Okay, so when I finished 16 I started 17. I think I'm getting good? Don't
you?

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Notes:
OMG! Heero killed Relena! Nah, just read and see for yourself.

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Reunion
Chapter 17: Heero's Confession
By Yuki-hime^^

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He looked at Relena again. She had lost too much blood and the only
thing he could think of was to stop it. He riped the bottom of the dress
that she wore and wraped it around her midsection.

He aimed the gun for where he knew she would live. "She shouldn't be
losing this much blood," he thought. as he inspected the wound.

He didn't know if it was a good idea to have her move and try to get
her to a hospital or not. 'If she keep slosing blood at this rate, it
won't matter either way,' he decided. Picking her up gently, Heero carried
her to Wing Zero and boarded. Once inside, he contacted the others to let
them know the situation and then took off for the nearest hospital.

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"Are you sure?" Noin asked again for the third time. "Okay, I'll
be right there."

"Well, what is it?" Zechs questioned impatiently.

"Relena's in a hospital," she said as she turned to wlak out the
door. Blindly hoping that she could make it before he realized what was
happening and have Heero end up like Relena.

Zechs stood there and watched as Noin opened to door, walked out,
then close it behind her before the realization hit him. "She's WHERE?"
he yelled at the top of his lungs and ran to follow her.

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Heero stood by the window, gazing out at the scenery of trees below
him. But his thoughts were drifting back to the unconscious woman in the bed
behind him. He closed his eyes, trying to erase the memory of shooting her.

Relena's eyes fluttered open. She glanced around the room, realizing
that one, she had been shot and was in a hospital, and two, that Heero was
standing by the window. "Heero?" she whispered, unable to get her voice to
a higher level.

He turned and Relena caught the emotion in his eyes before the mask
slide back in it's place. "You're finally awake," he said as he walked to
the side of the bed and took a seat.

"I loved your plan," she said sarcastically and stared at the
ceiling. "I wished you could have just..."

"I'm sorry Relena. I couldn't bring myself to kill you. No matter
how much I wanted to," he cut in.

"Well, here, let me help you," she said, using her elbows to prop
her up and look him in the face.

Heero saw all the emotion that he felt in her eyes. Pain. Sorrow.
Regret. Lonliness. And an uncertain emptiness. "what would you have had me
do Relena?" he asked, his voice cold with the anger he felt towards himself.

"You knew what my answer was before I was even sure. You knew I'd
give in to his demands. Why didn't you just do what you thought was best
and save both of us a lot of time?" she asked, her voice filled with hurt.

"I guess I finally let my heart think for once!" he yelled at her.
She didn't have a right to be mad at him. No right at all.

"So after years of pushing my away, you finally want me!" Relena
yelled back.

"What do you want from me?" he asked her in a begging tone.

"I don't even know anymore. Once I thought love, now I just want
death," she whispered. Tears were pooling in her eyes and she shut them to
attempt to keep them away. At least until Heero had left.

He stood there, stunned by her words of confession for him. Unable
to do anything but stare. Then he saw the tears slip away from her eyes.
Dropping on the bed sheets and disappearing. He turned on his heel, and
walked out the door. Not glancing back.

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* Three hours later *

Noin and Zechs pilled into Relena's hospital room. There, eight
other people awaited until she woke.

Zechs looked at Duo. "Where is he?"

"I don't know. When I got here, no one was with her," he said sadly.

Zechs nodded in acknowledgement and took the seat closest to his
sister.

They waited another twenty minutes before Relena stirred and woke
up.

She opened her eyes to see first her brother, then Noin beside him.
Trowa was standing against the back wall with Catherine Wufei and Sally Po.
Duo and Hilde were at the end of the bed and Quarte and Dorthy were at her
right. "Hi guys," she smiled weakly, hoping that they didn't see through
her disguse.

"How are you?" Duo managed to blurt out before anyone else had the
chance.

"I'm a little tired but fine," she replied.

"Where the hell is Yuy?" Zechs demanded as he rose out of the chair.

"Zechs!" Noin scolded him. "Relena is tired. This can wait."

"I don't know," she replied coldly and stopped her brother in his
tracks.

"What did he do to you?" he questioned her again.

"He shot me! What the hell does it look like?" Relena screamed at
him and, if she could have managed, would have stomped off. "Get out! All
of you get the hell out of my room!"

Taken aback by her sudden outburst, everyone piled out and waited
in the hall for her to calm down.

"That was sure different," Duo said.

"Leave to you to point out the obivious, Maxwell," Wufei murmured.

"What's that..."

"Shhh," Quarte ordered Duo. "You don't need to be fighting. Relena
will be upset."

"It's not like she's care at this point," Trowa said as he glanced
up to see everyone's faces.

"I think I will talk to her," Quatre stated and opened the door to
step in.

He heard her sobs before he closed the door, and then her heaving
figure on the bed. "Relena," he whispered and walked closer to comfront
his friend.

"He shot me and didn't finish the job, Quatre," she managed to say
between her sobs. "I can't live without him. And he won't live with me!"

"Shhh, I'm sure it will be okay," he soothed. This Relena was
tearing him apart. He always thought of her as a very good friend. But
seeing her like this was not what she deserved. He'd have to talk to Heero.
If he could find him.

