A Silver Lining Part 18
Relena walked up to Heero and Duo's beachside home, taking her time up the front porch steps. It was only when having to do such simple things as climbing stairs, along with having to wear looser clothing, that she was reminded of her current pregnant state. Placing a hand on her swollen belly, she smiled to herself in anticipation of finally getting to meet the child she was carrying.
When Relena reached the front door, she noticed that the wooden door was already open. It made sense to have the gentle breeze go through the house on this warm afternoon, so it came as no surprise to her that the screen door was sufficient. What did surprise the young politician was the scene played out on the other side of the screen.
Locked in a tight embrace, Heero and Duo were engaged in a tender kiss. Suppressing the sharp gasp that threatened to escape her, Relena froze with wide eyes. By the time the kiss ended, Duo's back was leaning against the wall as the couple just gazed into each other's eyes. There was a brief, quiet exchange of words between the two pilots before Heero gathered up his bag and turned to leave.
For a moment, Relena remained stunned before she realized that her friends stood just as surprised and frozen in place. The sound of Duo clearing his throat brought her out of her state. Playing with the end of his braid, the American chuckled nervously, "Um... Hey, Lena."
The blonde-haired young woman shook her head slightly, then smiled warmly at the couple. "I'm sorry," she said at last, a blush coloring her cheeks. "It is very rude of me to be standing her gaping like this. I was just... caught off guard."
With his own face blushing, Heero opened the screen door to her, uncertain what to say at the moment. As she stepped inside, Relena smiled at the playful puppy running up to her. "I see Yuuki is becoming quite used to my visits," she commented, bending at her knees to gently pet the furry pup.
Quatre stepped up to the door bearing the two bags, missing the entire scene that his girlfriend had stumbled on. Opening the door to him, Duo and Heero assisted their blonde friend with the luggage.
After a brief exchange of greetings and embraces, Relena gently pulled at her lover's arm and leading him into the living room so that their friends could have one last moment of privacy. Just before she disappeared, she winked over his shoulder to the two pilots.
When they were alone once more, Heero turned and embraced Duo once more, kissing his lips softly. After whispering their 'good byes', the ex-Wing pilot reluctantly released his partner and stepped from the house. Sighing deeply, Duo leaned back against the wall again, silently watching his koi depart. When Heero went out of his line of sight, the braided pilot pushed himself from the wall to quickly walk upstairs.
Once he reached the room they shared at the back of the house, Duo stepped out onto the balcony and made his way to the edge of the deck. The Japanese pilot closed the door to the back seat of their silver Civic after securing his duffle bag. Looking up, Heero's pleased smile lit his face in finding his partner seeing him off. With his right arm, he waved one final goodbye.
Duo put on his best smile, its brightness never reaching his violet eyes, as waved back. Watching the silver Civic pull from the driveway and off into the distance, he sighed deeply. The wind came to play with his long braid and a chill suddenly ran up the American's spine. It would be the first time he and Heero would spend more than a couple hours apart since he had been rescued.
Wrapping his arms around his waist, Duo frowned, "It's going to be a long five days." Another ocean breeze ruffled his bangs while he turned to step back inside.
* * * * * *
A sharp cry escaped Duo's throat when he regained consciousness, his violet eyes snapping open as widely as they could. Panting heavily, sweat was dripping down his face and chest, soaking his white tank top. Sitting up, he rubbed his face with his hands and forced himself to relax. The moonlight peering through the sheer, white curtains of the large windowed doors painted a soft glow of blue and white that filled the bedroom.
Just as he was beginning to place himself with his safe surroundings, Duo's right hand instinctively reached for the normally occupied side of the bed beside him for a comfort that was always there. Clutching at empty and cold sheets, he at last broke through the haze of his terror and disorientation. His violet eyes closed and he fell back to lie against the mattress.
With his eyes still closed, Duo forced the voices, feelings, sights, smells from his nightmare away. When at last he could no longer see those laughing eyes glaring down on him, no longer hear the menacing and lust-filled laughter in his ears, no longer feel all of those hands all over him, no longer smell the stench of sweat and blood in the air, the braided pilot finally opened his eyes slowly.
