Standard disclaimers apply. I'm just a graduate student trying to spend time away from the books. I just want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Enjoy!

FORBIDDEN KISS

"I dare you to go up to that house." The leader of the rat pack pointed over to the one that stood off by the cul-de-sac. "I hear they're a group of vampires."

"What? They don't exist." He shook his head in disbelief.

"I've only seen them come out at night. And for one thing, why would their windows be shut so tight?"

The boy looked over the bushes and saw a quiet, white house. "It looks ordinary to me."

"Suit yourself." The boy began to walk away. "If you want to be in this group, you have go up and ring the doorbell. And…you have to stay there over a minute." The leader stressed the last sentence with emphasis.

The violet-eyed child couldn't resist the challenge. He knew he could never run away from one. "Fine then."

"Here's some garlic, you'll need it." The boy tossed him a small bunch, and ran over across the street, away from any neighbors looking at their mischievous antics.

"It's just a load of crap." He smelled the garlic drifting towards his nose. "Ugh." He reached over and pushed the button. Inside, a ring of chimes echoed in the hallway.

The butler held a small chopping knife in his hand and wiped the blade on his crisp apron. "May I help you?"

"Wha-" The old man cowered over him, "Um…" He followed the small blade with his eyes and swallowed hard down his tiny throat.

"Well, what is it?" His face was met with pellets of garlic, and he nearly dropped his knife.

"Aaaaah!" The boy screamed for his life and dashed as fast as he could. He ran and he felt something snag at his foot. "Stupid tree." He pulled at his clumsy foot, and left the sneaker still hooked on the heavy root.

"That was strange indeed." He shut the door behind him and walked back through the dimly lighted halls to the kitchen. At the counter, a pile of thin strips of carrots and celery still needed to be finely chopped. He dropped the tainted knife in the sink and grabbed another small knife from the drawer from where he stood.

Solo looked at his newfound friend, "I didn't think you would last that long."

"Did he cut my braid off?" He fingered for the shoulder-length braid until his small hands found it. "Phew, I thought he was going to cut it."

"You have guts." He patted the boy on his shoulders.

"Next time, send someone else." Violet eyes stared back with intensity for the near fatal brush with a knife.

"Of course, only those that wants to be members."

"Who was that at the door?"

"Someone pulling off a prank, I suppose." A stream of orange ran off from his fingers after chopping the carrots.

"Oh, I see." She looked at the clock, "Can I go out and play?"

"It's not time yet." The old man continued on with his work. "You know you can't go out right now, it's too dangerous. Besides, what will your parents think?"

"Alright." The hopes of heading out were dashed in a second.

The butler noticed her disappointment and offered her a treat, "You can have a cookie, they're nice and hot." The little girl grabbed one and ate it without another word.

"I'll be heading back to my room." Slowly, she made her way back up the winding stairs. She hated this prison of hers as she always thought of it. Back in her room, blue eyes stared at the mural of a garden. The sun was vibrant. She longed to taste the sunlight on her own skin. But at an early age, she learned that the sun was her enemy. "Why me?" Petite fingers reached out to the wall, tracing the flowers and hoping to imagine what it felt. Her fingertips were met with coldness and despair. "Another day of this…"

All this time, her life was wrapped in protective cocoon. The only times she were ever allowed out in broad daylight was to head to the hospital. Even in those acts, they could be deadly for her if something went awry. The protective, white suit was her only defense to block out the sun from killing her, and at the hospital, she remembered dim lights around her all the time.

She flipped on the television, but made sure to stay back to keep from being exposed to more radiation. Several cartoons caught her attention, but she quickly got bored. Outside, she heard kids her age laugh as they played a game. What game? She couldn't tell. Her window was blocked out to keep the sunlight from penetrating into the house. After an hour, she closed the television and read a small book hoping to pass the time. This was her routine for the time being until it was safe to venture out.

"Knock knock. I figure you might want some company now." Her butler brought in a stack of cards. "How about we go another round of war? I want a rematch you know."

The girl smiled slightly, "I thought you still have work to do."

"No no, I'm quite free actually. So how about it?"

"Okay, if you say so." Her voice picked up pitch and she watched her friend deal out the cards. Even with the incandescent lighting, she still managed to out smart him.

