able to get enough, and after about a minute or so he halted his thirst quenching to take a breath. Heero then jumped to his feet and began his sprint again, but before he could get much farther, his stomach began to tie up in knots and his mouth became dry like cotton. Breaths came sparsely to him, and his head began to spin in such a way that he felt he might have to vomit if it continued for much longer. In one quick impulse he fell unto his back, holding his stomach for dear life, and his chest heaving in insurmountable pain, and he tried as hard as he possibly could to get back on his feet, but to no avail. His eyes once shut tightly through the pain, now opened widely, and they glowed with an intense, parchment luminescence, eliciting from him a scream of revulsion. "RELENA...

AN: Okay, there's part two. What in the heck was with that animal? What kind of animal was it anyway? Oh, and what the heck happened to Relena? Did Heero suffer the same fate as she? To find out you'll just have to read and review. Please you guys, review after you read. It really makes my day when you do. Thank you everyone, and I need you to keep that part about the reflection in mind when you go to read the next part. If I didn't say that, then you might have forgotten and that would be bad. You'll see why in the next part. Bye!!