//They're killing her. Damn it, they're killing her, and they don't even care.// Dorothy kicked the head off a blooming dandelion as she passed, watching the powdery, tufted-top seeds fly away into the air. The wind was strong, but it was a warm enough day that it didn't matter, with the sun shining high in the sky. //I bet she won't even see this beautiful day, I bet she'll stay cooped up until well past midnight. Even if she does see it, she won't notice...// Dorothy scowled, and quickly changed directions, moving back toward the house, walking towards the rear entrance. She could hear the white gravel crunch under her feet, and the vivid greens of the swaying grass almost danced in front of her eyes, always changing, never the same, especially with the shadows of the clouds falling down from high overhead. Dorothy loved it, and it made her afraid, because she could see the day coming, closer than ever now, when Relena wouldn't be able to enjoy it anymore. They were changing her. Zechs, Noin, and everyone who relied on her. Maybe it wasn't intentional, but it was happening nonetheless. Dorothy couldn't honestly believe any of them truly meant any harm, but the Relena she had first met was still being worn away, slowly and completely erased from existence, and no one seemed to care, not enough to stop it. //She was so vibrant when we met, not proud or disdainful, but simply sure of herself, and of the path she had to take. That self-confidence, the fire in her eyes... it's almost all gone now.// The brown-haired girl was paler than ever. Dorothy could easily see the lines of pain around her eyes and mouth, saw her wince from time to time with some pain in her head or stomach, almost every day now. The blonde watched her friend's determined expression change, from a stoic calm to one of utter despair, only when she thought no one was looking. Relena had lost weight, she wasn't eating except in sporadic amounts whenever someone bothered to think of making a meal. Dorothy was sure the soup was the first thing the brunette even had time to consider all day. //Longer than that... I don't remember her eating dinner last night.// Anxiety and fear were eating Relena up from the inside out, and she was fighting hard to deny all of it. The brown-haired girl was repressing more and more, trying to rid herself of every "unnecessary" emotion she had, in order to become a better leader for her people, so that she could always do what was best for them. Dorothy had seen the entirety of today's outburst from a hidden alcove in the room, and all she had thought was that it was something Relena needed to do a bit more often. //He asked for it, he knew exactly what to say to provoke you. I wouldn't be surprised if it hadn't been his intention in the first place, to pick a fight with you. Though I must say, Relena-sama, I'm sure he didn't realize that you could give as good as you got.// Dorothy knew what the aftermath would be, though she agreed completely with what the brown-haired girl had done. She knew Relena would not be allowed to have such a tirade, but the blonde still couldn't believe the way Zechs came down on his sister. Sternly, without a hint of understanding in his voice, he made sure to explain the mistake he must have known she understood in meticulous detail. Zechs had made it seem as if Relena had single-handedly caused another world war, rubbing it in her face that she had erred, as if it would be the last mistake she would be allowed, ever. //How can you really be that angry with her, Zechs?! You knew what would happen when you sent her in, and you didn't explain the situation at all to her. How am I the only one that sees how hard you're pushing her, how hard this is on her? She needs a break, or at least a lot more support...she can't keep being your little trained peacekeeper, brought out because she looks nice and says pretty things...// Dorothy's jaw clenched in a righteous fury as she walked past a corridor of portraits, former members of the house of Sank. //Painted ladies. Pretty baubles without a thought in their head or the ability to stand on their own two feet. Beaten down and broken by their advisors, their peers, the people who are supposed to take care of them... and then don't.// Dorothy had been around enough to know that even when people didn't mean to be cruel, cruelty often happened simply because of ignorance and apathy. It wasn't anyone's fault, really, that people didn't care enough about one another, that they were inherently selfish. It was simply human nature. //I'm sure they're reassuring themselves right now. Oh, she'll be fine, she'll learn to adjust, she's got a heavy burden on her shoulders, but she can manage. Everything will be fine, she's a strong girl, she can take it. She's Relena Peacecraft, after all.// Except that sometimes, everything wasn't fine. Sometimes people, no matter how noble or idealistic, or /right/ they were, sometimes they couldn't carry the load other people expected them to take. //My treasure, my beautiful treasure... I won't let you walk this path alone.