"I believe the score is now 10-0 for this week." His deep accent resonated in the room.

"Yep." She started to clean up their game of war and rearranged them accordingly to their groups.

"Well I think it's time for this old fellow to check on our dinner, we don't want burnt carrots and peas now do we?" The girl shook her head from side and side in response. "After dinner, you can go out to play." The old man watched her face light up. "I do say there are many fireflies recently."

Another two hours passed, and the sun was tucked beneath the horizon. The moon slowly rose and a circle of white was full. Glimpses of honey strands caught the moonlight as she darted back and forth across the knee-high grass, catching the elusive neon lights. It was her time, and she treasured it most as she could. It was another perfect night.

She looked towards the house and caught a familiar beam snaking its way on the driveway. "They're home!" She sprinted in earnest, as she saw her parents emerge from the car. "Daddy, Mommy!"

"How's my princess doing?" Her father scooped her up in his arms.

"I miss you." She gave a peck on his cheek.

"What do you have here?" He picked up a globe that hung from her wrist.

"Pegan and I were catching them." She smiled back at him, forgetting that she actually had her small friends around her hands all this time.

"Well let's collect a few more then," her mom poked into the conversation. The little family headed back into the fields to collect more of the green darts. Their collection grew and the clear globe that she carried pulsated in waves of green.

"How about we let them go now?" Her mother kneeled down beside her, seeing that it was getting late. She helped her hold the globe in place, while she watched her daughter's tiny hands move towards the hatch. "Make a wish now, Relena."

Dozens of fireflies escaped from the small hole into the restless night and flew around her. She closed her eyes and silently repeated her wish to herself, hoping that one day it would come true.

---

Katrina peered out through the window, wondering if the time was right. She pulled the curtains aside and looked at the neighborhood, "I don't know if we should let her out, dear. What happens if one of those bullies pull on her suit?"

"We can't keep her under lock and key for the whole day. The child needs fresh air."

"I'm just afraid of the consequences that's all. When we brought her home from the hospital, I was worried from that moment on."

"I know Katrina, but we need to let her grow." He picked up the white suit from the box. The synthetic fibers gleamed in the dim light of their own room. "Relena dear, we have something for you."

The little girl bounded into the room. "What is that?"

"This will help go outside for short amount of time." Her father helped her into it. "Did you put on your sunscreen?"

"Yes I did as always." She looked at the long sleeves, "I look like a ghost."

"No you're not, you look like a swan. The most beautiful swan." Her mother chimed in, trying to bring some confidence back into her daughter. Relena scrunched her eyebrows in disbelief before her father placed the rest of her protective coat over her head.

"Now don't over do it," her father guided her to the front yard, where some children were already playing.

"I won't." For the first time, her parents let her out to roam in their vast front yard. The sunlight warmed her tiny frame, but she felt like she was normal almost, until a couple pairs of eyes were glaring at her with quizzical looks.

"Why do you have that on? It's summer…aren't you hot wearing that?" One of the kids directly asked her.

"Not really." She shrugged to the best of her abilities.

"All the kids around here think you're a family of vampires." She let out a soft giggle, "But, we're wrong." She looked towards the girl's house and saw her parents standing there.

Her cornflower eyes looked in amazement, "It looks cool actually."

"Thanks, I suppose." She twisted her fingers that were constricted in her gloves.

"My name is Hilde. What's yours?"

"Relena." The child called out from her barrier.

"Nice to meet you." She motioned for her other playmates to come, but they stood off a few feet away from them. "Wanna play tag?"

"Sure," she nodded her head up and down.

"What do you think she's trying to do?" Duo asked Solo to see if he had any clues.

"I think she's inviting her to play." He scratched his forehead, "I can't read lips you know."

"And what do you think, Heero?" The braided brat asked the newest member of their group.

"Hn."

"Don't you have other words to say?"

"No." His voice still remained the same tone as before.

"Well there's something new."

"Hn."

"Here we go again." Duo gave up on him and the trio looked on as Hilde continued with her small conversation. "Do girl have to talk this long?" At that moment, he just wanted to start running around from the boredom of waiting. "Come on!"

"Be quiet Maxwell!" Hilde shouted from where she stood, "It's not polite to rush ladies."

"You're no lady," he stuck out his tongue and he watched her return the favor.

