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Relena shivered as the cool of the morning touched her. Her eyes felt scratchy and dry from the tears of the previous night. She rolled over onto her stomach to check her clock. The sharp pain from her chest made her grimace, and she fell back, breathing heavily. The remembrance of what had happened made her want to cry again.
Get over it, girl. Surely no Peacecraft ever cried this much.
The blonde girl set her face and held the tears at bay as she got out of bed and stood before her antique mirror, tugging off her white nightgown. She gasped as she saw the extent of the damage in full daylight. Her face was still terribly bruised, but it paled in comparison to her wrists, which were a nasty shade of purplish-blue, and her chest and neck, once creamy white and pleasantly curved, now marred and distorted by bruises and bite-marks. For nearly five minutes Relena could do nothing but stare at her mangled body; finally she forced herself to turn her head and walk toward her closet. The hot soreness emanating from her groin forced her to walk with her thighs as far apart as possible. Wow, he really did a number on me, she thought in dismay. I probably need to see a doctor. Relena put that thought away hurriedly; she knew she would never overcome the shame of being raped by the man she loved enough to remove her clothes for anyone, even a doctor.
The man I love...loved?
~i've become impossible
holding on to when
when everything seemed to matter more~
I'm so confused...
Relena's mind was a jumble of thoughts ranging from creative ways to murder Heero Yuy to equally creative ways to bring him back to her.
Certainly I can't be thinking...
It was undeniable. She had known it since the first time she'd seen him, unconscious on the beach, and it still rang true even after he'd beaten her unconscious and viciously raped her: Relena Darlian Peacecraft loved Heero Yuy, and always would. There was nothing she could do to stop it, and she knew what she was going to do even before she began to walk towards the bed.
The phone rang once, twice, before a servant answered. "Winner residence."
"Heero Yuy, please," Relena whispered.
"One moment." There was a pause. "Mr. Yuy is not answering."
Relena felt a curious mixture of sorrow and relief. "Then may I speak to Quatre, please?"
"One moment." Another pause, shorter this time, before Quatre picked up. "Quatre Winner."
"Hi, Quatre, it's Relena."
Quatre gave a relieved sigh. "How are you?"
"I've been better," the blonde girl said with a tired laugh.
"That's understandable," Quatre said sympathetically.
"Yeah," Relena replied. She was getting impatient. "Quatre, I called for Heero but he's not answering. Is he around?"
Quatre sighed again, sounding troubled this time. "He left very early this morning."
"Left? Where did he go?"
"He didn't say. Now don't panic, Relena--he left a note here for you. I didn't read it, but maybe he left some answers."
"But how could he just leave like that?" Relena was getting frantic. First he nearly kills me...then he just leaves? What's going on?
"Well..." Quatre was audibly becoming uncomfortable. "Duo came home, and there was a scene--"
Relena made a sound of frustration. "Don't worry about it, Quatre dear. I'm coming over after breakfast to pick up the note, and we can talk about it then. Okay?"
They said their goodbyes, and Relena slammed the phone down in disgust.
~the two of us
all used and beaten up
watching fate as it flows down the path we have chose~
Relena stepped out of her pink limousine in front of Quatre's immense home. The clouds which had been gathering since early morning were moving quickly, bringing an unseasonably cool wind. Relena was not cold; she had chosen a long-sleeved blue sweater and a long black skirt to hide as much of the damage as possible.
A servant showed her in to the parlor. She took a seat near the door to wait for Quatre to bring her Heero's note.
But only a few moments after she sat down, Duo Maxwell came in, more quietly and calmly than Relena had ever seen him move.
He sat next to her on the overstuffed loveseat and placed a cautious arm around her shoulder. "Hey, you," he said, smiling. "How ya doin'?"
Relena glanced up at the fading bruise on his cheek and moved away from him slightly. "I'm alright, Duo." The braided boy noticed the movement but did not attempt to move closer.
"I guess you're here looking for Heero, huh?"
"Actually, yes, but since he's not here, I'll settle for the note he left for me," she coolly replied.
Duo noticed her tone as well. "I guess Quatre told you about what happened."
"Yes, Duo, he did." Relena drew herself up as well as she could under Duo's arm. "You promised you wouldn't touch him."
"I didn't touch him, much," Duo protested. Then he laughed. "Actually, I didn't have a chance to really touch him--he pushed me away like I was a kid. I fell on my ass."
Relena had to laugh at that. Duo's own smile grew until it became his trademark grin.
~you and me
we're in this together now
none of them can stop us now
we will make it through somehow~
Relena sighed. "Now where's that note?"
Duo sobered. "It's not important. Just the same shit all abusive boyfriends feed their girls."
