I finally decided to do a new version of this songfic. Standard disclaimers apply, I don't own Gundam Wing…you can thank Bandai. The lyrics, "I'm With You" are the sole property of Avril Lavigne. Enjoy! Comments will be greatly appreciated. Anyhow, thanks for reading.
I'm With You – Version 2
I wonder what he's up to? The green fluorescent dials showed it was five until seven. A strong breeze resonating from Lake Michigan played with her honey blonde hair. Below her, the blue-green waters of the Chicago River made their slow trek into the city of glass. Blue orbs focused on the illuminated waters until a horn came from a passing ship.
She rested her hand underneath her chin, as she looked at the sight. Couples slowly swayed to the music that trickled from the ship's speakers. Would we be there someday? She toyed with the thought a countless number of times, hoping that it can be a dream come true. The ship made its way to the pier, and withdrew from her. Countless times, she wondered if this was right at all. Every day that passed, a part of her disappeared. She felt him slipping through her grasp. Maybe I'm the one to blame…
Dark ominous clouds grew over the cold waters in the far distance. They hoarded like a swarm of bees, ready to converge on their intruder. Sparks of white lashed about, threatening the evening activities for hundreds that remained by the lakefront. Again, she looked at her silver watch and the face now revealed it was seven. It figures. She ran her hands through her hair, debating whether he was just out late working on his assignments.
Sea gulls rested on the ledges of the buildings next to her. The birds didn't mind the visitor staring at them. Instead, they were hoping anyone would drop scraps for their dinner. They seem to have figured out the secret for food came at unique locations, and this happened to be one of those spots. Now they eyed for any ships that came through this segment of the river.
Tiny pinpricks ran up and down her arms. The clouds had finally made their way into the city and penetrated the quiet evening. She waited for two hours for him to come, and he never showed. And now, the heavens were against her. Its tears blended with her sadness from her heart. She didn't want to budge from her spot…she still had one faint ray of hope that he might be there. The torrent picked up speed, and tourists darted to get out of the unexpected guest. Her eyes blurred as the drops trickled down her eyelids. "Heero?" A man ran up to her, trying to dodge the watery bullets.
"Excuse me, miss." His hands clung to a beaten newspaper over his heads.
Relena sidestepped closer to the railing. The coldness seeped into her hands. "Not again…" It was it…the last straw…she couldn't take it being stood up for the second time. It was clear, he wasn't going to come to her. Her blue eyes turned towards the heavens, seeking solace in the rain. She stood on the bridge for a few more minutes, closing down her heart and listening only to the sounds of raindrops.
I'm standing on a bridge
I'm waiting in the dark
I thought that you'd be here by now
There's nothing but the rain
No footsteps on the ground
I'm listening but there's no sound
The rain continued to pour down on her wet laden cheeks. She could feel her makeup running off her alabaster skin, but she didn't mind. Her mind was numb, oblivious to everything else.
Isn't anyone trying to find me
Won't somebody come take me home
The walk home was long and endless. Her sandals clicked against the wet pavement, as rows of apartments came into her view. Warm lights glowed from some of the windows, but it wasn't hers. Their apartment finally came into view. The white curtains covered their secret lives from the world. What life… She fumbled through her purse for her keys. The elusive brass was buried underneath her lipstick and soaked package of tissue. The key turned in the lock, and she pushed through the white door. A floral smell greeted her, as she entered. She chucked her black, high-heeled sandals to a corner right by the closet, neglecting the marks that now appeared on the pale blue walls.
Wherever she went, the sadness still lingered on. She crept into her room, and started the shower. More water again…the rain never seemed to stop. She peeled off her flower printed skirt and her blue tank top that clung to her wet body. Inside the glass enclosure, the warmness seeped back into her body. If only it could be this easy to drown away feelings. She closed her eyes, and drifted back to the first time she met Heero. He had crashed her party in essence, and he threatened to kill her, for fear she might compromise his mission. And now, the two ended up in this city…trying to return to society as quietly as can be. They finally finished playing their roles.
It was her choice to leave the ESUN, and it was her choice to be here. But why did he follow her here? That was an answer that was never definite in any shape or form. He never gave her a reason why he moved, and she never gave one to him as to why he can stay. It was something they never said, but assumed it was safe, because he was her protector after all.
She promised herself that wouldn't do this…pining for him. But, her thoughts kept going back to him. It was all because of him that she was able to change the world…change from her own ideal of pacifism to what she really needed to do…fight back. The water around her dropped its temperature, and brought the former queen out of her reminiscing. She leaned against the white fiberglass walls, as she let the water run down her skin. The steady streams massaged her aching back and legs. I can't keep going on like this.
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
I'm with you
The outside air blasted against her moistened skin. She rummaged for a towel on a rack and looked at her reflection. No longer a body with gangly limbs, but a woman that blossomed in the midst of a war. Her face became more slender, as her body morphed into curves and filled out.
Quickly, she stepped into her room and grabbed a pair of matching sage pajamas. Her wet hair dangled over her shoulders, but she didn't mind. Sounds of rain falling filled her room, as the droplets panged against the siding. Seeing that the persistent shower wouldn't let up, she lighted a small vanilla scented candle. The small beam engulfed the l room in its inviting light and chased away the shadows.