"He won't bite," she tugged at the other girl's arms and began to tell her the names of her friends. "The one that looks scrawny and rude, well that's Duo. The one standing next to him is Solo. The one who looks quiet and says nothing but 'hn' is Heero." The pair continued to walk up to the trio, "Well everyone, this is Relena, the so-called vampire."

"Hello, everyone." The boys nodded, even though they were slightly agitated for Hilde's slow return to them.

"Are you finally ready," Duo dug his heel into the clumpy ground.

"Yes, we are." Hilde stood off to the side with Relena near her.

"Since you're late, you're it."

"Fine with me, Maxwell."

Her tone sent shivers up and down his spine. Whenever she was made at him for something, she called him by his last name. This can't be good.

"On my count, one…two…three." The high-spirited, short-haired girl sprang into action and charged to her only target.

"This is going to be a biased game for a while," Solo struck up a conversation with Relena.

"Why is that so?"

"Well…you see whenever Duo makes Hilde mad…this is one of those times until he surrenders." He sidestepped to his right, as the raging pair came towards his direction. "You don't need to run at all in this round."

The pair heard a scream from a hill, and Duo took up his hands in surrendering. "Tag! You're it."

Hilde made a dash downhill as Duo was getting ready to pick his victim. "Well he seems to be the party pooper today."

Heero glared at the boy who tore down the grassy hill. "Hn."

"One day, Heero you're going to say more words than that." Duo let out a war cry, as the others made a mad dash to get out of his way.

"Look at that, she's playing with the other kids from the neighborhood." Mr. Peacecraft smiled and watched his only little girl have fun.

"I don't think this is still a good idea."

"She's having fun, Katrina."

"I think this is totally bad idea," Millardo took a seat at the table, while loosening his tie.

Duo popped a couple of candies in his mouth, and the extra boost was what he needed. The speedy seven-year-old rounded around corners to catch his target. "Alright, this time I'm going to get you for sure." His tiny chubby hands grabbed the black fabric of Heero's T-shirt. "Gotcha." He started doing a little victory dance around the yard. "Finally."

The stoic child now looked at the rest of the group. How did he ever meet Duo was something he couldn't remember. All he remembered was being paired up with this happy go lucky kid in a classroom activity. He eyed the remaining group members. Why is that girl wearing that suit? His face remained blank as the question worked in his mind. Whatever the reason was, he didn't care. Right now, she was his target.

"Uh oh," Relena saw the kid running in her direction. "Great, not a perfect time to be caught in this suit." She was thinking the one thing that he shouldn't be doing. The sun was out in full force, and now it wasn't the perfect time. She gave out a shriek as the kid tormented her. "Um…Heero…don't take off my mask." She shouted across the protective barrier. "Eeeeeeek!"

Heero locked his Prussian eyes on her, and followed her every move like a cat taunting its prey. He nearly caught her, as she rounded around a small bush. Seeing that they were literally going in circles, he stopped and she ran right into him as rounded the bush another time. At that moment, he pulled on her mask and it was enough to loosen her protective mask. She felt it slip from her head. The sun's ray hit her pale skin, and immediately, she was awed at the feeling.

The Peacecrafts retired to their small table on their front porch. Katrina was sipping on a glass of lemonade. Her worse fear was realized. The glass slipped onto the concrete steps, sending shards in all directions. "Relena!!!" She ran off the steps and towards her daughter. Her motherly instinct took full action and scooped up the tiny girl in her arms to the best of her abilities. The sun showed no mercy, and she watched the child's face flush to a cherry hue.

Millardo dashed off the steps and grabbed Heero by the collar. "What do you think you were doing? She told you not to take off that mask!" He shook him violently, until his father pried him away from the child.

"Not now, Millardo. He's just a kid. Go back and call the doctors if your mother hasn't done so already."

"Whatever…that kid has no feelings whatsoever." The teenager stormed back to the house.

"Will she be alright, sir?" Hilde looked horrified to what happened.

"I hope so," a small smile reassured the children. "You kids go continue your game now." Mr. Peacecraft walked away from the quartet and returned home.

"Way to go Heero," Duo was rubbing it in how he ruined their game.

"Duo, stop it!" Hilde slammed her foot on his to keep him quiet.