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Relena was released from the hospital a week later with orders to
rest and relax. She did so, reluctantly, with the help of her brother and
the others. And within another week, Relena was up and doing what she
usually did. Paperwork, meetings, and lectures.

She buried herself in her work and was glad for it. She needed to
keep her mind off Heero. At least until it stopped hurting. If it stopped
hurting, which she doubted that it would. But a distraction was welcome.
And she knew she couldn't hide it from everyone, since they already knew.

Relena just couldn't bring herself to do much of anything anymore.
Late at night, she would lay in bed and stare at the ceiling, wondering
what was wrong with her. Then burst into tears, and end up crying herself
to sleep.

And then the next morning, Relena would get up, dress and walk down
the stairs. Repeating the same routine from yesterday, and the day before
that. She sighed as she stared out the window from her desk. She heard the
door open and close behind her.

"I'm busy, come back later," she called as she glanced down at the
papers in her hand. She had read over them and understood what colony
X450 wanted from the alliance but didn't care at the moment. She was lost
in her memories again.

"Relena," Noin's voice came. Commanding that she turn and look at
her.

"Yes?" she said as she swiveled in her rollng chair. She plastered
on her best fake smile. And knew it didn't pass.

"Me and the other girls are going to the new bar that opens tonight.
We want you to come," she finished.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I have too much paperwork from when I was
gone," she said as if she had practiced her excuse. In truth, she had. It's
the same one she had used for the past three weeks.

"Well, I'm sure one night won't hurt. And those papers will still be
there, Relena. Whether you like it or not, you are going to go with us,"
Noin said.

"You can't make me," she replied as she stood. It was a challenge,
and Noin reconized it.

"I understand Relena," she smiled and left Relena standing alone in
her office.

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She heard the girls laughing as they were about to leave. She wished
she could take Noin up on her offer. But she couldn't risk it. Not anymore.
Her job was her life. And it took her the longest time to realize this.

She sighed and turned from her bedroom door. The shadows were
everywhere tonight. Like last night. She slipped into the bathroom, dropping
clothes left and right before she stepped into the shower.

She ran a hand over the scar that the bullet left on her left side.
Picturing Heero's face as he shot her, then remembering their fight when
she woke in the hospital and found him in her room. The water brought her
back to the present and she quickly washed herself and hair before stepping
out into the bedroom again, leaving a trail of water behind her as she made
her way to the bed.

'I thought I turned the heat on,' she said to herself as she climbed
off the bed and made her way over to the thermastat. It read 80 degrees
but she was practically freezing. She glaced over at the door and realized
then that the balcony doors was half way open! She slowly walked towards
the balcony, hoping and praying that it was not someone that would hurt her.

She hugged the towel closer to her frame as she stepped onto the
balcony. It was cold, but she ignored that. She searched the area for
intruders and when statisified that there were none, she closed and locked
the doors. She turned to head toward the bed when she saw a figure move in
the shawdows.

"You can stop hiding now. If you want to kill me, at least let me
get on some clothes," she sighed and walked to the dresser instead.

"I'm not here to kill you Relena," his voice replied.

"Heero?!" she questioned as she spun around and found him behind
her. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"I'm here for what I want and what I want is right in front of me,"
he said with his voice husky.

Relena didn't know what to believe. Was this her nightmare or her
dream come true? She wished for the second but knew it had to be the first.
She stared at him for a moment before shoving her way past him. Clothes
forgotten on the dresser, she moved to the bed and started to climb in.
"Go away Heero," she replied coldly.

His eyes followed her movements as she made her way to the bed. He
then turned abruptly and walked to where she was, hovering over the side and
staring at her. "I told you I'm not leaving until you at least hear me out."

"I don't want to hear you out. I've had enough of you for a
lifetime," she said a little agitated that he wouldn't take a hint and
leave.

"Don't make me make you listen to me," he warned.

She stared at him for a minute then nodded. "You have a minute."

He smiled. A geniune smile. Then, without warning, kissed Relena.
Her eyes flew open and then closed as the surprise passed. She didn't
know what to do. Heero, her Heero, had never done anything like this!

He ended the kiss and looked at Relena. Her eyes were a turmoil of
emotions, and then he smiled again. "I've wanted to do that for so long,"
he whispered.

Relena gasped at what he had said. "I don't understand," she said.

"I couldn't live without you Relena. I couldn't," he said as he
brushed his lips across hers again and then kissed her with the pit up
passion of the past years since he had met her. When she gathered her
thoughts and realized what he had actually said, he had deepened the kiss.

She put her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his
hair and he pulled away again. She looked bewildered.

"I want to ask you something," he said. Relena waited. "Will you
marry me, Relena Peacecraft?"

Relena's eyes started tearing up and she kissed Heero. Pulling
away, he said, "I take that as a yes then."

She smiled. "Yes a thousand times over."

"Ashiteru, watashi no himeko," he whipsered in her ear.

Relena smiled at him. "Ashiteru."

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So what do you think? I'll have the epilogue out tomorrow. I'm dead tired!
Thanks to all the ppl that reviewed!