// Dorothy knew Relena /wasn't/ fine. She was cracking under the strain of a world's worth of expectations, and someone had to do something. --------------------- The blonde passed by Relena's butler near the end of the hallway, and even as preoccupied as she was, she made sure to give him her brightest smile, and a broad, sweeping curtsy of politeness. Dorothy knew the older man didn't like her, that he considered her a large threat, that he always had. //A threat? To what? You say you care about Relena, but you won't do anything, even though she's in trouble. It's not enough to think that keeping me away from her will solve anything. What are you afraid I could do? What could I tell her? Are you afraid that she'll wake up one day, and realize that suffering for people who only demand more, who never can be happy or rich or /peaceful/ enough aren't worth fighting for? Afraid she'll start living for herself?// Half of it, she knew, was that the man thought she had her sights on Relena in more than simply... political concerns. It was the only thing about him that impressed her. //Perceptive man.// It had been a possibility, at the beginning. Before Dorothy had met the other girl the idea of a quick and easy seduction ploy had seemed almost like a game, an enjoyable thrill ride she didn't mind undertaking. Seducing leaders and then blackmailing them into submission was an old tactic, but one of the better ones. Dorothy didn't regret that it had all changed, once she had actually spent time with Relena Peacecraft. //How could anyone have a fling with her? It wouldn't be possible, to simply forget her and move on. She's so intense, so focused on her goal, and on anything or anyone else that captures her eye.// Her love had to be the same, all-consuming, as pure and perfect as the brightest flame, instantly enveloping, possessing the object of her fancy. Dorothy ignored the slight surge of electricity that seemed to fill her senses, tickling like tiny, dancing feet all over her body. //Dorothy's got a crush!// The blonde prided herself on her ability to focus, on her professional manner, but could not deny the feeling she got whenever she thought of Relena, when she dreamed of being near her, /very/ close. Those feelings haunted her dreams, kept her awake nights, thinking about Relena's hands on her body. The determined touch wanting, demanding her, those vulnerable, idealistic eyes staring into her own. //Except she doesn't want you to be her knight in shining armor, Dorothy. She's already got a knight, and he has a very bright suit.// The blonde snapped from her fantasy as she walked across a courtyard, into a wooden door, and stepped onto a metal platform. The inside of this building was completely at odds with its exterior, and so were the two Gundams resting quietly inside. Heero sat at a small computer terminal in the center of the room, completely focused on the screen in front of him, the blurred sound of quick key tapping filling the space around him. //I just don't get it, Relena. I respect you for a lot of reasons, but this...// Dorothy watched the Japanese pilot's back for another moment, but saw nothing of any great merit. //I just don't get it.// "Heero." The blonde didn't honestly expect him to acknowledge her, and the clicking sounds in the air didn't pause, he continued on as if she wasn't there at all. "I need to talk to you, Heero. It's important. It's about Relena." Still nothing. Calmly, Dorothy walked up behind him, and with one violent, direct motion, kicked out one of the legs of his chair. Dorothy stepped back a few paces as the brown-haired boy crashed to the floor. She couldn't help but feel a little smug, slightly proud because she had completely surprised him. It only took him a few seconds to leap to his feet, and he turned on her with fighting fury burning in his eyes. "What do you want?" "I just told you. I want to talk to you, about Relena." She watched him look, first to the computer, then to the chair, laying in pieces at his feet, and knew he was trying to find a way to get back to work, and continue to ignore her. "I doubt if you can fix it, and there aren't any other chairs around. I'll bring you one, and let you get back to work. All you have to do is give me five minutes." Heero crossed his arms, but didn't move, still glaring at her, eyes flashing dangerously. Dorothy smiled, sitting on the edge of the computer's desk. "Good. Now, about Relena." "What about her?" "She's in trouble, and she needs - she /wants/ your help." Heero's body posture didn't change, but Dorothy saw his eyes flicker with a fury of conflicting emotions. //You do care about her, Heero Yuy. I know that. But that's not nearly enough, not anymore.// "You've got to tell Relena that you love her, and you've got to get her out of here." Heero blinked, momentarily shocked speechless. The straightforward manner in Dorothy's tone had taken him completely off guard, as did her words. "Relena? I don't... love Relena." Dorothy shook her head. "I don't want to do this, Heero. I don't have the time to convince you of what you already know. Listen, I know she's important to you, it's written all over your face, even now." Dorothy sighed as the pilot's eyes hardened, his expression became completely blank. "Don't force it to go away, just to win this argument. I'm not trying to win anything from you. I just want your help." "I don't understand." Dorothy wanted to scream, tired of everyone else's blindness to what she thought was startlingly obvious. "Relena is in trouble. She doesn't smile anymore, or laugh...she doesn't even talk except to bargain with one chief of state after another. She barely eats, she's in pain all the time from everyone running her around, using her like some sort of toy... like a brainless doll." Dorothy didn't like to think about the things she was saying now, her fears upset her too much when she spoke them aloud. //As long as they're upsetting him too, as long as he understands. That's all that's important.