Fantasy Wing
Part 2:
Bouncing Back

"Has he woken up again since yesterday?" Relena asked, fiddling with the chain of flowers around her neck.

"Worried about him?" Duo asked, straightening some of the scrolls on a nearby shelf.

"Aren't you?" She countered.

"Not really." He answered. "He seems strong enough to be back on his feet soon."

She sighed. "Well I can't help but worry about him. He seemed so... defensive when we talked to him. So insecure."

Duo shrugged. "If that's the way he wants to play it, fine with me."

"Why are you helping him, then?" Relena asked.

He looked at her briefly, defying her question.

"Wouldn't you?"

"Yes."

"Well then."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I believe in the sanctity of life." He answered. "Is that good enough for you?"

She smiled. "Irritated?"

"At everything." He sighed. "You're right. He was defensive. I want to know WHY. I want to know who he is, and how he got here."

She shot him a quizzical look.

"He's my friend."

"You've known him for three days, and talked to him once. How can he be your friend?"

He smiled. "YOU'VE known him for TWO days, and talked to him once. How can you already have a crush on him?"

She blushed. "Touché."

Heero sat up and blinked.

Damn. I'm still in that nutcase faun's house. I was hoping it was a dream.

He slid off the bed, running a hand through his messed up hair.

What'd the faun do with that armor he was talking about...?

The room was mostly empty, but in one corner propped up on a wooden stool was a breastplate and a sword.

Those must be mine.

He picked up the sword and unsheathed it, taking a couple of swings into the air of the room around him.

Seems like I already know how to use this...

He struck an en guarde and sketched out a few fencing moves.

Not too bad.

Relena quietly pushed the door to Heero's room open a crack and peeked in.

He had gotten up, and looked to be practicing with his sword.

I wonder what he's doing that for...

She opened the door wider, stepping in.

"You're back on your feet I see." She smiled at him. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah."

The two were stuck in an odd situation, standing but not speaking, all the while him still holding his sword.

She felt a desperate need to fill the silence between them with something, be it even empty conversation.

"You're very good with a sword." She complimented him. She'd seen her brother and the other men at court in fencing matches a few times, and she herself had a small amount of experience with a blade.

Rather than describe his training, Heero couldn't remember WHAT training he had, and he was antisocial anyway, he merely nodded.

"Are you feeling up for a walk?" She asked, giving him a half smile.

The question caught him offguard, and he looked at her, blinking twice.

"Well?" She asked again.

"Sure." He said, pulling on the shirt he'd been wearing before the "accident" over his bandaged ribs (he's aquired several bumps and bruises as a result of the fall, not just a smack to the head) and belting his sword.

"Are you really going to need that?" She querried, glancing apprehensively at the weapon.

His answering gaze pretty much conveyed an answer in the affirmative.

The world can be a nasty place, after all.

As it turned out, Heero was glad he'd decided to go for a walk, even if he'd rather gone by himself.

Well... that's not entirely true. Though he wasn't about to tell anyone, maybe he like Relena just a _little_ bit.

And though Relena wasn't going to be telling Heero anytime soon, she like him a lot.

The forest was calm, and the day was perfect, the not too hot but not cold kind of day that only comes around so often. The leaves rustled in the trees overhead as a result of a gentle breeze, and the trees seemed to be whispering.

Relena cocked her head to the side, listening intently. She furrowed her brows in reproach to something Heero couldn't hear, but made no other move to signal that anything was wrong.

Heero shrugged mentally. Everyone has their quirks.

After about ten minutes of walking silently, Relena became fed up with Heero being so antisocial and struck up a conversation.

"Do you like it here?" She asked.

Heero glanced at her shortly, and answered a quick "It's fine."

She mentally kicked herself for even asking him a simple question like that. If he didn't want to talk, she wasn't going to be able to make him.

Stubborn boy. She thought, What's so hard about talking?

Heero merely walked on, trying to work out his stiff muscles, and stretching occasionally to ease the pain in his chest.

After a while, Relena sat down to rest, realizing that by now Heero was in quite a bit of pain, and helping him to sit down beside her.

"You know," She said, "There's a plant that grows around here that might help the pain."

He turned to face her, wincing very lightly.

"I'm fine." He said. "Don't worry about it."

"No." She decided. "You rest, I'll go see if I can find it."

Not waiting for his reply, she got up and walked off, taking a path that led north out of the clearing they were in.

He sighed.

She's just trying to be nice... He thought, but why?

To Be Continued

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