It would be a blessing when those nightmares finally ended, if they ever would come to an end.
Lying on his right side, Duo gazed to Heero's side of the bed. With a deep frown, he sighed deeply. It was going to be a long five days. "Come home soon," he whispered to the normally occupied spot. Not wishing to return to sleep and possibly another nightmare, he rose from the bed. Changing into a dry, grey tank to go with his black mesh shorts, he made his way from the bedroom.
When he reached the darkened kitchen, Duo froze at the sight of the open refrigerator, its light is the only artificial brightness in the room. Turning on the overhead lights, his violet eyes widened when Relena appeared from behind the opened door with a startled gasp. When her eyes met her friend's she relaxed and smiled sheepishly.
"Lena?" the American asked, still wondering if he was actually awake or still seeing things having just awoken.
Closing the door, Relena revealed one of the large containers of strawberries and bottle of chocolate syrup she had brought with her earlier. "Late night cravings," she explained. "Care to join me? Quatre had a long day today, so I didn't want to disturb him."
An amused smirk played on Duo's lips and he replied, "Sure, if you don't mind." Moving to cabinets, he removed two bowls and joined the young woman at the table in the private, conjoined dining room. Yuuki was too tired in her comfortable bed to do little more than lift her head once to see what was causing the movement around her. Seeing that all was fine, she lowered her head and went back to sleep.
When her braided friend sat across from her, Relena opened the plastic container of berries. "So what is your excuse for being up this late?" she asked, the concern clear in her voice and in her frown as she peered at the other teenager through her bangs.
"Nightmare," Duo admitted, knowing that even if he was able to lie, the Foreign Minister would see right through it. Pouring a generous amount of syrup into each bowl, he handed one to his companion. Relena remained quiet, but nodded her understanding to the pilot's response and chose not to dwell on the subject.
The two unlikely friends enjoyed their late snack in silence for a while. Duo licked his chocolate-covered fingers and folded his arms on the table, a thought coming into mind that had been bothering him. "Lena, can I ask you a personal question?" he spoke up at last.
Relena nodded, "Certainly." She picked up another strawberry before dipping it into her bowl.
Biting his lip as he thought of how to properly word his inquiry, Duo asked, "How did you and Quatre, you know," he fought the blush from his cheeks and made vague gestures with his hands before finally getting out, "...get together?" he ducked his head a bit and added quickly, "You really don't have to answer that if you don't want to, I was just curious."
With a quiet, but warm laugh bubbled from the blonde young woman. "You realize you're the only person to actually just come out and ask either one of us?" she chuckled deeply, shaking her head. "Quatre and I certainly make an unexpected pair, I imagine," she commented, laughing again when Duo nodded enthusiastically.
Sitting sat back in her seat with a wistful smile as she drifted through her memories, Relena began, "After the Mariemeia Incident, something truly amazing happened." She looked up to meet the curious eyes of her friend and grinned, "I grew up."
Relena shook her head again and smiled, "It took a lot, but I forced myself to allow Heero to recover on his own following his collapse. It gave me time to really think about what it was that I truly wanted and needed, only to find that what I thought that was had been the furthest thing from." Her smile faded a bit and she sighed, "Funny how life works that way, sometimes. Were it not for that revelation, I would have continued to chase a childish dream."
With a reassuring smile, Duo said quietly, "We've all done some things we wish we could take back." He shrugged, "But it just makes us all the wiser in the end."
The blonde girl across from him smiled warmly in a sign of her appreciation. Taking a deep breath, Relena spoke quietly, "During the first war, I did actually have a chance to get to know Quatre when he and Heero had stayed in the Sanq kingdom. While we did not spend a great amount of time together, we did have a few moments alone to engage in conversations." Her smile became wistful again and she chuckled deeply to herself in recalling some unspoken memory.
"With Quatre acting for the Preventers, both in the field and as a spokesman for many business gatherings, we met up during a convention that we both needed to attend." Relena cleared her throat, her frown returning. "Not long after you had been captured."