A familiar face emerged from the shadows of her room. The first teddy bear that Heero had given her sat by the window with the two shreds of the card she had ripped on her birthday. "Well, Mr. Teddy…it's just you and me tonight." The mocha fur was worn down a bit with all of her previous hugs, but it still smiled back at her for being loved. Next to the bear, she tugged at a large whimsical covered photo album. Blue, fractal like arches crossed with each other, as they danced across the standard letter sized cover.
The book contained the story of their lives for the past seven years. The photographs never did capture the hint of war that loomed ahead. It was the brighter side to their days of playing their roles…the soldier and the princess. A side the public never witnessed, because no one ever asked. Her hands flipped steadily through the plastic bounded sheets…memories that escaped from time's corrosive touch.
I'm looking for a place
I'm searching for a face
Is anybody here I know
Cause nothing's going right
And everything's a mess
And no one likes to be alone
Cerulean eyes rested on a more recent photo. It was a picture of her resting in her former office. She didn't recall this one. "Duo must have slipped this one in." Boxes lined across the floor, as she prepared herself to leave. "Hmm…wonder why this picture?" She was about to turn the page until she squinted in the flickering darkness. A brief light caught a figure standing in the corner. Her blue orbs softened to see her constant guardian angel. Where did we go wrong? She hugged the teddy, hoping to find an answer to her question.
It killed him every time he was late. And now, he stood at the same spot where she was hours before. In his mind, he could see her standing there…waiting for him. A reporter by day and an undercover agent at night that protected the one thing he treasured the most. I'm sorry, I can't tell you. All those years being together, he blocked out his true reasons for being with her. He hated himself for doing that…the more barriers he put up, the more he felt dying inside…a slow gripping death. Don't do it, Heero, you'll compromise your mission. In fact, he already had. No one ever told him about the rules of engagement for love. He was trained to kill on the battlefield.
The steady rain drenched through his white long sleeve shirt. Tonight was supposed to be his night…releasing his feelings he held in the past 1,095 days. Of course, he was the type to expect the unexpected and it came ringing in his office just hours before. It was a simple message from his higher ups, and the threat was quickly eliminated in the two hours that Relena stood in the pouring rain. In his pocket, a simple object collected all of his reasons and summed them up to one. How am I supposed to tell her now?
Isn't anyone trying to find me
Won't somebody come take me home
His footsteps scratched at the moist pavement. She hates me now. He looked around the darken windows of shops as he made his way home. His reflections glided across the glass surface, and at one point, he stopped in front of the windowpanes. Dark purple orbs reflected back towards him, and concealed his years of experience on the battlefield. The rain tamed his unruly hair, but it revealed his toned body…the muscles tightened against the refreshing liquid.
His calloused fingers went searching for the small prize in his pocket. In the darkness, the white gem radiated in the downpour, capturing the tiny crystals that rained from the heavens. It was a small princess cut that he could afford. He looked at himself in the glass, and clenched the ring in his hands. He vowed to himself he wouldn't run away anymore. And for that minute and the ones that followed, he was set on one thing. His heart was finally beating to life.
The familiar apartments slowly came to view. As he came down on the street, the only light that brought him home came from the light posts. The synthetic glow was all he needed. The windows around him were dark and uninviting until his eyes caught one room he knew all too well. Relena. His pace quickened, as he dodged more of the raindrops. There was no turning back. He needed her, and she needed him.
He stood outside their doorway, gathering his wits and his breath. It's all or nothing. The moment he stepped into the house, he targeted his object and found her lying in her room. The candle still flickered on her nightstand. He shook his head, as he tried waking her. He would have to scold her about leaving candles unattended later, and returned to a more pressing matter.
The blonde woke up from her light sleep, and her aquamarine eyes gazed up at him. "Where were you?" Her words cut deep in her tone she used. Instead of exchanging any more words, he pulled her to her feet and dragged the woman out of her room and to the foyer. At the door, he pushed her out into the pouring rain. "What are you doing?" She slapped him hard in the face. A slow red tinge appeared on his face, but he ignored her action. She had every right to be mad at him. He wished he could take back the time he lost with her; not from this night, but for all the other times this happened.
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
I'm with you
I'm with you
The crystal, white droplets drenched his unruly chocolate hair. In the night, his Prussian eyes flashed a deep blue. "I'm sorry, Relena." His monotone voice broke the orchestra of the shower. "I had to take care of something."
"It's always something," she turned away from him, but she felt him twirl her to face him.
His face gazed steadily at hers, "You have to trust me."
Trust…how many times did she allow him to protect her. She closed her blue orbs from the downpour. His words weighed deeply in her heart, but her emotions tormented her. It was just one more moment he was asking for, and she couldn't deny him that. She opened her eyes again and met with his deep hue. "Alright, I trust you." Hesitation lingered in her voice.
The tears from the heavens fell on the two. Instead of tears of sadness, they were tears of joy for it was written in the fates. Heero stared at her and without any more words said, he pulled out the silver band from his pocket. He gently pulled her left hand up and slipped the single gem onto her ring finger. The diamond revealed his promise to her, and it was the answer she hadn't expected.
Why is everything so confusing
Maybe I'm just out of my mind
Yeah Yeah…
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
I'm with you