// "Dolls wear out, Heero. They're only as safe as the arms that hold them. Eventually someone plays too rough with them, and they just fall apart. How long do you think Relena can keep being everyone's savior, everyone's very own doll?" Dorothy knew she was getting to him, there was the slightest glimmer of understanding in his eyes, concealing what she knew had to be a deeper pain, and the same fear she felt. The blonde could read even the most closed off people like a book, it was one of her more useful talents. Heero was shocked, dismayed and concerned, she knew it. "It's not my business. I'm not involved. I'm just a Gundam pilot." /That/ pissed her off. Dorothy's hands clenched into the white fabric of her dress, she gritted her teeth hard, trying not to lash out at him with anything but words. //He'll kick my ass, although, God help me, if I could just get in one shot - slap the snot out of him - maybe he'd actually gain some sense.// "Will you stop with this childish "Perfect Soldier" nonsense?! I don't /care/ what you were trained to feel or not to feel. I don't care what you think your duty is, or what you do or don't have to do in order to keep your conscience from waking you up screaming in the middle of the night. Stop playing these stupid children's games, Yuy! You're not living in a world where you can just destroy your problems with a gun or a bomb and go home and forget about it. Not with Relena. /This/ is real life, and you have real responsibilities to her, whether you want them or not." Dorothy bit her lip slightly, anger mixing with sadness as she spoke again. "Relena loves you. She /loves/ you, with all her heart, and she believes in you, that you'll be there to protect her, you'll be there when she needs you. Heero, she needs you /now/. Relena needs someone to stand by her side, someone to be her anchor. I'm afraid that... Heero, if something doesn't change soon, I'm afraid she'll kill herself with guilt that doesn't belong on her shoulders, run herself into the ground with responsibilities she can't handle alone. Even if she doesn't physically die - Heero, we're losing the Relena we care about." Heero frowned, staring at her, and she could see the calculation in his gaze, the realization that suddenly connected in his mind. "You? You... and Relena?" Dorothy nodded, lips compressed in a thin, determined line. "Relena wants you, Heero. I care about her, and I want her to be happy. That means you. You're the one she wants." The blonde stood there for a moment, just watching the brown-haired boy, hoping her words were sinking in. Heero didn't say a word, and after another moment, Dorothy smiled brightly, turning to the clock. "My five minutes are up, Heero. I hope you think about what I've said, really think about it, and do what you feel is right." Without another word, Dorothy turned and walked away. She could hear no sound behind her, Heero didn't call after her, and she knew he had to be thinking about what she had said. //I hope so. I hope he thinks long and hard about what he wants, and whether he's brave enough to accept the love he's been so freely offered.// Dorothy almost ran up the stairs toward the top door, an iron-clad determination fueling her muscles, making her heart pound and her mind race. The blonde didn't really know what /she/ wanted. She didn't know if she could ever be unselfish enough to hope that Heero was successful, that he got over whatever was holding him back and told Relena how he felt, or if she hoped that his own fears and doubts would be enough to stop him once more. //Just one more chance, Heero Yuy. You get one more chance.// Dorothy knew she hadn't been completely truthful, in the way she had shaped the story for the Japanese boy. She had made it sound as if Heero was Relena's last hope, that without her, she had no chance of survival. //If that's not enough incentive... if he's that conceited, that determined to keep his own sadness, his pain as his only companion, that he can't pull her back from the edge, that he won't put her before himself when she needs him the most.// Dorothy smiled, a grim, tiny, secret smile. This /was/ Heero Yuy's final chance, as far as she was concerned. The blonde would give it a few days, give Heero a little while to decide where and when and how to approach Relena. Anyone else could conceivably help stop what was happening as well, could decide that Relena needed a vacation or at least another set of shoulders to help bear the burden of absolute peace. //But if no one does, if no one does anything... I gave them the chance, they all had every opportunity, even if I hadn't said anything. I made sure they understood. I was serious, this is very serious.// Dorothy's smile widened, just for a moment. //If no one will help her, then Relena Peacecraft is mine.//
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