Duo nodded with a thoughtful look. Sensing the tension in his friend, he smirked, "And he put his charms on you?"
Her shoulders relaxing, Relena laughed, "Not at first. You of all people should know how shy Quatre can be at time." The braided pilot chuckled and reached for another strawberry, satisfied with himself that he managed to ease the tension again.
The politician grinned and her eyes lost focus as continued, "We more or less latched onto each other since we were the only familiar faces amongst the sea of people attending. After the convention, Quatre invited me to dinner and we sat in the lobby of the hotel where we were staying talking until dawn.
"We started dating not long after that, one thing led to another and that's how we got here." With a hand on her swollen belly, she concluded, "And I couldn't be happier."
"I'm happy for you, Lena, for both of you," Duo smiled sincerely. "I'll admit that it was a bit of a... shock when I heard about the two of you, but I can see where you would make a great pair."
Raising an eyebrow, the young woman smirked, "Well you and Heero certainly took your dear old sweet time in getting together." She threw a strawberry at her friend and laughed, "I was beginning to wonder if you would ever get a clue."
Duo nearly choked on the small bite of his treat, his violet eyes widening. "You knew!?" he exclaimed.
With a shrug, Relena smirked, "Your feelings towards Heero's were far more apparent to me than Heero's feelings towards you. During the wars, I always had a funny feeling regarding the way I would catch you looking at him when you thought no one was looking."
The Vice Foreign Minister giggled at the sight of Duo's reddening ears. Her smirk warmed into a kind smile as she added, "But I had noticed there was more than just that. While I never put my finger on it until after the wars, looking back, I could see that you cared deeply for Heero. Your words and actions showed that clearly." She winked, "Woman's intuition."
Chuckling deeply, Duo asked, "And how did your intuition figure Heero's feeling out?"
Relena grinned, "He whispered your name not long after he collapsed into my arms when he managed to stop Dekim Barton." When Duo's violet eyes widened in shock, she nodded. "At first, it took me by surprise, but when I saw his determination to find you despite every odd set against him... I thought back to that moment and realized that he had been hoping it was you that caught him."
At that, Duo bit his lip and the pain of missing his koi returned tenfold. "Earlier, when I saw the two of you together, I finally got a glimpse of what the two of you look like together," Relena spoke up again. I got to piece all of my theories together and make sense of the now-obvious tension between the two of you over the years."
Tilting her head again, the blonde young woman stated, "Despite your differences, the two of you just... fit."
Slowly, a smile tugged at Duo's lips and he replied quietly, "Thank you, Lena." Picking up the strawberry that had been thrown at him to fall at his feet, he smirked, "Wait until the press heard that the beloved Vice Foreign Minister Peacefraft engages in food fights." With an easy toss, he threw the piece of fruit back at his friend.
Her head falling back, Relena laughed heartily, "Baka!" Gathering another strawberry for ammo, she threw it back to the braided pilot. At the infamous nickname, the braided pilot's own laughter filled the air.
* * * * * *
Heero peered out of one of the many large windows in the long stretch of hallways within Quasar. Subconsciously rubbing his silver cross pendant between his right thumb and pointer finger, his thoughts drifted back to Duo. He had been away for more than a day now in search of the transport ship that he and his team were hoping to intercept. Just hoping that his koi was fairing well in their first time apart since their reunion, the ex-Wing pilot gazed out to the endless sea of stars.
If the White Out Organization did not change their course or time of flight, they would be approaching it within the hour. Before long, all of the anticipation and preparation for the attack would finally come to a head. With the crew on full stand-by, everyone was attired in their flight suits to be ready to leave on a moment's notice.
A familiar voice gently calling his voice for attention broke Heero's thoughts and he turned to face Wufei. "The ship's been sighted by a couple of our scouts in their Taurus suits. We're staying back far enough to keep out of range of radar as that we can start instructing the recruits," the Chinese pilot informed the other. With a firm nod, Heero followed him to the conference room.
Noting a tension in his friend, Heero asked, "Any signs that the transport ship has resistance in preparation for an attack?"
His friend's face turned grim in answer. "So far, they counted twenty Taurus suits of their own escorting the craft." Heero sighed quietly to himself, frowning deeply.