"You read it?!" Relena exclaimed.
"Yes. I did," Duo said, removing his arm. "I wanted to make sure you weren't in any more trouble."
"But it's none of your business!"
"Yes, it is," the braided boy replied hotly, jumping from his seat. "It is. The first time I ever saw you, I had to save you from him. Don't you realize that he would have killed you? That he can still kill you?"
"He wouldn't have killed me," Relena returned. "He loves me."
~you and me
if the world should break in two
until the very end of me
until the very end of you~
"Jesus Christ!" Duo yelled. He turned his back to the blonde girl, trying to regain his composure, running his hands over his hair and playing with the braid as he did when he was frustrated or nervous.
When he felt he was in control of himself, Duo turned around again. Relena was huddled into the corner of the loveseat with her head down. He sighed, feeling like a world-class heel. He sat back down and put his arm around her again. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he said. "It's just--I can't stand to see this happening to you, and there's nothing I can do about it, and Dorothy's gone, and it's all just gettin' to me, you know?"
~awake to the sound as they peel apart the skin
they pick and they pull
trying to get their fingers in~
Relena gave a frustrated little snort. "See, I knew it. The only reason you're being so nice to me is because Dorothy left you and you're lonely."
"No, that's not it, Relena!" Duo asserted. He gingerly placed his hand on her face and turned it toward his. "What you don't know is...I went to Dorothy last night to tell her it was over."
Relena's mouth fell open.
"I just didn't expect her to be at the club with some little freak, and that surprised me," Duo went on. "You know how guys get when someone trespasses on their property." He rubbed the side of his face in an exaggerated gesture, bringing a muffled chuckle from Relena. "But it's for the best that she was, because now I'm free to--"
"Don't say that," Relena whispered. "You know who I came here to see."
"He's gone. I don't think he'll come back," the braided boy replied coldly.
~well they've got to kill what we found
well they've got to hate what they fear
well they've got to make it go away
well they've got to make it disappear~
Relena's lower lip began to tremble. She thought she would cry again for a moment, but realized that she had no tears left. She could only stare painfully at Duo.
Duo stared back, realizing how much his words had hurt the blonde girl. So fragile, he thought. So delicate...
Before he knew what he was doing, his arm was tightening around Relena's body, drawing her closer, and his mouth was pressed lightly against hers in a gentle kiss.
This time, she did not resist.
~the farther i fall i'm beside you
as lost as i get i will find you
the deeper the wound i'm inside you~
It was a strange sensation for both of them. Duo's lips were soft, gentle, barely touching Relena yet reaching a place in her soul that she had not known existed. They did not suddenly press urgently, parting her lips to give access to a questing tongue; they did not bruise or injure; they merely hovered at her mouth like butterflies tasting nectar.
Duo felt more nervous about the kiss than he'd ever felt in his long history of kissing girls. Relena was so unlike his past girlfriends, certainly unlike Dorothy, who by now would already have been naked and tearing at his jeans. He had to be careful. Relena was delicate, ladylike.
Fragile. That's the word.
The kiss aroused them both, slightly. Yet there was a prevailing sense of friendship, as if they were childhood chums embracing after a long absence, and both of them knew as the kiss broke that they were meant to be together in one way or another.
As amethyst eyes met royal blue, both were unsure as to what way they should take.
~for ever and ever i am a part of
you and me
we're in this together now
none of them can stop us now
we will make it through somehow
you and me
if the world should break in two
until the very end of me
until the very end of you~
Relena surprised herself by being the first to break the silence. "What happens if he comes back?" she asked timorously.
"We'll handle it," Duo assured her, gently stroking her hair. "He won't ever hurt you again. I promise."
~all that we were is gone we have to hold on
all that we were is gone we have to hold on
when all our hope is gone we have to hold on
all that we were is gone but we can hold on~
The smile Relena gave him made the all-too-real possibility of receiving the beating of his life at Heero's hands seem somehow justified. He returned the smile with a grin of his own and jumped to his feet.
"Well, Princess," he exclaimed, yanking her off the chair and into his arms. "You up for brunch?"
Relena gingerly patted at her hair and nodded, the smile wavering for an instant with vertigo. Duo bowed sardonically and offered her his left arm. She wrapped her own arm around it, and together they walked toward the exit.
~you and me
we're in this together now
none of them can stop us now
we will make it through somehow~
Nearing the arched entryway, Duo motioned for Relena to walk ahead, reaching into his right pocket and removing a crumpled ball of paper which he concealed in his fist.
As he moved under the arch, he nonchalantly tossed the paper ball into a conveniently placed potted plant.
~you and me
even after everything
you're the queen and i'm the king
nothing else means anything~