"I just hope she's okay," Solo looked worried, as he remembered Relena's reaction to the sun. "There's something wrong with her."

Heero remained quiet, he didn't mean to. It was all for fun, and it was a honest mistake. When he pulled off her mask, he watched as the cocoon unraveled, revealing a whole new person from the inside. Honey strands caught the glimpse of the sun, and her cerulean eyes locked in on his deep violet eyes.

They stood there for awhile, as they watched the Peacecraft home come to life in a flurry of urgency. The family car with its blackened windows came roaring out of the garage. Somewhere in there, a precious life hanged in the balance. Heero felt a pair of eyes focus on him, as the car drove pass them. He knew whom they belonged to. Today, he had made himself an enemy to Relena's older brother.

"It's alright, Relena, we're going to see the doctor now. Everything will be fine." She squeezed her quiet daughter.

"You're squishing me, Mommy." Her voice was muffled against her suit and her own mother's cotton blouse.

"I'm sorry. Oh God, please not now." She rocked her baby back and forth. "Can we go any faster?"

"I'm trying to." Her husband shouted from the driver's seat.

The emergency room came into view, and their carefully orchestrated plan was put into action. The nurses and her doctor were waiting. All around her, the darkened halls consumed her environment. She felt the panic in everyone, and soon she closed her eyes trying to forget that this ever happened. Her forehead was searing in pain, despite the sunscreen she had rubbed on earlier.

Voices drifted about her, as her doctor looked at the newly reddened skin. She knew she had sunburn. This wasn't her first time, but the pain wouldn't let up at all. She heard her parents' voices to. Grownups. Why did they say things in ways where they covered up the truth? "Am I going to be okay?" She decided to see what they were talking about.

"Why yes, sweetie. You've been great." Her doctor looked at her face one more time. "This will go away in a few more weeks. In the meantime, I want you to stay out of the sun. You got that?" The blond child nodded in response. "Okay, pick out a sticker and a lollipop from the jar."

"Are you sure she will be fine?" Mrs. Peacecraft looked worriedly at her daughter.

"Of course, she will be fine. There are just a few blisters. Just keep them out in the open air, and they'll go down in time. You did the right thing in bringing her here today." The doctor reassured them both.

"Well Princess, I don't think your mother is going to let you out of the house again." Her father patted her on top of her head. "Okay, time to go now. Did you pick out the sticker and the lollipop?"

"Yep." She lifted her light arms and she felt her father lift her off from the table. "Home now?" Her hands still clutch the lime candy and a sticker of Hello Kitty.

"Yes, we're going home now."

Hours after her daughter's scare, Katrina placed herself on lockdown mode. She double checked with everything was to her standards, starting with the light bulbs and television sets. She was going to take every precaution out there. She didn't want to run the risk of endangering Relena's health any further. "I knew it was a bad mistake for her to be out there." She paced in the kitchen with a detector in her hands.

"Calm down, you don't want to scare her into being afraid of everything. The sunburn will go down." Her husband tried to make amends for his decision to let their daughter roam out in the afternoon. "I thought she was ready honestly."

"Every ounce of UV radiation she gets, the further her chances of getting cancer." She pointed her finger angrily at him.

"I know, but this was just a single incident." He tried reasoning with her some more. "We built this house especially of her in mind. We've been careful."

"Who knew we would be carriers to this to begin with?" She placed the detector down, aware she was on the verge of a breakdown. "I didn't want it to happen to her or to anyone else."

Pegan walked in on their conversation, "Pardon my intrusion, there is someone at the door asking about Relena."

"We'll be right there." Mr. Peacecraft guided his wife down the long hallway and to their front door.

"Hello there, Mr. and Mrs. Peacecraft, my name is Odin Lowry, Heero's father." The man stood out with his right hand, waiting for them to take it. "My son told me about what happen, and I'm so sorry."

"There's no need to worry, Mr. Lowry." Katrina spoke up, "The doctor said it was just a sunburn. It should clear up in a few weeks."

"I'm glad to hear she's alright." The parents looked at one another of what to do next until Odin remembered. "Heero is actually outside and he has something for Relena."

"Well bring the boy in, we have some milk and cookies if he wants to have some." Mr. Peacecraft was anxious to meet the little child. "He's always welcomed here." By that statement, he looked over towards his wife, where her face showed a pale complexion by the mere mention of the boy who nearly killed their child.