That was already far more resistance than they had faced in taking over the first transport ships that they had recovered. With only twelve mobile suits on board, they were already outnumbered. The look on the Chinese pilot's face spoke of his own displeasure with the news.
With a deep breath, Heero nodded, "I'll meet you in the conference room." Returning the nod, Wufei turned and walked off for the appointed room. When he was alone, the ex-Wing pilot's looked down on the silver cross in the palm of his hand. Closing his cobalt eyes, Heero placed a soft kiss on the pendant before replacing it beneath his flight suit.
* * * * * *
There was a brief exchange of conversations between the forty-five Preventers sitting together in the large conference room on Quasar. All in their flight suits and their helmets in their laps, the diverse group of agents shared their own anxiousness to face their enemy. When Heero, Wufei, Trowa and Anna entered the room to stand before them, everyone fell silent to give their team leaders their undivided attention.
With a nod to the group, Wufei stepped forward first and announced, "Your patience is about to pay off. We will commence our attack in fifteen minutes."
At that, a loud roar of cheers and whistles went up from the teams assembled, all eager to finally be underway with their mission. The four team-leaders in the front of the group smirked to themselves.
Raising his hands to hush the crowd, the Chinese pilot continued, "Anna and I will be leading those of you who will be taking the Taurus suits. Once we have cleared a way for our shuttle to enter the hanger, Our main goal will be to draw our enemy's mobile suits as far from the transport ship as possible We can't risk having the craft harmed by careless fire while the prisoners and the remainder of our team are inside."
As he took a step forward, Heero instructed, "Trowa and I will be leading those teams storming the ship. You all know which team you are on and who to follow. There are only two long hallways that are carrying the prisoners. Once we enter the hanger, my team will go down the northern wing while Trowa's team will take the southern wing."
When it was his turn to move up, Trowa added, "The override to the ship's security locks will be initiated the moment we reach the hanger so that we can open the cells without any difficulty. Remember that these prisoners have been through a great deal, so they may put up their own resistance before realizing that we are here to help them. Handle them as need be to bring them into safety."
"Remember that this is strictly a rescue mission. Get in and get out as quickly as possible," Anna's voice carried over the group of agents gathered. Pacing before them with her hands folded behind her back, the redhead stated, "What that boils down to is don't attempt anything stupid. There are a lot of things that could go wrong in this mission now that we know our enemy is expecting us to strike at some point."
Wufei's dark eyes scanned over the faces before them and asked, "Are there any questions?" Everyone looked around to see if any hands were being raised. There were none. With a smirk, the Chinese pilot ordered, "Then get to your stations."
* * * * * *
The sound of footsteps and some shouting between the guards woke Rachel from her sleep. At the sound of a distant explosion beyond the ship, the little girl sat up with wide eyes and a startled gasp. Despite the pitch blackness of her small cell, she managed to crawl to where she knew the door was. Kneeling beside the entrance, she placed an ear to the cool metal of the door. Not far from outside of the ship,
"How far off are they?" she heard one soldier shouting over the commotion. "They sound like they're all over the place!"
Another voice answered in an angry hiss, "There is a team of Taurus suits holding off our own! They're about to breech the hanger! Move all forces there before they manage to get to the holding cells!"
Yet another voice, cried, "What about the data stored in the ship's hanger? If they get their hands on it-" Rachel nearly had to strain to make out the conversations taking place over the shouting and rumbling of feet running past her door.
"This ship will be blown apart before they get the chance!" the second voice replied. "Now move your ass and watch the hanger!" There were a few hurried affirmatives and the sound of more footsteps running.
Suddenly, another explosion filled the air, this one sounding as if it were just past her cell, and the room began to shake. With a startled cry, Rachel covered her ears and squeezed her eyes closed. When the explosion died away to a low hum, the brunette child quickly crawled back into her corner. Hugging her legs to her chest, she closed her eyes again and whispered, "I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry."
