A beautiful young woman made her way down the stone steps of a rose garden. Her honey colored hair swayed down to her waist, reflecting the voids of light that tangled in the golden locks. It was as if the sun was jealous of her beauty, and wished to cling to the fallen angel. She wore a simple white sundress, and a pair of brown sandals.
"Wu-Fei!" Relena called softly. Her voice was light, only because she hated to break the solitude of the wonderful garden.
The canopy of trees above her head had grown together, so it formed almost a tunnel. Only the luckiest of rays of sun made it to the ground.
She was searching, for a one of the scattered Gundam pilots. The five men had come to visit her, so her brother had prepared quite a feast for them. Each boy had come running at the mere scent of the wonderful bounty, except one.
"Wu-Fei!" Relena tried again. No response.
Just ahead of her was a dead end of tangled vines. Grumbling to herself, Relena began to force her way through them. 'All this trouble over one man, and he barley ever speaks to you!' Her mind scolded. Her heart shunned it. 'He's just a little up tight. Besides, aren't you even the least bit curious to find out what he's doing?' Relena rolled her eyes as she realized she was fighting with herself.
Casually, the vines thinned, and Relena found herself in a rather large meadow. The canopy remained thick above her head, yet what caught her eye was a waterfall, surrounded by large rocks. On top of one of those rocks sat Wu-Fei, his legs crossed and his eyes closed. He wore only loose, drawstring pants, so Relena's eyes were free to travel along the contours of his finely toned chest.
Relena walked slowly over to him, but he did not move an inch, he didn't even open his eyes. She got to the point where she was standing right next to him.
"Wu-Fei?" Her voice quivered slightly. He did not acknowledge her. Cautiously, she reached out a hand and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
His hand shot up and clamped onto hers, stopping her from moving it. Wu-Fei opened his eye and growled at her. "What do you want onna?"
"I… Dinner is ready." Relena said lamely, scolding herself for doing so.
"I am not hungry, can't you see I'm already occupied? Foolish onna…"
Relena became angry with his words. "Wu-Fei, my brother has prepared a feast in your honor. You will come, I don't care what kind of idiotic excuse you use."
Wu-Fei scowled, "What one earth could you do to make me go?"
Smirking, Relena lunged forward, knocking him from his perch and sending them both plunging into the cold lagoon.
Relena surfaced, to find herself face to face with a very angry Wu-fei.
He began to yell at her, but she did not notice. All she could think of was how close his body was to hers. Even through the cold of the water, she could feel the heat that radiated from him.
"Are you listening to me onna?!" Wu-fei glared down at her. She was beautiful, he would have to be blind not to see that. Beads of crystalline water clung to her golden hair, and her oceanic eyes held a far-off look in their depths. She was so close… Inside, Wu-fei wanted to bend down and crush his lips against hers. 'That is not an acceptable thought.' He frowned at his own stupidity.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I…" Relena looked up at him and her words caught in her throat. His black hair had fallen from its ponytail, and was glittering down to his shoulders. His dark, hazel eyes bore down on her innocent, sapphire ones. 'Why am I thinking this? Why am I wanting so badly for him to touch me…'
Wu-Fei scowled and swam away from Relena's tempting lips and pulled himself onto the shore. He turned back to her and noticed that she seemed to be thinking something over with great concern. Her brow was furrowed, and a frown pulled at her rosy, lush lips.
"Come onna. You're going to get yourself sick." He held his hand out over the surface of the water, and she swam over and took it. Wu-Fei pulled her up onto the shore next to him with ease. Almost instantly, he wished he hadn't.
Relena was soaked, and her little dress was clinging to everything. The thin fabric had become slightly see-through, and he could make out the beautiful tint of her hidden skin. She looked up at him, an innocent smile on her lips. "I tripped?" She tried sweetly.
Wu-Fei never even heard her. He moved his face down to hers, giving her plenty of time to turn away. She only moved her face closer to his. "Onna…" She was so close that Wu-Fei could feel her soft breath on his lips. That did it. He pushed his head down and crushed his lips against hers.
Relena recovered from her shock quickly, and began to kiss him back, striving to match his furry of passion. She wound her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.
They parted momentarily for breath, but then slammed back together, like magnets. Feelings Wu-Fei had never experienced before exploded inside of him with such force that it almost frightened him. Almost. He could feel his control slowly slipping. One thought planted itself in his mind:
'I think aishiteru, Relena-san….'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The sweet sunlight bathed a peacefully sleeping couple in its warm rays. The woman's soft breathing tickled the man's throat and he stroked her cheek lovingly.
Relena unconsciously nuzzled into his hand, whispering something about the L1 colony and Duo eating all the pancakes. Wu-Fei smiled, she seemed so innocent in her sleep. Softly, he kissed her forehead.
As expected, her beautiful, teal eyes fluttered open. A lazy grin graced her features as his handsome face came into focus. "So, will you come to dinner now?"
Wu-Fei chuckled, "Maybe… Wait! What time did you leave?!"
Relena frowned, "About 4:00. Why?"
Wu-Fei stood up abruptly, reaching for his pants. "It has to be at least six by now! Get up, and get dressed!"
Relena grabbed her dress and pulled it on over her head. "Does my hair look all right?"
"You look fine."
After slipping her sandals on, Relena turned back to him, biting her bottom lip. "Can I… Come and see you again tonight?"
Wu-Fei shook his head. "Relena, I don't think this can ever happen again. No one would understand."
"But… I love you Wu-Fei…" Relena whispered, tears coming to her eyes.
Sighing, Wu-Fei took her into his arms. "Aishiteru Relena. But some things, just aren't meant to be…" He could feel her shaking, and a few sobs could be heard. He stroked her hair, wishing that it didn't have to be this way.
"I… I'm supposed to love Heero. Aren't I? That is what's meant to be." Relena whispered.
"Yes. And I'm supposed to love Sally. I do love her, and you love Heero. We just need to let go of each other. Our places are with them. Not with each other."
Slowly, Relena pulled away from him and wiped at her wet cheeks. "I will never forget you. Or this day."
"I will cherish the memory of this day forever, as well as the memory of you." Wu-Fei took a step back, as did Relena.
"Aishiteru…"
"Aishiteru…"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
21 Years Later:
The wind was cold, and the rain unforgiving. It was as if the earth was taking her revenge on humans for taking away one of her most cherished children.
Upon a large hill was a woman, shadows under her eyes, her honey-colored hair whipping out in the wind. She was pinning for what she had never had, and now she could never have. An old love was gone, another one. Her husband had left her alone, only on her request. She wanted time alone to remember the deceased man. Her lost, forbidden love from so long ago. Wu-Fei was gone…
With tears spilling from her eyes, Relena placed a hand on the cold marble. Her heart seared as she read the engraving. It was short and simple, yet all that was needed for her to describe all that she felt for him.
Life is not forever, yet the tranquil of love is. Your tranquil will live in the hearts of all. Thank You. Now go, rest among the stars. And wait for us, in heaven.
Aishiteru
"Aishiteru forever, Wu-Fei. I wish you could hear me now. I will be strong for you. I promise. Like you said in the past, some things are just not meant to be…"
As she stood and turned to leave, Relena did not hear the whispered promise from a ghostly, yet heavenly figure…
"Aishiteru, forever, Relena-san. Aishiteru Forever…"