"Come on Heero, it's alright." Odin stepped out and waved at his adopted son to come over. At the mouth of the door, Heero held a small pink bag in his hands.

"Here's a gift for Relena." He held out the bag to her father, as he generously took it.

"I'm sure she'll like it. Thank you. Would you like a small snack?"

"No…no thank you." Heero retreated out the door, as he let the grownups finish their conversation.

"He's very sweet actually." Odin tried to say a few kind words on Heero's behalf.

"I'm sure," Katrina let out a fake smile and wished that the man would leave. "Well if you need help in babysitting him at any time, we'll be happy to have him over."

"That sounds great, I might have to take up on your offer, since I travel a lot on business trips. Good evening then." The Peacecrafts watched the man leave their house and headed back to his home with Heero.

"Millardo, can you come over here please?" Mr. Peacecraft ordered his son down from his room. "Can you please give this to your sister?" He held the bag in front of him.

"Don't tell me it's from Heero?"

"Why yes it is. I think it's sweet of him to do this."

Millardo grudgingly took the package. He was still filled with pent-up anger from the afternoon's events. Slowly, he trudged up the steps being mindful of someone that was sleeping. While upstairs, he peeked into the bag. "Figures," he mumbled. He was at the foot of Relena's bedroom door and wondered if he should just hang the bag on the door handle. The door itself was slightly jarred open, and he watched his sister sleep soundly. On the ceiling, an image of a crescent moon clung to a cloud. Being carefully, he slipped in and left the bag where she would see it. As he stepped out, a floorboard creaked underneath his weight and the sound awoke her.

"Is that you, brother?" Her sweet voice drifted to his ears.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Do you hate Heero?" Her gentle voice lingered in the room.

It was an innocent question, but it was question that made him think hard on the answer. Yes, he put his sister's life in jeopardy, but he couldn't truly hate a person forever unless…he threw that thought of out his mind. "Go to sleep now. That's for another day."

"I can't sleep now," she rubbed her eyes. "What is it like to stand in the sun, and not be afraid it?"

"Well that's a good question." He bent down and picked up the bag that Heero dropped off earlier. "Before I tell you the answer, here's a gift from you know who."

She moved the fragile tissue paper from the top and pulled out a small teddy bear from the pink bag. "It's cute."

"I've seen better." He felt a playful jab coming from his sister. She placed the teddy bear on her nightstand, underneath a small lamp. The soft light revealed the light chocolate fur.

"Well now, where were we?" And with that, their conversation started up again into the early night.

---

"Where did that bag of marshmallows go?" Millardo searched around the campsite. "You didn't hide them from me did you?"

Relena chewed on her smore as much as possible. The gooey delicacy was still warm in her mouth. "No," she mumbled outward. The blisters on her forehead were finally going down, but the skin still had a tinge of blush on the surface. She watched her big brother mull over his words of trying to find the fluffy sweets in the dark. "Did you check over there?"

He looked up towards the direction of a pile of logs she pointed at. "You better not be playing games with me."

"Why would I be?" She gave an innocent look, while Millardo sauntered off. When he wasn't looking, she swiped the contraband underneath her jacket and placed them on his seat.

A small voice crept over her shoulder, "I saw that."

"Who's there?" She swallowed the last bit of her s'more. Her eyes scanned the dark foliage. A tiny figure emerged, "Heero?" He stood in his spot, not wanting to come any closer. He already caused enough damage. "Why don't you come and sit here?"

"Now I see the marshmallows have app-" Millardo looked over to where Relena was staring at. He could feel every inch of his muscles tightening inside his body, but he made a promise to his sister to be at least civil to the boy. "Do you want a s'more?" His voice hinted at agitation.

Heero nodded a no in response and he continued to stand in the shadows. Before long, he felt a tug coming from his side and he realized that she was pulling him towards the makeshift campsite. "It will be fun. Come on!" The sweetness in her voice made him feel welcomed, but he could feel the cold eyes on his back. "Thank you for the teddy bear."

He could already hear his father's lecture on manners running through his head, "Um…you're welcome." By the time he finished saying that simple sentence, he felt a round object in his hands and realized what Relena had already done.