* * * * * *
Growling deeply within her cockpit, Anna's eyes narrowed as she warned, "Agent Fang, the next time I catch you showboating like that again, I'll shoot you myself. You could have endangered the ship with that little stunt of yours. We told you to draw your targets away from the ship before you fire." She moved to take out an oncoming challenger without blinking.
The black-haired rookie's smug grin faded into a wince. "Sorry, Agent Mist." Keeping his flight patters at an easier pace, he returned his attention to those enemy suits still remaining. With his team leader's warning in mind, the young pilot forced another opponent out of hiding.
From his place closer to the ship, Wufei watched as the large shuttle carrying the remainder of their agents moved towards him. Detonating the explosives set by his team, the Chinese pilot opened a large hole near the craft's hanger. As he and his team continued to clear the way for the shuttle, Wufei radioed to the crew onboard, "Good luck, everyone." With that, he cut the connection for radio silence.
The moment the shuttle entered the ship, the gaping hole was closed off by its emergency doors too late. Sighing in relief in knowing that his friends at least got in safely, Wufei returned his attention to the heat of the ongoing battle outside.
* * * * * *
When confirmation came in that the opening within the transport ship was sealed, Heero moved to the back of the shuttle, ahead of the agents waiting to be released. When Trowa joined him, they all removed their helmets and armed themselves. "Ready?" the ex-Heavyarms pilot called back to their teams. Only nods answered him.
Quickly, Heero opened the shuttle door and ran into the hanger, taking out a few guards waiting for them to come into the open. The Preventers all returned the fire that greeted them, some of the agents moving quickly to follow their team leaders down the corridors while the remainder stayed to secure the hanger.
With their teams split, Heero and Trowa broke off in opposite directions. His green eyes narrowed, the tall pilot moved with ease down the long hall, dodging and returning fire. The agents around him ran down towards the end of the hall to secure the area from any more guards stationed there.
In moments, Trowa's team began opening the cells surrounding them. The cries of children and other startled prisoners filled the air as they were carefully lead out of harm's way. Opening a few doors himself, the ex-Gundam pilot gently herded the people within so some of his agents could lead them back to the shuttle.
As he reached the end of the hall, stepping over the bodies of the guards that had already been handled, Trowa opened two of the last doors. Calling to the Preventers ahead of them, he ordered, "Escort the last of them back to the shuttle. We can't afford to stay here much longer." With affirmatives, the two agents ran past him, guiding those stunned and disbelieving souls that they had saved.
Just as he was about to turn back, Trowa spotted one last door that had been missed. Punching the now dispensable access panel, he opened it to find the room dark as pitch inside. His green eyes narrowed at the unexpected find and he called, "Preventers. Is anyone in here?" He stepped inside and flipped the light switch just inside.
With a sharp gasp, Trowa's eyes widened at the sight of a tiny girl huddled in the far corner of the cell. Her legs hugged tightly to her chest, her head snapped up with wide, terror-filled brown eyes. It took a moment for the tall pilot to move his legs as he slowly moved towards the frightened girl. While he approached, the petite child whimpered and crawled back even further into her corner.
Slowly kneeling before her, Trowa smiled warmly and whispered, "Come along, little one. I'm here to get you out of here." The girl's eyes widened anew and she blinked in shock and disbelief. Still moving cautiously, the Preventer stretched out his hand. Biting her lip, the child placed her hand in his and allowed him to help her to her feet.
Easily scooping the girl up into one arm, Trowa told her quietly, "Hold onto me tight, okay?" With a timid nod, she wrapped her small arms around his neck and held on.
When he stepped out into the hall to the gruesome sight that awaited, the tall pilot used his free hand to gently hold the child's face against his shoulder, whispering, "Don't look."
He wasn't sure if it was the fact that she was too frightened or shocked to do otherwise, but Trowa was pleased that the bundle in his arms listened to his request. The last thing that the child needed after her ordeal was to see the gory bodies spread down the hall as Trowa ran back to the shuttle.
"Agent Shroud!" an urgent voice called over Trowa's radio.
Still moving quickly Trowa removed his hand from the girl's head to recover the transmitter. "What is it?" he replied.
"It's Agent Wing. He's been shot!"
TBC...
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